On Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April 2021, the students of the College of Europe in Natolin celebrated the Ibero-American National Days. The students coming from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Portugal and Spain celebrated the common ties uniting them, by also focusing on their own respective cultures.
On the first day, Natolin students were delighted with a special treat for breakfast made of churros with chocolate, coupled with pure Colombian coffee.
During the Portuguese lunch, kindly prepared by the Natolin Restaurant, the students had the pleasure to enjoy a traditional Portuguese dish – bacalhau à brás – and to discover a Portuguese typical pastry dessert – pastéis de nata – as well as Portuguese wine. These two last elements were sponsored by the Portuguese Embassy in Warsaw thanks to the initiative of Mr Luís MALHADINHAS. During lunch, a Kahoot quiz centred on Portuguese facts was organised by Mr Luís MALHADINHAS and Mr Pedro MENDES. The winners of the quiz were offered traditional specialities of Portugal.
In the afternoon, the online conference "Portugal, Relations with Poland and the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU" took place with the participation of H.E. Mr Luís CABAÇO – Ambassador of Portugal to Poland. The conference was introduced by Mrs Vice-Rector Ewa OŚNIECKA-TAMECKA, organised and moderated by the Portuguese students Mr Luís MALHADINHAS, Mr Pedro MENDES and Mr Erwan GOMES. The conference focused on the history of Portugal since the revolution in 1975, on the relations between Portugal and Poland and on the overview of the current Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Due to sanitary restrictions in place, the event took place online via ZOOM and lasted for one hour and a half.
The Spanish dinner, prepared with the help of the Natolin Restaurant, consisted of delicious Spanish dishes and a tombola game organised by the students Ms Ana ISORA, Mr Fernando SÁNCHEZ, Ms Irene MCDONNELL, Mr Iván SÁNCHEZ, Ms Laia BROSSA, Mr Oscar NAVARRO, Mr Nicolas MICHEL and Ms Sara RUISEÑOR. The winners of the game were offered traditional Spanish specialities.
"There was an amazing atmosphere that reminded us of joyful nights spent among friends."
On the final day, the Natolin Restaurant prepared traditional dishes from Latin America and the Caribbean. With the harmonies of different Latin American musical rhythms in the background, the students enjoyed eating habichuelas guisadas (stewed red beans), chips de platano (plantain chips), carne guisada (beef stew) and quesadillas. To conclude the lunch break, a Kahoot quiz was organised by Mr Carlos FONSECA, Mr Oscar NAVARRO and Mr Sebastián GERARDO. The winners of the quiz were once again offered traditional specialities of the respective countries.
In the evening, the high-level conference "EU-LAC Partnership: why is Latin America and the Caribbean important for the European Union, and the (particular) role of Spain and Portugal in the decision-making process towards the region" took place online via ZOOM. It counted the participation of H.E. Mr Gianluca GRIPPA, Head of the EU Delegation to the Dominican Republic, H.E. Mr Gautier MIGNOT, Head of the EU Delegation to Mexico, H.E. Mr León DE LA TORRE KRAIS, Head of the EU Delegation to Chile, and H.E. Mr Ignacio YBÁÑEZ, Head of the EU Delegation to Brazil. The event was moderated by Mr Carlos FONSECA and Mr Sebastián GERARDO.
Congratulations to all the students who contributed in the organization of theses successful days: Ms Ana ISORA, Mr Carlos FONSECA, Mr Erwan GOMES, Mr Fernando SÁNCHEZ, Mr Iván SÁNCHEZ, Ms Laia BROSSA, Mr Luís MALHADINHAS, Mr Oscar NAVARRO, Mr Pedro MENDES, Mr Nicolas MICHEL, Ms Irene MCDONNELL, Ms Sara RUISEÑOR and Mr Sebastián GERARDO.
Special thanks go to the Colombian Embassy in Warsaw, the Portuguese Embassy in Warsaw and the Spanish Embassy in Warsaw.