Coffee and pastries

Week 5 (22/02/16) – Personal and Cultural

Hej!

It is a peculiar thought to think that as I begin writing this fifth blog, the ‘honeymoon period’, as it is referred to by Hannah, is over and we have now become accustomed to the daily reality of living in a foreign country, away from everything that we know and everyone that we know. Life in Copenhagen is becoming much more familiar and with the business and excitement of our initial arrival now seeming like a distant memory, I find myself having a lot more time on my hands.

I have been particularly challenged throughout the past week by a small group Bible study that the four of us attended on Tuesday night. It was organised by a Brazilian couple, Priscila and Bruno, who welcomed us into their home with open arms and fed us with homemade pizza and traditional Brazilian chocolate cake. We had the amazing privilege of studying the Bible with other international students and listening to Bruno speak on the theme of ‘Discipleship’ was particularly challenging. We were also given a person each to pray for throughout the week and having just received a Facebook message and Bible verse from a Lebanese friend who was at the Bible study, I feel extremely encouraged and blessed to be able to share my faith in a foreign country and listen to the views and opinions of others as we discuss different aspects of the Christian faith together. However, Gibson (2016, np.) once wrote that “Making new friends shouldn’t mean losing old ones” and as I relish the opportunity of establishing friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime during my stay here in Denmark, chatting to a number of friends from home this week on Facetime was also particularly enjoyable. It was lovely to catch up with the girls that we used to live with in halls and also to receive useful advice from our friends, Lynn and Laura, who studied in Denmark two years ago.

 

Small group at Bruno and Priscila's house

 

We have continued to embrace the culture of Denmark and, being an extreme lover of food, I have to admit that the temptation to enjoy a cup of coffee and a Danish pastry has been too strong to resist on a number of occasions this week. On one such occasion, being the Royal School Armagh enthusiasts that we are, Hannah and I were accompanied by our former Spanish teacher who was visiting Copenhagen with her friends during her half-term break; it was lovely to reminisce with her about school and hear the familiar Northern Irish, albeit Fermanagh, accents. However, we had a less enjoyable ‘cultural experience’ this week when we went to the Post Office to pay our 790 Danish kroner metro fines, equating to roughly £80. We just had to accept this rather than dwell on it; as Bach (1936, np.) writes, “Mistakes – call them unexpected learning experiences.”

 

Danish pastries in Torvehallerne

Royal School Armagh reunion!

 

 

 

 

 
Reflecting on the past week, I feel it is appropriate to finish with a few words of wisdom from Dahl (1979, p. 31). He writes, “I began to realise how important it was to be an enthusiast in life…if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good.” In the coming weeks and months I hope to take on this challenge and fully embrace every opportunity that I am given. But, for now, farvel!

Reference List

Bach, R. (1936) GAIAM Life, available at http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/richard-bach?page=1 (accessed 22/02/16).

Dahl, R. (1979) My Uncle Oswald, London, Penguin Books.

Gibson, L. (2016) Quotes Gram, available at http://quotesgram.com/old-friend-quotes-and-sayings/#TcGiH5vFBU (accessed 22/02/16).

 

One month later

Week 4 (15/02/16) – Cultural and Professional

As I begin writing this fourth blog, I cannot believe that today marks the end of our first month here in Copenhagen and that it has been four weeks since we said goodbye to our families in Dublin airport and made our journey across the North Sea to begin our adventures in Denmark. Keller (2016) writes that “Faith in God’s promises means not always following the expected, rational path.” Indeed, in September 2013, when I first started Stranmillis, I would never have expected that I would be here today and the thought of spending a semester of my university degree in Scandinavia would definitely have seemed like an irrational path for me to take. However, my faith in the promises of God has enabled me to embrace the past four weeks with open-mindedness and thankfulness and encourages me to eagerly anticipate what is yet to come.

As usual, we have kept ourselves busy during the past week. Having attended the First International Baptist Church every Sunday for the past four weeks, we have been able to get to know some of the international students in the congregation there quite well. Tom, a student from Boston, asked us to visit Frederiksborg Castle with him on Friday. After realising that it closed early, we went to Rosenborg Castle instead and enjoyed viewing the Danish crown jewels, walking around the gardens and attempting to take selfies with members of the military who guarded the castle. Seeing as the weather was good, we decided to visit the Round Tower after this, a must-see tourist attraction right in the heart of Copenhagen. It is unique in that it has no staircase and so after a climb up the gradual cobbled slope that makes up the interior of the tower, we were stunned by breath-taking views of Copenhagen when we got to the top. This day ended on a despondent note, however, as Hannah left us to enjoy a weekend with her mum and brother and four became three. When Emma, Naomi and I woke up to a blanket of snow the next morning, we decided to make the most of it and took a trip to the beach where we built a snowman and took photographs of each other swinging from trees; it was an eventful afternoon to say the least.

 

 

 

Classes have continued as normal this week and a field trip on Tuesday was followed by a class on the topical issue of bullying on Wednesday; this was preceded by a reading homework based on the concept of social exclusion. It was particularly insightful to connect this to the issue of bullying in schools and to learn that ‘attachment anxiety’ coupled with the need to have a sense of belonging and security within a group context are major contributing factors to bullying behaviour (Pickett and Brewer, 2004). A discussion which centred on measures to prevent bullying was also very informative and gave us the opportunity to explain the work of the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum to our lecturer and classmates.

So it has been another exciting and eventful week here in Denmark. We are feeling more and more settled as time goes on and are quickly becoming accustomed to our new surroundings and way of life. Again, I finish writing this blog feeling extremely blessed and excited about the opportunities we are yet to enjoy, one of which includes a trip to Budapest in a fortnight! But, for now, farvel!

Reference List

Keller, T. (2016) Tim Keller Wisdom, available at https://twitter.com/DailyKeller (accessed 15/02/16).

Pickett, C. and Brewer, M. (2004) ‘The Role of Exclusion in Maintaining Ingroup Inclusion’ in D. Abrams, M.A. Hogg and J.M. Marques (eds) in The Social Psychology of Inclusion and Exclusion, New York, Psychology Press.

More birthday celebrations and more familiar faces

Week 3 (08/02/16) – Personal and Professional

Hej!

The beginning of this week saw us saying goodbye to one friend and welcoming another as Claire left us to return to Northern Ireland and Matthew took a slight detour via Copenhagen on his way home from Paris. He did not arrive empty-handed and so, in true multi-cultural style, on the same day that we officially registered as Danish citizens, we also took great pleasure in devouring some delicious French macaroons that he had brought for us from Paris. He stayed for two nights and we again took on the role of tour guides, showing him around some of the infamous tourist attractions in Copenhagen including the ‘Little Mermaid’, Nyhavn and Christiansborg Palace. This was topped off by a trip on the waterbus; definitely a unique way for the locals to get around to say the least! We finished off the week in style, celebrating Naomi’s 21^st birthday by taking her to the aquarium where she spent a couple of happy hours gazing into fish tanks and posing for photographs.

 

 

 

 

After saying goodbye to both of our visitors, the flat became unusually quiet all of a sudden and the four of us settled back into our normal routine. Being spoilt by our mothers at home means that it has been strange having to get used to cleaning on a weekly basis, doing the grocery shopping and thinking about what to cook for dinner every night. However, we are relishing the independent lifestyle that we have here in Denmark and are learning to appreciate our home comforts more and more every day. At times, I find it difficult being pushed out of my comfort zone, having to do things that I have never done before and go to places that I have never been. However, an unknown author once wrote that “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” Indeed, even though it is not always easy, it excites me greatly to think that the new experiences that we are having will enable me to grow in many ways as an individual and, most importantly, in my faith.

Lessons in university have continued this week as normal and I found one module in particular, ‘The Nordic Model’ to be very insightful. During the lesson, we were given an in-depth explanation of the structure of the Danish school system with a particular focus on the aims of the ‘Folkeskole’. It was interesting to share with our class the aim of the Northern Irish primary school curriculum which is “…to empower young people to develop their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives” (CCEA, 2007, p. 4) and to compare this with that of the Danish education system, considering the benefits and drawbacks of both. I hope that further lessons in this module will provide more insights into this area and enable me to develop my opinion as an individual teacher regarding what I believe to be the main aim of education.

As usual, we have had an extremely busy week and, in light of this, I am particularly challenged by Lewis (1942, np.) who writes that “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” I hope that we will continue as we have done, striving towards what is ahead and making the most of every opportunity along the way. But for now, farvel!

 

 

Reference List

Lewis, C.S. (1942) The Screwtape Letters, London, Geoffrey Bles Publishing.

CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment) (2007) The Northern Ireland Curriculum Primary, Belfast, CCEA.

Birthday celebrations and familiar faces

Week 2 (03/02/16) - Cultural and Professional

Virgil (2016, np.) writes that “Time is flying never to return.” Indeed the reality of this statement is frightening in some respects and, as I write this second blog, I can hardly believe that another week of our Danish adventures is over. From celebrating Hannah’s 21^st birthday with homemade pancakes and dinner in the infamous Copenhagen markets to welcoming a friend from Northern Ireland to Denmark, it has been a busy week filled with many memorable experiences.

Happy birthday Hannah!

The arrival of Claire on Saturday made the end of this week particularly enjoyable. As she walked through the door of our flat, she was greeted by the rather unpleasant smell of the product of Naomi’s baking ‘skills’. This gave everyone a good laugh and after getting rid of what could definitely not be described as yoghurt loaf, we sat down for a cup of tea as Claire filled us in with the craic that was happening at home. Despite having only lived in the country ourselves for just over a fortnight, we quickly took on the role of tour guides and showed her around some of the sights that we had been shown the week before. We introduced her to some luxurious delicacies, took her shopping to peruse the exquisite Danish design and enjoyed her company as she stayed here with us in the flat. On Sunday morning, we attended the same church as we had done the week before (First International Baptist Church, Copenhagen), as we had been made to feel very welcome there during our first visit. After some delicious Danish pastries and coffee in ‘Holm’s Bager’, we again enjoyed worshipping God and meeting different people there on Sunday.

So far, classes have been very different to what we are accustomed to in Stranmillis; however, meeting so many new people and gaining fresh insights and perspectives from both students and lecturers has been particularly interesting and thought-provoking. The General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) advocate the importance of students in initial teacher education developing an insight into the cultures from which pupils may come; the various discussions and debates that have taken place in our classes this week have begun to broaden my understanding of the different cultures and educational systems that exist in our world today and I hope that this will continue so that I will be able to develop as a practitioner who is ready to meet the demands of the increasing numbers of newcomer pupils in Northern Irish primary schools (Kernaghan, 2015). It has also been particularly fascinating to learn about how different countries deal with issues such as diversity within the classroom and I have already discovered ideas and techniques that I will be able to incorporate into my lessons at home.

So after another busy week, I can say with confidence that I am loving my time in Copenhagen. I am still in the process of settling in and, at times, find it hard to adjust. However, I feel extremely blessed to be able to say that I am enjoying every minute – it really is true that time flies when you’re having fun!

Reference List

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) Teaching: the Reflective Profession, Belfast, General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.

Kernaghan, D. (2015) Feels Like Home: Exploring the experiences of newcomer pupils in primary schools in Northern Ireland, Belfast, Barnardo’s Northern Ireland.

Virgil (2016) Brainy Quote, available at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_time2.html (accessed 3/2/16).