Lisbon Adventures!

Last week was definitely different! I was in Lisbon alongside a Meronjan koulu teacher (hi, Sanna) and six students. This was all part of an Erasmus+ social media project we'd been working on with participants from Finland, Scotland, Spain and of course...Portugal!

The journey to Lisbon began on a rather cool Sunday morning. After two trains and two planes, we arrived in Portugal late into the night. There was no time to feel tired, however, because Monday proved to be the start of a very exciting visit.

To begin with, the students tried some orienteering around the local area in order to get to know each other and see some sights.

Later on, we received a tour of the Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) museum. RTP specialises in national TV and radio. We also checked out their studio. 

The students also had the opportunity to prepare and ask questions to Ana Lourenço, a famous journalist. Lourenço gave some interesting insights into the profession, discussing ethics in particular.

The evening was host to a "Bring A Dish" event, where all of the participants brought food from their countries to the school for everyone to try. There were some tasty treats. I even felt brave enough to try some haggis from Scotland again (which I hadn't eaten since my Edinburgh University days). It was actually really delicious! 

The next day offered a highlight of the week when we visited the town hall. It was grand and beautiful, filled with velvet red furnishings. We even got to go on the balcony overlooking the town square (which was an absolute privilege).

Since this was a social media project, it was only apt that the students got to see how online shows are made. They got a special behind-the-scenes experience of this at Lisbon's Higher School of Communications and Social Media.

Another great part of the week included a visit to Sintra, a stunning little town. There, we explored the News Museum which offered an interactive insight into media and the way that it operates. It emphasised the need for responsibility within media - an especially relevant subject nowadays. 

Yes, we even got to try out some virtual reality goggles! Be warned: you should never stand too close to someone when they're using them. I ended up getting slapped across the face...by accident of course!

The town itself provided some gorgeous views...

Overall, the students had a fantastic time. They undertook fresh experiences, formed deep friendships and gained new perspectives not only upon social media but also upon the world around them. What an adventure! 

- Chloe