School Visits and Deadlines

Week 12 (11/04/16 - 17/04/16)

This week I had my first visit to the school I will be completing my placement module in. Nadja, a German girl in our class, and I will be doing our placement together in a local school only 10 minutes cycle from our accommodation. For our module we will have to run an English project once a week for 5 weeks. So on Tuesday afternoon we made our way to the school for our first meeting with our contact to plan our project and discuss the dates we would be coming in. Having only visited an international school while I have been here I wasn't sure what to expect however I was pleasantly surprised. The school had a very familiar atmosphere and was decorated very much as I would expect a primary school at home to be decorated. The children were not actually in during our visit so I had no interaction with them but we met the teacher who will be supervising us along with her classroom assistant and a masters student who will also be helping us run the project. We had a short meeting planning the outline of our project and discussing the other dates for our visit. The project we decided to do is a research project where the children have to research an English speaking city and create a display on this city. The teacher was very keen on this idea and we hope it will be successful. We also decided to arrange another short visit for the Thursday in order for us to witness the children during an English lesson so we know what kind of level to expect.

Classrooms look very similar to home

On the Thursday afternoon we made our way back to the school. After a minor issue with Nadja having a flat tire, a serious issue when your bicycle is your only mode of transport, we got there just in time for the lesson. Just like at home the children were very excited at the prospect of visitors and were very keen to talk and converse however it took them a while to realise we did not understand the majority of what they were saying. We were in a Year 8 class which is the final year of primary school and we arrived in the middle of silent reading. The main difference I was able to notice was that the class was a lot more relaxed. The pupils were in casual clothes as their is no uniform here but at the same time they had a lot of freedom to communicate with each other and to move around the room. They were learning time in English which we actually covered in our Dutch lessons last period. It was evident the children had good English and I was able to pick up the odd word of Dutch. The lesson only lasted half and hour and they were then off to P.E so it was a very short visit but I am looking forward to the rest of my time in school.

Looks just like an N.I primary school

Everybody rides their bike to school

The rest of the week was spent starting and finishing assignments for my period one classes. Unfortunately a bad habit which I appear to have brought with me from home is leaving everything until the last minute. However after a little stress and speed typing they were all completed and submitted in good time.

Amsterdam

Week 11 (04/04/16 - 10/04/16)

Too early a start for Lucy

As I mentioned in my last blog Lucy and I had planned an overnight trip to Amsterdam so apologies for a much longer post than normal but it would be impossible to give a satisfactory account of the trip in anything less.

We arrived around 12 o'clock on the Sunday and immediately headed for lunch at a popular café that I had visited the last time I was in Amsterdam with my parents. Here we made our plan of action for the day. We decided to go to one of the many tickets and tours shops along the main street and purchase tickets for the canal tour and ice bar and to see if there was anything else we wanted to do. Upon arrival we decided to get tickets for the Amsterdam Dungeons as well.

We decided to do the canal tour before heading to our hotel to leave off our bags as they were in opposite directions. The canal tour was great. We got good seats at the back of the barge and were able to sit outside due to the great weather. The whole thing took about an hour and was quite interesting hearing about different parts of the city and it was a really nice way to view the city. My favourite fact of the tour was we were told that many of the houses had hoists on the outside as they were very tall but it was normal for Dutch people to move house around every 8 years so it made it easier to get furniture in and out of the buildings. So apparently its common to look up and just see furniture dangling on the outside of a building.

Just before getting on the boat

All the canal boats

Bridge featured in James Bond: Diamonds are Forever

Anne Frank House 

Church where Rembrandt is buried

After spending longer to find the hotel than expected we were in a rush to get out to the Anne Frank House which we had booked tickets in advance for 5:30pm. With my own personal interest in WWII this was a must see for me. We were there in plenty of time and because we booked in advance we were able to enter immediately and view a talk about the story before entering the house. In the house you were not allowed to take photographs which was slightly disappointing but is understandable as visiting the house can be very emotional for some people. The house also remained unfurnished after the Nazi's sacked it per the request of Otto Frank, the only survivor of the secret annex.

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too." - Anne Frank

We were allowed to take photos of the timeline

Cross-section of the house and annex

It is safe to say we were nothing short of starving after the day we'd already had but we still had more to do. Thankfully we found this fantastic little Mexican restaurant down a side street with the friendliest staff who gave us a substantial feed. We then headed to the ice bar for our 9:00pm slot. When booking the ice bar I honestly expected just a normal bar with some ice decor however when we were handed thick coats and gloves I knew I had been mistaken. The whole thing was made from over 60 tonnes of ice, even the glasses were made of ice and the inside maintained a temperature of -9.4 degrees. It was brilliant but very, very cold.

  

So cold we froze over

We then made a quick pass through the Red Light District, a must see if visiting Amsterdam. Taboo and unacceptable in most other cultures I think this area shows the acceptance, tolerance and openness of the Dutch culture.

After a well needed night's rest we checked out and made our way to the Van Gogh Museum. The weather was worse today with a spot of rain but we timed it well and spent most of it inside viewing the works of one of the most influential artists in history. Once again photography wasn't allowed but I managed a few sneaky snaps.

One of Van Gogh's self portraits

Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", bit blurry but I was being stealthy 

Upon leaving the Van Gogh Museum we finally found one of the illusive "I Amsterdam" signs which I had been keeping my eye out for the whole time because obviously no one would believe I was in Amsterdam unless I had a picture in front of a sign.

Finally found it!

Following this we made our way back to the city centre for probably the most entertaining experience of our trip in terms of laughter, the Amsterdam Dungeons. The live actors were fantastic and the material was both interesting and funny with a good balance of jump scares thrown in. Lucy and I were both lucky enough to be selected to take part which I think made the whole tour that bit better. I was tricked into signing myself and the rest of the tour up to work on a ship and Lucy was burned at the stake for being a witch all of which was very well played out.

We spent our last few hours in the city centre going around the shops where Lucy had actually pre-ordered stuff for collection (standard girl). We came across a Waterstones book store which we spent quite a lot of time perusing the shelves and a Marks and Spencers where I was reunited with one of the greatest meals ever invented; the roast chicken and stuffing sandwich.

We decided to get dinner before heading back to Leeuwarden and while searching for a viable restaurant we came across the Rembrandtplein which we had somehow missed until now. An open space surrounded by restaurants with a tall figure of Rembrandt in the centre surrounded by his Night Watchmen. We decided to spend the last of our money in Gauchos which is an Argentinian steak restaurant and Lucy tells me there is another in London. This was a fantastic meal and a great way to end our trip before heading back to Leeuwarden for a much needed rest.

Rembrandt and his Night Watchmen

"My experience in Amsterdam is that cyclists ride where the hell they like and aim in a state of rage at all pedestrians while ringing their bell loudly, the concept of avoiding people being foreign to them" - Terry Pratchett

I think we had a much better time than Terry Pratchett however I can not say I fully disagree with him.

The rest of the week in Leeuwarden was mainly concerned with rest and assignments as well as good food. With Lucy still here until the Sunday we took the time to visit some of the local restaurants with Leeuwarden offering a great selection. A favourite of mine being Double B where you create your own burgers for a very reasonable price. Having visited it quite a few time previously it was great to take Lucy here so she could see what all the fuss was about. We also had the opportunity to go up the Oldehove ("the leaning tower of Leeuwarden" as Lucy has aptly named it) as it has just opened to guests. After climbing nearly 200 crooked stairs we were greeted with a great view of the town even if the weather wasn't the best on that day.

Top of the Oldehove

Lucy left on the Sunday to resume her studies in Hasselt. The next time we'll be seeing each other is in May when we'll be making the journey to Paris and I'm sure that will warrant another extra-long entry.



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Assignments, Exams and Rotterdam

Week 10 (28/03/16 - 03/04/16)

This is the final week of that they refer to here as our first period of study. After this week there are two weeks set aside for exams and resits. Not having any exams means I have these two weeks off class however I will have to spend a good bit of time doing assignments which, much like at home, I have stupidly left to the last minute. Lucy is also still visiting as she has a lot of time off university in Hasselt for Easter.

On Tuesday we had our final "Dutch Multicultural Society" class. In this class we looked at a system developed by a Dutch social anthropologist Geert Hofstede that uses different dimensions to analyse cultures in different countries. It was clear that having an understanding of different cultures could help us in our teaching careers as it can give some explanation for some social behaviours. Having an understanding for the role of the teacher in other cultures can also help as in some cultures the teacher is seen as a great authority figure which should be treated with utmost respect and never disobeyed, and in others they are seen as equals and should treat the pupils accordingly.

"Studying culture without experiencing culture shock is like practising swimming without experiencing water." - Geert Hofstede

Wednesday saw the first of my assignment deadlines for "Dutch Language and Culture" as well my Dutch language exam. The assignment was done in good time so there was no stress there. It was quite an interesting topic of foreign influences on the Dutch culture. The exam itself was a bit harder than what I was expecting but it was all on material we had covered and I've already received my mark of a passing grade.

With Lucy being sick basically since she arrived there hadn't been much opportunity for anything. On the Thursday we made the decision to attempt to buy some simple over the counter medicine. A task which sounds much simpler than it is. I have been told that the Dutch do not advocate medicine a lot, apparently if you make the decision to go to the doctor it is very unlikely you will receive a prescription, the general advice is to go home and rest. I can only assume this is why the selection in the local supermarket was so limited. After much consideration and deliberation we opted simply to buy Strepsils for her sore throat.

Struggling to stay awake on
the train

As Lucy was on the mend it seemed only right that we make a day excursion and we opted for the city of Rotterdam, which I have visited before but would be a must see for her. Excited by the prospect of the shopping and another trip to the tremendous Markthal we caught an early train on the Friday morning in order to make the most of our day. However our arrival in Rotterdam was a bit delayed after a usually simple journey became a lot more complicated. Some of the copper from the track had been stolen turning a 2 hour 45 minute direct train into an over 3 hour train with 3 train changeovers. Needless to say we tired by the time we arrived. But we had a great day shopping, exploring and eating. The sun even made a welcome appearance.

Rotterdam Eye

Happy in the good weather

Back to the Markthal

Lobby the Lobster

Becoming a burger connoisseur

We planned an overnight trip to Amsterdam on the Sunday which was another good trip and I was able do and see some more of what Amsterdam has to offer, but I am going to save Amsterdam for the next blog.




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