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By Ani Mikayelyan
Volunteer at ADC NGO
Our Erasmus+ journey in Italy was much more than a project. It was a week full of new friendships, cultures, challenges, learning, and unforgettable memories. From the moment we arrived in Lignano Sabbiadoro, we realized that we were about to experience something special. 🌊
🤝 Day 1 – The Beginning of Something New
At first, we introduced ourselves and started talking with our roommates. Soon, we began going from one room to another, meeting new people and making connections. The Italian participants, as representatives of the host country, did an amazing job of creating a friendly and comfortable atmosphere where everyone felt free to introduce themselves and communicate with others.
The first evening was mostly about communication and getting comfortable with each other. We talked, laughed, shared stories, and slowly began to feel like one international group rather than people from different countries. 💬
📱 Day 2 – Digital Life and Cultural Exchange
Our second day started with a workshop. Since our main topic was digital life, our first workshop focused on digital behaviour. We discussed how we use technology, how it affects our everyday lives, and how important it is to have a healthy relationship with the digital world.
After the workshop, we had a creative task: making a poster for our room door. 🎨 It was especially exciting because we could sit together with our roommates, share ideas, draw, and create something that represented our international team.
Later, we had an Armenian linguistic activity. We taught participants some Armenian words through games, including Barev dzez – “Hello,” Inch ka, chka? – “What’s up?”, and Shnorhakalutyun – “Thank you.” 🇦🇲 It was funny and exciting to hear people from different countries trying to pronounce Armenian words.
The day ended with Portuguese National Day. 🇵🇹 The Portuguese participants decorated the room beautifully and created a wonderful atmosphere. We learned interesting facts about Portugal, discovered new Portuguese words, listened to their music, danced traditional dances, and played games together.
At the end of each day, we had a discussion with our team, where we summarized what we had done and shared our thoughts and feelings with our team leader, Nush. These moments were important because they allowed us to think about what we had learned and how we were feeling about the experience. 💭
🚲 Day 3 – Bikes, Aquatic Games and Czech Culture
Every day started with a national energizer prepared by one of the participating countries. These activities were a great way to wake up, have fun, and learn something from another culture. ⚡
After the German energizer, we went on a bike excursion. Riding bikes together was an amazing experience. We explored beautiful places, enjoyed the fresh air and, of course, got some exercise along the way. It was a simple activity, but experiencing it together made it very memorable.
Later, we participated in aquatic games. 🏄 We learned how to stay and move on the water using boards. At first, it was challenging, but eventually it became a lot of fun. We encouraged each other, laughed at our mistakes, and enjoyed being outside together.
After returning, we had our daily reflection session. Later that evening, it was time for Czech National Day. 🇨🇿 We learned more about Czech culture, traditions, and everyday life, while also enjoying traditional music, dancing, and activities. Each national evening showed us that Europe is made up of many different cultures, but those cultures can come together and celebrate with each other. 🌍
🏉 Day 4 – Flag Rugby and Learning to Be Safe Online
The fourth day began with another energizer from one of the participating countries. After that, we had an “In Sight Out – Play Smart, Scroll Safe” workshop. 🔍
The workshop gave us the opportunity to look more deeply into digital life. We learned about online safety, responsible social media use, misinformation, and the importance of thinking critically before believing or sharing something online. It made us realize that although technology is a huge part of our lives, we also need to know how to use it responsibly.
After lunch, we participated in blind soccer. ⚽ In this activity, one person’s eyes were covered while another participant guided them during the game. At first, it seemed like just another fun activity, but it quickly became much more meaningful.
It helped us understand, even for a short time, some of the challenges people with disabilities can face in everyday life. We had to trust our teammates, communicate clearly, listen carefully, and understand how important support can be. 💙
In the evening, it was time for Italian National Day. 🇮🇹 The opening was unforgettable. The Italian team created an atmosphere that made us feel as if we had entered a scene from The Godfather. Their presentation was creative, entertaining, and full of energy. We learned interesting facts about Italy, its culture and traditions, while also enjoying music, games, and laughter. 🎭
🗺️ Day 5 – Discovering Italy
The fifth day started with another energizer that helped us wake up and get ready for a busy day.
Later, we had a linguistic activity outside the hotel. We went to Grado and Palmanova, where we participated in a kind of quest where we had to discover different places and learn new facts. It was a great way to combine language learning with exploration. 🧭
We also had the chance to discover more of the beauty and history of the region. We climbed to a high point and enjoyed an amazing view of the city and its surroundings. 🌅
What made the experience even more enjoyable was the interaction with local people. The Italians were very helpful, and we also noticed how welcoming the people we met were. These small interactions made us feel more connected to the country we were visiting.
After returning, it was time for Armenian National Day. 🇦🇲
For us, this was a particularly special moment because we had the opportunity to represent our country and share our culture with everyone. We introduced our friends to Armenia, told them interesting facts about our history, culture, traditions, and people, and taught them some Armenian words.
But the most exciting part was teaching them Armenian dances. 💃🕺 We invited everyone to dance with us, and soon the whole room was filled with people trying to follow the movements, laughing, and enjoying the music. We also sang Armenian songs and shared parts of our culture that were important to us. 🎶
For a short time, we were not just participants from Armenia — we were ambassadors of our culture.
🎨 Day 6 – Creativity, Friendship and Memories
The sixth day started with our Armenian energizer, which immediately brought energy and laughter to the group. 😄
After that, we continued our digital-life activities with a workshop called “Topic Activity Manifesto.” Through this activity, we continued exploring our relationship with the digital world and discussed what responsible and balanced digital life should look like. We reflected on our habits, our choices, and the way technology influences our communication and everyday lives.
After another linguistic activity from one of the participating countries, we took part in Freesbeewokabowlisball. We made different crafts and small creations that we could keep as memories of the project. ✂️ These activities reminded us that sometimes the simplest things become the most meaningful souvenirs.
We also had a special activity where the staff prepared letters with our names. 💌 We could write personal messages and letters to our friends. It was a beautiful way to express feelings that we might not always say directly.
Later, we went to a restaurant where we enjoyed pizza together. 🍕 After dinner, we walked around the city, talked, laughed, and simply enjoyed our last evening together.
💛 The Last Evening – When We Realized It Was Time to Say Goodbye
And then came the last evening.
We had a karaoke night where everyone sang, danced, and enjoyed the final moments together. 🎤 It was loud, funny, and full of energy — exactly how we wanted our last night to be.
But later, we played an emotional activity where we thanked and hugged the people who had helped us, supported us, motivated us, or simply made our week better. 🤗
That was the moment when everything suddenly felt real.
We realized that the people standing around us, who had been strangers just a few days earlier, had become our friends. We had shared meals, workshops, games, dances, jokes, difficult moments, and countless memories.
There were many hugs, many tears, and many promises to stay in contact.
That same night, we also celebrated the birthday of one of the German participants. 🎂 We sang together, celebrated, laughed, and made the final evening even more special.
🎒 What We Took Home
When we arrived in Italy, we were participants from different countries. When we left, we felt like one big international family. 🌍
This Erasmus+ project taught us much more than the topics discussed during the workshops. We learned about digital responsibility, communication, teamwork, empathy, cultural diversity, inclusion, and leadership. We discovered new countries and traditions, learned new words and dances, tried new activities, and challenged ourselves in different ways.
We came home with new knowledge and new skills, but also with stories, photographs, inside jokes, friendships, and memories that will stay with us for a long time. 📸
The project may have lasted only a week, but the experience will remain with us much longer.
We arrived as strangers. We left as friends. 💫
And perhaps that is the real magic of Erasmus+.
🙏 We are especially grateful to ADC – Armavir Development Center for giving us the opportunity to take part in this Erasmus+ project and represent Armenia. We would also like to thank our team leader, Nush, who supported and helped us throughout the whole experience and was always there whenever we needed her. 💛
“Mind the Net – Finding Balance in a Digital World” was promoted and organized by AiCS (Associazione Italiana Cultura Sport), co-financed by the European Commission.