Personal Development- week 18

Week 17-  24^th-31^st May 2012

Bags packed, goodbyes said, and it’s time to leave our little home in Copenhagen.  As Ali and I walked home from university today we found ourselves reminiscing about the last 4 months. Thinking back to the first time we tried to get the train and the bus, how confused we were and how easily we got lost, whereas now it has become second nature. We have realised how much we have grown and changed over these last few months, and how beneficial they have been not only to our future careers, but also to ourselves and to how we cope and react to new situations. It has been a strange but busy week as we prepared to leave, trying to fit in last minute souvenir shopping, goodbyes and even a trip to Stockholm!

On one of our first nights in Denmark Ali and I made a list of all the different things we wanted to try and do over the four months, and when we looked back on it recently we realised that a visit to Sweden was something we still hadn’t had the chance to do, so we booked a last minute train to Stockholm for two days. Although it seemed like the longest train journey ever, five and a half hours later we arrived in Stockholm ready to do some sightseeing! However as we were exhausted our first day mainly consisted of a visit to the TV tower, which you can go to the top of and look out over all of Stockholm, and a walk down the main shopping street. We had planned to go on the canal tour on the Tuesday though to make sure we were able to visit all the different places we wanted to go such as the palace, the old town and the city hall. Stockholm was a beautiful city and it surprised me that it was surrounded and lay on so much water! The canal tour was a great way to get around and to not only see the city from a different angle but to hear about the history of it also.

These last four months have provided me with so many opportunities to go travelling and visit places in Europe and it is something I have really enjoyed being able to do! Previously I would have been quite a nervous traveller, but I have learnt to do it myself and have proved to myself that I can cope and even though we might get lost or read the map wrongly there will always be someone you can ask to help.

ERASMUS has been without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life. I have made friends all over Europe, I have travelled to so many different places, and I have learnt so much about myself and about Denmark. Copenhagen is an incredible city and I feel so privileged to have been able to call this beautiful city home for the last four months, and I hope that someday I can return here. It has been an unforgettable four months, and I can’t believe this is my last blog and my last night in our little basement home, I really am going to miss the Danish way of life! (And the pastries!)

Trying traditional Swedish meatballs!

Week 17- Personal Development

Week 17-  18th-24th May 2012

Looking back over my blogs from the last four months, I can hardly believe the time has come already to write the penultimate entry! I have had the opportunity to see and do so much over my time in Denmark and it truely has been an incredible experience.

This week the sun has come out, and we have finally got the weather we have been hoping for! This week has averaged at least 20 degrees every day, and due to this Ali and I have been making the most of our last two weeks to try and do all the things we had been putting off due to the cold! We have finally had our first BBQ, gone to the beach and visited Hamlet’s castle in Helsingor amongst many other things! These last four months have been some of the greatest experiences of my life, but naturally it hasn’t all been easy, but I am impressed with how well I have managed to cope with all the changes I have faced and the difficulty of being away from home and from my friends! There have been times when I have wanted to go home, or felt like I was missing out on everything back in Belfast, but looking back over my time here I realise that although these feelings are natural I am so glad I came away on ERASMUS.  Before coming I wouldn’t have described myself as an overly confident person, and would have come across quite shy and quiet, but due to being thrown totally out of what I was used to I have had to change and have discovered that I am now much more confident in my abilities and have developed so many important skills while being here. I have become a lot more independent, and enjoy being able to do everything on my own time and when it suits me! I almost think it is going to be strange to go home again, and not have to make my own dinner every night or do my own washing! (Not that I won’t welcome that again though!)

I have met some incredible people during ERASMUS, some of who have already left and more that I will have to say goodbye too over the next week. I am dreading having to say goodbye to the friends I have made here, but I know that from this experience I will always have friends all over Europe who I can visit, contact and talk to. We have all made plans to try and meet up over the next year, and I really hope this happens, as from talking to them I have not only learnt so much about their different countries and their views but also about their universities and their schools!

With only a week left in Denmark, it is going to be busy, but with assignments handed in, and only a day or two more in college, it is definitely going to be a good last week, a great ending to four months I will never forget!

Night time concert at Tivoli!

Week 16- Cultural Development

Week 16- 10^th-17^th May 2012

From the Opera to the football stadium, we really did manage to see everything Milan had to offer! Even though we were only in Milan for four days, Ali and I managed to pack so much into our time.

Having never been to Italy before, I was really looking forward to this trip, not only for the sunshine and the food, but also because it would give me the opportunity to discover a bit more about the culture of another country, something I am really enjoying having the opportunity to be able to do while on ERASMUS. As we arrived at our hostel, we were immediately welcomed by the owner, who was so keen to tell us the best places to go, to eat and things to see. This immediately made me feel a lot more settled and we knew that if we had any problems or confusion we could always ask him.  He recommended that we go to Lake Como for a day as it was only an hour away by train, and this was something that we decided to do, to give ourselves a day away from the city and to totally relax and enjoy the sunshine. To get away to somewhere so calm after being in so many busy cities over the last few months was something I really appreciated, we were able to just lie by the lake and totally relax!

However I did feel that even in the city, Milan was very relaxed and had a lovely atmosphere. In Italy it seems that people enjoy just being able to sit in cafes and drink coffees and enjoy the Italian food and chilled out atmosphere, and again this was something that Ali and I took advantage of whenever we could. It surprised me how well the Italian people we had to communicate with spoke English, but after talking to one of our Italian friends here she explained that often to work in restaurants or shops in areas of Italy where there are high numbers of tourists you need to have a good level of English. We noticed and appreciated this especially after the language issues we experienced while in Spain the weekend before.

We managed to visit the Duomo, and took the elevator up to the roof, where not only could we see for miles around Milan but we were also able to appreciate the amazing architecture of the building. We were lucky enough to also manage to go the opera, as we were told that they release 140 tickets on the day of the show for only 12euro! Although our seats were as high up as they could possibly be, it was something totally different and I really enjoyed this experience even though it was at times hard to understand what was going on! After deciding we wanted to go and visit the famous Milan football ground, we arrived only to discover that there was a match on that day...so naturally we decided since we were already there we may as well get tickets and go! (We were the only ones who didn’t understand the rules, and were very obviously tourists as every time Milan scored and the whole crowd started singing and chanting whereas we were too busy trying to take photos!)

At the football match!

Spinning on the bull to make a wish!

Milan was a great trip, and we have definitely improved our map reading skills, and I feel I have learnt to be a lot more independent when travelling and having to organise things, ERASMUS has taught me so much already, and I am excited to see what new surprises and challenges my final two weeks in Copenhagen will bring.

Week 15- Cultural Development

Week 15 3rd-10^th May 2012

With time flying in until our ERASMUS experience is over, and due to the fact that we have no classes for this whole month, Ali and I decided to treat ourselves to a few trips away, and take the opportunity to explore a bit more of Europe.

This week we headed to Madrid for a short break, and we head to Milan on Thursday for four days. I was excited for both these holidays, not only because they were two cities I had never visited before, but because I was finally looking forward to getting away from the changeable Danish weather and enjoy some proper sunshine! As we had such a short time in Madrid, we knew that we needed to decide exactly what all we wanted to see and do before we went. This city was not what I expected at all when we arrived, as we discovered it was actually not that big and we were able to walk to see all the different sites, even though they seemed to be spread over our whole map! We visited the palace, the cathedral and the theatre in the morning as well as visited the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple which was rebuilt in Madrid. These were all really interesting and gave us a bit of an insight into the history and culture of the city. We managed to spend all morning exploring these different buildings before moving to a park at the opposite side of the city where we enjoyed the sun that had finally come out as we tried to “row” on the lake in its centre!

Ali at the Temple of Debod.

One of the main differences that stood out for me between the culture in Madrid and the culture both at home and here in Denmark is the police presence in the city. There were a lot of beggars, prostitutes, and homeless people about which is perhaps one the reasons for this enhanced presence, and although at first it seemed a bit unnerving, it actually meant that we felt safe as we explored and constantly could find someone to ask for directions when we needed!

Before going, our Spanish friends from ERASMUS here had warned us that people in Spain tend not to have good English and would find us difficult to understand, however apart from a few difficulties when ordering food we seemed to manage to communicate fairly well, perhaps due to being used to slowing down when we talk and using a more simple language and hand gestures from being out in school and meeting people in Copenhagen.

These four months in Denmark have provided me with so many opportunities to explore other cities and places in Europe that I would have otherwise not have had the opportunity to, and I am loving learning more about all these different places and gaining a better understanding of the culture and how people there live. Madrid? Done, now bring on the next few days in Milan!

Enjoying some Spanish food!

Professional Development- Week 14

Week 14-  26^th April- 3^rd May 2012

Classes over, the sun is shining, but sadly the work still continues here in Copenhagen. For this last month we have to complete an Individual Assignment, in which we compare an aspect of our home countries education system with Denmark. We have all of May to complete this and it involves not only writing the paper, but visiting a variety of different schools and talking to teachers and pupils to enable us to gain a deeper understanding of the Danish system.

After our special needs modules and placement we had at home this year, I realised that this was an area of education that I was interested in, and therefore decided to do my project based on special needs, and how schools here dealt with pupils with SEN as well as integration policies. It is an area that I have a good understanding of within the Northern Ireland system and therefore I felt it would be beneficial to look at how other countries cope with the same situations. However, contacting and getting into schools has not been as easy as I first thought, as many schools do not reply to emails, perhaps due to the language barrier or because they are so busy. I have been lucky enough though to be able to go back to the school I did placement in and visit a Special needs unit there. After two weeks in that school, I wasn’t even aware that this unit existed, so I was really looking forward to going in to visit and to meet the teachers and the pupils!

There were only 6 children in the class, 5 boys and 1 girl, and two teachers. Their classroom was in a separate area of the school and I discovered that other than break and lunch times they were never integrated into the rest of the school. There was such a calm and relaxed atmosphere within the classroom and I immediately relaxed as the teachers made me feel so welcome! At first it was difficult because I could not speak to the children and they were shy, however it didn’t take them long to try and say the few English words they knew (even though these were often animals and colours!) just to try and make conversation. I learnt a lot that day about how the class worked and the different activities they take part in. Every Wednesday the teachers take them on a trip using the train, to help integrate them into society and learn about how to travel. I was lucky enough to join them on this day and we went to a playground where we could enjoy the sun, and they made me go on all the slides, ziplines and climbing frames!

Overall, my first experience of being in a SEN school/unit in Denmark was great. It really made me think about the differences between this classroom and the mainstream, as well as the differences and similarities to this type of classroom at home. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to visit more classes like this and hopefully deepen my knowledge and understanding of this type of education.  This was one of my best days of being in school in Denmark, as I finally felt more useful and had the opportunity to connect with the pupils- hopefully if I have time I might even get back to this class before I come home!

Enjoying the sunshine- finally!

Visiting the Copenhagen Icebar!

Personal Development Week 13

Week 13-  20^th-26^th April 2012

This week marked the end of our classes here in Denmark. Our university here offers both a three and a four month ERASMUS program, so as of this week 15 people will be leaving our group to return to their home countries. Over this next month we will not have any concentrated class time but will be required to write an individual assignment in which we will be comparing aspects of our home countries education system with that of Denmark. To do this we will need to visit schools, interview teachers and carry out a lot of research, so class might be over- but the work definitely isn’t!

With so many people packing up to go home, this week has made me reflect and think back over my time here in Denmark. We had a final class on Wednesday in which we brought out our posters we created right back in week 1, and had to add the new things we had discovered about ourselves since being here. Immediately I could identify so many ways in which I had not only changed, but matured and grown. I came here as a quite shy person, who often sat in the background, but now I realise and can see myself that I have become much more outgoing and definitely more independent! Other things have changed about me too over these last 3 months; I do cooking, cleaning, washing, and can figure out directions and where I need to be by myself. Once you are “thrown out” into the real world you begin to realise that you really can cope. I was so nervous before arriving here, I didn’t think I would be able to manage, and to stay on top of everything, I thought I’d be living on cereal for a lot of my meals! I’m out of my home comfort zone, but honestly I feel like I’ve settled here, and now living like this has become second nature to me. I have a more developed understanding of Denmark’s culture, and their education system, and I know that over this next month as I go out myself into new schools and environments I will further my understanding of this even more, and this is something I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to do.

This has been a reflective week, I have thought about how those 15 people I have become friendly with over the last few months are returning home, back to reality, and although part of me is a little jealous, I know that I am not ready to leave Denmark yet. I am still growing and maturing, and being here is encouraging me to do that. It might be strange here, how when we arrived things like the language seemed so scary, the food seemed strange, the accommodation wasn’t what I expected, but I have managed to cope. I can’t believe how much I have changed over these last 3 months, how much I have developed and therefore I look forward to seeing what I am going to be like, and how much more my views and opinions will have changed by the time I return home!

Week 12- Professional Development

Week 12-   13^th-19^th April 2012

This past week has been one of my busiest and most tiring since I arrived in Denmark. We had our final few days of our school practice, and I had the opportunity to experience “project week” something that features a lot in the Danish school system. I automatically assumed that the week would take place around a specific theme as this was the sort of thing I am used to at home, but we were told that the during the week each day would focus on a particular subject and all the activities would not be linked to any overlying theme.

The days we observed and took part in were art, maths and physical education orientated, and each one was organised by a different teacher for the entire second grade year group. Normally in this grade the pupils do not have one teacher for the full day, but different teachers for each subject, which I think is one of the reasons for the relaxed and often disorganised and chaotic atmosphere within the classroom, as each teacher has different rules and ways of teaching. However the stability that this day provided as they stayed with one teacher allowed the class to understand what was expected and how they were required to act. At first I had thought that I could never deal with being in the classroom here, because of the totally different atmosphere but I have begun to realise that it entirely depends on the teacher, and if or when we are involved the children have respect and will be keen to listen and try to understand what it is we are going to say. Due to normal classes being taken by different teachers this limits the amount of cross-curricular work the children have the opportunity to take part in as everything is kept so separate. This was something else I found strange as at home the curriculum provides so much emphasis on cross curricular skills and themes.

However this first art day quickly changed this as the children were introduced to basic geometric shapes and were to create collage pictures using these shapes which they were to draw themselves using a variety of methods, such as compasses, tracing, drawing round other objects. The maths day was totally different again as it allowed the children to come out of the classroom and work in teams to find and solve various maths problems which were hidden around the school. This was something the pupils really enjoyed and the children were mixed into random teams to develop their social skills and interaction with people they didn’t know previously. The final day was the sports day and again the children had different tasks to complete in teams as they competed against each other. Overall I found that although this week was totally not what I expected it to be, it was enjoyable and allowed the pupils to move outside their normal classroom environment.

I have noticed so many similarities and differences between the Danish and Northern Irish school system over these last weeks, and I really enjoyed and found it beneficial to have this opportunity to learn and find out more about their ways of teaching. Although there were times when it was difficult and frustrating as we couldn’t make the pupils understand what we were saying, I am going to miss my practice school here in Denmark. (Although, I can’t say I’m going to miss those 6.30am starts!)