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.




Quotes Accessed at:
www.goodreads.com