Exchange with the twin town in Portugal – Three schools involved
Leiria. 19 pupils from Kopernikus-Gymnasium, Gymnasium Dionysianum and the commercial schools are currently experiencing eventful and very informative days during a stay in Leiria. The student exchange with the Portuguese twin town is organized by the town twinning association Rheine and the schools. Irja Erben and Ildefons Kirfel from the board of the town twinning association accompanied the group. The young people live with families in the twin town. In a few weeks’ time, the pupils from Leiria will come to Rheine and will also live with families for a week.
European history, politics and culture in the heart of Portugal, sporting activities and mental well-being – this is how the hosts’ program was described. The Alfonso Lopes Vieira and Francisco Rodrigues Lobo schools had planned a lot of variety into each day. After a long day of travel – the group had left for Schiphol Airport at 1 a.m. last Tuesday – the program kicked off with a reception in the town hall. The old and new mayor, Cocalo Lopes, welcomed the guests with a satisfied expression on his face. He had just been confirmed in office two days earlier with an overwhelming majority. He showed the young guests a collage depicting Leiria and Rheine together. The location of both cities on a river is the perfect harmony of this partnership.
During the obligatory visit to the castle of Leiria, three Portuguese schoolgirls took the lead. On the way down, the students were allowed to explore the city in small groups in a quiz optimized for cell phones. This was followed by a visit to the city museum and the historic paper mill on the River Lis, where the young people created their own sheet of paper with visible enthusiasm.
An excursion into the Portuguese school system, organized by Lisete Pereira, was certainly also interesting for the young people from Rheine and the surrounding area. The guests also took part in a lesson. The information about Portugal’s changing vegetation was introduced with a picnic under cork oaks, which are still an important export item. In 2017, the region lost the majority of its pine forests due to devastating forest fires.
The next day, we headed to the sea at Pedrogao Beach. On the journey there, the devastating effects of the forest fires were still visible. A local guide explained the reforestation efforts. After a walk along the beach, the tour continued to Batalha Monastery, where the historical context was again explained very clearly by Portuguese young people. In addition to the impressive founder chapel, the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier was a highlight of the program. The conclusion of 16-year-old Melissa from Rheine: “On this trip, we saw a lot of Portual and Leiria – from the sea in Nazare to the monastery in Batalha. We were able to see with our own eyes how climate change is clearly making itself felt and what consequences it is having on people’s lives.”
The guests spent the weekend with Portuguese families. The hosts usually use this opportunity to go on excursions in the region. The farewell party on Monday was the final event before the return flight from Lisbon Airport on Tuesday morning. In his welcoming address, Mayor Goncalo Lopes pointed out that this was the 24th exchange of young people from the twin towns. Next year, they are looking forward to a real anniversary with the 25th exchange. But first there will be a reunion in December in Rheine, which the young hosts are particularly looking forward to.
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