Monday 30 May 2016

Pictures from the RYSA-week in France

Here is a link to a Flickr account with public acess to pictures from the Swedish delegations trip to Lorraine, France between May 23'rd through 29'th.

Day 7


After a wonderful week packed with countless activities and even more impressions it was time for the Swedish students and teachers to return to Luleå on Sunday morning. At 10.30 AM the French and Swedish students and teachers gathered at the college. After many good byes and a few tears it was time for the Swedish delegation to board the bus that would take us to Paris Charles De Gualle airport for the return flight to Luleå via Stockholm.

The return bus ride was about an hour shorter than on the way to Ars-Sur Moselle due to lighter traffic in the Paris area. We arrived at the airport around 3PM and had time for a short dinner at Mc Donald's after everyone had checked in.

The flights back to Luleå went without incident and we arrived at Luleå Airport At 11.55 PM.

The week in France for the Erasmus project Rythm and Seasons project was an unforgettable experience for us all that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Many new international contacts and friendships have been formed and memories made.

Day 6

On Saturday it was time for an outing to a large amusement park outside of Metz called Wallygator.  At 10 AM the group of Swedish students and their French correspondents med at the park and we spent the whole day there until it was time to go back home for a few hours rest and dinner with the host families. The students had many attractions and rides to choose from and we enjoyed nice sunny weather apart from the last half hour or so of our visit when a torrential rain passed through the area.

At 7.30 PM we all met outside the big sports arena in down town Metz to watch the national final between the Metz women's handball team and Fleury. The game was sold out with more than 6000 fans on the stands. The game was close the entire match and Metz trailed Fleury up until the last 10 minutes when they soured into the lead and finally landed the national title in front of an extatic crowd.

After the game the students returned home with their respective correspondents to get packed and organized for the long trip home on Sunday.

Sunday 29 May 2016

the Swedish week seen by the regional press

You will find the Swedish week seen by the regional press. One thank you and bravo to all the team for the success of this week!


LA SEMAINE N°576  MAY 28TH 2016





LE REPUBLICAIN LORRAIN MAY 28TH 2016





MIRABELLE TV SHOW / JUSTE AVANT DE ZAPPER  MAY 24TH 2016












Friday 27 May 2016

Day 5

Today was the last day together at the College for the students participating in the exchange. The morning started out with the first class at 8.50. The pupils were devided into the same three groups as on Tuesday.

The students alternated between three classes: French with Mrs. Veutin, mathematics with Mrs. Wolfer and music with Mr. Zadja.

In French class the Swedish and French students cooperated in making an online crossword puzzle with questions about French and Swedish literature. In math class the students got to play a math game where they were tasked to create equations by rolling different dice. In music class Mr. Zaria led the students in singing a song by Elton John.







After all three groups had completed their morning classes it was time for another delicious lunch in the school cafeteria.

The afternoon started out with evaluations of the week for the participating students and teachers and was concluded with a multi sport tournament on the school grounds. The students were devided into teams and alternated between table tennis, soccer and basketball.








Despite the forecast promising rain and heavy thunder the sports tournament was completed in very warm and sunny weather. Over all the students enjoyed the tournament very much.

When the multi sport tournament was over it was time for the students to go home for lunch with their host families before they had to return to the College at 6.30 PM for a good bye barbecue and
dance.


The French host families had prepared delicious side dishes and there were local speciality sausages and kebabs on the grill.

At the end of a superb dinner it was time for everyone to go down to the leisure room for the school dance. The dance was kicked off by the teachers of Bergskolan and Örnässkolan who performed French 70's pop icon Claude François song Alexandra Alexandrie.

After that the students and teachers danced and had fun together until late in the evening.

Thursday 26 May 2016

Day 4

After the students had eaten dinner with their respective host families yesterday evening we all gathered at a local arcade for bowling, karaoke, go cart and air hockey between 8 and 10PM.

On Thursday morning the students and teachers from the College, Bergskolan and Örnässkolan were devided in to two separate groups. The teachers and students from Bergskolan together with their French correspondents started the morning with a bicycle ride from the College in Ars-Sur Moselle along the beautiful banks of the Moselle river in to the outskirts of Metz. During the ride we saw many historical sites, among others remnants of a Roman aqueduct built in the second century.













When we arrived in Metz we rested in a park and ate a sack lunch. After lunch we visited the Museum de Pompadou and viewed several excellent modern art exhibitions.

After the museum we were taken on a long walking tour of down town Metz stopping to see many landmarks and historical interests such as the train station and the cathedral.

At the conclusion of the walking tour the students had some free time to explore the city center on their own before it was time to gather and ride the bus back to the College.

The students and teachers from Örnässkolan did the same things as Bergskolan but in reverse order. They rode the bus in to Metz in the morning and biked back to the College in the afternoon.

In the evening the students had the opportunity to go shopping with their French correspondents at a large mall in Ars-Sur Moselle called Waves.

Wednesday 25 May 2016

Day 3


On Wednesday morning the students and teachers from Bergskolan, Örnässkolan and College Pilâtre de Rozier gathered at the College in the morning. At 9 AM we were picked up and taken by bus to the historical site of the Battle of Verdun.

After a bus ride that took a little over an hour through the beautiful countryside we arrived at the Memorial de Verdun museum. For about an hour we were able to tour this extensive and brand new museum dedicated entirely to the battle of Verdun in 1916.

The museum gave us a good overview and introduction to the history and events that unfolded there during the First World War. There were many actual artifacts from the battle, a large 3D exhibition with sound and video from the actual battlefield, authentic letters from soldiers on the front etc. it was a very interesting, moving and profound experience.

Around noon we ate our sack lunches in a pick nick area close to the museum. For the first time during our trip so far the sun broke through the clouds and we had very warm and sunny weather the rest of the afternoon.

After lunch we were joined by a local guide, history teacher and expert on the First World War. He guided us around the historical battle field, the Fort de Douaumont, the Mémorial de Verdun and the "ghost village of Fleury-Devant-Douaumont.


The battle of Verdun lasted just 10 months between February and December 1916 but claimed a staggering 700 000 dead or injured. The cemetery at Mémorial de Verdun hosts over 16 000 marked graves while the Ocillary de Verdun (the actual monument of the battle) contains the remains of more than 35 000 unidentified German and French soldiers.

The visit toVerdun was a powerful experience for all of us. The tragedy of war, before only known to most of us through history books, came alive and became very concrete visiting the battlefield and cemetery.

At about 4 PM we thanked the guide and headed back to the College by bus along windy roads and through picturesque villages on the hillsides. It was very difficult to picture this beautiful and serene countywide being the site of such horrific calamity precisely one hundred years ago.

When we arrived back at the College around 5 PM the Swedish students returned to their respective host families for dinner

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Pictures!



Students from Bergskolan getting ready to board the first flight to Stockholm.


Students in Metz city center on Tuesday evening. 




Students from Bergskolan and Örnässkolan gathered on Tuesday morning for the de briefing.


The local radio and tv stations reported from the first day of the exchange. 






Day 2

Tuesday morning started out with a short debriefing at the College de Pilâtre de Rozier between 8 and 8.50 AM. The two groups of students from Bergskolan and Örnässkolan gathered for a quick check that everything is working well with the host families. The students were happy with the accommodations aside from a few questions and concerns, mostly about the difference between Swedish and French breakfast routines. 

After the debriefing the students were divided into three groups, A, B and C. The three groups followed their respective French host students to their classes between 8.50 AM until lunch at 11.50 AM. 

The three groups alternated between biology, technology and chemistry class. In technology class the students were instructed by Mr. Wolff in using a computer program to design 3D schematics for building small scale windmill models for generating electricity. These schematics will later be used to make functioning PVC models. 

In biology class the students were instructed by Mrs. Borr. The object of the biology lesson was to dissect frog legs. The students were tasked and evaluated in finding and identifing the frogs nervous system. 

In chemistry class with Mrs. Cuny the students studied chemical reactions and molecule structures by building molecular models. 

Following the morning lessons the Swedish students and teachers joined their French counterparts for a lunch of kebab and French Fries in the school cafeteria. 

After lunch we took a short bus trip to The Laquenexy Gardens outside of Metz, a large botanical garden. There the students explored the vast gardens consisting of thousands of plants, flowers, herbs and more than 30 000 fruit trees. It was a relaxing and welcome break after the classes in the morning. The students enjoyed the gardens, took part in a quiz about the plants in the garden and got many great photo opportunities in the beautiful and scenic park.

The students concluded the day's activities with a visit to the beautiful and historic city center of Metz. There the Swedish and French students were given the opportunity to explore a bit on their own and do some shopping. 

At 6.30 PM the French host families picked the students up down town for dinner and free evening activities. 

That concludes the second day of our trip and the first full day of the exchange in France. Tomorrow we will spend the whole day touring the historic battle ground from the First World War, Verdun and end the day with a bowling party in the evening. 

Monday 23 May 2016

Bienvenue en France

Day 1

A tired but enthusiastic group of students (14 from Örnässkolan and 14 from Bergskolan + 5 teachers) met up at the Luleå Airport at 7.15 AM. The flight to Paris via Stockholm took off at 8.20 AM. 

The trip went without incident and we made our connection in Stockholm with time to spare and finally touched down in Paris around 1 PM where we were picked up by bus and driven to our final destination Ars-Sur Moselle. This bus ride through a rainy and cloudy but extremely beautiful French rural landscape took just over 4 hours.

When we finally arrived at the school (college) in Ars-Sur Moselle our student and teacher delegation was met by our French counterparts who greeted us with a wonderful welcome ceremony. There were Swedish flags adorning the school building and a large banner welcoming us in both French and Swedish. Inside the college we were entertained with snacks, soft drinks and games. After the welcome ceremony the French host families arrived at the college to pick up the Swedish students and took them home for dinner and some well deserved rest after a long day on the road.

Tomorrow holds an extensive program in store for the Swedish delegation. Tuesday's activities will be kicked off with morning lessons at the college between 8 and 12 AM. In the afternoon we will visit a fruit garden outside of Metz called Fruit Gardens of Laquenexy after which we will have a chance to explore historical down town Metz.