CONCLUSION

This experience comes to an end. We enjoyed it a lot, we suffered a little bit too, we had to work hard, but it was worth it. Now we know more about the European Union. We also know that its future is our future and that we will have to work hard to have a better Union, based on the principles that Schuman and Monnet dreamt about: peace, solidarity, equality... When these principles were more important than money, the EU was prosperous. Now this terrible crisis is causing that many people forgot this ideas and we, the future citizens of the EU, can change that.

See you in Strasbourg if we win or here, if not, next year we will try again!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

OUR FLASHMOB

Our flashmob is now available in YouTube! Go watch us dance and promote Europe's day in our town!

OUR EUROPE DAY IN THE MEDIA

These Galician newspapers talked about our initiative:

FARO DE VIGO

DIARIO DE AROUSA

THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH

AN INTERVIEW WITH TWO FORMER STUDENTS OF OUR SCHOOL WHO LIVE NOW IN THE UNITED STATES: ÓSCAR PARDO AND ANDREA FALCÓN

My name is Oscar Pardo Planas and I graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela one year ago. I am a Chemical Engineer, and I am currently living and working in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where I landed last January. Honestly, I did not choose this location. After earning my degree I started the job search, and since the chances of getting one in Galicia (and Spain) were low I decided to gradually expand the area of search. I found an interesting research position (about biofuels production) through the LinkedIn social network and it was located here, in Oklahoma. Besides this, I have also lived in Salt Lake City, Utah thanks to an exchange program.

 -Are there differences between how Europeans and Americans work? Which are more effective?


Maybe it is complicated to establish a comparison because both Europe and America are very diverse. In Europe for example... Do we work similarly in Denmark and in Spain or Italy? However, there are general differences between the European model and the American one. Surprisingly for Europeans, in the US workers have less vacation days. In my case, I have only 15 days for annual leave that are added to a few national holidays. Also, the leave for having a child and the unemployment payment are much lower here. However, compared to Spain they have higher salaries. I also notice that they focus more on their jobs: I would say we work for living and they live for working.
Regarding the working schedule, America is more similar to the northern Europe. The usual schedule is 8 AM to 5 PM with a short lunch break. In general in Spain we tend to work more hours. Beyond these general differences, it is difficult to say.

- Was it difficult for you to adapt to the American way of life? What are the main differences in lifestyle between the U.S. and the European Union?


It is not extremely difficult to adapt because European and American ways of life are not that far away from each other. But there are certainly some differences that have to be considered. Many of them may sound like clichés, but they are true to some extent. For example, people do not walk here: the car is used at all times no matter how far the destination is. In general, there is no activity for your free time such as “going for a walk”. In addition, the food is also different. It is true that fast food is everywhere, but good food can be also found (and European people tend to think that this is not possible in the US!). However, I would say that it is true in general that the way of cooking food is healthier and “homemade” in Europe.

In terms of social relations, I think the US society is much more individualist in many ways. And I believe this has a lot to do with what I said before: they live less “in the street”, meaning that they do not have our habits of walking regularly in the city/town centers, shopping in local stores and having a wine or beer after work. These things that are common in the south of Europe bring many opportunities to meet new people and to create personal bonds with neighbors and friends.

- If you had the opportunity to return to the European Union and to your home to work, would you return or would you stay in the U.S.? 

The answer to your question is straightforward: I would definitely come back. And eventually I will. But what it is also true is that right now I have a commitment with the institution and the research group that hired me. Also, I am learning a lot and this position is a real opportunity for me in terms of developing a career as a researcher and an engineer, together with the chance of earning another degree. Therefore (and since it is quite impossible that I had the chance to work in Spain), I am going to stay here for a while but... of course that I am planning to go back to Europe! And, by the way, a very positive thing that I find in Europe (thanks to the EU) is the possibility of working and living in any of the member states. That was a great idea that has been implemented and it has to be acknowledged.


-Is the dollar better than the euro? What do Americans think about the euro crisis? Was a good idea to change our currency?


I will start by answering the last question: probably not like we did. Based on our experience I think that the design of the euro currency was completely wrong from the beginning, and it is something that led to many of our current problems. For example, our design of a united currency is too rigid considering the huge differences of the member states economies. One of the important issues that the southern states are now facing is debt and balance of payments, and euro has become a problem to solve this. What happens in this rigid system is that the states have lost their monetary sovereignty: they are only users of the currency, they cannot emit money. This means, for example, that the states cannot play a role in money devaluation or revaluation, a very important tool that has been traditionally used to solve crisis. And on top of this, the European Bank does not lend money directly to the states at low cost; the money is lent to banks which are the intermediates. This model seems totally nonsense to me.

Since the states cannot devaluate the currency, they devaluate the conditions of the workers (lower salaries, worst labor laws, and cuts in essential services like health care, education...). However, it is important to mention that this is not only an issue derived from the euro, but linked with the whole economic system and the model that is being imposed. A model that is, in my opinion, against the needs of the vast majority of the population.

The dollar does not have the same problems than euro, since the American government has more to say in this topic than the democratic institutions of the EU over the euro. In Europe, the important economic policies are taken by organisms that have not been elected by the citizens. The dollar is also a currency that is more reliable for international buyers than euro. This is very much related to the absence of doubts regarding the survival of dollar as a currency; while in Europe we have read many times that euro could be replaced in some of the countries. 

In general, Americans do not know in detail what happened in Europe. They tend to think that our crisis is something that is going to be solved very soon. They simplify the problem by thinking that there are poor and rich countries and the poor ones (in the south) are guilty and need to be helped. Unfortunately this vision of the problem is sometimes reproduced in Europe as well. 

- Do you think that The EU could split?

I do not think it is going to happen but anything could be possible. The European Union is a great concept, a great idea, which unfortunately has derived in something quite different. It was meant to be the Union of the peoples of the continent, with free mobility of citizens and no borders (luckily, this part of the idea was developed). The new global power with an advance welfare system, with public health care and education systems that ensure a better distribution of the wealth among people. The idea of a Union that regulates and controls financial powers: a democratic force with strong institutions elected by the citizens. This ideal EU has not been accomplished in some ways, and in my opinion we are walking towards the opposite scenario. Is there a chance for hope? There always is. However, if the southern countries continue having citizens that suffer more and more every day, with unemployment rates that are unbearable and youth emigration, and the perspectives are not changing... How can we agree on continuing building this wrong model of the EU? We definitely need to bring the original idea of Europe back and start a re-foundation of the EU.

- Is it very difficult to leave your home and separate from your parents, friends, family..? Does it really worth? 

It is especially difficult at the beginning, when you have to adapt quickly to the new place and the new job (in my case it is my first job as well) and you miss the people that is usually around you. But even when the weeks go by this homesick feeling stays, and I do not think it will be ever completely gone. It is commonly said that every language develop very accurate terms for describing common realities to their speakers. Well, in our language –Galician- we have two very precise words (morriña and saudade) that describe this kind of melancholic feelings associated to emigration, a field in which we are unfortunately experienced. Regarding family and distance, I can say that I am thankful to internet every day, because it makes our lives much better: I can speak with my family on a daily basis and I can still see my niece growing up.

Is it worth it? In my opinion it is never worth being away from the ones you care about, except when you consider that it is something temporary and that will bring future opportunities. In addition, some people do not have a choice based on their difficult personal and family situations, so they are forced to emigrate in order to be able to keep living. There is no room for analyzing if it is worth it for them or not: it is just what it is. Not fair at all. In less extreme cases, like mine, we could just stay in our parents’ home and keep looking for a job, but we have decided that it is better to start developing our careers somewhere else. And I hope we took the right decision, and someday we can come back and contribute to the development of the European society.

AND WE HOPE SO TOO ÓSCAR, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

My name is Andrea Falcón Leal and I am 17. I am from Cambados, a small town in Galicia, in the northwest coast of Spain. Right now I am an exchange student. I have spent the last 9 months in the US to learn English, the American culture and to learn about myself.
I currently live in Londonderry, in the state of New Hampshire. There is not really a reason for why I am here, it was a little bit of a coincidence, it just came. One of my teachers (guiño a Maribel) told us in class about this exchange program that allows Galician students to spend 10 months in the US. I was not sure at all about if I really wanted to do it, the idea of leaving my life for so long was a little scary. But I decided to try. And I did, I applied for this scholarship. I got preselected. I still did not know what to do in the case that I made it. The preselected students had to take a couple of tests and have some interviews in order to decide who would be the 75 students that will spend the next school year in the US. And I was selected. The only thing I could do after that point was to say no. Time passed and the last day to refuse to participate in the exchange program came. I think I did not really think much about it. Okay, maybe that is a lie, I thought about it a lot, but I just cannot make decisions. Time came and it was too late to deny. I am glad I did not. These last months I've learnt a lot about plenty of things: English, the American culture, adapting to different situations, trying lots of different things, and discovering myself. I think that, besides spending a school year in the US, what I like the most about this year is how much I've learnt about myself; it is definitely worth it.

OUR EUROPE DAY

This was our celebration:

AN EXHIBITION ABOUT THE EU:

AN INTERVIEW ON THE RADIO WITH ANTOLÍN SÁNCHEZ PRESEDO, MEP:

AND FINALLY A MAGNIFICENT CONCERT AND LECTURE:

Moisés Amado, the music teacher, on the right

The photographer of the Diario de Arousa taking a picture

IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!

AWESOME!!!

INVITATION

AND WE WILL BE ON THE RADIO TOO, AT 12:30, INTERVIEWING ANTOLÍN SÁNCHEZ PRESEDO (MEP)

WHAT'S ON TWITTER TODAY, 5/9?

MANY TWEETS ABOUT 5/9,  #europeday

Europe citizens and Institutions express pros and cons