Few weeks ago, we started a new European learning partnership project about gardening, with institutions from Italy, Wales, Latvia, Greece, Germany, Portugal.
The partners combine quite a mix of very different competencies, as these are private consulting companies, non-profit organizations, adult education providers, vocational training centers, a second chance school.
All have in common that they are situated in rural areas.

It's visible for everyone, rural areas have been through a dramatic transformation in recent decades, leaving significant numbers of people on the margins of mainstream society. In response to such difficulties, partners in this project have been exploring alternative strategies for local/regional development which include learning as the drive wheel of transformation.

This was my third trip to Poland. The first one I made in the early 90s, private, searching traces of someone's family. I have uncomfortable memories from that trip, not only because we visited the Auschwitz concentration camp, the whole environment was a bit strange. The second time I travelled to Poland, at the end of the 90s, I stayed in Krakow and I was surprised how vital the city was, even though the whole centre was a big re-construction site.

Now also my third trip, the time couldn't be worse. It was very cold, wet and dark and I haven't seen any blue sky for 4 days.
A French teacher picked us up at Krakow airport to ease the conversation during the two hours drive to Cieszyn (usually, French people do not speak English, might be a prejudice, but it is often true).
On the way to Cieszyn, we passed Oswiecim, saw the museum of the concentration camp and I still got the creeps. I can't imagine how to live in such a place with the visibility of the horrifying past.