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.

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.

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!!

International Week (Haderslev) Monday 19th March- Friday 23rd March

International Week was a week that I had been looking forward to since the beginning of my stay in Haderslev. The idea of more students coming from all over Europe excited me to say the least, plus i was anticipating the thought of many different trips that would lead us to places in Denmark I had yet to see. Students from many different European Universities joined us in Haderslev, including Spain, Portugal, Italy and Romania. During this week we had Danish folk Dance lessons, school visits and various forms of entertainment. One of my favourite days during the week was the Tuesday when we visited Ribe, the oldest town in Denmark. The town was once an old Viking town and this characteristic set the theme for the day. We began the day by visiting a Viking centre where we sent a bit of time looking at a building made in a way that should resemble what is thought to be the style of a Viking settlement. The first three pictures above are of this particular centre, situated just outside Ribe. Later on in the town we visitéd the Viking museum where we were told about the different aspects, stages and travels of the Vikings, such as trade, jewellry, clothing, tools and equippment. In the Photos above you can see two pictures of the museum , one of myself in a replica of a viking ship and the other of two viking remains that were unearthed from a cemetary in Ribe. When our tour of the museum was over, we went to the Church in Ribe where we climbed its tall bell tower in order to get the best view of the town and an idea of the surrounding landscape which is very unique as it is abnormally flat. The streets of the quaint town of Ribe can also be observed from the photographs above. I am sure I can speak for everyone here when i say it was a very enjoyable trip.

St Paddy's Day (Haderslev) 17th March

Being away from home on the National Day to Celebrate our patron Saint, was a day that i was not looking forward to. I knew too well of the parties that would be taking place on my beloved Emerald Isle. I was well aware that if there was one day on Erasmus that I would experience homesickness it would be St Paddy's Day. From listening to the choir singing 'Hail Glorious St Patrick' in mass that morning, to sitting in the Hatfield House on the Ormeau Road in Belfast tapping my feet to a traditional fiddle player whilst supporting an oversized green hat on my head and wearing a 'kiss me, I'm Irish badge', I knew that there would be a lot to be missed at home with my family and friends. Nonetheless, Kerri-Ann and myself scanned the shops all week looking for the perfect green top to wear and encouraged all the girls to celebrate St Patrick's Day with us. After eating an Irish breakfast to some traditional music myself and Kerri-Ann showed our house mates how to Irish dance (although I must admit, we were just not as light on our feet as Micheal Flatley or Jean Butler). Later, we bought a few rounds of Guiness in the Tribunen and shortly after we made our way home to greet our Polish friends staying in Horsens (who we met in Åbenrå). As usual we all gathered in our house that evening before spending the rest of St Paddy's Day in Crazy Daisy's. OK, it may not have been the most traditional St Paddy's Day I have encountered, but I sure had a good time teaching the Belgium girls and Polish boys how to be Irish for the day!

Photographs in order of appearence:

The top picture is one of myself with my green t-shirt on...all set for the day!

Below is a photograph of Kerri-Ann introducing great Irish stout to a Belgian.

The final photograph shows my Polish friend Marceik and myself before we go to Crazy Daisy's!

Week 7 ( Haderslev) Monday 12th March- Friday 16th March

School and College Experiences
On Wednesday of this week we visited a Centre of Adult Education in Haderslev. Before visiting I was unsure of exactly this centre was and what went on there as I had never really heard of such a place to be educated. However, as soon as I walked into the foyer of the buliding and was greeted by a colourful map of the world I understood what this centre was for. Many of the countries from various continents on the map had the face of a student on it, with their names beneath. It soon dawned on me that this school was designed to educate people from foreign countries so that they would then be able to communicate with the Danes. However, it wasn't until later that I was made aware of just how important this is. Dispite the fact that the cost of this education is extremely expensive it is, infact, essential in order to gain citizenship if your nationality is not Danish. If this is the case, many lessons have to be taken in order for the students to then sit an exam in Danish requesting them to have a certain degree of knowledge both about Danmark (politics, history, laws,etc.) and the Danish language. In many ways schools like this are very beneficial for both the immigrants and the people of Denmark. This is because the Danes have then little fear of their language fading away and also racism and misunderstandings between immigrants and natives are fewer as communication is both clearer and easier. Like many of the schools n Denmark, it was well equipped with modern computers (all with internat access) and a great library that included all the books that could be benefit to the students in order for them to sit their exam. The school had a very relaxed and happy atmosphere and it was clear that the immigrants were both happy to be at the centre and in Denmark.

Week 6 (Haderslev) Monday 5th March- Friday 9th March

Learning Process
For the past few weeks I have been attending English Children's Literature classes (with Jette Laursen), with regards to teaching children English as a foreign language. During these classes we have been focusing on what exactly defines children's literature and how can we detect whether or not the book is designed for a child, eg. cover, vocabulary, characters, etc. The book that we have chosen to study closely is 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon. The book is about a boy called Christopher Boone who suffers from Asperger's syndrome (a form of autism). The book could be classed as both children's or adults' literature and so we focused on the use of the book to teach young adults English. I find the classes very interesting for two reasons. The first being the fact that we are mixed with Danish students during the class and so it is interesting to see how the real lectures here differ from that at home and secondly because I find the book to be a very good one and enjoyed studying the book in a way that could be used amidst education.
School and College Experiences
On Friday of this week we visited a special needs school on Åbenrå, the same town where I had the EILC course in January. The particular campus of the school that we were in was only for those children attending the school because they suffered from Autism and Asperger's Sydrome. I found the school to be very similar to that of the one at home that my sister attends. the corridors were wide and clear with no surprises arounf´d corners that might disturb a child with a severe learning disability. They catered for these children very well as each child had his/her own desk/ work place. The children could also avail of excellent sporting facilities and a kitchen for cookery class not to mention an ample amount of computers and other up-to-date technical equipment, preparing them for life after school.
I was extremely pleased to see this school and was touched by the happiness and contentment of the children who attended it. The experience warmed my heart to say the least as it is my opinion that it is these children who need our utmost attention and care in society.

At the Weekend (Haderslev) Saturday 3rd March- Sunday 4th March

Lucky it is not all work and no fun in Haderslev! Very often we play as hard as we work! Being here for a few weeks now we have become regulars at the the local bar Tribunen and Haderslev's own Crazy Daisy's disco. The night usually begins at our house were we all gather for a bite to eat, shown in the photograph at the top. After a few hours of chatting about almost everything and anything we then got for a bit of a boogie. As much as I love the Living and Learning Together course at CVU Sønderjylland, I must admit I thoroughly enjoy the weekends when I let myself unwind.

Week 5 (Haderslev) Monday 26th February- Friday 2nd March

School and College Experiences
On Monday of this week we had our second school visit. Petra, Judith, Kerri-Ann and myself went to the school for the 10th grade (Efterskole) in Haderslev, not too far from where we are living. The children that attend the Efterskole are about 15-16 years old and either feel themselves that they are not yet ready to attend gymnasium (the next school they attend, in my opinion like a high/grammar school at home) or they have not yet made the decision of where they want to take their further education, if at all. This particular Efterskole is not one that the students stay in over night like many of them, but instead just stay there the hours that they have class to attend. The school was not as well equipped as the first school I visited, and the building it was in was a lot older. The particular class that i visited had the same relaxed atmosphere as the first school, much more relaxed than what it would be at home, however, the pupils' respect for their teacher was of a much higher degree than before, and the children did take on the responsibity of independent learning, perhaps this was because they were a lot older though. All the same I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt very welcome there.
Learning Process
On Wednesday of this week we had a lecture on Religion and Citizenship, taken by Birgitte Bækgaard. This lecture explained how Denmark became a country of little or no religion. Technically speaking most of the Danes are Lutherans, however very few of them practice this faith. Being from a very Catholic country, that strongly practices its religion I found this abnormal. In the cities of Denmark, especially Copenhagen (the capital) the Muslim community is growing. This then brought on the conversation about the cartoons that were published in a Danish news paper in september 2005 illustrating Muhammad which many Muslims found offensive and cused riots all over the world. I was very interested in this as I knew what the pictures included but i was unaware of Denmark's Freedom of speech and was interested as to why the Danish people thought this was acceptable.
I also began my classes on Special Needs education in Denmark on Friday of this week. Despite the fact that i did not need the extra ECT points I am very interested in this field as my younger sister is special needs and attends a special needs school. During this class we discussed the aims and objectives for children with disabilities with regards to education in Denmark. It was in many ways different from home as it seems to me that the Danish want to integrate children with disabilities into mainstream education, whereas at home it is often preferred for children with special needs to remain in schools that are specifically designed to cater for their individual needs and where they can avail of an education that is much more beneficial to them. However, I am very much looking forward to attending the remaining classes of this course as I am sure I will gain knowledge that will be very useful to me when I return home to my sister Louise.

Week 4 (Haderslev) Monday 19th February- Friday 23th February

Cultural Differences

On Monday and Wednesday of this week we had a food culture class with Pia. During the first lesson she taught us how to make a traditional Danish dish called 'frikadeller', using different types of meat like lamb, turkey and pork. With these different 'meat ball' type dishes we served side plates of roasted vegetables, potatoes and potato salad. I think we all agreed that these dishes were very enjoyable, and we were especially proud to have made them.

The second lesson was slightly different as each of us had to prepare dishes from our native countries for the rest of the class. Being from the province of Ulster, I found it appropriate to make an Ulster Fry as a typical Irish breakfast dish. Kerri-Ann then prepared a bowl of traditional Irish champ, made with milk, scallions and potatoes.

The girls from Belgium prepared prawns in tomtoes with french fries, Belgium Waffles and a cake made from sweet rice, known in Ireland as Rice Dream. The dish served from Austria was a meal made from pork and vegetables, with a dessert made from eggs and sugar for dessert. Finally, Martina from Czech Republic made a type of bread made from fried potatoes. All the dishes were really delicious and it would be fair to say that none of us ate for the rest of that day! A real feast...

The Learning Process

This week saw the first of two different classes, Pedagogics and English Children's Literature. The Padagogics class I found slightly strange as it presents to us a type of teaching that i was completely unaware of and find rather disturbing as it is so different of what I have always known to be teaching. Indeed this 'Danish' style leaves the responsiblity of learning in the child's hands. Nonetheless, as these classes continue I am sure I will become more able to get myself into the right frame of mind for it.

Week 3 (Ireland) Monday 12th February- Friday 16th February.

Due to the fact that my brother Ray was finally tieing the knot with his fiance Rhona this week it was necessary to return to my roots for a few days. The week was great and the weather was grand, which is unusual for Ireland in the middle of February! ´They spent their honeymoon in Dubai...but they wouldn't take me with them..! :(

The pictures in order of appearence:

The picture at the top is of my brother ray (aged 30, my second oldest brother) and his new wife Rhona cutting their wedding Cake.

Below that is a picture of my older sister (Adeline aged 27) and I, and below that again is a picture of my two sisters Adeline and Louise (18, the youngest in the family) and my sister-in-law Lorena who is married to my brother Mark.

The forth picture is of my mother (Jacinta) and the youngest of my five brothers, Brendan (23).

The next picture is off my brother Paddy (25, left) and Mark the eldest (32).

The final picture is of the wedding party and the first dance.

As much as I am enjoying my Erasmus stay, it was great to get home to see my friends and family of a while!

Week 2 (Haderslev) Monday 5th Feb- Friday 9th Feb

Pictures in order of appearance:

The first picture is of Kerri-Ann and myself trying out some Danish folk dance.

The last three are of Friday 9th February when the college organised a fancy dress party. I dressed as a pirate and Kerri-Ann as Princess Mary. All in all it was a great night, full of craic and laughs. A good night had by all!

Cultural Differences

On Monday of this week we were given a lecture by Jette Laursen on the Danes and the Danish educational system. I found it very hard to believe that no pupils in Denmark have to wear a school uniform especially when i come from a country where this is a very important part of our daily lives! The system differs quite a bit in terms of the Danish 'folkeskole' instead of the Primary school, and the optional tenth grade 'efterskole' is also an aspect of the system that i am interested in and so I hope to spend my two weeks of practice at this type of school. I believe that the closest type of school that we can compare it to in my home system is a bording school, however I am eager to learn more about it.

From the Photographs above you will be able to see a picture of myself taking part in the Danish folk dance class. I was surprised by how it had strang similarities to Irish ceili dancing but it was definitely not as lively as the Irish dancing that we are used to in Ireland. Nonetheless, we all had great fun doing it and I have to admit that we all caught a good grasp of it eventually!

School and College Experiences

On Wednesday of this week, Petra, Judith, Kerri-Ann and I caught the bus from Haderslev bus station to Kolding to visit Brændkjærskolen, a type of primary school for children from the age of four to fifteen. The school was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't believe just how well equipped it was with 'Smart boards' in every room, wide open corridors and a very up-to date staff room. I was extremely impressed with the first class we visited, with children in the 8th grade. Their English was of a very high level and they could introduce themselves precisely and usually understood the questions I asked them concerning themselves. However, i notised a distinct difference in the relationship between teacher and pupil as it was undoubtedly much more relaxed in this school in comparison to Ireland. However, the second class I visited gave me great disappointment. It was a class of the same age group but instead of English it was Art. The children, in my opinion, were allowed to run riot around the classroom and the teacher had little or no knowledge of what the children were doing. There was no programme for the class and many were doing nothing at all. I noticed that the children were of many different intelligence levels and i felt as though some of them could have benefitted in being in a class for children who need slightly more attention in order for them to learn. The behaviour of the children was very disrespectful both towards the teacher and the other students and they used very in appropriate language throughout their so-called lesson.

On the other hand, this is the first school I have visited in Denmark and so I will not paint them all with the same brush. Perhaps this was just a poor teacher with an acceptionally bad class, and I certainly hope so as I was so pleased with the first class I visited.

Week 1 (Haderslev) Monday 29th Jan- Friday 2nd Feb

After staying in Højskolen Østersøen for the first month of my stay in Denmark, I felt it quite daunting to move to Haderslev. I had gotten used to getting up at the same time every morning, having all my meals made for me, having no kitchen work to do (I know what you're thinking!), not to mention the fact that I had settled well and made good friends with the other students there. Tearfully I left Åbenrå on Wednesday afternoon and made my way slightly more North of Denmark to the town where i would spend the rest of my erasmus stay, Haderslev. I received the key for my new house which is only a few minutes walk from the college and introduced myself to my new housemates. Two of the girls I am living with I already knew from Åbenrå (Kerri-Ann from Armagh and Issabelle from Belgium), but there was also two new girls for me to meet (Melanie from the French speaking part of Belgium and Sarah from the German speaking part of Belgium). Bot girls seemed very nice and I knew immediately that living with them would be no bother, but indeed a pleasure.
The following morning we went to the University (CVU Sønderjylland), where we had breakfast with our Erasmus leaders, (Jette Laursen, Birgit Schulz and Connie Mikkelsen) and the rest of the girls who i would be joining for the Living and Learning Together Programme. They are Judith and Petra from Austria; Sofie, Myrium and Sandra from Belgium and Martina and Helena from Czech Republic. So far Haderslev seems nice and the rest of the girls are great. So far so good!

Åbenrå, the beginning of my Erasmus experience.

Photographs in order of appearence:

At the top is a photograph of the football grounds just beside my home. The Gealic games are the most popular sports in Ireland and each townland has its own club, each with teams for all ages from 6 years old to senior levels. My home townland is called Derrylaughan and my local gealic team is called Derrylaughan Kevin Barry's.

Next is a picture of myself and my travel Buddy Kerri-Ann at our leaving party in the Hatfield House (Belfast) before we took flight from the Emerald Isle. Just a few days before we left we were nicknamed as 'The Danish Crusaders'!

Next is one of my favourite pictures from Åbenrå, quite fittingly i have named it 'Iona Boat'. (I wish)

The forth picture here is one of some of the girls I met in Åbenrå at the EILC course, during a beach party. It was a great experience meeting people from all over Europe, infact in this picture alone Hungry, France, Belgium and Ireland are represented. (and thats not counting the Italian in the background!)

The month I spent in Åbenrå was a fantastic introduction to Denmark. Schools like Højskolen Østersøen are of a kind only found in Denmark. In my opinion it is a great way to allow European's to discover Denmark. From the moment we arrived here we immediately sensed the 'hugge' tradition, also only found in Denmark with a warm greeting and an equally warm meal...what more can an Irish girl ask for?!