Here is an Irish blessing for all the girls that were on Erasmus in Haderslev with me. My time here with you has been great and I will not forget any you!
May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Goodbye and God Bless.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Summary of my ERASMUS Stay
Considering the fact that this is my final weblog entry during my Erasmus stay, I have searched for something that sums up my time here. However, in doing so I came across a poem that I studied years ago, by Robert Frost. The poem, to me, completely reflects my feelings about coming on Erasmus before I left Ireland and now my thoughts on my travels before I return home again. I must admit that coming on Erasmus was not something that I was overly looking forward to, infact I was nervous about missing my friends and family and living with people that I had never met before (apart from Kerri-Ann of course). Nonetheless, now I know that taking the 'road less travelled' has been the right choice.
"The Road Not Taken"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
"The Road Not Taken"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Week 12 (Haderslev) Monday 16th April- Friday 20th April
Learning Experiences
This week was a very interesting one with regards to the learning I have experienced. On Tuesday we went to the CVU Sonderjylland campus in Åbenrå, for the aesthetic learning part of the course. Firstly, we discussed the different ways of learning, such as, learning through play, media or simply listening. After having the discuccion and having a broad overview that many of us wished the had more experience with the aesthetic learning process we then began to make a small film. All of us (the ERASMUS students) divided ourselves into 3 groups of about 4 people. Kerri-Ann, Sofie, Myrium and I became one group and after being told that our movie had to be about a crime or an accident we began planning the scenes of our piece in the genre of a 'whodidit' murder. The planning did not take very long and we were the first group to start filming, however, we wanted perfection and it took us an hour and a half to record just 3 minutes of film. This is because we kept rewinding a making a better recording each time until we were 100% satisfied. We also used quite a bit of face paint on Kerri-Ann (who played the victim) and just a little on Sofie (who played the murderer), and all this together consumed a substantial amount of time.
Afetr everyone had completed their piece we watched them in a hall in the university. It was very unusual to see everyones different perception on a crime and an accident, and i hadn't realised how different everyones would be! It was most definitely a very unusual yet enjoyable day which was also very informing as I had never used this type of recording equipment before. I most certainly look forward to going back there a completing the course.
I feel the need to include my amazement that I have only one more blog entry to do before I return home. So far it has been a great experience and one that has went far too quick dispite the fact that I have been in Denmark one month more than most of the other girls. As time to say goodbye draws near I know that the week ahead to me will be a sad one, nonetheless, I hope to make my final memories of my ERASMUS stay in Denmark enjoyable ones.
This week was a very interesting one with regards to the learning I have experienced. On Tuesday we went to the CVU Sonderjylland campus in Åbenrå, for the aesthetic learning part of the course. Firstly, we discussed the different ways of learning, such as, learning through play, media or simply listening. After having the discuccion and having a broad overview that many of us wished the had more experience with the aesthetic learning process we then began to make a small film. All of us (the ERASMUS students) divided ourselves into 3 groups of about 4 people. Kerri-Ann, Sofie, Myrium and I became one group and after being told that our movie had to be about a crime or an accident we began planning the scenes of our piece in the genre of a 'whodidit' murder. The planning did not take very long and we were the first group to start filming, however, we wanted perfection and it took us an hour and a half to record just 3 minutes of film. This is because we kept rewinding a making a better recording each time until we were 100% satisfied. We also used quite a bit of face paint on Kerri-Ann (who played the victim) and just a little on Sofie (who played the murderer), and all this together consumed a substantial amount of time.
Afetr everyone had completed their piece we watched them in a hall in the university. It was very unusual to see everyones different perception on a crime and an accident, and i hadn't realised how different everyones would be! It was most definitely a very unusual yet enjoyable day which was also very informing as I had never used this type of recording equipment before. I most certainly look forward to going back there a completing the course.
I feel the need to include my amazement that I have only one more blog entry to do before I return home. So far it has been a great experience and one that has went far too quick dispite the fact that I have been in Denmark one month more than most of the other girls. As time to say goodbye draws near I know that the week ahead to me will be a sad one, nonetheless, I hope to make my final memories of my ERASMUS stay in Denmark enjoyable ones.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Week 11 (Rejsby) Monday 9th April- Friday 13th April
After a very relaxing and enjoyable Easter holiday, Kerri-Ann, Geraldine and myself made our way back to the West coast of Denmark. Before returning to the efterskole in Rejsby we knew that this coming week was a strange one for the students as they had no classes to attend but instead a project to work on along with a partner that had to be fully completed by Friday at the end of the week. Unfortunately, all the projects were presented in Danish and with having very little knowledge of the language, I could offer minimal help to the students. A small amount of the pupils chose education or integration in Europe as the subjects they wished to focus on and so interviewed me in order to gain some information about the educational system in Ireland.
Cultural Differences
In schools in Ireland, the relationship between teacher and pupil has very definite borders. However, whilst visiting numerous schools in Denmark, I find these borders very difficult to find. It seems that teachers have a very friendly and easy going attitude towards their pupils whereas I am used to an authoritarian figure as a teacher. I do not wish to judge the Danish educational system and in particular this school, but I can not help but wonder where exactly should the line be drawn with regards to a teacher being a friend? Is it the role of a teacher to comfort, console and socialise with? Should the relationship not involve calling the teacher only by their title and surname? It is my opinion that a teacher should always have a certain amount of respect and a definite sense of control over a class in order for them to learn, but does this control slip through the fingers of a teacher when they have little to no authority over their students. However then the arguement of equality and student dependence comes into practice. This is by no means a compare and contrast exercise to study which system is best, but instead just a thought from my own personal experience of being taught and how I define my relationship with my teachers in the past. Nonetheless, I will repeat what I said in the entry for my first week of teaching practice. This unique type of school they call efterskole is one Denmark should be proud of, and inparticular Rejsby Europæiske Efterskole. A chance to experience eduacation in this form and a place where they are exposed to many different nationalities from all corners of Europe is one that I think every child in Europe should be able to avail of, and it would be to my delight to see this type of school in Ireland.
Cultural Differences
In schools in Ireland, the relationship between teacher and pupil has very definite borders. However, whilst visiting numerous schools in Denmark, I find these borders very difficult to find. It seems that teachers have a very friendly and easy going attitude towards their pupils whereas I am used to an authoritarian figure as a teacher. I do not wish to judge the Danish educational system and in particular this school, but I can not help but wonder where exactly should the line be drawn with regards to a teacher being a friend? Is it the role of a teacher to comfort, console and socialise with? Should the relationship not involve calling the teacher only by their title and surname? It is my opinion that a teacher should always have a certain amount of respect and a definite sense of control over a class in order for them to learn, but does this control slip through the fingers of a teacher when they have little to no authority over their students. However then the arguement of equality and student dependence comes into practice. This is by no means a compare and contrast exercise to study which system is best, but instead just a thought from my own personal experience of being taught and how I define my relationship with my teachers in the past. Nonetheless, I will repeat what I said in the entry for my first week of teaching practice. This unique type of school they call efterskole is one Denmark should be proud of, and inparticular Rejsby Europæiske Efterskole. A chance to experience eduacation in this form and a place where they are exposed to many different nationalities from all corners of Europe is one that I think every child in Europe should be able to avail of, and it would be to my delight to see this type of school in Ireland.
Easter Week (Haderslev) Monday 2nd April- Friday 6th April
After my last few weeks of International week and the Efterskolen in Rejsby , I was well in need of a weeks holidays. During this week I planned to do very little except socialise with the girls and our buddies in the Trubunen and Crazy Daisy's and all together not worry about an early atart in the morning. Every Sunday I attend Mass in the town of Haderslevand on Easter Sunday it was particularly nice. The chapel was beautifully decorated with candles and daffodiles. Again it was a special occasion that I was not looking forward to spending so far away from home, especially when Denmark is a country of little to no religion. Mass in particular is very different to home with regards to the people who attend the mass here are not even Danish, but indeed Chinese and a lot the ceremony is spoken in Chinese!
Nonetheless, as time has progressed in Denmark I have come to the conclusion that although things may not be as you are used to in your own country, it is always a good experience to observe how things are done differently in other countries and although at the beginning it may not seem as good as home, it is in fact just different, but by no regards better. In fact I must admit that I had a very enjoyable Easter with my new International friends.
Nonetheless, as time has progressed in Denmark I have come to the conclusion that although things may not be as you are used to in your own country, it is always a good experience to observe how things are done differently in other countries and although at the beginning it may not seem as good as home, it is in fact just different, but by no regards better. In fact I must admit that I had a very enjoyable Easter with my new International friends.Thursday, April 12, 2007
Week 9 (Rejsby) Monday 26th March- Friday 30th March
Since I have came to Denmark I have been particularly interested in the different school systems in Demark. One which particularly captured my thought was the Efterskole, a school for children in the tenth grade and in particular the schools that allowed the children to board there. Taking this into consideration I travelled to Rejsby Europæiske Efterskole, situated about four to five mile aoutside Ribe on the West coast of Denmark.
The school caters for about one hundred and thirteen students from the age of 15 to 17. It is here where they eat, sleep, study and socialise with the option of going home to visit their parents during the weekend. However, it was not to my surprise to find out that many of them stayed for weeks on end without visiting their families when I saw the conditions they lived in. Each student either stays in a room shared with one other student or in a 'hut' or 'apartment-type' room with three other students of the same sex. They receive breakfast at the early hour of 7.30am, brunch at 10am, lunch at 1:30pm, dinner at 5:30pm and then tea and cake before they go to bed at 9 or 9:30pm. Between breakfast and dinner they attend various different lessons including English, Danish, Maths, German and French. It is usual for an efterskole to carry a certain theme, such as sport, drama or science. This one however, focuses on the European aspect of education and concentrate strongly on the subject of languages. The students at this school were very keen to meet us and seem very eager to learn about Ireland and particularly the war that has tarnished the North of Ireland over recent years. It is obvious that the students are very happy with their choice of Rejsby Europæiske Efterskole and they enjoy living with their classmates and socialising with many people that visit their unique type of school from all over the continent, myself being a perfect example of this.
I was particularly lucky in that the first week I visited the school there was also a group from Barcelona (Spain). During this week I observed the Danish students mixing with the Spanish. Here both schools exuded confidence and hospitality, and the level of their English was second to none. I am sure that this confidence and williness to socialise with other Europeans has been influenced by the fact that these teenagers attend an Efterskole such as this. Here they are open to all different types of people and so they learn to accept everyone. It is my opinion that Ireland is missing a school like this, it is a great form of encouraging maturity and extinguishing poor social behaviour. A school I am most definitely impressed in.
The Eurovision Song Contest (Haderslev) Wednesday 21st March
This is undoubtedly one of my Erasmus experiences that will remain close to my heart. After many long hard conversations with my partner in crime Kerri-Ann, we finally picked the song that we would enter into the Eurovision Song Contest. On the evenings leading up to the 'big day', Kerri-Ann switched roles from being my relaxed and laidback friend (once known as my fellow Danish Crusader), to my official coach, driven by the knowledge of Ireland coming a mere second just the year before. Indeed, I will admit that the evening provided an array of various entertainmant from all corners of Europe, however, when i realised that the famous traditional Irish air, 'She Moved throu' the Fair', that I had sang had scoped us the prize I couldn't help but feel pride. The pictures of the contest shown above are of Sofie and Myrium performing their entry for the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, myself singing my piece, and then finally myself with the prize of first place. A great night for us Irish girls!!
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