"Something extraordinary happened". That’s how I told my colleagues that Sergi Durbà was going to visit us. To understand it, we have to start at the beginning.
The Generalitat Valenciana sent us a book entitled "Les nostres festes", a compilation of the most outstanding festivals of the Valencian Community. I found it an interesting resource to work with students in Valencian class, more considering that in our newspaper "Els Escolars" we have a section entitled Tradició i Cultura.

As we flipped through it we discovered that the Misteri d'Elx appeared. The writing began like this: Tres tresors distingeixen Elx de la resta del món. Three: the Lady, the Palmerar and the Misteri. Absolutely true. Next, he spoke of the Misteri and the Palmeral having UNESCO recognitions. And so we think that something that also makes Elche special is being the only city in the world with three UNESCO awards. One of them, ours, the Center of Traditional Culture School Museum of Pusol.

It was the perfect situation to work with the students those things that are not in the textbooks and that are always remembered. Why don’t we write an email to the author of the book, Sergi Durbà? After talking with Isabel, the school director, I made the proposal to the 5th and 6th class and Noemi, the teacher who collaborates in the Valencian sessions.
Our intention was clear, that Sergi would come and meet us. Over time, one learns that respect for other people’s work is fundamental and that what at first glance seems one thing is really another. And that was the challenge, to show our students that a situation that at first glance might seem like discrimination, a ruling against us, in short, a wound to our pride and our ego, really, was not like that. So much so that it was not.

We sent our invitation and quickly Sergi answered us, that’s when the extraordinary began. After meeting with Rafa, the executive director of the museum, and Isabel, we prepared a very complete day, which could not have been like this without the collaboration of our students, the main protagonists of this project.
We did the guided tour, we taught her how to braid white palm, how to play tanganillo... And we talked, a lot: about our school, about your institute, the family, the traditions, the people there, the people here... I had this weird feeling, which is extraordinary, of just meeting someone, and it’s like you’ve known them your whole life.
It was a fantastic day, to remember.
We encourage you to read Sergi’s vision of his visit, no waste: http://costumaridurba.blogspot.com/2020/12/museu-escolar-de-pucol-elx.html.

Author: Raül Egío, master of the school.