Personal Development- Week 5

Week 5- 23rd February- 1st March 2012

This week has been nonstop classes and work! It has been busy and tiring yet interesting as all our classes have now finally started.  Alison and I chose to do Natural Science as our optional subject, as we felt it would be something different from what we get the chance to do in Stranmillis, however we quickly realised that the classes they do here are totally different to home! Not only are our classes 3 hours long, we also have one that starts at 8.45am (that means leaving the house before 8 to make sure we get the train on time!) Classes here are also taught at a degree level, not at the knowledge for teaching primary aged children as we do in Stranmillis, so this was quite a shock when we went off to a power/recycling plant for our first class! I felt totally overwhelmed and scared at the prospect of this class, as I am not overly strong in science, but it turns out a lot of what we will be doing is a group work project, and our group seem really helpful- and luckily have really good English, and are happy to talk in English instead of Danish.  We have had some language issues this week, where other students talk in Danish and forget we can’t understand, and we get a bit lost, but they are always willing to switch back and make sure we aren’t totally confused!

I feel I have now got used to living here, I know when the trains run, how long it takes to get places and am even beginning to understand the confusing zones for travelling!  It was stressful for the first few weeks as we constantly worried we were getting on the wrong trains or travelling too far which can result in a fine of 750dkk (around £90!) 

Ali's birthday, "Where's Wally?"

I know that over the last few weeks my own views and opinions have been challenged, as I have more of an opportunity to talk to both other Danish students as well as the other international students, both about their ways of living, eating, and education systems!  In one of our classes called Globalisation we were paired up with a student from another country to interview them about their own learning, not only through school but where they grew up and how their childhood activities and interests has impacted them. At first I was nervous having to interview some-one I didn’t know, (especially as he shouted, “I want to be with the Irish person!” so I felt I had a lot to live up to! )but actually found it really interesting to have the opportunity to ask all the different questions that had been building up in my mind over the last few weeks, and to gain some clarity on these from a Dane who it turned out had just as many questions about Northern Ireland!

The last five weeks have taught me so much, I can cook, I can do the food shopping, budget my spending and successfully do my own washing! Not only have I developed many useful practical skills, I feel that I have become a more confident and outgoing person, more willing to take risks and to get involved in situations that I would have tended to shy away from at home. I can’t wait to see how I continue to develop both personally and professionally over the next three months!

Christiania- a freetown in the centre of Copenhagen! Such an interesting place to have visited!