Visit to International School and Frisian Museum

Week 9 (21/03/16 - 27/03/16)

This week started with my first experience of teaching in the Netherlands, although it wasn't strictly speaking within a Dutch school. On Monday morning Niamh and I had to get an early start in order to catch the 07:51 train to the neighbouring town of Groningen. This meant wakening at 06:50, the earliest time I've seen since arriving in the Netherlands. We were making this trip in order to visit the international school in Groningen as part of our "International Baccalaureate" class (Nicola and Zoe had visited the week before). Once I had woken up a bit and wiped the sleep from my eyes I was excited for the day.

"The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring 

young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural 

understanding and respect." - IB Mission Statement

We were placed in an MYP1 class which we thought would be the equivalent of our P7 however we now think the children were more likely Year 8/9 age. The children were from all over the world including South Africa, Canada, Brazil, Morocco and the UK. One of the teachers was even originally from Belfast so it was nice to hear a familiar accent. The teaching style was a lot less formal than what we would be used to. When we were told we would be visiting a school I asked how we should dress and we were told that jeans and casual clothes were the norm, which is a big change from home. The children themselves were dressed in casual clothes and had a lot of freedom within the classroom. They would very often be out of their seats and talking to a friend however I found that they were always on task with the exception of one or two. Within the classes I witnessed they only used pen and paper once, all the rest of the classes were majority oral and the pupils all responded well. I think the most interesting class I saw was the Dutch language class as they were completely immersed as the teacher would not speak English to them and they were given forfeits for using English. All the children were extremely well versed in Dutch, especially the South Africans as they have previous experience with Afrikaans. Overall I very much enjoyed my visit to the international school unfortunately we won't be back but we will have the opportunity to visit bi/trilingual schools in the future.

Classes continued as normal this week except for one as our tutor was actually caught up in the Brussels tragedy, but he's fine and will be returning to our next class as normal. In "Places of Memory" we made another excursion into town this time visiting the Frisian Museum and attempting to pick up more about the Frisian Culture. They had some very nice and interesting displays however it was slow going as all the information was written in Frisian and Dutch so our tutor had to stand and explain each one.

Painting of a Frisian cow

Sword that supposedly belonged to the giant
Grut Pierre which is aprox. 6ft long

"We're going on a bear hunt" in Frisian

Copy of a painting of Rembrandt's wife

We were also able to have a quick visit into the WWII exhibit which was great as I've always had and interest in WWII and with the Netherlands being an occupied country during the war their were some very cool artefacts to see.

Frisian I.D Cards

Members of the Frisian Resistance 

On our way back from the museum we stopped at a fish stand to try what our tutor described as a Dutch delicacy called "Haring". Essentially it was a raw fish covered in onion which you lifted by the tail and just bit into. The girls chickened out but I tried it and it wasn't too bad however I think I'll stick to battered fish.

"Haring"

Lucy arrived late on the Thursday evening to spend her Easter as she has quite a lot of time off. I am excited to have the chance to show her around where I am living and convey some of the knowledge I've picked up over these last two months. We are also planning further trips to Rotterdam and Amsterdam.



IBO (2013) "What is an IB education?" [online] Available at:
http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/brochures/what-is-an-ib-education-en.pdf

Bicycles, Barbers and Beer

Week 8 (14/03/16 – 20/03/16)

Apologies for the late upload but I've been having internet connectivity problems. All fixed now. 

After spending the weekend with my parents this week I made two major accomplishments – first I bought a bicycle and second I got my hair cut. Writing them down it seems rather silly to call them accomplishments but living here to me these are definitely accomplishments. Using a bicycle for transport is a major part of Dutch culture and I have never seen more bicycles in my life. As well as this there are bicycle lanes along every road and I have come to the conclusion that bicycles have right of way over everything. Everybody seems to own a bicycle and I have been looking for one since I arrived however it has been difficult to find one for a reasonable price in the size I need. However on Monday on what seemed like my 1000^th visit to the bicycle shop below the NHL (that’s right, a bicycle shop below my university) I finally found one suitable. I can now race around the streets and what was a 15 minute walk is now a 2 minute cycle. So that was accomplishment number one.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep going.” – Albert Einstein

Number two was getting my hair cut. This being a generally trivial chore at home was an activity of anxiety over here. It’s relatively simple task to find a place but the next challenge is explaining to the barber how you like your hair cut (something which at home I forget cut to cut). The night before I found myself googling if barber language was the same in every country, you know like a 4 back and sides and just thin the top? When it came to the day I just had to suck it up and be brave. I found a place that was packed with people so I made the assumption it was good and spoke to a very nice woman behind the desk, who’s English was impeccable, and made an appointment for the same afternoon. Of course when I returned in the afternoon a different lady was cutting my hair who described her own English as “not so good”, however it has decades on my Dutch. After about 10 minutes of failed explanation she pointed to a guy leaving the shop and asked “is that good?” I replied with a thumbs-up and a smile and after 20 minutes I left with one of the best cuts I think I've ever had.

With St. Patrick’s Day falling on the Thursday of this week I had big hopes and I was not disappointed. The whole university had the day off and I was surprised to see how many people were about celebrating the day. The Leeuwarden ESN team had planned St. Patrick’s Day festivities starting in the afternoon with a trip to the local Irish Pub Paddy O’Ryan. Surrounded by Guinness, green beer and what seemed like every Irish person in the Netherlands I didn’t feel like I was in a foreign country at all. The celebrations continued throughout the evening and into the early morning with a whiskey tasting and listening to what can be weirdly described as a Dutch Punk Folk band, who were actually quite good.

“There are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish and those who wish they were.” 

- Irish Saying

Nice old school bar

Everybody out celebrating St Patrick's

This week due to multiple cancellations we end up with only one full class on the Wednesday so there isn’t much to report on that front. However next Monday I will be visiting an international school in the neighbouring town of Groningen which I am thoroughly looking forward to and can’t wait to share my experience in my next blog.


Quotes Accessed at:
http://brainyquote.com

Frozen Food, Visitors and Amsterdam

Week 7 (07/03/16 - 13/02/16)

First week back after spring break went rather similar to all the other weeks so far. I completed my routine weekly shop on the Monday getting my standard groceries plus one extra, sausages. A favourite of mine at home and a staple of the Marshall household diet I bought these with a little bit of excitement. On the same day I completed another successful wash. Go me!

On the Tuesday I woke with anticipation of the sausages and scrambled eggs I would be having for lunch before heading off to class. I got ready and headed to the kitchen to begin the task of cooking. However to my despair I found my sausages completed frozen. Despite my heartbreak I couldn't help but see the irony as a common complaint of mine is the lack of a freezer in my flat. After many exchanged messages with Lucy and my mother I opted to fiddle with the fridge thermostat and hope that they were okay to cook the following day. I quick check before bed and the sausages seemed to be on track and would be on the menu tomorrow. However, once it came time to cook them the next day I found them once again completely frozen. I followed the same procedure as the previous day and hoped for the best the following day. Long story short, eventually after multiple freezing's and partial defrosting's I threw the sausages out through fear of food poisoning.

Nothing happened in class this week that was overly different to what has been happening over the past couple of weeks. However we had another meeting about organising our placement within a bi/tri-lingual school which I am thoroughly looking forward. As well as this within our "International Baccalaureate" class our tutor has arranged for us to visit an international school in the neighbouring town of Groningen that will be happening in the upcoming weeks which I am also thoroughly looking forward too as it will be our first look at teaching in the Netherlands.

I was up early on the Friday to catch the train to Amsterdam to meet my parents, who had come to visit, for the day and night in Amsterdam before we all travelled up to Leeuwarden on the Saturday. Obviously very pleased to see them I found it a slightly odd experience to be meeting up with them in a foreign place. We had a great afternoon in Amsterdam walking the streets, doing the Heineken Experience and of course you can't go to Amsterdam without walking the Red Light District. It was a massive culture shock as you literally go down a side street off the main street and you're there and it's an extremely busy area.

Tulip Market

"I think Amsterdam is to Holland what New York is to America in a sense. It's a metropolis, so it's representative of Holland, but only a part of it - you know, it's more extreme, there's more happening, it's more liberal and more daring than the countryside in Holland is." 

- Anton Corbijn

I think they should go back to the 1963 design

When your parents visit you dine well

We travelled to Leeuwarden on the Saturday and it appears my parents brought the good weather with them. After checking them into the student run Stenden Hotel I took them for a tour of the town surprisingly myself with how much I actually knew about the place. My dad made the fair point that Leeuwarden is actually a very cultural and historical little town. After a weekend of good company and good eating it was time to say our goodbyes and for them to return to the apparently sunny Northern Ireland. 

With St Patrick's day coming up and various placement days I'm looking forward to the coming weeks.

Quotes Accessed at:
http://brainyquote.com

Spring Break - Work, Bruges and Brussels

Week 6 (29/03/16 - 06/03/16)

So this week was finally spring break and before setting of on another trip to Belgium I decided to be a conscientious student and spend the first couple of days starting some assignments. It appears motivation problems have followed me from Belfast to Leeuwarden but after persevering for 2 days I felt accomplished enough to warrant the break to Hasselt on the Wednesday.

Having stocked up on movies and snacks for the train journey I was pleasantly surprised to be provided with a cheaper train ticket with 2 less changeovers. However it was still near 6 hours on trains which can get rather tiring and uncomfortable. I was delighted to be met at the station in Hasselt by Lucy and even more delighted by the news that she had bought steaks for dinner. That evening and the next day was just spent relaxing together and planning later trips. Within Belgium it's possible for young people aged 18-25 to travel for only 6 euro so we planned to visit Bruges on the Friday and the capital Brussels on the Saturday.

It was an early start on the Friday morning as we wanted to be in Bruges by lunch. After making a new friend of the 4 legged variety on the train we arrived in Bruges. Unfortunately, like most other days, it was quite cold but for a change it wasn't raining. Having been there once before Lucy knew her way around quite well and we immediately headed to the main square. Here we climbed the Belfry which consisted of 366 stairs of spiral staircase which at parts was only as wide as my shoulders. However the view from the top was incredible as you could see the whole of Bruges in all directions. With narrow cobbled streets, old architecture and canals it was easy to see why Bruges is considered one of the most scenic towns in Europe. Thankfully the weather picked up in the afternoon and we were able to spend it enjoying what Bruges had to offer before heading back to Hasselt in the evening. The trip to Bruges also included my first experience of the Belgian waffle which is definitely worth the hype.

Belfry of Bruges

View from the top of the Belfry

Sun makes a rare appearance

Weirdest trees ever

Church of Our Lady 

Delicious Belgian Waffles

Saturday morning was a later start as its only just over an hour to Brussels. We had arranged to meet Kim, a friend of ours from home, who is also on Erasmus and was visiting Brussels the same day. We found Kim and after a quick lunch we set off for the main square. Here I was blown away by the sheer size and architecture of the buildings, everything was incredible. Like Bruges we spent the day exploring the streets and seeing the sights as well as visiting a home favourite of Marks and Spencer. One thing that is especially clear to me is that the Dutch and Belgians love their dogs as they are everywhere, including in shops. After a great day spent in Brussels we said goodbye to Kim and we headed back to Hasselt to relax and for me to rest up for my long journey home the next day.

Brussels

Brussels Grand Palace

Brussels main square

Brussels main square

Tintin's a big deal in Belgium

Chocolate covered strawberries

(Right to left) Lucy, Kim and I outside the Grand Palace

I had a fantastic spring break seeing Lucy and catching up with Kim as well as scratching 2 more places to visit off my list. However I'd definitely like to visit Brussels again in the future.

"Adulting" and Touring

Week 5 (22/02/16 - 28/02/16)

In my last post I wrote about how this is becoming an easier process as the weeks go on, I take that back. This is only an easy process when you have an idea of what you would like to say. Yes, every day I am living in a different country and experiencing a different life to home but when you just have another standard week like the one before where you wake up, survive and then go to sleep again it's hard to pinpoint the aspects of the week worth sharing.

I've found over the last 5 weeks a phrase I regularly utter to myself is, "I don't want to adult today". Yes I am 21 years old and technically an adult but over my 21 years of life I think I've maybe cooked myself a maximum of 10 meals which didn't involve Super Noodles, sandwiches or cereal. I've never even turned on a washing machine never mind actually completed a wash and quite pathetically I've never really been in charge of my own money. But now that's all changed and it's been a steep and bumpy learning curve. I'm doing weekly shops and cooking for myself every night, I'm budgeting and paying my own rent and as of yesterday I have successfully completed 3 washes without changing anything's colour or shrinking anything to an unwearable size (a mistake my mother would still make on occasion). Although these may seem like trivial tasks to other accomplished adults I still find these to be stressful and exhausting and I have a new found respect for all the adults of the world who have been doing this for much longer than I have.


Classes took an interesting turn this week. "Dutch Multicultural Society" became very anthropology based and we discussed mental programming and the idea of taboo categories in different cultures. "Innovative Dutch School Systems" was much of the same as we learnt about the other 2 educational reformers we will be focusing on, Maria Montessori (1870-1952) and Helen Parkhurst (1887-1973). Within "International Baccalaureate" we continued our work on backward planning and began our learning on how to create a rubric which I can see will be a very useful skill when teaching in regards to assessment. I blundered my way through another "Dutch Language and Culture" lesson and finally we did our first excursion out of the classroom for "Places of Memory" which involved a walking tour of Leeuwarden, this probably being the highlight of my week. We missed the tour of the Leeuwarden on the first day of the induction week as we were still travelling however I imagine it wouldn't have contained the same locations or knowledge of the culture and place that our tutor was able to offer us. He made it very clear that Leeuwarden and Friesland is extremely multi-cultural and has for many centuries (with a few hiccups along the way) encouraged religious freedom.

Next week is spring break which means lazing around and hopefully a trip or two, but I'll write about that next time.

De Oldehove

Oldest House in Leeuwarden

Royal Entrance to the "Big Church"

Orange tree above Royal Entrance

Free Mason building in Leeuwarden

Monument for Jewish residents displaced
during WWII

Smallest registered street in Leeuwarden

St. Boniface

Count William Louis van Nassau - Dillenberg
(1560 - 1620)

Tree planted for the birth of a royal
family member