A trio of game-keeping students from Duchy College at Stoke Climsland have learnt about a very different way of life during a month-long visit to Romania.
The three travelled to Romania to live in a traditional way with a family – subsisting on homemade, self-sustained bread, cheese, pickles, vegetables and meat.
Harry Damsell from Holsworthy, Lee Wilcox from Callington, and Megan Thorn from St Cleer, were made welcome by the whole village, and worked with the local people to improve a river by clearing it of rubbish, and improved a footpath for easier access by clearing the path and building steps.
The students also learnt how to prune grapevines and apple trees, most important for wine and brandy in Romania. They were also given the task of painting a traditional wall mural on their hosts' house – gaining another insight into the culture in Romania.
All studying gamekeeping and wildlife management at Duchy College, they were able to pursue their interest by visiting the local shooting association, where they learnt about how land for wild boar shooting is managed in Romania and how a day's shooting is run.
They were shown how to slaughter and prepare food for the table, which included a pig, rabbits and chickens.
Just returned home, Harry said he had admired the stress-free and peaceful way of life in Romania. He said: "I enjoyed their way of life, it's much more relaxed and they still have a close family bonding."
The visit was arranged through the agency Grampus Heritage and Training. Peter Walker, the Duchy College course manager, said: "Grampus Heritage and Training gives students and graduates the opportunity to work on European projects concerned with culture, heritage, archaeology and the environment.
"The visit has been a fantastic learning experience for these students, and gave them the opportunity to learn about the culture and way of life.
"It has been a challenging visit for them getting to grips with the different ways of living. They were able to see how other cultures invest in their communities using traditional methods, which is something that they will potentially use in their future careers."
More information on courses available at Duchy College at Stoke Climsland is available on 01579 372233 or visit the website www.duchy.ac.uk.
