Week 9...already?

Personal & Cultural

This was a fantastic week, especially with jetting off to Rome but that’s later…

As I mentioned last week we had all decided to take part in an Erasmus Come Dine with Me Special which was exciting. In Vossenveld we have 3 floors for international students with 9 people living on each. Each floor had 4 groups of 3 and we made sure all groups were mixed up so groups of friends were not working together. I was teamed with Mikayla from England and Caroline from Sweden. It was good that we had 3 in each group as it meant that each person was assigned a course and my luck I was assigned the main! What should I cook was the question on my lips for a long time, even up to 2 hours before kick off! Caroline made a Caesurae salad for our starter and Mikayla made a Banoffee pie for desert. I had changed my mind many times but eventually settled to make chicken with garlic, peppers, onion and a Tomato sauce on rice. It actually all turned out to be really delicious and the group done themselves proud, however when our challengers cooked on Tuesday, from entering the room we knew from the effort they had put in that we were beat and true to the feeling, we fell at the first hurdle!

As the weather was really nice last week the group were making the most of it so on Wednesday afternoon a few of us went into town for drinks in the sun and done a little shopping while there. It was a nice relaxing afternoon and reminded me on being at home with my friends during the summer months!

On Thursday afternoon 5 of us went to Rome for 3 nights. We arrived at our hostel in Rome around 9pm so we didn’t have time to do much on Thursday so we went for a traditional Italian pizza and it was really good. It is true what they say; you don’t taste good pasta or pizza until you try it on Italy! We were in a room of six and it was a relief to find out that the other person in the room was also from London and we all got on well with her. She was 19 and travelling on her own which shocked many of us as we couldn’t imagine doing it on our own, sharing a room with 5 strangers.

We set off early on Friday morning to make the most of our time in the city. It was very difficult to order breakfast and because we were speaking English it was clear that the Italians got very frustrated and annoyed with us when we were ordering food. We managed to get a good deal for a tour bus for the 2 days that we were there so we set off on the red bus to see the sights. We started with the Coliseum which was a lot smaller than I had imagined especially when you went inside it. We walked around the whole Coliseum taking it in that I was actually in Rome. There were so many people and school groups there, especially American, I think I seen more Americans in Rome than I did Italians. It was unbelievably warm while we were there so it made the trip even better, some of us even got sunburnt. We walked through the old ruins that were behind the Coliseum and sat in the sun for a break before we caught the bus to go to the Vatican.

The Vatican and St Peters square were also smaller than I had thought but it was funny thinking back to ‘Euro Trip’ and ‘Angels and Demons’, two movies that I last seen the Vatican and St Peters square in. There we thousands of people in the square and the queue to get inside the Vatican was huge but it didn’t take that long to get inside so we waited. It was definitely worth waiting to see; although I am not Catholic it was breath taking inside. We walked around the Chapel part of the Vatican and went to see the Pope’s graves in the basement. There was a large crowd gathered around Pope John Paul’s grave and many were crying or throwing letters on top of his grave which showed to this day how he has touched or is continuing to touch people’s lives.

Saturday was another early enough start and this time Bryony, the other English girl, joined us. We hopped back onto the bus and travelled around the city again and we stopped off for a late breakfast and the staff in this restaurant were so nice and welcoming to the group and it was surprisingly cheap. We walked up to the Spanish Steps, were there were so many people again sitting on them in the sun but it was difficult to enjoy as many street merchants were hassling everyone. We wanted to go to the Trevi Fountain and whilst walking there we went down a street that was lined with designer stores that we could only dream of shopping in but it made us laugh.

The Trevi Fountain was also smaller than you would imagine but it was really nice with so many people surrounding it, sitting in the sun. We all decided to follow the myth and throw money in over our heads and make a wish; it was funny to see that everyone that was there was doing this. We went for Italian Ice Cream which was amazing and we sat in the sun for hours enjoying our time in Rome. It was so sad to leave Rome and the sunshine behind in Italy to return to the Netherlands on Sunday evening but this is an experience I will never forget. Through talks with people, we couldn’t believe that we were in a room together in Rome with people we only met 2 months ago having such a good time together.

Professional Development

This was our last week on school placement which was quite sad as even though we were only there for 4 short weeks, I felt as if I had built a rapport with the pupils and teacher in the class. On Tuesday I taught my first ever music lesson with a song I learnt in our own music class at PABO, The Food Rap. There was a parent in watching this lesson which actually made me quite nervous but I also feel it gave me more confidence to conduct the lesson. This lesson was fantastic to carry out and the students were extremely enthusiastic as they liked to be active and sing. It started with them repeating each line after me and then they were divided into groups with each group being assigned a line of the rap. To bring in rhythm and speed which was the objective of the lesson, each group had to create an action or sound that went along with the rhythm and speed of their line. It was interesting to see their ideas being but into action, especially group 1 as they had such a unique idea for their line. After this the whole group rapped altogether doing all the actions and it worked well, even the teacher and parent tried to join in.

Wednesday was our final day together and I conducted a lesson which I called ‘Tour of London’ which also had another parent observing, however she was more active and worked along with the groups taking part in the lesson. Each table was a famous sight in London like Buckingham Palace or the London Eye and it had a suitcase with trigger cards. There were 5 groups and they all had an individual map to follow to get around the room. Whilst at each destination they had to choose 5 things they wanted to take with them, according to the time of year they had decided to visit like Union Jack, passport or camera to mention but a few. The aim of the lesson was to build confidence of pupils with their peers as they would have to argue there reasons for wanting to take certain items with them and in the end they would need to explain their reasons for their choices. This lesson worked really well and they were very enthusiastic to explain their answers or tell stories of their time in London. In the end they packed a case for me coming to the Netherlands for 4 months and their ideas were fantastic as they took into consideration I would be here between winter, spring and summer for clothing, I would have work to do so I would need a laptop and the fact that I needed to communicate so I would have a phone.

After the lesson was over, a member of the class thanked me on behalf of the class and presented me with typically Dutch flowers, Tulips which was such a nice gesture as I didn’t expect anything and it made me feel so appreciated within the class and school. I continued to observe the class as they had a group presentation on Turkey, which was a project they had been working on. 2 pupils presented a PP and one of their parents made a Turkish salad for everyone which was actually really nice as I am quite a fussy eater at times. I have learnt that parents are very involved in their child’s school life and are all very keen to come into the school to help out or do things for their child’s classmates. Watching the parents in the room it was evident there was a lot of this as the pupils would approach and carryon with the parents which I don’t see much evidence of in NI.

Before the end of the day I said thank you to everyone and gave them a card of thanks and chocolate for the whole class. Before each child left the room they shook my hand and individually said thank you for teaching them, coming in everyday and teaching them more English. The parent also thanked me and stated that she was actually shocked at how well the children responded to me and how much they were able to understand me when I spoke which is something that took time.

I have learnt form this experience to be a lot more patient, especially because I was in the minority and it was very difficult to stand at the front talking with 25 Dutch children trying to understand me. I have also learnt to control the speed at which I talk which is something I can take home with me also as I often find that during SBW I can talk very fast at times. As I study secondary education I found it difficult to drop the level of my lessons to a primary level but I think I dealt with this well and again I can take this home with me for junior classes or perhaps a future in a primary level setting. It was nice to leave on a high and I plan to return to the class in the future before I return home to NI.

week 8...blasts frm nijmegen!

Personal & Cultural

This has been a quieter week than most, with people getting sick and work beginning on assignments as deadlines are approaching fast now! It was nice to have some really nice weather, showing spring has arrived in Nijmegen!

On Wednesday we couldn’t let St Patrick’s days pass without celebration so after school practice we told everyone what St Patrick’s Day was about and that evening we went into town. I forgot to wear something green so I was the odd one out! We went to ‘The Shamrock’ bar, an Irish pub, in the city centre. It was so busy and with a drink we got free St Patrick’s/Guinness hats and tambourines to bang along with the Irish music that was being played! This was a lot of fun and everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was also interesting to learn that the English girls prefer to celebrate St Patrick’s Day over St George’s day as it has a better atmosphere even in London where they are from.

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to take part in the special forces military training. We had to go to the NEC Stadium to be taken hostage by terrorists and wait for the Special forces to rescue us. As we sat in the room waiting, suddenly terrorists burst into the room and made everyone get onto the floor and stay in silence. A few people made noises etc and the terrorits picked on them to make examples! This was funny and was like nothing I've experienced before! After about one hour of being held hostage the special forces sawed through the emergency door and came rushing into the room. We had to file out one by one with our hands on our heads! Our Muslim friend wasn't allowed to leave as they suspected him of being a terrorist! This was very funny and I never realised they used ordinary people to carry out these exercises!

A few members of the flat have gone through a phase of cooking this week including myself. Andrea, a Spanish resident wanted to cook an apple crumble that an Irish friend had taught her so I decided I would lend her a hand and bring some Irish hands to the dish. This turned out great and smells of cinnamon flowing throughout the flat. On the same day I decided to make cakes for everyone so again the oven went on and more delicious smells flowed throughout the flat, bringing curious eyes to the kitchen!

On Friday evening the flat gathered together to watch Sport Relief on BBC. It was nice to sit together and relax, watching the entertainment that had been happening all over the UK. Other countries also have programs similar to Sport Relief to raise money for charity.

Next week will see everyone teaming up in groups of 3 to challenge each other in an Erasmus ‘Come dine with me’ special! This should be interesting, tasting typical dishes from all over Europe. Also next Thursday we jet off to Rome for the weekend!

It was a close friend’s birthday back home on Saturday and I found for the first time I wanted to go home while being here. I knew it was only because I didn’t want to miss out on any fun from home but once we got together that evening and celebrated here, it reminded me why I was enjoying being here so much and that is because of the experiences I have been having with everyone and I am grateful for this experience and the people I have met.

Professional Development

Teaching Practice here has began to get very boring as I only teach one lesson per day for about 30minutes and the rest of the time I have to sit at the back of the room listening to Dutch lessons which can become very monotonous after a while. I try to walk around the room assisting where I can but this can be difficult at times. I do however try and note as many differences that I can think of either about the school, the environment, teaching strategies etc to use as a comparision to NI.

On Wednesday I was able to teach the class about St Patrick’s Day, using PP as an aid. This was very interesting even for me as I never really understood or thought about why we have St Patrick’s Day apart from the myth about the snakes! For instance I never knew he was from the North West of Ireland or that he was taken as a slave by the English. I was able to use You Tube again to show celebrations form Belfast, Dublin and New York. The class seemed to enjoy this lesson and were very enthusiastic to ask questions about Ireland and St Patrick. After I had finished teaching the lesson, the class teacher asked questions in Dutch to the pupils to find out what they had learnt and everyone was keen to retell aspects of the lesson and what they had learnt! Although I would have preferred to do this as part of the lesson, it was better for the children as they could understand what exactly was being asked rather than them trying to understand me. This lesson reminded me to speak slowly and clearly which is an aspect I can take home for the future. Although I have started to talk slower here and more clearly, often when in front of a large group, I revert back to talking normally.

Week 7 antics....

Personal and Cultural

This week was a very busy week for us all with tasks and activities planned for everyday of the week! However busy it was, there was also a lot of fun involved!

On Monday we had a visit to the school on wheels which can also be included within the professional part of the blog but I feel it was also a cultural experience as travellers have such a different culture to that of their native country. Although the school only runs from April to November it was so interesting to go to the Headquarters and find out about their winter work, getting organised for the summer term. It was interesting to learn that the children attend local schools in the winter before they travel with their families in the summer months. The school on wheels has 3 different types of classroom, a large lorry that expands into a classroom for about 12 children, a medium van for approximately 4 children and a small van for 1 or 2 children. This experience was not what I expected at all, the equipment and classrooms they have were so modern and up-to-date and it would have been great if we could have experienced teaching in this environment. The video clip that we did get to watch showed how important this school on wheels is to the communities they are involved with and demonstrated how devoted every member of staff from teachers to technicians to administration are to their job as a lot of work is involved to make this a success.

It was good to also have the opportunity this week to taste some different foods from Sweden and Poland, pancakes. The Swedish pancake was the most different as it was bread in pancake mix fried with jam. The Polish pancake was similar to home but the filing was cheese and sugar and they were so delicious, a tradition I could take home for my family and friends to try.

On Wednesday we took part in a Pub Tour but it was not like a Pub Tour that I have taken part in before. In groups we went around 5 different bars in Nijmegen competing against each other to win points for an overall prize at the end. We had to take part in a general knowledge quiz like no other as it had a lot of questions about smurfs, i.e. how big is the average smurf? 3cm? No the size of 3 apples stacked on top of each other. We did ok in this round but general knowledge was not our teams’ strong point! Our excelled in the ‘down your drink’ game and the ‘guess who’ game, with extra points from our attempt at Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. The night finished in Dollars Bar where the drinks were cheap and the craic was good!

On Friday evening we decided we would relax and a few of the Erasmus group and some of the Dutch students from the CIS (Committee for International Students) went out for dinner with Mikayla (English student) as her mum had come to visit and meet us all. This was good banter, although I ate too much!

On Saturday we decided to take a trip to Arnhem, a city about 20minutes away by train. It was good to have a day trip out of Nijmegen. We walked around the town sightseeing like the good tourists we are and had lunch in a typically American restaurant, McDonalds! After lunch we went to the Water Museum and the History Museum which wasn’t very good as it was all in Dutch so we looked at the pictures only. To get to the Water Museum we had to walk out of the centre, passing a lot of fields which reminded me on summer at home, as I like to walk in the country near my home with friends. That night we had a flat party and went to the city centre, where we met new Portuguese students that had just arrived in Nijmegen a week earlier for Erasmus.

Professional Development

We had school placement on Tuesday and Wednesday again this week. On Tuesday, 4 classes from the school including mine went on a fieldtrip to the NEC Stadium as part of a Health course they had been taking part in previous to our arrival. During fieldtrips in NI we take a bus to the destination and we just take it for granted that the school will fund it, however in this school, parents had to volunteer to drive students to the stadium or volunteer to cycle along with the group to the stadium. Around 30 pupils and 8 adults, including me, cycled from school to the stadium for about 30minutes. It was really different from anything I have ever seen, traffic had to stop and let the entire group cross and every child was so responsible and sensible during the travelling. I would like to see the reaction of staff, parents and students at home if they were told they had to cycle for 30minutes to get to the destination of the trip! While there we got a tour of the stadium and a free goody bag!

That afternoon I was able to take my first lesson with the class on Northern Ireland. This was a good opportunity for me to get to know the students better and vice-versa. I had pictures of my family and our dog as the class like animals. I had a range of slides in the presentation with pictures of tourist spots around Northern Ireland like the Giants Causeway or Derry City Walls. I had a slide based on Londonderry, where I am from and I was able to explain each picture to the group and why we have city walls. The class responded very well to the lesson and were very keen to ask questions about NI and as usual religious issues in NI were a hot topic for the class. It was good to use youtube.com to show traditions such as the marching season, traditional sports and music.

On Wednesday I was able to continue this lesson with a pupil activity based on themselves. Writing I English they had to explain about themselves, their family, hobbies and interests and their favourite thing about living in the Netherlands. Again pupils were enthusiastic about this task and were very keen to try and read out to the group in English.

Looking back to the school on wheels trip, I would consider taking up an internship during a summer to get experience in this field of work as I took a good interest in this while visiting it. It was a school setting that I have never seen before and the work they do it truly valued. Each classroom/van they have is extremely well equipped and they use technologies such as video conferencing to teach lessons to pupils out of their reach via road.

Personal & Culture

It is great now to see that winter is coming to an end here in the Netherlands as the weather has definitely improved, the snow is gone, the sun has been shining and temperatures are on the up! This has definitely made the mood of everyone pick up, not that we weren’t in good spirits already. Let’s hope we have seen the end of the snow!

This has been a good week here in Nijmegen for everyone and the Erasmus experience is well and truly underway now. It’s scary to think that some people only have about 2months left but the friendships we have all made will continue after this experience and many of us have spoken about trips during the summer time.

As it was Nicky’s birthday this week it was important that we made it a good one as experiences like this can cause people to miss home, so we made sure we threw a good party in true student style for him! Everyone rallied together to buy a card that everyone signed and a cake to set the night off in style! This was a great night had by all living in Vossenveld!

Ice skating was the highlight of the complete group schedule this week on Saturday morning. Although it was early in the morning after the birthday party, we set off by bike to find the centre and it didn’t take us as long as it normally does to find places here. We skated for nearly two hours. After a few played in the ‘kids’ area for a while with skating frames we set off into the main ice rink which was different to that in Belfast. It was a large ring, with an ice-hockey pitch in the centre and professionals zooming past on the inside. It was funny to see how much some people’s confidence grew by the end of the session and luckily nobody lost balance and fell.

For the first time in a few weeks, we had a group dinner in Pinocchio’s Restaurant on Saturday evening. It was good to have the group together around a table again with the chat flowing and laughs roaring around the room. It was nice to try some pizza in a true Italian restaurant and a relaxing evening was enjoyed by everyone.

Professional Development

On Tuesday our school placement started and I along with Nicky have been placed in School De Luithorst for four weeks. This is a small school with about 2-300 pupils in total. I have been placed with Group8 which is 10-11 year olds. This was a really good experience as it was the first time I have been in primary school setting as a student teacher. I wasn’t expecting it to be that different from schools back home but I was surprised to notice as many differences as I did. I think the main difference was the fact that the children wore their own clothes into school and they were on first name terms with their teacher. The day started well with an introduction about me and the pupils were so enthusiastic to ask questions about me and my life which I do not think would have happened so quickly in a Northern Irish school setting. The teacher was also very keen to have me in the class and she tried her best to explain as much as she could to me about what was going on in the classroom as it was mainly in Dutch.

On the Wednesday morning I had the task of supervising the class alone as the teacher had to give individual children their results for the national test and advice about what school to attend next. I found this challenging because of the communication barrier, I would have instructed the class to be quiet or for pupils to carry out a certain task and they may not have understood what I was saying so this will be an aspect I will try to improve over the coming weeks. Next time I will conduct a small 30minute lesson on Northern Ireland and teach some English and I am very keen to take on this challenge. The school is also having a musical which would be an aspect of school life I would love to get involved in!

Classes continued as usual on Thursday and Friday. Music has to the highlight of my week in University. The class was so active and had everyone involved, using their hands, voice and feet to create the lesson. We found so many ideas that we can take into the classroom on our placement schools using Music. Joanne, a St Mary’s student and myself had to present about the Northern Irish school system which was as interesting for me as it was the group as it made me think about our school system and compare it to others not just the Dutch system.