A Welcome Return to Erasmus+
Sunday 13th March 2022
Teachers Johanna O'Sullivan and Sheila Maher departed Dublin for Cartegena, Spain to visit CIFP Hesperides, a vocational college similar to BFEI in the southeast of Spain. This was the first visit of four to be included in our ERASMUS+ staff mobility project on VET Employer-Education Engagement.
We were overwhelmed with the welcome we received from our hosts. On day one we were given a comprehensive guide of their main facilities just outside the town of Cartagena. Our hosts also conducted a helpful round table discussion on the structures, systems, and processes that they employ in setting up meaningful work placements for their students.
That afternoon, they gave us a guided tour of Cabo de los Palos and La Manga which was memorable for all the wrong reasons; a Saharan sandstorm blew in and turned the skies orange - apparently the worst incidence on record. The novelty of it was not lost on the Irish visitors however and the orange skies made for good photo opportunities.
On day two of the visit, we were given a guided tour of their diving school, housed in a recently developed, state-of-the-art facility. With bright airy classrooms and modern equipment - they were even installing a decompression chamber - we were tempted to enrol on a diving course.......but they only take 13 students into first year!
Overlooking the wide and busy harbour of Cartagena, along with several of the staff from the diving school and the main facility, we were treated to a delicious lunch. Course after course of fresh fish was the order of the day. And afterwards, instead of Irish Coffee, we were served a "Cafe Asiatico", a typical coffee from the Spanish city of Cartagena. We were more than happy to taste the local food and drink that might not be on a regular tourist menu!
The highlight of day two was a visit to Cartagena's Roman Theatre. Our hosts had arranged for an English-speaking guide to walk us through the Roman history of the city. We were awe-struck by this ancient site surrounded by modern buildings, that had lain buried underneath the thriving city for centuries only to be unearthed forty years ago.
On day three, our hosts arranged for us to visit the local Town Hall where we learned about the local government and the history of the building. We also visited the Roman Forum that is currently being excavated. These Roman ruins were remarkable, again revealing life as it was lived centuries ago.
On our final evening, our hosts laid on another typical meal from the Cartagena area. Again, we were joined by several colleagues from the teaching staff. This was a lively enjoyable evening, not even the rain could dampen our spirits!
Unfortunately, early the next morning the rain did get the better of us when the downpour meant there was no taxi available to take us to the bus station. For twenty minutes we trudged with our bumping suitcases along deserted and sodden streets in a torrential downpour!!...We made it to the airport just on time, but only dried off once back in Dublin!
A wonderful Erasmus+ adventure....
