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.

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.