To Copenhagen and Beyond: Summer is here!

Week 16 (07/05/16) – Personal, Professional and Cultural

This week has been particularly momentous; Denmark saw the sun come out (eventually!) and with temperatures soaring after the cold winter months, the city of Copenhagen has been transformed with the realisation that summer is finally here. Some of the Danes have abandoned their long black coats and heavy winter boots and it has been refreshing to watch the city come alive with people basking in the sun and children playing in the parks. There is a completely different feel to when we first arrived in January; indeed, if anything were to make me hesitant about going home, it would be the daily dose of beautiful sunshine we are enjoying here that I doubt we will see when we return to Northern Ireland!

First BBQ of 2016!

There is one more thing, however, that really does make me sad that we are going home so soon. Throughout our time in Copenhagen, we have met so many great people and built up lasting relationships with friends from both church and university that we will never forget. The words of Adeney (2016, np.) are particularly relevant to me at this time; she writes “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” Indeed, especially through our church’s small group Bible study, I have met people who have inspired, challenged, encouraged and comforted me and whose friendships I am extremely thankful for. It has also been an amazing experience to get to know people in our class who are very different to us and who come from extremely different backgrounds. This week in particular, we enjoyed our first BBQ of 2016 with a few friends from class, having the opportunity to grow closer as we ate together, chatted and played a few obligatory rounds of ‘Jungle Speed’.

Small group

Speaking to and getting to know so many different people who are studying in their second, or even third, language has also challenged me to consider the difficulties faced by newcomer children in Northern Ireland when they enter primary school for the first time. In Professional Competence 8, the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2011) outline that students in Initial Teacher Education should examine the implications of pupils speaking a different language at home and how this may impact on their learning. Indeed, after being surrounded by so many different languages for 4 months and observing the struggles that some of our friends often have with the English language, I believe that I will be able to extend more empathy towards newcomer children in my classes back at home and understand better how to cater for their very specific needs.

The highlight of this week, and certainly one of my favourite experiences of our Erasmus adventure so far, was a visit to ‘Stevns Klint’ on the south-eastern shore of the island of Zealand. We were joined by some of our friends from class and as we walked along the cliff edge, we were amazed by the breath-taking scenery that we saw. The clear blue sea, the limestone cliffs and the rocky beaches were very picturesque and it was extremely refreshing to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city and amidst the stillness and beauty of creation. It was a very memorable day for all and the 13.94 mile count was definitely worth it! That’s it for now though, farvel!