May Vacation - Maastricht, Brussels, Paris

Week 15 (02/05/16 - 08/05/16)

As I mentioned in my previous post this week's entry will be longer than normal as it is going to detail my travels over May Vacation. For this I apologise but much like Amsterdam it would be impossible to do it justice within the word limit.

My travels actually started on May 1st when I made my way to Maastricht to meet Lucy. Maastricht is a city in the Netherlands I've wanted to visit and it is very near the Belgian border so this was a good opportunity to do so. I started my journey early and Lucy met me at the train station before we headed into town, stopping on the way for a quick bite to eat. Maastricht is a very scenic city and we were fortunate to get a good day which we just spent wandering around and exploring the city. Lucy had been there before and so had some sense of direction but for the most part we had no final destination in mind.

Basilica of Our Lady

One of Maastricht's 3 large squares

Another of Maastricht's 3 large squares

Lucy posing with a strange statue we found

And they sell all the Harry Potter books in
Dutch (with really cool covers)

Bookstore Dominicanen, an old cathedral
renovated into a modern bookstore

After spending the Sunday evening and Monday in Hasselt, as Lucy still had classes she needed to go to, we headed to Brussels on the Tuesday to spend the night in preparation for our early bus to Paris on Wednesday morning. We spent the day in Brussels centre and had a great dinner in the main square consisting of the biggest mussel pot I think I've ever seen. Belgium is apparently famous for mussels as well as chocolate something which I did not know. We then spent the night in a rather seedy area of North Brussels, somewhere I wouldn't want to be walking too late at night, but the hotel was fine and the room was clean and once I climbed the 4 flights of near vertical stairs I was ready to pass out from exhaustion anyway.

We also finally saw the Manneken Pis (Pissing Boy) which we had tried to see the last time we were in Brussels but it was dressed in a scout like uniform for some unknown reason.

Much of our Wednesday was spent travelling to Paris. This only cost us 12 euro which is very good but it did mean we were at the whim of traffic, which was a nightmare getting into Paris and turned our 4 hour journey into a 6 hour journey. We got into Paris around 4:30pm and it was still sweltering hot, much to Lucy's delight and my disdain as I was on bag duty most of the time. We found our nearest metro and made our way to the hotel which was perfectly situated in the centre of Paris only a short metro ride from all the major attractions.

We decided to make the most of the evening as it was still very bright outside and made our way to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. The location was still teeming with people and after being accosted by street vendors, of which there were many, we made our way to the top for a spectacular view of Paris.

We then decided that, rather than head back into central Paris for dinner, that we would check out the Latin quarter for something to eat. This is situated just behind the Sacré-Coeur and we ended up finding a wonderfully quaint Italian restaurant with a jazz pianist which much to Lucy's delight was versed in multiple Disney songs. We also had our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.

The central square was filled with artists and
small vendours

After dinner we decided to get a closer look at the Eiffel Tower before calling it a night.

After a much needed night's rest we had an early start as it was our plan to squeeze in all the major sights in this one day. We started in the Louvre which turns out is free entrance to all EU members under the age of 26 (another reason not to BREXIT). So we were able to just walk in without queuing for tickets which was great. We battled the crowds inside the museum and finally saw all the major artwork.

Even the ceiling is covered in art

The Mona Lisa is much smaller than expected

Getting that perfect selfie angle

The Venus de Milo

Then, because of the fantastic weather, we decided to walk the Champs-Élysées on our way to the Arc de Triomphe. Lucy was in her element with the heat and the amount of the designer shops. (Fun Fact: the Arc de Triomphe sits in the centre of a roundabout where there are no traffic regulations, you drive where you want and hope not to crash.)

"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life." 

- Thomas Jefferson

Champs-Élysées with Arc de Triomphe at
the end

Closer look at the Arc de Triomphe

After visiting the Arc de Triomphe we made our way back to the Eiffel Tower to see it during the daylight and have a relax in the near by park in the now 25 degree heat before hopping on the metro again to get to Notre Dame, which we were both very much looking forward to.

Taking in the sun by the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower

First sight of Notre Dame from across
the Seine

Queuing to get inside

We topped off the day with a canal cruise on the Seine before a late dinner and bed in preparation for Disney the next day.

Front row seats on the canal tour

Something I found very interesting that I learnt on the canal tour is how many sights in Paris were first built for the world fair. The Eiffel Tower being the most prominent (which was also originally criticised by French artists) but there were also bridges and buildings built as well.

I think both Lucy and I both reverted back into a childlike state on Friday morning. I don't think there was anyone more excited on the train to Disney than we were. We got there for opening at 10am and didn't leave until closing, after 10pm that night, and we were in our element all day.

"That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up." - Walt Disney

Entrance to Disney

Just hanging out in front of Sleeping
Beauty's Castle

My main man Mickey casting some magic

Chilling with Buzz 

We were both exhausted and broke by the end of the day but it was definitely worth it. My only regret is they hadn't finished building their Star Wars attractions yet and I missed the sign up for Jedi training but that just gives me an excuse to go back.

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Remember that this whole thing started with a dream 

and a mouse." - Walt Disney

Our final day in Paris was a pretty chill day. We were able to check out of our hotel but leave our baggage which meant we could roam the city unhindered until our bus back to Brussels that evening. We made our way back to Notre Dame to see if we could get up to the towers as it was already closed last time we were there however unfortunately it was a 3 hour wait time so we thought better of it. We spent the rest of the day, before heading back to Brussels, on the Champs-Élysées looking in the shops and having a drink in one of the many very expensive cafés.

The entrance to Abercrombie & Fitch
 looks like a royal palace

Thankfully the bus back to Brussels ran on time meaning we were able to get a reasonable night's sleep in preparation for our travels back to our separate Erasmus locations, a 1 hour journey for Lucy and a 6 hour journey for me (think I got the worse deal).

In all it was a fantastic week and great trip. We were so fortunate being blessed with such good weather the whole time which suppose made everything that little bit better. I would definitely recommend Paris and I definitely be returning in the future.

 "Paris is always a good idea." - Audrey Hepburn

King's Day and Frisian Art

Week 14 (25/04/16 - 01/05/16)

On the Monday of this week I had my final part of assessment for my "Dutch Multicultural Society" module. Unfortunately this involved a presentation, and to make matters worse it had to be given to a class of Dutch students. This was a daunting task and I was not looking forward to it however while doing it the Dutch students seemed pretty interested and once I was done I was pretty pleased with my effort. Our tutor even told us that we did well so that always helps.

Just a casual string quartet

Apart from this, the week was to carry on as normal until King's Day (Koningsdag to the Dutch) on the Wednesday. Nicki had to two visitors over from home and a friend of ours, Kim who is also on Erasmus in the Netherlands, was making the trip up from Nijmegen. This was shaping up to be a good day however we didn't realise that celebrations actually started the night before for King's Night. There turned out to be a small festival organised at the Wilhelminaplein which is beside the train station which we decided to cycle down to, and the best thing about it was it was free. Everybody was celebrating and dancing this was just a taster for what would be happening the next day. When King's Day finally arrived on the Wednesday we were all excited. Dressed in our finest orange t-shirts, the tradition on King's Day as orange is the royal colour, we made out way into town to attend the markets. For what I would have considered a small town the whole place was busy with people and stalls. Everything was being sold but the most important thing was the food. The streets were lined with different food stalls and trucks and I had an amazing kibbeling lunch which is a traditional Dutch snack of chunks of fried fish and tartar sauce.  After buying tickets to attend a festival at the Oldehove in the evening we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the park listening to a live band doing covers of all the most popular music right now. In all it was just a great day.

Bridge hindering our progress into town

Centre of town packed with people and stalls

Relaxing in the park waiting for the band

King's Day at the Oldehove

After having a long day on the Wednesday we were thankful to have the Thursday off class to catch up on some much needed sleep. Nicki said farewell to her visitors and we all said a goodbye to Kim before she headed back to Nijmegen but I'm sure will meet up again in the coming months.

Friday came along and we made another excursion with our "Places of Memory" class. This week we made the journey to a Frisian art museum to answer the question, is there such a thing as Frisian art? Allow I did do art GSCE it appears all my artistic tendencies have left me as I could not make sense of most of the artwork. However it was another good trip and it gave us another chance to see the Frisian countryside as the museum literally in the middle of a field.

This was my favourite piece of art. It's a duck.

"Art is anything you can get away with." - Andy Warhol

On Sunday I made the trip to Maastricht however as this falls under my May Vacation travels I'm going to save this tale for my next blog which promises to be reminiscent of Amsterdam as it will be excessively long, which I apologise for in advance.

New Modules and Visiting Friesland's Tallest "Mountain"

Week 13 (18/04/16 - 24/04/16)

After a weekend break following the completion of assignments this week saw the beginning of our next period of study which involved a whole new timetable. The only classes continuing from the previous period are "Dutch Language and Culture" and "Places of Memory". In addition to these we will now be taking the modules "Active Learning Environments", "Classroom Management" and "Special Needs and Education". Again we don't have a very full timetable with only one class a day most days and Thursdays off however for me this will be occupied by my placement module.

In our first class of the new period, "Active Learning Environments", we will have to prepare lessons as a group to teach to a Dutch class on the BREXIT which is very relevant right now. This will be difficult in parts as we have been away while this has been taking place and I myself will not actually even be home for the vote. As well as this it is extremely likely that the pupils we will end up teaching this to will have no prior knowledge of the situation. However it will be an interesting module non-the-less. Another interesting addition to our timetable is "Special Needs and Education". Coincidentally this is very relevant to us as we were studying special needs education before Christmas while still in Belfast so it will be interesting to see how this is dealt with in the Netherlands. Also the tutor for this module has given no deadline for its assignment and has even said that we can submit it from home after we leave which is a very different approach than other tutors. She also seems very down to earth and I'm interested to hear her opinion on the topic.

To finish off our week we made another excursion with our "Places of Memory" tutors. This time we were visiting Friesland's tallest "mountain" as they kept referring to it. And by "mountain" they actually meant a 9 metre tall grass hill. All around Friesland they have these grass hills known as "terps". These are artificially made hills originally intended to provide some sort of protection for residents from storm surges and flooding. On top of these terps there would be a small community with a church at its centre. The terp we visited was at Hegebeintum and is actually the tallest terp in the Netherlands standing 8.8 metres tall. The church is still standing on top of the terp which we were able to visit and it seems to be quite a regularly visited site as there is a visitors centre and there were quite a few other people there at the same time as us.

Steepest incline I've had to walk since
I've been here

Concrete had to be laid to stabilise the terp 

Church lined with wooden displays to
commemorate rich families from the area 

Symbols are carved to represent the person
who has died - broken branches on the leaves
means they are the last in their bloodline

This was a relatively slow week as nothing very exciting happened however next Wednesday is Kings Day which is a nationwide holiday to celebrate the Dutch king. Markets and festivals all over the Netherlands this promises to be a good day.

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.



Quotes Accessed at:

http://brainyquote.com

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

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