Erasmus+ project: Students' mobility in Brussels, Belgium

Sunday 5.10

We dedicated our Sunday to exploring Brussels. Manneken pis has many interesting stories that people tell about its background. Diffusing the bomb that was about to destroy the city or putting out the big fire are particularly famous among many. Regardless of which story you decide to believe, this unique statue is one of its kind.  The grand palace that faces the beautiful city hall is something that attracts a lot of tourists everyday. Though the composition of people might be different from what it used to be, the grand place still provides a place for people of various backgrounds to come together, appreciating the rich culture and architecture of Brussels. We then started our hour -long walk to the Atomium; a reminiscence of the expo that took place in 1958. On our way, we walked through a neighborhood where we could find the non-tourist side of this city. Unlike the busy center of Brussels, there was an ordinary life of local people. 

The unique architecture of Atomium can be seen from any part of the neighborhood. This contrast of calm neighbourhood and unique architecture made us think what this monument must have signaled to a still developing city of Brussels over 60 years ago and what it could have made people feel about the future that was being pictured through the expo. We can never have an answer to these questions, but we can find the fragments of how it has turned out to be in this city with multilingual and multiethnic culture that hosts the most important institutions of the EU. 

Monday 6.10 

Allowing ourselves a slow morning after a busy and shoe soles consuming weekend, we headed to the first destination of the day; House of European History. To understand the role the EU plays in today’s society, you would first have to understand what happened in the history of Europe and what led to the formation of the EU. This museum provides a thorough overview from the upheaval of European cities to WW2, skillfully combining physical exhibitions and digital contents through a tablet in each student’s hands. Thanks to this tablet, students from different countries can learn in their most comfortable language; be it Italian, Hungarian, Finnish, or English. Students were given 2 hours to go through this museum, but it was far from enough! The detailed and engaging exhibitions caught the attention of the students and let them understand that peace in Europe was never static and given for free; people indeed had to fight for it every second. Nowadays there are many eye-catching stories about European politics and beyond. As a teacher, I hope our students find that what we are seeing today is extremely similar to what was exhibited in this museum, and it is each of us that has to be actively protecting the peaceful European society. 

In the evening, we gathered with the students and teachers from two other schools that we will be spending time with for a week. It was meant to be an icebreaker and boding experience for the students; what was exactly needed for our nervous students! It started with the game to test the assumptions and stereotypes that students had for other countries. Noticing what is true and what is not was very helpful in better understanding what kind of personalities each student has and forming friendships! The latter half of the meeting was dedicated to a group game that tests knowledge on the EU and its institutions. This part worked as an introduction to the topic of this project; understanding the function and importance of the EU and thereby becoming an active EU citizen. The quiz varied from country-specific questions to detailed function of various institutions. Knowing what the students (and teachers) did not know yet motivated and prepared all of us for the visit to institutions that awaits us. 

Tuesday 7.10 

There are three key EU institutions in Brussels; the council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. Tuesday was dedicated to visiting the council, which represents the governments of every member state in the EU. As soon as we entered the institution, students noticed that it said "Denmark presidency” on the big screen. The arts were also curated by Danish representatives. “Why Denmark?”, with this genuine question in mind, we followed a personnel, who happened to be from Finland and warmly welcomed us, to the meeting room where an actual council meeting took place in the past. Students got an answer to their question very quickly; member states take turns to be a president of the council, which organizes and moderate the negotiations among the countries. And at this moment, it happened to be Denmark’s turn. 

The personnel at the council explained three different functions of the council, the parliament, and commission with the latter two correspondingly representing the citizens within the EU as well as the EU government. What are the core principles of these institutions? One of them is multilingualism, which was thoroughly explained throughout our visit in the council. We learned that this multilingualism is supported by the translation team in the institutions that utilizes their own database of the official documents in the past and their expertise in translation. The stakes are high in this job, a minor mistake in translation could cause disagreements between the member states. Although they utilize the database and original AI tool, it is still their expertise to make sure that things are in order.  As nerve-consuming as it sounds, the personnel told our students how rewarding this job is and how proud each staff member is.  I hope my students saw it as an option for their future occupation from this visit and actually meeting someone from Finland in one of the most important institutions in the world. 

Wednesday 8.10

On Wednesday, we headed out for a day trip to Ostende and Bruges with other groups from Hungary and Brugge. Ostende faces the north sea despite its name meaning “east-end”. To our students’ surprise, Ostende used to be located in the eastern part of a small island, which turned into a part of the continent due to the unstable coastline of the north sea. 

The main objective of visiting this coastal city was to visit Atlantikwall Raversyde; remains of over 60 bunkers from two world wars now repurposed as an open air museum where people can learn the terrifying histories of these major wars. Students were provided with a small tablet where they can listen to the guide and read the further details in English. Preserved very carefully, this museum manages to immerse the visitors into the footsteps of the soldiers who used to defend this strategically important cost for the European continent. As we saw in the house of European history, the combination of physical exhibitions and digital contents worked well to feel the history, which seemed to have encouraged our students to learn about it.

In the afternoon, we explored Bruges whose historic city center is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. A week in Belgium has given our students some understanding about Belgium sceneries, but that of Bruges was nothing like what we had seen. Quiet and tranquil rivers, gorgeous churches, colorful yet historical buildings; all of them make up this beautiful city. Guided by Hungarian teachers, we learned the industrial history of Brugge, which utilized its clean water for textiles and other products. As another day passed in Belgium, it was clear that our students are making friends from other countries. Chatting, walking, and laughing, those students who had been so anxious to meet new people looked comfortable speaking in English and knowing more about their new friends. 

Thursday 9.10

Our last full day in Belgium started with a visit to the European Parliament, which represents the voice of citizens in the EU. Together with students from other countries, we sat and listened to a lecture by a personnel who used to teach in a highschool. Political parties and its decision making process sometimes seem too complicated to comprehend. We were told, however, it is basically the same thing as our agreements and disagreements in our daily lives over small things. With this understanding in mind, we were invited to observe the actual parliament where those political discussions take place. We were encouraged to learn the structural and architectural details of this parliament, which makes it possible to have equal and fair discussion under the principle of multilingualism.  

Filling our stomach with delicious pho for lunch, we headed to the last institution; the European Commission, representing the EU government, a face of the EU. Despite the intimidating sound of this institution, this visit turned out to be the one where our students had the most amount of conversation and laughter this week! The staff’s witty jokes and very genuine opinions fascinated our students. What the EU does on a personal life level might have been still vague, but it was not the case anymore. Even after the planned lecture, students kept talking with the staff for over an hour. I am glad that he was the last person for the students to see in this program since students managed to feel the human aspect of the EU. However complicated and prestigious the EU might sound in the first place, it is still humans that are running every bit of it. I hope that simple fact would invite each student to take part in the initiatives of the EU, knowing that everyone is wanted and needed. 

Back in the center of Brussels, students took part in the last activity of the programme; a group game where you have to complete the given tasks throughout the city. Task instructions were given on an app in 4 languages so students needed to collaborate with the students from other countries. The tasks varied from visiting an iconic statue to dancing with a song by a street singer, through which students explored the parts of the city and engaged in the activities that they would not have otherwise. This group game made the good-byes that had to happen right after this game, but it means that they managed to deepen their friendships with other students.