The MELISSA Project - Terceira Island - Craigclowan Diaries

The MELISSA PROJECT

Learning, Teaching and Training Activity - Terceira Island February 2020 “Our Diaries” Prepared by Carol Dibnah

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Friday 31st January 2020 We spent the morning finalising and practising our presentations and Portuguese at Craigclowan. Then finally the time came for us to leave! After a smooth, problem free journey we arrived late at Lisbon airport. Hannah, Mrs Dibnah’s eldest daughter was there to meet us and negotiate taxis to take us to our apartment.

Tonight was BREXIT night and at the hour of eleven had struck over Europe and

the UK was OUT. Craigclowan, however, will always strive to continue developing friendships between Erasmus schools in the MELISSA project and beyond!

Shopping for breakfast, including the world famous pastel de nata, had been organised by Hannah in anticipation of the late arrival and after great excitement at seeing our beautiful apartment we all went to bed.

Saturday 1st Febuary 2020 Everyone appeared at 8 to start the day with pastel de nata, pancakes, fruit and toast.

Our guide led a walking tour of the city of Lisbon. It started in the city by one of its many cathedrals.

It was raining as we stood looking at a statue of the founder of the city, the national poet, Luis de Camoes poet, who, after exiling himself due to a broken heart, had lost an eye in Africa.

We learned how two earthquakes has devastated Lisbon, one in the sixteenth century but a far more destructive one two hundred years later.

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Saturday 1st February, continued…

Lisbon is a beautiful city and a variety of attractions were pointed out to us: city sponsored murals, trams, calcadas – cobbled, tiled pavements and walls, a flea market, amazing view points and cute streets.

We used the metro to travel around the city. Mrs Dibnah sorted day passes for everyone. These were issued and collected before and after each trip but even so two were lost by the same person!

Away from the bustle of the streets, lunch was taken in a beautiful restaurant, Quinta do Alentejo, where we enjoyed fresh food from the countryside.

In the evening, after a supper of Chicken piri piri, salad and quesadillas, we took a tram ride up to one of the fabulous view points and marvelled over the city lit up at night.

“The pupils and staff enjoyed the night time view of Lisbon

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Sunday 2nd February 2020 Time to go to the Azores! Piles of suitcases and holdalls waited for the taxis to the airport. It's a two and a half hour trip to that point halfway across the Atlantic, only four hours from Boston. The weather was bright and warm as we left Lisbon. On arrival at Lajes airport, our children met up with their host families and left to begin their adventure on Terceira island.

Monday 3rd February Project work begins at school. Each country presented themselves and their schools in ENGLISH. Fluently and professionally – fabulous! At break time we shared snacks, pastries and cakes from all over Europe. The second session of the morning was themed around the bee, its life cycle and its contribution to Europe's flora, art, music and general culture.

These presentations revealed many new insights into the importance of the pollen collecting insects to human life both in the past and

now.

The amount of work which each school had put into their presentations was very impressive. Lunch followed. We were transported to a restaurant where space and food were in generous supply. A magnificent view over the sea, meat and ice cream sourced from the land immediately around were served with speed and charm, delicious and refreshing. A coach trip took us around the island. We stopped at Biscoitos, the pummice-lined beach with great white waves crashing into the rockpools accessed by concrete pathways and steps. The contrast between the blue sea, black rocks and green fields was amazing!

The contrast between the black rocks, blue sea and green fields was amazing.

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Tuesday 4th February A day filled with project activity: We mixed up the nationalities and built model bee hives which had been planned beforehand. All the hives were different – a National hive from Scotland, a hexagonal hive from Portugal, a traditional Greek hive, an Estonian hive designed by the pupils and an Italian hive.

We also played some online quizzes and then had a pizza lunch. A real highlight was visiting the volcanic geography of the island, a walk around steaming fumaroles and a descent into a volcanic chimney. The children also had great fun swimming in the Atlantic at the close of day.

Wednesday 5th February It was an early start for the teachers as the children were collected from school and taken for a mid morning walk into a cafe to prepare their closing presentations. The freedom to move up and down the streets was supervised from the cafe and then a trip was made to the botanic gardens and the 'dinosaurs'. This place featured many plants and trees as well as a vegan cafe.

We were forced indoors as heavy rain suddenly descended and we sheltered until the time came to meet up with our partners for lunch. And what a lunch! After a short bus ride we were shown around a cooperative dealing with the extraction of honey from the frames brought in by local farmers. There were also locally-grown bananas being transported and a flower- packing process to witness. These were very exotic blooms.

Before we left we were treated to samples of banana and honey.

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Thursday 6th February Whale watching on a calm day! Three ships set sail in search of whale and dolphin. Lifejacketed and waterproofed, we set sail out to the deepest sea in search of company. We came across the common dolphin eating and later a group playing. A three course lunch awaited us on our return from the ocean. The service is extremely good in all the restaurants. Our final presentation and interviews with Azores TV followed on our return to school. Craigclowan was up first and gave an excellent show of their appreciation so freely offered to them by the people they met at host families and school. Mrs Dibnah introduced the presentation and outlined her objectives in planning the project. All schools presented. Last of all came the Portuguese who were in an emotional state causing many of the rest of the company to tear up! In the evening, there was a talent show put on for the parents who had hosted the pupils. It was great fun! There was everything from the pipes to poetry, singing and dancing with an inclusive atmosphere throughout. And delicious food prepared by the host families.

Friday 7th February We had some time to spend in Angra so we walked to the Fort and treated ourselves to a full breakfast at the Castle's restaurant where favourable comparisons were made with Gleneagles

by

the boys!

The botanical gardens were revisited and the fine weather spun the morning away.

Taxis were booked for 1:30pm. A sad and tearful

goodbye was said to our most hospitable hosts.

“A sad and

We travelled back to Lisbon with the Greeks on

tearful goodbye

the 3 o’clock flight. Our evening was spent

was said to our

together enjoying vegan food and Greek dancing!

most hospitable hosts.”

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Saturday 8th February - Last day in Lisbon After our impromptu party on Friday night we had a lie-in! Then were off to the statue of Christ. This involved taking a boat across the river Tagus and a long hike up to the impressive, imposing statue. We took the lift up the 110m to the base of the statue and enjoyed beautiful views across the whole city of Lisbon.

Lunch was enjoyed by all at the Time Out market, then the children spent their euros on merchandise from Hard Rock Café and Benfica! After a sad farewell to the Greeks and 25,000 paces later we returned back to our spacious, comfortable apartment for some final packing.

Sunday 9th February– we returned to Scotland and landed in storm Ciara – a bumpy flight! Everyone was happy to be safely back in Scotland and united with their families but sad that this wonderful trip

was over.

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My Diary - ZEN Day 1. - After a long day of rehearsals, we left Craigclowan at 3pm and arrived at Edinburgh airport. After a long wait we decided to grab a bite to eat at Wetherspoons. After, we went to the gates, waiting for the flight, then we were on the plane! After a long and funny flight that took three hours we arrived at Lisbon airport.

Then we took a taxi to our apartment. We arrived at our apartment late and we then explored the beautiful apartment. It was so modern and nice. Afterwards we went to bed getting ready for the next day.

Day 2. - After a good night's rest we were ready for the day. We woke up at 8, then had a delicious breakfast.

We then walked out the door and towards the tourist building where we met our guide to show us around Lisbon. First we went to the famous statue of Luis de Camoes. He was Portugal's leader and their greatest poet. After, he left Portugal because his girlfriend did not love him anymore. So he went to Africa where he lost his right eye. Then we had a huge walk around Lisbon, we saw the trams in the streets and the beautiful paintings all over the city and people learned that people had stopped making tiles, because all over Lisbon people would steal them. Next we went to a restaurant for lunch, I had a ham and cheese toastie. As we were walking towards the taxis to get back to the apartment I realised I had left twenty euros on the table and so I quickly sprinted back to the table to see if it was there and thankfully it was! I was super lucky! Then we arrived at the apartment. For dinner we had piri piri chicken and rice with salad. Beth and Kate made quesadillas. After dinner we walked up to an amazing view point in Lisbon where you could see the statue of Christ and the beautiful Red bridge and all the lights of the city. Then we took a tram back home.

Day 3 - After a long day of walking my legs were dead but thankfully we weren’t walking a lot today. Today we were going to Terceira Island. After we had breakfast we went upstairs and packed. Then we took a taxi to Lisbon Airport. Our flight was at 2.10pm and we arrived in Terceira at 3.30pm. Our host families came and picked us up. First they took me and Jamie to this cafe near the sea side were we tried traditionally sweets from Terceira island. Then we went to the ocean, it was beautiful; there were rocks made out of lava and the waves were spectacular. After we went home and had pork with roast potatoes and then we had fruit salad.

Then we went to bed.

Day 4 - We woke up at 7 because we had to go to the school and present our presentations. We arrived at school and sat in the auditorium room waiting for everyone to arrive. We began the presentation about ourselves. The order was the Portuguese, us, the Greeks, the Estonians, then the Italians. At the beginning of our presentation Ben played the bagpipes then we introduced ourselves. After the presentation we went to the cafeteria. There was lots of nice food from all the different schools. My favourite was the Greek brioche.

After we went back to the Auditorium room for the presentation about Bees. It was the same order of schools.

The speaking order was Raf, Jamie, Me, Kate, Ben then Beth. After the bee presentation, we went and took a coach to Quinta dos Acores Restaurant for lunch. I had spaghetti Bolognese with meatballs. Then I had chocolate and mint choc chip ice cream. After we went down to the Beach for a while. Then we went to the bee hives. We then took a coach back to the school where our host families were waiting for us. For dinner we had chicken with mushrooms and rice with carrots then we had pumpkin soup. Afterwards we went on a big walk with Beth and Kate’s host family in the middle of town.

Day 5 - We had a long lie until 7.40.That meant we had to get ready and out the door in 15 mins. So me and Jamie jumped up from bed, then scooted down our breakfast and and quickly jumped in the car. In the morning we were split into different groups for making the Beehives. Me and Jamie were in the Estonian group. After we made the Beehives we played a quizlet and a kahoot. Then we went to Monte Brazil where we sat on the benches and had pizza for lunch. Next we went to a walking trail around the fumaroles, and I wore my best trainers and after they were covered in mud. After we went down to the volcano, it was beautiful there was lots of lava rocks and much more. Then we went to the park to see the ducks in the lake. Afterwards we went to the Beach to swim. There were very few who went in the sea, Raf, Jamie and I all went in and it was freezing! After we quickly got dressed and we went back to the school.

Our host family came and picked us up and we went home. Later we went to Beth and Kate's host families house for dinner, we had chicken and salad. Then we discovered they had a pig in their garden. Then after dinner we went home.

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Day 6 We woke up at 7.30, had bacon with toast for breakfast and went to school. We all met at school, then just the Craigclowan people went down to a cafe in the middle of town. We sat down and thought what we would add on for our extra slide for the presentation. Then we were given 40 mins to go shopping and I bought my mum a mug and a magnet and my dad a coaster and a magnet. Next we went to the Botanic gardens and then it started to pour with rain so we went to the cafe for shelter. After the rain stopped, we went to a restaurant near the sea for lunch. For starters we had tomato soup, for the main course we had chicken,eggs and chips and salad and for dessert we had cheese cake with crushed cookie on top. Then we took the bus to the factory where all the bananas and honey were made. Then Mrs. Mendes picked us up and we went and played basketball at the courts.

Then we went home, for dinner we had vegetables and lasagne, it was amazing! Then we went to bed.

Day 7 We woke up at 6 because we were going whale watching, but I accidentally set the alarm to 6 because I forgot they were 1 hour behind. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs and toast.Then we met everyone in the middle of town at 8. We then went down to the bay and we took a boat. After 1 hour we saw dolphins they were jumping up and down and they were beautiful. Shortly I started feeling a bit sea sick then Jamie was sick on his trousers. When we returned back I felt weird because we weren’t going up and down. We then went to a really nice restaurant. For starters we had this creamy soup with bacon. And then for pudding we had chocolate cake with cherries and Ice cream. After we walked back to school for the presentations but this time we were filmed on tv. We went first this time it was the same as last time Ben led us up the stairs whilst playing the bagpipes. But this time the speaking order was Ben,Raf,Jamie,me, Beth and then Kate.

Day 8 we woke up at 7am had bacon and toast for breakfast then we went to school. We went back into town to get last minute shopping. Then we went to a cafe for lunch. I had ham and cheese panini. After we went back to the school to say bye to our host families it was very emotional because everyone was crying. We then took a taxi back to the airport for our flight. We arrived in Lisbon 2 and a half hours later. We checked in our apartment it was beautiful. Then we just chilled for a couple of hours then the Greeks came to our apartment for dinner. For dinner we had a take away from a vegan bar. It was amazing I had a vegan burger and chips.

Day 9 We woke after a long lie in till 9am because we went to bed at 12 the night before. We then took a boat to the other part of Lisbon to see the statue of Christ. We then walked up the hill to see the statue. It was a long walk up. When we finally made it the view around Lisbon was amazing you could see the beautiful red bridge and many other stuff. We then went back down the hill and took a boat to the other side of the city. We then took a taxi to the time out market for lunch. The time out market was so cool because you ordered something then you got a little ringer thing and it buzzed when your order was ready. I had a margherita pizza and then for pudding I had chocolate and pistachio ice cream. We then decided we would go shopping for the rest of the evening. We went to the nike factory and the hard rock cafe. hen we went to the Benfica original store. I bought a Portugal football top, a Hard Rock Cafe jumper and a training top from the Benfica original store. We then went back to the apartment.

Day 10 I was very sad because we were leaving Portugal today.So I woke up and packed my things we then took a taxi to the airport. For lunch we got something from the cafe at the airport and ate it on the plane. We arrived in Edinburgh at 2 and my parents collected me, I then thought “wow this was the best ever!”

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Azores Diary - Ben Day 1: After a whole morning of preparations we had our lunch and made our trip to Edinburgh Airport. However, despite the excitement, I felt slightly sorry for Mr Dibnah who had the job of waving goodbye and driving back to Craigclowan. Around 2 hours before the flight we had our tea at Wetherspoons which was really nice.

I was left slightly annoyed when Beth managed to spill a cup of San Pellegrino over my jeans, Kate’s bag and her tracksuit bottoms. As we stepped out of the plane the humid and stuffy air of Lisbon rushed into our faces. A quick wait for our bags was balanced out by an immediate taxi pick-up to our apartment.

As we stood outside, we wondered how all the rooms would fit into such a narrow space of the street. Now, way past midnight, it was a fast look around the beautiful apartment and into bed. I shared a room with Raf, Jamie with Zen and Kate with Beth.

Day 2: Today was the day of exploring Lisbon and we started the day up nice and early at 06:30, despite Mr Reynold’s arranged time of 08:00. We met Mrs Dibnah, Mr Reynolds and Mrs Court downstairs for breakfast. Raf and Zen started their day in traditional Portuguese style by eating O Pastel de nata, (a custard tart.)

Much to the disapproval of my friends, I played my pipes at 09:00. I thought it would properly wake everyone up for the upcoming day. We got a day pass for the metro underground of Lisbon so it was important we kept hold of it. Raf couldn’t find his ticket (even though it was in his bag), as we reached the scanners to get out into the city. So Raf got a new one. We then met our walking tour guide in an old church.

First, we went to the town square where we saw a statue of Luis de Camoes who is a famous Portuguese poet. Then we walked around the beautiful city and saw another very old church, built in 1400. One of my favourite parts of Lisbon are the pavements which are made of rocks in a tile- like pattern. We were shown some historic paintings, quotes and memorials. Travelling in the city we passed Lisbon’s lovely tile designs on the walls and browsed around the markets.

We soon had lunch at a nice little restaurant and returned to the underground station. On the platform Raf was being especially careful with his ticket and was holding it tightly in his hand. However, something caught his eye in front of him and he pointed, letting the ticket fly onto the track. Oops!!

We returned to our apartment and watched the rugby. A the kitchen in our apartment. walk to a viewpoint and took the tram home and went

and relaxed after all the walking few hours later we had our tea in We then went for another short watched the city in the dark. We to sleep very tired.

Day 3: I was buzzing as I woke up because I knew today we were travelling to the Azores and were meeting our host family.

We woke up at 730am today and had our breakfast. After a chilled out morning we took a taxi to the airport and just about managed to get through security after Kate and Beth’s bags were searched, revealing that they both had 2 full bottles of water.

Before I knew it the plane had arrived in Terceira as I had been sleeping the whole plane journey. Once again, it was a quick period of making our way past security and getting our bags. However, this time Raf’s and my host family were waiting for us and the girl was called Leonor. Leonor and her mum are really nice and we immediately got in their car and explored the beautiful island.

First we went to a spectacular viewpoint called Facho which overlooked the beaches and all the houses. Then we went to a little café called Make Me Nuts where we stopped briefly. After, we drove past 2 huge mountains in the sea called Ilheu das Cabras which translates as Islands where nobody lives of goats, but weirdly no goats live there.

We passed all the agriculture, fields and cows on our way to Mount Brazil which is also home to a US Military Base. The views were spectacular and we soon realised how friendly the animals are in the Azores. Wild deer and chickens wandered around and the deer let us feed them grass. It was then time to go to Leonor’s lovely house and get settled in.

However, after a short while Leonor’s mum had prepared a delicious meal for us. This consisted of soup for starter, an omelette like stir-fry and mixed salad for the main course and fresh pineapple made in the Azores for pudding. It’s safe to say that it was one of my favourite meals ever.

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Day 4: Raf and I awoke at 0730 so it was a quick period of getting dressed and having our breakfast. I put on my kilt as I was playing my bagpipes in the morning for the presentation. When we arrived at Angra High School we said hello to our friends and teachers and we got prepared. Luckily all went well in the presentation with all of us doing great. It was fascinating to see all of the schools and their research of bees. The French, Portuguese, Italians, Estonians and Greeks all performed amazingly.

All the schools took a bus to the restaurant Quinto dos Acores and I had pasta. During the afternoon we all took a coach tour around the island and firstly we stopped at some sea water pools surrounded by volcanic rock. We climbed on the solidified lava and it was so cool! Then we stopped at 2 different areas where there were apiaries but I didn’t go too close to the hives because I was frightened of getting stung. We then headed back to the school and Raf and I went with Leonor and her mum.

Very kindly Raf and I were treated to a tour of the city by Leonor and her mum. It started with a walk through some beautiful public gardens followed by a look at some museums and the General Captain’s house. We then went to another garden where there were lots of play parks. Raf and I turned into toddlers again. We returned to Leonor’s house and I thought there was no way that dinner could match last night’s. But it did!! It was wraps, chilli con carne and a special cheese from the Azores, soup for starter and pineapple for pudding. It was delicious!!

Day 5: A bit of an earlier start today as Raf and I awoke at 0630. After breakfast, Raf, Leonor and I went to the workshop at Leonor’s high school. We said hello to our friends and got prepared for making the beehives. All the Scots and other nationalities split up into different groups. Raf and I were building the Greek beehive: the Langstroth. We were working with the Greek teachers, Portuguese pupils and Italians.

After a busy, early morning, we had all finished our hives so we went outside for break time. We played football with the locals and before we knew it, it was time to return to the workshop. However, this time Mr Reynolds brought a Craigclowan game onto the smartboard called Quizlet live. After playing a few rounds of general knowledge of the Melissa Project countries in mixed groups it was the turn of the Estonians. They had made Kahoots of beehives and out of everyone, Zen, Mrs Dibnah and Beth won over 3 rounds.

The afternoon started as we headed to the bus with 24 whole pizzas and had lunch at the scenic location of Mount Brazil.

We took photos from the top of the mountain, played in the play parks and fed the deer before we got back on the bus.

Starting to tire, we were awoken by a muddy track which looped around the outside of a volcano. I was so cool because you could see all the steam coming out of the orange rock. Then, we went back onto the bus and to a different volcano where we went inside it. The vast chamber was amazing and the stalactites were unbelievable. At the bottom there was a huge lake made solely of rain water.

After a quick visit to see some ducks at a pond, we went to the beach where there were natural pools. Jamie, Zen and Raf went swimming and even though I got changed I realised it wasn’t for me after I dunked a toe in the freezing water. Then we went back to Leonor’s school and straight away we were treated to a game of bowling by Leonor and then we had dinner in the bowling alley. Afterwards, all the Scots and their host families went to Joana’s house, who is the host of Kate and Beth. There, we played a traditional Azorean board game, met the dogs and said hi to their pet pig!

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Day 6: Raf and I awoke at 0700 today and then we had breakfast. After breakfast we drove to Leonor’s school where Leonor went to do lessons and the Scots gathered with Mrs Dibnah, Mr Reynolds and my friends and we walked into the city where we met with Hannah and Mrs Court. We relaxed in a café and Zen and Raf had a traditional Azorean tart. However, the relaxation was cut short as we prepared for our presentation on Thursday and we added some new slides. At 1030 the girls and boys split into groups and went shopping.

I bought a set of coasters, a cow teddy for my brother, an Azores fridge magnet, Azorean plates and passion fruit, pineapple and orange jams. It was then time to meet at the meeting point with the teachers but there was still time for Raf and Jamie to nip into the ice-cream shop. They said it was amazing. We then walked to the restaurant for lunch where we met the teachers and pupils from the Azores, Estonia, Italy and Greece. I had soup for starter, a classic Azorean salad for main course and fruit for pudding.

After lunch all of the schools took a bus to a factory where they make honey, fruit and vegetables. It was really interesting and at the end we got to try some honey and bananas. The bananas were amazing. It was the end of the school day so Leonor, Raf and I got picked up by Leonor’s mum. We dropped our bags at the house and went back out to the shopping mall. I bought a really cool sports top for 3 Euro and afterwards we headed back to the house. We chilled for a couple of hours which allowed us to shower, pack our day bags and write this diary. We had a delicious curry for dinner- Raf and I have had the best food this trip!

Day 7: I awoke earlier than Raf at 0600 and I quietly sorted my bags. After getting our breakfast and dressing, all the schools met up at 0800 in the harbour area of town as we were going whale watching. The Scots, Greeks and Estonians went on one of the motor boats whilst the Portuguese and Italians went on another. We all got so much adrenaline when the boat was crashing against the waves and the refreshing water sprayed our faces.

Although we saw no whales, our boat was circled several times by dolphins which were amazing. They are just so cute!

However, things got worse travelling back to the Island when Jamie was sick and we got sleepy from the anti-sickness pills. But this was still one of the best experiences of my life. All the nationalities went several different ways afterwards as we Scots sat and had drinks in a café. At 1200 it was time for lunch so we all met up again at a restaurant in a fort.

Everyone had a delicious 3 course meal and I had leek soup for starter, pasta bolognese for main but I didn’t fancy the chocolate cake for pudding.

We all then headed back to the school where we did our presentations again. However, this time in front of TV cameras.

Despite our nerves we all did amazingly and were touched by the emotional Portuguese children who were finishing off our last full day together. It was 1600 so Raf, Leonar and I went back to Leonor’s house where we packed our suitcases and prepared for the party later on. I really will miss Leonar and here mum; they are so kind.

Ay 1930 Raf, Leonor, her mum and I went to the school where we met our friends from all the different schools. We had a buffet dinner and I had Leonor’s mum’s noodles and quiche with salad, I started off the talent contest by piping which was followed by the Greek dancing. Everyone was joining in, including us! Then Raf read a poem amazingly, followed by a group of Estronian and the Azorean singers. Then a girl from the Azores sang Hallelujah really well especially seeing as it wasn’t her first language. I finished off the fun by piping again. What an end to our stay!

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Day 8: I awoke sad at 0700 for we were leaving the Azores today. Our bags were all packed so all Raf and I had to do was get dressed. We arrived at Leonor’s school and said our thank yous and goodbyes to Leonor’s mum who has been so lovely throughout the whole week. Leonor went to lessons and the Scots alone went to the restaurant in the fort that we went to yesterday, for a buffet breakfast. It was amazing. I had scrambled eggs, cooked tomatoes and mushrooms and a mixture of grapes, melon, pineapple, orange and kiwi.

Quite full, we then wandered around the fort and took some amazing photos. We then met and said goodbye to the Italians and Estonians in the town. We split into groups and browsed around some shops before another visit to the beautiful botanical gardens. We walked around in smaller groups before we all met at the bottom of the gardens and made the steep climb to the top. The views at the top were amazing and we looked over most of the town and bay.

At 1230 we returned to the school but there was time to go to the café and then pizzeria for a bite. At 1300 all the host children met us by the taxis and said some tearful goodbyes (not the Scottish children crying). Leonor has been the nicest host and I really will miss her. We and the Greeks were on the same flight so we all went in taxis to the airport. There was no problem getting through security this time and after a lengthy briefing from Mr Reynolds we were happy and safely away to Lisbon.

When we and the Greeks arrived we briefly passed through the baggage hall and got into a couple of taxis. The Scots went to our apartment and the Greeks went to their apartment. I was shocked at how spacious our apartment is and it was much bigger than the last. We prepared dinner with the Greeks and before we knew it they came round. All of us had a takeaway from Vegan Junkies and afterwards played games and watched the Greeks dance. It was midnight so the Greeks went back to their apartment and we went straight to bed.

Day 9: After a long lie in we had our breakfast and met the Greeks outside the metro station. We all then travelled underground and we had a bite to eat at a café whilst Georgia and Mrs Dibnah went to get tickets for the boat. At 1230 we made the short journey over the river to the other side of Lisbon. Immediately we walked on a very scenic path for a few kilometres and up to the statue of Christ which overlooks Lisbon. We had to take an elevator up the 110 metre statue, up to the very top. The views were spectacular and I took loads of brilliant photos. We then went to the gift shop where I bought a beautiful tile. Afterwards we walked all the way back to the boat station and we crossed the river. Now 1630 we went for dinner at the Timeout Market. The boys had pizza and ice-cream and I had a sweet potato salad and granola, yoghurt and fruit.

We were energised and very excited to go shopping. I was really chuffed with my purchase of a Benfica top from the Benfica Official Store. Zen was happy with his Ronaldo football top and we then said goodbye to the Greeks for the last time and went back to our apartment. This has been an excellent trip but I am looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow. Goodbye Lisbon!

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Azores Trip 2020 - Jamie Melissa Project Friday 31st January 2020: Having said our goodbyes to our families at school we set off in the mini bus, arriving at the airport at three forty five.

After loading the bags onto the trollies we set off. Heading to drop off our bags we were all buzzing. Swiftly through security, we managed to look around the airport shops before devouring pizzas and heading to the gate….Lisbon here we come!

We were greeted by Hannah, Mrs Dibnah’s daughter, at Lisbon airport, bundled into taxis and went off to the lovely apartment. All exhausted but high with excitement we stayed up chatting for about half an hour and then went off to bed.

Saturday 1st February 2020: After a good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast in the sunny apartment we went off to find our guide, for a walking tour of Lisbon. First, we went to a massive cathedral to take shelter from the rain and waited for our guide. When he arrived we went for a guided tour around Lisbon, there were lots of buildings and statues to see! We visited a church that was rebuilt having been damaged years ago by a tsunami.

We went for lunch in a really nice cafe, then back out for the rest of the tour, we saw lots more buildings, cobbled streets, gardens, quaint squares and some more statues and came back to the apartment to chill.

After dinner, deliciously cooked by Mrs Dibnah and Hannah, we went back out for a walk to one of the highest points in Lisbon. There, we saw right across the city as far as the eye could see, which was so cool. Lisbon at night is so pretty we took some really nice pictures.

Sunday 2nd February 2020 : Back to the airport we went! The flight to the Isle of Terceria, Azores was almost three hours long, but we got there in the end! We were met by our host family. Zen and I were staying with Joana, Miguel, and Mr and Mrs Mendes. On our way from the airport they took us via a really rocky volcanic black beach. I felt like I'd landed on top of a volcano!! Their house was really nice, the family made Zen and I feel so welcome. Miguel, Joana’s younger brother had a PS4, so after a quick game of Fifa we went off to bed exhausted again.

Travelling is tiring!!

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Monday 3rd February 2020: Today was our first day at the local secondary school where Joana was a pupil. It was here in the assembly hall where we did our first presentation. Ben piped us on stage and we all managed, with a few nerves, to say what we were supposed to! We got a massive cheer and clap from our fellow students after we’d told them about Scotland and how great Craigclowan is!

After a light break it was time for our presentation about bees, beekeeping and the importance of bees in our environment and what we’d learned. We’d been practising this presentation back at school and it paid off as all went to plan. We then heard presentations from our Greek, Estonian, Pourtuguese and Italian partners. I was amazed their English was so good!

After hearing some amazing facts, we got on the coach and went to a cafe for lunch, the chocolate ice cream delicious. It was while eating the ice cream, produced in Terceira, that I found out that there are more cows on the island than there are people! In disbelief, we got back on the bus to visit two apiary sites. Sure enough there were so many cows in the picturesque small stone walled paddocks, we even saw some on the road, perhaps on their way to the dairy!!

We enjoyed a restful evening chatting with Joana and Miguel.

Tuesday 4th february 2020: Zen and I woke up with a start, we’d slept in! It was seven forty and school started at ten past eight, so we were in a bit of a rush! After devouring a bacon roll, we jumped in the car and made it to school just in time!

Nobody noticed I hadn't brushed my hair! Phew!

First activity this morning was to build the beehives. All the countries, prior to arriving in the Azores had made a model beehive. We were split into groups to build a chosen beehive. I helped build the Estonian beehive made out of wood, it was quite tricky, but with a team effort we got there in the end.

Pizza picnic in Monte Brasil was lovely, we saw a red macaw, a peacock, and tame deer that you could hand feed, in the beautiful forest.

In the afternoon, on mass, we boarded the bus for the exciting trip to the volcano. After a 20 minute bus ride we arrived at the natural reserve area. Walking around the fumarole, steaming, sulphur areas, made me realise I was so lucky to see such an amazing volcanic phenomena. Algar do Carvao. Unbelievably, we were then entering the dormant volcano’s chimney. On looking up we could see the hole made by lava that burst out from there 2000 years ago. Now it’s rim is covered in ferns and moss. The echo and constant dripping of water was haunting as we descended further down. There was an incredible freshwater lake at the bottom. I was told the reason they discovered the volcanic chimney was that they had lost many cows and didn’t know where they were going. The cows were grazing away near the chimney and unaware they were falling into it. Now, thankfully it is safely fenced off.

Wet from the dripping volcanic chimney we drove to the rocky beach that my host family had taken us to on our arrival. Raff, Zen and I braved the North Atlantic and went in for a dip! It was freezing which was really a surprise for us Scots! Lots of splashing and laughing at Zen falling into the sea helped to avoid hypothermia. Back on dry land we all managed to warm up before getting back to school.

That evening Zen, Miguel and I played football in the garden then we went with Joana to Beth and Kate's host family’s house next door for dinner. They had a nameless pig, that was quite comical.

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Wednesday 5th February 2020: We didn't sleep in today! On meeting up with Mr Reynolds and Mrs Dibnah went into town to a cafe to work on and tweak our presentations for the school assembly tomorrow. Mrs Dibnah told us we were going to be on Azorian TV. We added what we’d experienced so far and enjoyed most about our trip.

After, Raff, Zen and Ben and I all went to explore the beautiful town of Angra do Heroismo and have a look around the shops. We met our Erasmus foreign partners for lunch which was nice.

Afterwards we were taken to a local cooperative factory to see how honey is extracted and packaged on the island. It was so fascinating. The local floral honey tasted delicious, the bananas were tasty too, but tiny!

That evening the Mendes family, Zen and I played basketball in the park. It was such fun. We came home and had lasagna for tea, yummy! I’m exhausted today think it must have been the swimming yesterday!

Thursday 6th February 2020: We woke up at six this morning, Zen put an alarm on his phone so we wouldn’t wake up late, but we didn’t realize that his phone was still on Scottish time so we ended waking up an hour earlier than expected!! Managing to doze back to sleep we woke up to scrambled eggs for breakfast.

We all met down at the harbour in Angra to go whale and dolphin watching. I was so excited. The weather was better than the rain yesterday, so conditions seemed perfect. Or so I thought! Raff and Ben’s host offered me a sea sickness tablet which I dutifully took….. We boarded the ribs and after going over the choppy sea for some time we finally saw a pod of dolphin. They rode the wake of our rib like a surfer catching a wave. A moment I will never forget. We soon started heading back to shore when I suddenly felt very drowsy….the exciting combination of dolphins and sea sickness tablets made me very unwell!

Relieved to have my feet back on dry land and with the sun on my back. I began to feel human again!

Refreshed and refueled we wandered back to school to perform our presentation. We sat down in our seats right at the front of the hall, we were up first. Ben piped us all on to the stage and we started. It was very exciting but nerve racking, being filmed and knowing it was going on TV! Wow, Azorian TV stars!

The goodbye talent show was on at school that evening. We ate altogether and joined in with the Greek dances, watched Rafferty recite his poem and Ben play his bagpipes. It was so much fun. We came home and went to bed slightly sad knowing our time in the Azores was coming to an end.

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Friday 7th February 2020: Today we fly back to Lisbon. It is really sad leaving this beautiful Island and I can't wait to come back. Saying goodbye was hard, the Portuguese were all crying. We got our flight from the tiny Lajes airport and flew back to Lisbon. It was a good flight but late by the time we arrived at the apartment. The Greeks came over for dinner that night. We played games with them, chatted and danced! It was so nice meeting them. Exhausted after they left we went straight to bed.

Saturday 8th February 2020: A nice lie in, after breakfast we went for a walk around Lisbon, saw the April Bridge, (aka the San Francisco Bridge), hiked up to statue of Christ, saw rock and sand art and had lunch in Timeout market. Then it was time to hit the shops of Lisbon including the Hard Rock Cafe, Nike store and Benfica store too!

Returning wearily to the apartment we packed and with sore, tired feet from all the walking we finally slipped into bed and as soon as our heads hit the pillow we fell sound asleep, dreaming of our fantastic adventure and the new friends we’d made. It somehow didn’t feel real.

Thank you Mrs Dibnah for organising this awesome project trip and letting me ‘bee’ part of it.

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Azores Diary - Beth Saturday We got up at 9 am sharp and got ready to go and see Lisbon. Little did we know that we were going to be walking for 3 hours! At 11.30 am we headed into Lisbon to meet our tour guide, one of Hannah's friends, Quim, to get to our meeting point we walked for 10 minutes then took the metro for 4 stops until we reached the station. We got off and got our tickets ready for exiting. Raf realized that he had lost his ticket . Mrs.Dibnah went and bought him a new one then we set off to explore Lisbon.

Our first stop was a large church full of beautiful paintings and statues, then we visited a statue of Lisbon’s National epic writer ‘Luís de Camões’. It started raining heavily and so we all hurried to put out waterproofs on and tried to subtly duck under Quim’s umbrella. We saw a little tram going up and down a small street and many gorgeous paintings as well as gory, meaningful paintings plastered all over the walls of buildings and signposts too.

Once we had completed the tour we headed back to the apartment by metro where, surprise surprise, Raf lost his ticket AGAIN . Once we made it back we relaxed for a few hours before going up to the city’s highest point on the tram. When we finally returned to the apartment I made quesadillas for everybody with the assistance of my chef in training, Kate!

Sunday We got up late and had pancakes made by Mrs. Dibnah for breakfast then once we were ready, we headed out to the flea market to have a look around. Kate and I were a little tired so we chilled out with the teachers. The boys went for a wander and eventually came back, Raf having bought a very realistic-looking toy gun. Obviously he couldn’t bring it through airport security so he had to return it back to the stall, much to his disappointment. On our way out Hannah spotted a tall cactus she liked and decided to buy it, she had to carry it all the way back to her flat and even had to go on the metro with it! After this we got our suitcases loaded up into 2 taxis and zipped off to the airport to catch our flight to Terceira .

Once we had landed we collected our bags and met our host families for the first time! We loaded our stuff into the boot and went for a tour of the island . Our first impression was that it was very very green and beautiful!

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Monday Our hosts got us up at 6.30 so we could get ready to go to school and do our presentations. The school was only 10 minutes away in the car so we arrived quite early. As we piled into the auditorium me and Kate both began to feel very nervous . The Azorean kids went first then the Scottish. Ben played his bagpipes as we walked onto the stage. After listening to the other countries' presentations we had a break and tried different foods that each country had brought with them. Once we had had enough everyone went back down to the auditorium and presented a slideshow on how bees affect their countries. After this we scurried onto the coach and went sightseeing for a bit then had lunch at a large restaurant with a fantastic view of the island. We visited a gorgeous beach with turquoise rock pools and teal waves rolling in around us!

Once our hosts had picked us up, they took me and Kate to see a landmark. Afterwards we headed back to the house and watched some bullfighting on TV, this is a big part of their culture and they even have a statue of 3 bulls in the centre of Angra do Heroismo.

Tuesday We arrived at school and got onto the coach straight away. We went to many different apiaries and even saw the bees fluttering in and out of the minuscule entrances!

Once we had seen the bees we headed back to the dream beach that we briefly visited on Monday, people who wanted to swim had brought their swimming costumes and got changed when we arrived. Me and Kate planned to swim, however it was too cold for Kate so she just changed back but I decided to go in for a dip, I only got up to my ankles though, as it was very cold! I sunbathed for a while then got changed back and headed back to the coach. Zen, Jamie and Raf, however, went for a quick dip in the icy water alongside the Greeks and a few Estonians! That ended our day with the school and soon we were back with our hosts who took us to see some ducks. Kate and I met a duck with a broken wing and named it Sarah. Afterwards, we headed further up the hill to the top to see the island but it was so foggy that we couldn’t see anything!

Once we arrived home, Kate and I both showered and got ready for our guests, Jamie and Zen. They were coming for dinner and to play board games, little did we know, Raf and Ben were both coming after dinner to play board games as well!

We had fried chicken and jelly for dinner then we played a game with some marbles until it was time for the boys to go home and for us to sleep.

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Wednesday We got up early and were at school ready for an actionpacked day before we knew it. The scots all headed into town to find a cafe to sit and add slides to our presentation that we were doing for television on Thursday. Afterwards, we explored the town in pairs for a bit then met up at the marina.

We walked back to school and got on the coach to go for a pic -mic then we went to see the ducks , me and Kate soon found Sarah and fed her lots of bread and appley bits!

After saying our goodbyes to the ducks we went to climb down an extinct volcano. It was cold and dark in the volcano and it was surprisingly steep but the bottom was beautiful, a pool of shadowed water lay in the bottom, water rhythmically dripping into it.

Our hosts picked us up and we met up with Zen and Jamie and went for a walk past the marina and the president’s house later that evening.

Thursday We were ready and were at the marina at 8 o’clock sharp as we were going whale and dolphin watching! We boarded our boats and set off into the ocean and before long we spotted a tripod of dolphins, they were jumping and diving! I even managed to catch quite a few on video! Sadly we didn’t spot any whales however the dolphins more than made up for it!

Before long we were back at the school giving our presentations, the news camera was filming us for a while then disappeared.

When our hosts picked us up we drove to the botanical gardens and toured it for a while before heading home. Upon the arrival of our house, we got ready for the goodbye dinner and then headed off to say our farewells. Me and kate didn’t feel very well and so we sat on the stairs for a while before rejoining the party. Once we had said our goodbyes we headed back home to get a good night's rest for our travels the next day.

Friday We rose early and grabbed our suitcases then headed to the school, dropped them off and went for breakfast, the scots only, to a lovely restaurant by the ocean . We feasted then explored the grounds for a bit as it was an old castle converted to a hotel!

Once we had seen all we could see we headed into the town and me and Kate immediately headed for the botanical gardens, a place we both had loved the day before, and then when the others arrived we all walked to find a cafe for a drink but couldn’t find one so instead headed back to school and grabbed a pizza before picking up our suitcases and saying goodbye to our hosts and the other children involved in the project. We piled into taxis and zoomed off to the airport. `

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Erasmus Diary 2020 - Kate Sat, Lisbon- I woke up, so excited as I was finally on the Erasmus trip! After everyone was all set to go to the metro station and Raf lost his ticket (1st episode of railway shenanigans) we sorted that out and then got onto the metro. It was very busy so we had to stand up but that was ok. The journey was very short and after we had emerged from the station we hit the beautiful city of Lisbon. We looked around an old church for a bit and then met our tour guide. He was very nice. We first went to a statue which I believe was right in the centre of Lisbon, but it started raining which I was surprised about so we headed through some streets where we learnt that some older houses had tiles on them and people chipped them off and sold them in markets. We also saw lots of street art which brightened up the streets and set a good vibe. After we had toured my feet were very sore from walking so we went to a flea market and looked around for a bit and had a break. Hannah bought a big cactus which I believe was a pain to carry around but it was very cool. We got hydrated and then skedaddled off to the high point of Lisbon, when we got there we could see the view of the sea with little boats in the distance. When we got back Beth and I made quesadillas for dinner and later on we went to a view point and we could see all the lights as it was dark by now. I got some amazing pics. We got a tram down which was very cute. I was very tired after that busy day and was happy to get to bed.

Sun, Lisbon- I woke up sad and excited (sadcited!) that we were leaving Lisbon today but very excited that we were going to the Azores and I knew that the trip had only just begun. I packed and kept double checking everything in case I had lost anything.

The airport was smaller than Edinburgh but it had a good duty free store with lots of choices. We didn't have to wait too long for the flight. When we got onto the plane I bagsied the window seat (YAY!) and we commenced on our journey. When we arrived at the Azores the first thing that I noticed was the greenery! It was fields galore! It was a bit drizzly and cold but still not as bad as Scotland. The host families were waiting for us with lovely posters, we found our hosts and met them, they took us round the island like a mini tour which didn't take long as it is a very small island. We had a welcoming meal of pizza and then got some well deserved sleep.

Wed, Azores- today we went to practise our presentations for the big presentation on Thursday which would be on the TV news! After the hard work we went shopping for a little bit. After that we all met up with all the partners at the school and got on the bus. We were going to see the process of honey labelling and bottling in a honey factory. The factory also did fruit and flowers so we got a bonus of seeing that too.

After we had seen the process we got to test the honey which was very delicious by the way. That's about it for Wednesday.

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Mon, Azores- Today I woke up sort of nervous for the presentation but I soon loosened off soon after and got quite excited. When we arrived at the school I recognised a few faces from previous projects. We headed into the presentation room which was quite small but it had a stage and a big smartboard.

Every country spoke English for the presentations and to communicate as it was the common language. The Portugese kicked it off followed by us.

Ben piped us on and then we introduced ourselves. After all of the nationalities (Portugese, Scottish, Greeks, Estonians and Italians) had finished their presentations we had a break with lots of different snacks from everybody's different countries.

Then we did our bee presentations and we learnt a lot of new bee facts from our partners. The Greeks did some amazing bee dances as well! After this we drove to multiple apiaries and places for photos.

Tue, Azores- we went to the school in a rush as Beth and I got up a bit too late! Today we were going to make the hives. Beth and I grouped up with the Italians and made their hive, it was very big and they said it could house real bees! It didn't take long to assemble as they had all the pieces ready to slot together so when we were waiting we drew hives and bees and helped with the scottish hive. At break we chilled for a bit and then Beth and I explored for a little bit. We then had a pizza picnic at a nice nature reserve where there was a cute cat wandering about and a parrot. We then went to a volcano which we walked around (it was very muddy) and then we went inside. I had to put my hood up as water dripped from above. It was so beautiful and at the bottom was a little pool of clear water. After we went swimming in the water, I dipped a toe in and it was absolutely FREEZING! Zen and Jamie then came round for dinner later and Rafferty and Ben came later then everyone played board games. It was very fun. That just about sums up Tuesday.

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Thu, Azores- today we went whale and dolphin watching. It was the calmest day of the week so perfect timing for it. It was still very cold as I wore 2 jackets and was still a bit chilly. The boat started off very fast and then slowed a bit so we could see the dolphins/whales. Overall we saw no whales but lots of dolphins. They leaped over the waved in pods and it was very beautiful to watch. Everyone was glad to get off the boat though as it swayed a lot which made us feel a little bit seasick. After the boat trip we had lunch at a really nice restaurant at a castle/hotelly type place. The dessert was amazing! When we got back to the school we got ready for the big presentation! It was ok once we were on stage and in action but before hand I was a bit nervous. Later that night we went back to the school for a big goodbye dinner/talent show. The Greeks did some dancing that lots of people joined in with. After the dinner we were very tired and needed to prepare for leaving the next day.

Friday, Azores/Lisbon- in the morning we had to do some last minute packing so we got up quite early. We had breakfast then headed out the door. We said goodbye to our kind hosts which was very sad and then said bye to everyone else. The Greeks would be on the same flight to Lisbon as us and we would be spending time with them in Lisbon.

It was very sad leaving as all the Portuguese were very emotional and it was very sad to end the project especially as this would be one of our last Erasmus opportunities as Brexit was coming up. We finally said goodbye and left. After the plane ride we got to our apartment. It was very pretty and nice. The Greeks came over for dinner later on and we had a really good time getting to know each other better and playing games with them. We had a late night but that was ok as we were allowed to sleep in the next day.

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Sat, Lisbon- Beth and I woke up late as the bed was so comfy! We defo needed the sleep as we were climbing up the Cristo Rei with the Greeks. We got a boat over the river to get to the start of the climb. It was steep but not too long. Once we had arrived all I noticed was the statue towering over me as it is 110 meters tall. We got a lift up but had to climb some narrow twisty stairs.

The view was amazing at the top and I could see the whole of Lisbon which was stunning and awesome. The worst part of that day was seeing a dead seagull bobbing about in the river and the best part was the view. After we got to the other side of the river again we were hungry so we went to the Time Out market and ate the best burger and ice cream I had ever tasted! We then went shopping and got Hard Rock cafe merch and went to bed sad as tomorrow we would be leaving back for Scotland but excited to see our families again. I will treasure this trip forever in my memories and it was an amazing experience and opportunity for me.

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Rafferty Howison Melissa Project Azores Trip Day 1: After practising for our assembly for the Azores for hours, finally the time came when my parents arrived with my bags. After performing the assembly one last time for our parents we said our prolonged goodbyes and I just managed to get away before they started crying.

After arriving at Edinburgh Airport and loading our bags onto our trolleys, we then made a base camp outside a cafe and went shopping for half an hour.

After finishing pizzas and salad we headed off to shop again and ended up with five fruit salads and an iPhone adaptor.

After hearing our flight number being called we headed over to the plane. During the flight Beth managed to spill her drink on not only herself but Ben and Kate as well.

After landing we met Mrs Dibnah's eldest daughter Hannah and our taxi driver who took us to our flat where we fell asleep very quickly.

Day 2: Although Mr Reynolds claims that he heard us raucosing around at 6:30 I swear I woke up at 7:30. After two heavenly pastel de nata (custard tarts) we all got ready to meet our guide who was going to give us a tour around Lisbon. He showed us many exciting places and breathtaking views. Some of these included a 15th century church, a statue of the one-eyed soldier who founded Lisbon and a memorial for Jews who were executed because of their religion.

We also learnt many interesting facts about Lisbon. For example in 1755 there was an earthquake in Lisbon which caused a tsunami that covered the whole of downtown Lisbon in water. Days later a giant fire broke out and wasn't put out for 3 days. After that we had lunch, I had a cheese toastie.

To get back to the flat we had to take the metro and I of course lost my ticket so I had to sneak on. When we finally got home after walking half a marathon (no really!), we had delicious chicken quesadillas.

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Day 3: After deciding to have a lie in instead of going out straight away we sat and chatted for ages in our rooms.

When the time came we packed up and said goodbye to our incredible flat.

We arrived at the airport early, hoping to have an unrushed time, but Kate & Beth both left their full water bottles in their bags so we were delayed badly. Afterwards, Hannah declared that that shananagan would never be re-lived and that everybody would re-check their bags in the future. But we still managed to have a nice bite to eat.

Soon after lunch somehow Mr Reynolds understood the Portuguese loudspeaker and said that it was time to board. Thankfully no spillages happened on the plane flight this time. When we landed on Terceira, we met our host, mine and Ben’s host family were Leonor and her mum Adelina.They were so kind that they took us on a tour of the whole island and showed us all the best places. Ben and I then had a lovely dinner cooked by Adelina and went to bed.

Day 4: After having breakfast we went to Leonor’s school and met our friends and teachers. Then it was time for the introduction assembly which went very well; everybody loved it when we marched on with Ben playing the bagpipes! After every school had introduced themselves we then had a coffee break. Each country brought food linked to their country. It was so exciting to try all the different types of food, my favourite food was the Italian almond crunchy bites.

After that,we presented our bee research assemblies and although it did take 2 hours for all the schools to finish I learnt a lot of things including that bees build their hives in hexagonal shapes so there will be no wasted space! Next we went and had lunch at a place called Quinta dos Acores. I had spaghetti and meatballs, it was delicious!

We then got on a coach with everybody and went to check out the apiaries which were spotted around the island. We also stopped at a beach called Biscoites which was filled with molten rock structures which were very fun to climb on. The waves were huge!

We got picked up by our hosts and checked out a beautiful public garden, watched the sunset and took lots of pictures. A perfect ending to a lovely day!

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Day 5: After finishing breakfast we headed to the school again to make beehives. I went with the Greeks and made a wooden hive, we managed to make 3.

After break we played some quizlets made by Mr Reynolds and some kahoots made by the Estonians.

Next we had lunch at Monte Do Brasil, a park in woodland on top of an exticnt volcanic crater. We had pizza and then took a look around and found turkeys, deer and a parrot.

After lots of group photos we got on the bus and went to a dormant volcano. It was absolutely insane, we went on a walk above it and if you could have put your hands over the smoke coming out of the ground it would have been hot! Then we went inside it and took many amazing pictures.

Later,, we went to Duck Lake which was filled with ducks (really!). Then we went back to Biscoites, me, Zen and Jamie went swimming in the freezing water, we had so much fun and saw a sea urchin. After drying off we went bowling with Leonor and she won. We had dinner at the bowling place and then went to Kate and Beth’s house and were joined by Jamie and Zen. We played a traditional Azorean board game, it was very fun. We went home afterwards and I fell asleep with my clothes on because I was so tired.

Day 6: Today we went into town and met the teachers because we had to make a new assembly. We had to make a new assembly because later today we would perform our introduction assembly with a few added parts to the whole school and the Azorean TV. After finishing reasonably quickly we went shopping and I bought some cinnamon cake for my mum and dad and some LEGO for my sister.

After lunch we went to a honey factory. We learned how the honey was collected, extracted and packaged. We also saw how they packaged lemons and cut and packed flowers. We learnt how important bees are to these products. Afterwards we went shopping with Leonor and her mum, came home, had curry and went to bed.

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Day 7: We arrived at the whale watching place where we dropped our bags, got lifejackets and left on our adventure.

The boat ride for me was just as good as seeing the whales as it was fast, bumpy and my tummy flipped, one of my most favourite feelings, however lots of other people didn't enjoy the ride; Jamie was one of these people as he was seasick.

When we got to the place where we would see the whales we stopped and got out our phones for pictures almost instantly dolphins sprang up from every direction - they are so fast! There was one moment where a whole pod of them jumped out of the water at the same time, I was lucky and got it on camera. Sadly though we did not see any whales that day.

After landing we all went up to a restaurant and had bread, soup, lasagna and cake!

We then headed back to school to get ready to perform our assembly one last time for the whole school and the press, it all went smoothly, and some of the Portuguese even started to cry!

We then headed back to our houses for a break before the party at the school at seven.When we got to the school we headed to the canteen and had some amazing food, then there were dances, karaoke and I performed a poem. It was so fun! And very tiring!

Day 8: We got to the school at 8 to drop off our packed bags. When we got there we said goodbye to Adelina. We then had a free day for shopping. We got back to the school at about one and said goodbye to everybody, by now everybody was crying, even Mr Reynolds (please make allowances for artistic licence -Ed.). We arrived at the airport at two and left soon after. It was very hard to leave as we made so many good memories and friends. When we arrived in Lisbon we traveled to our new apartment and had a vegan dinner with the Greeks.

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Day 9: Today we met our guide again and he took us on another tour of the city. We went on another big walk to a statue of Jesus which was more than 200 metres tall! We had to go on a boat as it was across the river. There were so many amazing views on the walk. Not just from the statue which you could go up in.

We then went shopping and walked a bit more, we then said goodbye to the Greeks and had dinner, we got back to the apartment at about 6 and packed our bags. We had a good long sleep to prepare us for the busy day tomorrow.

Day 10: We got to the airport at about 9 and had lots of time to go through security and check-in. Even though we were early we were nearly the last ones on the plane as the queues were giant!

After the plane flight Scotland said welcome back by hitting us with very strong winds, nevertheless we were happy to be home!