A estadia de István em Portugal como Assistente Comenius

A chegada ao ensino secundário nem sempre nos parece fácil e rapidamente nos deparamos com novos e estimulantes desafios.

No início do ano, nas primeiras aulas de Inglês, falámos muito sobre projetos como o Comenius e outros divulgados a nível europeu, mas apenas tínhamos a ideia de que era para conhecimento, cultura geral e/ou consciência das oportunidades que poderíamos vir a ter. Mal sabíamos nós o que estava para vir...

Foi com grande agrado e entusiasmo que a turma reagiu ao anúncio da professora Fernanda de que na nossa turma haveria um “Assistente Comenius”, vindo da Hungria, durante 5 meses. Em outubro, preparámos uma apresentação e demos as boas vindas a István Tóth.

When interviewed by two students, István answered all their questions with great detail about his stay in our country and which experiences he went through. 

“The beginning was difficult, figuring out things like how to get a photo-pass for the tram and buying a good bike. But I’ve had much help so it has been relatively easy”, he alleged. When asked about how is it in class, he said his best moments are the ones “when I feel that I strike a chord with students, when I feel that we connect and what I’m saying interests them”, to which he added that “Those are magical moments, and I’ve had quite a lot of them”, although also saying “I’ve had my share of the opposite ones, as well, students talking, not paying attention – those are really challenging and exhausting”.

According to him, not only did he spend a great share of his time on school, but also outside. When prompted about it, István shared some interesting experiences with us. “In November, we went to Lagos with a couple of friends, and on the way back we stopped at an amazing beach near Aljezur. It was so beautiful, the ocean, the beach, the steep black rocks that it completely overwhelmed me and I just started to run. I couldn’t help it. I felt like a child.” Adding to this charming moment, he was shown the Portuguese short film entitled História trágica com final feliz, which left him “speechless.” The citizens have also surprised him, as after talking to some foreigners living here, all agreed “the Portuguese are nothing like the Mediterranean stereotype. They are very polite, calm people. They are also reserved, private, much more so, than the Hungarian.” He also said that he did not face many difficulties communicating, since “Portuguese people commend a very good English in general, it is quite impressive”.

Into matter of the project he and the school are involved in, he says he could not have been better received, “My mentor teachers, teacher Fernanda and Candida have been just great” and that the students are “surprisingly similar to Hungarian kids. […] Their English is very good (well, generally, anyway) and at classes they keep surprising me with bright ideas and creative solutions”, which, according to him, must be a “generational thing”, as net really helps influence teenagers nowadays. István also thinks there is “always room for improvement”, and this project nonetheless. However, “at the moment I feel really happy about it”, he adds. Near the end of the interview, István emphasized on how he as come to like Portugal a lot, and how it keeps amazing him with “all its beauty”, in his words. He complimented our country saying, “It is a unique place in the world, and I am really happy that I had the chance to come here.”

On top of that, he held that one day his grandchildren would have to see Portugal. “Maybe one day I’ll bring them here myself”, he unwaveringly said. He is staying until the middle of April now “but that definitely is not the end of this story!”

E não será mesmo um adeus.

Para nós, alunos, também consideramos esta uma experiência inesquecível que nos deu a oportunidade de conhecer uma outra realidade e uma outra forma (mais ou menos) diferente de aprender a língua inglesa.

Guardaremos na memória por muitos anos o que István nos ensinou e temos a certeza que esta experiência contribui para a nossa formação como pessoas que, em breve,  serão os adultos desta sociedade.

David Brito e Gonçalo Pinho, 10º A

17 de Fevereiro de 2013