Week 13 antics...

Cultural & Personal Development

We were meant to fly to Berlin this week as we had some spare time but thanks to the Volcano in Iceland, our flights were cancelled so we had a week off here in Nijmegen to finish off 2 assignments and enjoy the sunshine as the spring has finally truly arrived in the Netherlands.

The time is approaching where people are now leaving to return home as there Erasmus experience is over. I believe it is more difficult to say goodbye to people from here than my own friends and family at home as you always knew you would return home but we will never have the same experiences all together as we have had over the last 13 weeks. This wee Tina and Astrid were leaving to go to Belgium again so we had a farewell party. This was a lot of fun and was a good way to say goodbye in typical Vossenveld style. Over the next few weeks more people will leave but I feel it would be better if everyone was here for the same length of time rather than some 3 months and others 4.

We decided to go to Utrecht to sightsee in a different city in the Netherlands. This was a beautiful city with a nice culture in the city. We had lunch in a typically American Restaurant, KFC which was a treat as Nijmegen does not have a KFC so it was one of the first in a long time. The city had a good market on that day so we walked around tasting and looking at typically Dutch items. As there are many canals in this country we decided to go on a boat trip around the city. This was a good way to see more of the city than on foot and it was relaxing sitting listening to the commentary. Before returning home I found a Starbucks Store and had a Chai Tea for the first time in 13 weeks! This made the day perfect!

About 15minutes by bicycle from our flat there is a beautiful lake and park and as the weather has been perfect the last few days we decided to pack lunch and blankets and got to the lake and soak up the rays! This was a brilliant day as we lay on the sand, had lunch and chilled out after working on our assignments. We brought the football too so we played games like Volleyball and Football on the sand. It was like being on Holiday and we all got a little colour which made the girls happy!

On Saturday one of the Irish girls celebrated her 21^st Birthday and organised a Beach themed party for everyone. Everyone had to dress up in beach wear and some of the ideas were great. We had jellyfish, mermaids, surfers, pirates and I was an Octopus. I used large noodles for the pool, cut in half to make my legs. It was such a great day as the sun was shining again so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the evening. A photographer from the HAN magazine came to take pictures of the party to put a spread in their magazine which gave us a giggle as he was snap happy. We had a barbeque on the grass as the sun went down and it was a nice evening with the group. Many other Dutch students from the Vossenveld complex turned up to the party which was good as it was the first time we got to mix with other people from the building as everyone likes to keep themselves to themselves here.

We also booked our return flight this week and after I felt quite down as the entire experience has past so quickly and I do not know if I am ready to return home again, back to reality. This experience has been a great eye-opener as I realised I can live away from home and there is life outside NI that needs to be explored. I always found that I lost confidence in myself when I left the comfort of school and went to University but being here I feel like I have found myself again and I am willing to be the first to offer an opinion or the first to give a presentation and it’s good to have that feeling again!

Professional Development.

We had no class this week as the Ideal School day was cancelled as the teacher was stuck in Helsinki due to the Ash Cloud over Europe.

One of the final assignments was to write a final essay about our time here discussing many aspects from class time to life in the Netherlands. I felt it was important to be honest in this essay even if the things I had to say were negative on some cases but more reflection will take place during evaluations of the course. It was interesting writing the essay as I was quite reflective of my time here and I normally struggle to reflect on issues in my life. One of the main things from this essay that many others wrote was the fact that Secondary students should not be accepted onto this course as it is Primary based or the course should be adapted for Secondary students as they accept a few of us onto the course.

I also wrote a reflective piece on my school practice here but this was very positive as I really enjoyed my experience in schools here. It was active and the schools were very welcoming to us and the children were always enthusiastic in my lessons which was very rewarding for me.

Week 12 fun...

Cultural & Personal Development

The week started with a trip to Den Bosch on Sunday that was organised by one of our teachers, Paul as he used to live in the city. One of his friends volunteered to give us a tour of the city. We walked around the city, both the centre and the outskirts along the walls of the city. In a way it reminded me of home and how both cities used city walls to protect themselves during a war. We went into a small museum where original brick walls that had been buried were being preserved. We had all had lunch together in the city which was a good way to sit and discuss what we had seen and also chat with Paul, getting to know him better. When the tour was over we went and had the most amazing ice cream and it made the trip perfect.

On Monday we had another trip with Ben for Dutch Culture to the Open Air Museum. This was really interesting as some of it was outside and recreations/original buildings of factories and machinery that was used in the past. The building was owned by a woman who had no family and when she died it was left to the state. She was friends with Leonardo Davinci and he had given her paintings before he was famous therefore there were some original paintings in the museum.

On the Thursday of this week the University had organised the School Fest for the Dutch students and us. So it was party time again in Vossenveld and some of us gathered to have dinner before we went to the party. This was like the Back to School Bop at Stranmillis but not as good of course! It was nice being with Dutch students for a change as we did not have many opportunities to socialise with them as we are not integrated in class or Vossenveld. A good night was had by all listening to old and new hits, dancing around the hall. It was like a small goodbye before the course ends at the end of the month.

Weeks ago we found out that Rihanna was having a gig in Arnhem so we bought tickets to go. Three of us travelled to Arnhem for the concert and others were going to meet us there after. The concert was fantastic and worth every penny. This reminded me on times last year when I went to the Odyssey with friends to a few different concerts and it made me appreciate the times I have had at home with everyone but also I realised how much I enjoy spending time with the new people I have met here. After the concert we went into Arnhem centre to meet the rest of the group and try some new nightlife.

Other than these few activities this week has been quite quiet as our assignments were due for Friday therefore a lot of time was spent at our laptops working on essays and presentations. It was nice to get them finished for Saturday but we also have 2 more due next week.

Professional Development

Classes are now coming to an end as the course draws to a close for those that leave soon. Other than working on assignments, thinking back to the things we had discussed in class, we had our final international class meeting. These assignments were quite interesting to write as many of them were topics I have not studied before like Human Rights or Philosophy therefore it was interesting to write about something different other than Business Studies or ICT. Thinking back to the course, I am not sure if I have fully enjoyed the TET Course we took at the PABO but I can definitely say I enjoyed the school placement we had here and also I have definitely enjoyed the Erasmus experience here in Nijmegen.

Week 11 times...

Personal & Cultural

It’s Easter Sunday and I am patiently waiting for eggs to arrive from home…waiting…waiting. Let’s hope they come on Wednesday after the bank holiday. As a few people have left the country for Easter it was the perfect time to get a little work done for the course. On Easter Sunday we decided to have a group dinner in the evening. Caroline and I made the main course which was a traditionally British roast beef dinner and I can safely say I done myself and Britain proud as it went down a treat and the first roast dinner I have had in the last 10 weeks! Two of the Polish girls created a traditionally Polish starter of rice and also an egg mayonnaise. The Portuguese couple created a Spanish tortilla to compliment the rice dish which was also really delicious. The dessert was apply pie created by the Polish girls and it was one of the nicest pie’s I have every tasted even though we disagreed if it was traditionally British or Polish. That evening we had a games night with card games and other board games like connect 4.

The weather has been fantastic over Easter so on Tuesday assignments were set aside and we decided to go for a picnic in the sun. Along the canal there is a small farm where you can sit and relax and it also has a small play park for the children. As the sun shone we ate our lunch watching the employees chase after escaped chickens and listened to the snoring pig. That evening we relaxed along the canal in the sunshine trying to get the boats to honk their horns. I believe we got 1 honk from about 20 boats.

Its wednesday and a package from home finally arrived! Easter gifts of chocolate! Thank you family! This shall keep me happy for a little while.

On Thursday the entire erasmus group went to Lazerquest. It was amazing craic and we will definiately be making a return visit in the near future. I managed to come third even though my gun broke half way through, i was pleasantly surprised by the actions!

One of the lectures was leaving Pabo on Friday and in Dutch tradition they had a farewell ceremony for him in the Pabo Pub after school. Its very different here as students and staff drink and socialise comfortable on a regular basis. It is tradition in Dutch bars that if you ring the bar bell, you must buy everyone in the pub a drink and every time someone leaves we get free drinks and food.

Klara celebrated her 23^rd Birthday this week so we had a special dessert evening for her and I don’t think I have ate as much dessert on one evening ever! We had Banoffee Pie, Baked Alaska, fruit, custard and chocolate.

Alicija, a Polish student, had friends arrive on Saturday so we decided to have a traditional Polish party as they brought Polish drinks with them for us to sample. A brilliant night was had by all, tasting Polish drinks and food. Here is hoping for a repeat when we visit Poland in May.

Professional Development

Like last week we continued with the ICA course on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This was an emotional rollercoaster for the entire group as we discussed some difficult and controversial topics like bullying, sexuality, racism and many other phobias. This was very well lead course as the leaders/trainers could read the group so if the energy was going down they would have an energiser game or a break for the group. They also could get the mood back to top form again after difficult discussions. Many members of the group broke down during some of the activities in this course so we all learnt that we would need to be very careful when we are leading these activities. Thursday and Friday we became the trainers so in groups we had to lead certain activities which were very interesting and enjoyable. Each time an activity was complete we would give feedback to the group and get feedback from the trainers on areas we excelled on and areas we needed to improve.

In the end of this we received a manual with the activities that suited the groups we would be teaching. Many of the activities we have done are within the manuals. This was a very good course to be involved in as we could use many of the activities within LLW classes in NI to challenge topics that are already within our curriculum. The entire group grew together as we found out so many things about each other and our lives before the Netherlands. The course ended with an activity called the Compliment Flower. Everyone received a flower with enough petals for everyone to write a compliment about you in. This was a really nice activity and the things people were now confident to say to each other was incredible and it was touching to read. We are now certified to deliver the ICA course.

week 10 & action!!

Personal & Cultural

It was sad to come back after having a fantastic time in Rome and the weather there made it perfect! We landed in Düsseldorf Weeze around 8pm, was funny to think we had been in 3 countries in one day, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

This week a few of the flatmates were disappearing home for Easter and the Belgian girls even invited us but due to a course we had to take at the end of the week we could not go so it was going to be a quiet Easter here for us! It was sad to see people leave even though you knew they would be returning a week later, it proves that it will be tough saying goodbye!

We had a group trip bowling on Thursday night which was a lot of fun, especially due to the fact that when a yellow pin was placed at the front and you got a strike, your group got free shots from the bar. We had around 4 so it made the night worthwhile. After this we went into town to celebrate Okke, a Dutch student on the CIS, birthday.

Friday was Good Friday and we were unsure if places were to open late or not like back home. Ana, a Portuguese student on our floor, had her boyfriend over for the week and it was his Birthday today so in Portuguese style they prepared a dinner for everyone and it was so delicious, I even challenged myself to eat things I would not dare back home, like Olives! More of the Portuguese students came around for this so it was nice to spend time with everyone even though some familiar faces were missing. We had a good flat party and went into town to celebrate the night away.

Professional Development

On Monday we had a visit to Werkenrode Special school and it brought back memories from my time in Sandleford Special school back in November, it reminded me how I much I enjoyed that experience. I am normally a nervous person in situations like these but from that placement I have overcome the fear and I was looking forward to this visit. As we arrived we had tea and found out about the school from the Principal and it was interesting to learn that some of their students board at the school in special accommodation. The tour was given to us by the students as part of their assessment in English language which was far better than listening to the teachers talk as you could find out what they thought about being at the school. At the question and answer session, the Principal asked them if they had the choice would they rather attend a mainstream school or Werkenrode and it was so difficult to hear that 2 or 3 of the students said they would prefer a mainstream school or reasons like fitting in etc. This got to a few members of our group.

This week also saw the start of the ICA course we have signed up to do in Diversity and Cultural Awareness, similar to the DMU at Stranmillis. For the first half of the course we are thinking about our personal awareness and for the second we are training to become the trainers therefore after the course we shall be qualified to deliver this program which is very interesting. Many members of our group were un-keen to start the course due to the time commitment it required but after my first day I was really enthusiastic and curious to continue to see where the course took us and many others felt the same. The course is good because we have serious discussions and also fun filled activities that get us active in body and mind without realising we are doing so. Many of the activities we do can be carried out in the classroom and will be very beneficial to us when we are qualified teachers or on placement. We cover topics such as prejudice, discrimination, views of society, bullying etc.