SLOVENIA - Gimnazija Ledina

HTTP://ABACUS.LEDINA.ORG/LIVINGNATURALPARKS ▪ № 1 ▪ APRIL 2009
MEMORIES, MEMORIES …
I do not want to say goodbye
yet
Lucía Zapico Fernández
Asturias, Spain
I will talk about my feelings here in
Slovenia.
The first day I was here, I was not sure if
I was going to enjoy this experience, but
as time passed by, I got to know
fantastic people and I got on really well
with them.
Today is my last day here, and I know I
will miss all the things that have
happened and all the new people,
especially my partners Tjaša and Nina,
two people that I will never forget.
I will not forget all our afternoons
together, all our conversations, and lots
of new experiences. I have to say that
these days here have been fantastic and
I will remember them all my life.
I hope Slovene students will enjoy
themselves visiting us in Spain as much
as I have enjoyed myself here.
The greatest experience
ever
Mario Peláez Fernández
Asturias, Spain
The exchange has been an exciting,
beautiful experience that has given me
more than one thing to think about:
people in Slovenia are different from us.
This is a new, incredible country, where
I have seen many beautiful sights (all
part of the same paradise called
Slovenia), such as Lake Cerknica, the
Križna Cave, Bled, the Triglav National
Park…
But it has not only been seeing beautiful
places: I have experienced a complete
cultural shock. People in Slovenia are
much more open-minded than people in
Spain. The reason might be that we have
been staying in a big city, where people
are usually more tolerant.
Actually, I really believe that I have
learnt more about and from people in
Slovenia than about the landscape here.
I have learnt I should not judge people
by their appearance. If you do not do it
you might be surprised what you realise
and how great you feel.
So, if you ask me, I will tell you that
visiting Slovenia has been one of the
greatest experiences of my whole life,
and I hope Slovene students will have
(at least) an experience as great as mine
when they come to Spain.
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We will miss you
Abel Gutiérrez Veiga
Asturias, Spain
Slovenia and Asturias are very similar.
Both countries have a lot of forests,
plants, animal, caves and mountains.
Slovenia is a nice place.
The first moment that I spent alone with
the host family I was really confused.
But then everything turned out ok. My
host family was very amusing and they
made my time in Slovenia really nice.
On our arrival here, Slovene families met
us at the airport. I was worried because I
did not know my partner. When I got to
know him better, I realized that I was a
lucky guy because his friends were my
friends' partners.
In conclusion I would like to say that I
have had a very good time because I
have always spent time with my friends
and my partner and his family have been
very nice to me and they have treated
me well.
We will miss you when we get back
home, but we will meet again in
September when you visit Asturias.
We visited our host school on the second
day. It is located in the city centre, so
everything is close by – shops,
restaurants etc.
The following days were more amusing
because we did a lot of interesting
activities in our free time: we went
racing with go-karts, we swam in the
biggest swimming pool in Slovenia and
did other crazy things.
I can speak Slovene
Eduardo Careaga
Asturias, Spain
The first day when we arrived in
Slovenia we were a bit frightened
because we did not know Slovene
families, but at the airport all Spanish
students got a good impression of the
unknown country.
Now, in the last moment I am really sad
because I do not want to leave Slovenia.
I have spent some of the best moments
of my life here and I have learned some
words in esloveno. Hahahahaha.
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THE EXCHANGE
I hope to see Slovene
students soon
Sandra Moreno Lueje
Asturias, Spain
When we arrived in Slovenia we thought
that everything was going to be very
different. The first day all of us were
really frightened because we did not
know our hosts and we just wanted to
be with our Spanish partners. But this
changed very fast. I think that I was
really lucky with my Slovene partner,
because she and her friends were really
amusing, and her family treated me very
well.
In the mornings we had to do what
teachers asked us to do, but in the
afternoons and evenings our Slovene
partners took us to do very funny things.
Making friends in
Slovenia
Llarina Arcoiza Amigo
Asturias, Spain
My host family in Slovenia was fantastic,
they treated me very well! At school we
did a lot of activities such as drawing
pictures of different excursions and
putting them onto a panel so they
looked like a collage!
Thanks to these activities we both, the
Slovenes and the Spanish, became good
friends!
My favourite excursion was yesterday
because we went to Lake Bled and
another lake which was beautiful.
We drove go-karts, we swam in a very
big swimming pool and we went
shopping.
In conclusion, my experience with
Slovenia was really good and I want our
Slovene partners to come to Spain very
soon.
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There were some animals and a lot of
plants there. We had a picnic afterwards.
Coming to Slovenia was incredible for
me because it was my first exchange; it
was funny, I learned a lot of things, I
enjoyed different activities and what is
most important - I made a lot of friends.
Clara's diary
Clara Muñiz Díez
Asturias, Spain
We come to Slovenia on 14 th April.
Slovene families come to the airport to
take us home. At home, we get to know
our host families better.
On 15 th April we go to school in
Ljubljana for the first time. The school is
very big (three floors) and students do
not wear shoes. When they come to
school, they put on their slippers. We
have classes in the morning.
On 16 th April we go to the Notranjska
Regional Park. We visit a lake and a cave.
They are very beautiful and the cave is
very big.
On 17 th April we have some more
classes. We do some painting first and
then we go to the National Museum of
Slovenia. It is very interesting.
At the weekend we spend time with the
family and in the evening we go out to
have fun.
arrive back at school we paint images
from Slovene natural parks.
On 21 st April we have more classes.
On 22 nd April we have more classes.
On 23 rd we go to the Triglav National
Park. We see Lake Bled and another
beautiful lake. We are near the Alps so
we can see snow.
Today, we are writing a diary. We are
going to Paris at 16:00. We will arrive in
Asturias on Saturday at 3:00.
Slovenia is a very beautiful country with
many places to go to and many
interesting things to see.
Snow reminds me of
Asturias
Alicia Cortina Davila
Asturias, Spain
The most beautiful place I saw in
Slovenia was Lake Bled with snow on
the mountain peaks in the surrounding
Alps. It was the first time I saw snow
here. I love snow and for a moment I
could remember Asturias and Spain,
where we have snow, too. What I also
loved in Slovenia were some other lakes
and the cave we saw.
On 20 th April we go to the Ljubljansko
barje Landscape Park and when we
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My partners were very nice people and I
want to keep in touch with them. I think
that when they come to Spain they
might be very surprised because all of us
live in flats and not in houses. I love
Slovene villages because they are calm,
warm and very friendly.
Slovene teachers were very friendly
with us, and so were the Spanish ones.
Some of us had health problems and we
had to see a doctor, but all of us got
better soon and we are fine now.
I had a good time in Slovenia.
My host family took me
to Italy
Eduardo Vicente Velado
Asturias, Spain
People in Slovenia are very friendly and
warm. My host family was nice. They
even took me to Venice (Italy) at the
weekend, which was a great experience.
Slovenia has got a lot of beautiful
monuments.
meeting point for many locals and
tourists. What I also liked about
Ljubljana is the Dragon Bridge, since a
dragon is the symbol of the city.
I have experienced great things here. I
loved going to the swimming pool. The
water was quite hot, but I enjoyed it
anyway. There were slides, a sauna and
a jacuzzi. Real fun.
I ate burek and I liked it.
I had a great time in Slovenia and I hope
to return some day.
Getting up early – no
problem for me
Adrián Muñiz Soto
Asturias, Spain
The most famous one in Ljubljana is the
Monument of France Prešeren, a
During the exchange I stayed with my
partner Petra in a small town called
Velike Lašče. She is sixteen years old.
She lives in a house with her parents and
her siblings Clara and Bojan. Clara is
eight and Bojan is seventeen. In the past
ten days I had to get up at five o’clock in
the morning because our school is very
far (about one hour by bus) from where
Petra lives, but this was not a problem
for me because I could sleep on the bus.
I have enjoyed my trip to Slovenia a lot
and I have visited a lot of sites: lakes, a
botanical garden, museums … There are
fantastic places in Slovenia to see, all
very interesting for tourists.
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In conclusion, despite health problems I
have had, this trip has been very nice. I
have been very comfortable with Petra
and her family and I will miss them a lot.
I did not know anybody
Imanol Suárez García
Asturias, Spain
On Tuesday, 14 th April, a group of
students from “La Quintana” travelled to
Slovenia to carry out a ten-day
exchange.
We were a bit scared on our arrival here
because we did not know what to expect
since we did not know any people from
Slovenia, but in the next days we got
more relaxed and used to the daily
routine here.
had a very good time in Slovenia,
because I like travelling and exploring
other countries.
Here I have visited the Postojna Cave,
which is really interesting, because it is a
very big cave and it has a lot of
enormous stalactites and stalagmites.
Another interesting place I have visited
is Lake Bled. It is quite big and its water
is green, it has an island in the middle
and on the island there are a church and
a few little houses.
I have also seen another lake, which is
known for its disappearing water in
different seasons of the year. I liked this
lake a lot.
Slovenia is a nice country. In Slovenia
there are a lot of trees and many people.
Food in Slovenia is different from that in
Spain, but it is good, although more
expensive than in Spain.
In general, Slovenia is a beautiful tourist
country.
Lakes, caves & Co.
Rubén Suárez Menéndez
Asturias, Spain
Slovenia is the most beautiful place that
I have ever visited. I think it is the most
interesting country in Europe. I have
I have spent eleven great days in
Slovenia and I do not want to go home
yet.
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SLOVENIA – A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
I saw bats!!!
Marta Iglesias García
Asturias, Spain
This April I went to Ljubljana, Slovenia,
where we had a students’ exchange
within a Comenius project. We went to
many nice places, such as lakes, caves,
natural parks, and, of course, we saw
Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia.
The places I liked most were the
beautiful lakes in the Triglav National
Park; their water seemed blue because
of their transparency. The views of the
Alps and Triglav, the highest mountain
in Slovenia, covered with snow were so
magnificent. I also liked Ljubljana very
much, with the Prešeren Square, the
market and the bridge with the dragons.
We walked around the Ljubljansko barje
Landscape Park, we went to Križna
jama, a beautiful cave with subterranean
lakes and big stalactites and
stalagmites... Here, we even saw bats!!!
pleased to have been with them these
two weeks.
I want to come to Slovenia again because
I love this country with so many
different landscapes and its beautiful
capital, Ljubljana.
I had a good time in
Slovenia
Cristina García
Asturias, Spain
Slovenia is such a nice place. The
landscape looks like the one in Asturias,
and because of that I could feel like at
home. I had never been in Slovenia
before, this was the first time. I believe it
is an interesting country to visit, with a
lot of tourist places. We visited caves,
waterfalls and museums, and we went
for walks in the city. Working with our
partners every day.
We also went to Bled, a place with a big
lake and an island on it. By the lake
there is a big castle, and the views were
wonderful.
The family I stayed with was very kind
with me and I am very happy and
To sum up: Really beautiful! ☺
People are kind and friendly, and the
atmosphere is warm and welcoming!
The family that I lived with was really
nice to me and they treated me as if I
were at home. I am very grateful to
them!
I had a good time here! ☺
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The Postojna Cave
Clara Fernández Gonzalez
Asturias, Spain
In Slovenia there are a lot of places that
you can visit, but my favourite place was
the Postojna Cave. This cave is the
biggest in Slovenia. It has dry and water
galleries and those galleries were
formed by water erosion. A train takes
you into the cave, because you cannot
enter it on foot (there are no paths). It is
quite cold in the cave, so do not forget
your raincoat or winter jacket when
planning a visit to the cave.
The olm or proteus (Proteus anguinus),
known as the human fish among locals,
lives only in this cave. It can breathe
with lungs, gills or through the skin. It
attracts the attention of people all
around the world, because – as you can
see – it is not a common fish, although it
looks like one from a distance.
WEATHER
Tuesday
14/04/2010
Wednesday
15/04/2010
Thursday
16/04/2010
Friday
17/04/2010
Saturday
18/04/2010
Sunday
19/04/2010
Monday
20/04/2010
Tuesday
21/04/2010
Wednesday
22/04/2010
Thursday
23/04/2010
Friday
24/04/2010
Day Night
4 °C 20 °C
5 °C 21 °C
6 °C 20 °C
9 °C 17 °C
8 °C 17 °C
8 °C 17 °C
8 °C 17 °C
9 °C 16 °C
5 °C 19 °C
5 °C 10 °C
You have to pay the entrance fee to see
the cave (do not worry, it is not very
expensive), but it is definitely worth it,
because this cave is really beautiful.
5 °C 18 °C
Weather forecast during the first part of
the exchange.
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Crossword
ACROSS
1. The name of the town and the lake
with a small island and a church on it
2. Another name for the olm or human
fish
4. The name of hosting school:
Gimnazija ________
6. The place which is best known for its
intermittent lake
9. The capital city of Slovenia
10. The name of another well known
Slovene lake in the Triglav National Park
DOWN
1. The largest Slovene and most
southern European wetland
3. The name of the county where the
exchange took place
5. The highest mountain in Slovenia
7. The source of the river Sava Dolinka
8. The waterfall which is the source of
the river Sava Bohinjka
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SLOVENIA vs. ASTURIAS
Days seem longer in
Slovenia
Lucía Blanco Gutiérrez
Asturias, Spain
Life in Slovenia is not much different
from life in Spain, teenagers do the same
things here and there.
But the difference is that people here
wake up earlier than in Spain, for this
reason days seem longer here. Students
must stay at school longer so they have
not got a lot of free time. Many of them
live far away from school, for this reason
some must stay in a hostle for students
during the week, and I think that this is
not comfortable. And here the time of
having lunch and dinner is different
from ours, so in these 10 days I have had
a little problem to adapt to the
schedules.
I have had a good time here because I
have had a very good family and a very
good partner.
Life in Slovenia
Irene Miguez García
Asturias, Spain
In my opinion life in Slovenia is hard and
stressful, that is the reason why I prefer
the Spanish way of living.
Slovene teenagers get up early in the
morning and they have to spend most of
the day at school in the city centre, and
after that almost all students need a kind
of public transport to get home, so I
would be really tired when I got home to
continue studying or do similar things.
Food here has been one of the best
things for me. At first I was so afraid I
might not like local food, but I have
really enjoyed every dinner with my
host family.
I also like their school because it is so
big and there are lots of students here,
so you can get to know more people. It is
not the same in ours, because we have
more than one different school near our
homes, so we can choose between 3 or 4
and that is the reason why there are
fewer students in each school.
Different, but not so
much
Ainhoa Vallina & Paula Labrador
Asturias, Spain
People in Slovenia are very different
from people in Spain. We have noticed
that they do not kiss or hug a lot. The
Slovenes have a different fashion style.
Although we have the same shops,
clothes people wear here are different
from ours.
Food is very different, too. We have
more meals, and we use different
ingredients. A typical Slovene meal
begins with a soup.
In Spain people live in flats, but here
people live in houses.
The buses are very special, Slovene
drivers drive faster than the Spanish
ones.
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Slovenia is smaller than Spain, but
Slovenia and Spain have the same
landscape. They have a lot of mountains
and rivers. In Slovenia there are a lot of
caves and forests, too. We went to one of
the caves, it was Križna jama. In this
cave we could see a bat and a
subterranian lake.
We went to a natural park, named the
Triglav National Park. We had to walk a
lot through the snow, but the landscape
was extremely beautiful.
Bled has one of the most beautiful lakes
in Slovenia. It is unique for its island
with a church on it. You can reach the
island by boat.
We went to the Savica Waterfall, the
most famous one in Slovenia. We had to
climb hundreds of stairs to reach it. It
was very exhausting.
I like Slovene food
Daniel Casal González
Asturias, Spain
I have spent great days in Slovenia
because my partner Gregor is a kind
person and he likes some things that I
like as well.
Gregor's parents have been very nice to
me because they have taken care of my
meals and I have visited some
interesting places with them. Besides,
one day we went to eat at a restaurant.
On Sunday we went to his grandparents'
home and we had dinner there.
Gregor's father is like a teenager
because he loves playing games so he
played table football and table tennis
with us.
I spent a few days at the hostel for
students with Gregor and I ate very good
food there.
In Podpeč we could see a lake. We had a
snack there and we fell in love with the
surrounding nature. The lake is very
attractive for tourists, because you can
take a swim in it in the summer.
I think that life in Slovenia is quite hard
because people here get up very early
and they start classes at seven thirty.
Slovene food is very good and I ate all
kinds of dishes but the times people
have their meals here are different from
those in Spain. However, that was not a
problem for me.
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My life has been easy
Melania Montes Veiga
Asturias, Spain
I am Melania and my exchange partner
is Nina. Life with my host family has
been easy because they live near the
school and I can reach the city centre
very quickly. My family is really
amusing, because they speak to me
much and they speak to me as if I were a
member of their family!
Nina’s mother is very cheerful and sweet
and she speaks English very well. Nina’s
father is very cheerful, too, but he does
not speak any English. Her sister is very
intelligent, because in 10 days she
picked up some Spanish. She dances in a
group, she has even won a medal with
her group in a competition.
And finally, my exchange partner Nina,
who is very talkative and she laughs all
the time. She is very intelligent and she
speaks English very well! She says that
she is my teacher in Slovenia because
she wants to be an English teacher in the
future.
Final thoughts …
Higinio Vallina Díaz
Asturias, Spain
Our stay in Ljubljana has been one of the
most fruitful experiences during all my
career.
First of all we would like to thank all the
Slovene colleagues for their help and
understanding of every little event that
happened in all those days we spent
there. The Slovene students have also all
of them been a great help and really
welcoming making the Spanish students
stay perfect in all aspects. And I would
also like to thank you all for the perfect
organization of the programme which
made us all enjoy as well as learn every
single moment.
I think I can speak in the name of all our
students when I say that this kind of
academic interchanges is one of the
most important and productive ways of
promoting peaceful relations among
countries as well as providing ways of
acknowledging and accepting the
differences of each part and therefore
being a good example of meeting people
and appreciating varied customs as a
way of enlarging our cultural
background.
Credits
Executive Editor
HELENA OSTERMAN
Music and Social Life
TOMAŽ ŠMID
ANA FLOR CEBEY ROZADO
SAGRARIO PEÑA ROMERO
HIGINIO VALLINA DÍAZ
Design and Editing
GREGOR ANŽELJ
Photos
GREGOR ANŽELJ
LLARINA ARCOIZA AMIGO
MARTA IGLESIAS GARCÍA
MARIO PELÁEZ FERNÁNDEZ
LIVING NATURAL PARKS NEWSPAPER
Special Issue № 1 ▪ April 2009 ▪ 1€
http://abacus.ledina.org/livingnaturalparks
LIVINGNATURALPARKS
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