By Pernille Vederso
After a long process of filling for the Erasmus+ project: we had our
first exchange on September 25th 2017, the partners finally met in
person in Corella in March of 2019.
By that time, I felt we already knew each other, and meeting everybody
for real only exceeded my expectations. Here were people with the same
values as me. It felt like coming home, but I was in Spain. That
experience was an eye opener to me, because I had been so involved in
Skype meetings with the partners, to pin down the title of the project,
what the deliverables were and timing of the visits. The reason why I
suddenly got what it’s all about, was when I realised that no matter
what the title had been, no matter what we were fighting for, we were a
team, of Europeans, sharing values and dreams and a common cause. We
want to help each other and be friends. The Canadian psychologist, Susan
Pinker, writes in her book “The Village Effect”, that people feel the
happiest and their brains create oxytocin, when we feel a part of a
group, so no wonder this project made such an impression on me.
Luckily, the common dream we share is about cycling and stronger
communities, I am not indifferent to what Europe looks like when my
children grow old. But the sense of belonging to a union, the European
Union, suddenly made so much sense to me. And this was right in the
context of the Brexit vote. I was sad that the UK is leaving, and happy
that Denmark isn’t. I was proud of being in the same group as Toño
(Spain), Reda (Lithuania) and Jane (Ireland), and all the brave and
curious students who lived with families that did speak a different
language at home, but still cared for them as their own families do.
Like when Lucia fell ill, and her host family stayed at home with her
and brought her to the doctor.
I was blown away by the hospitality: my hosts (Javi and Charo), made me
breakfast everyday! They woke me up gently, even if I did have my own
alarm clock, and they asked me with sincere concern if I had been out
too late, how my visit was going and what was going on in my life. I
learned a lot from them, I invited them to my summer house and they
invited me to theirs and I know we will see each other again. I know
their parents are getting older, I know what they’re concerned about and
feel like a have another family now, a Spanish one.
My conclusion is, I love a Europe that is connected and caring, thanks
to the Erasmus+ program I now know that friends in Lithuania, Spain,
Ireland and Denmark feel the same. Let’s celebrate this union and let’s
fight for it.
