Week 8

Personal Development


The week has been another fast, busy week with lots to do! I have reached Day 56 and I have approximately 56 more days left in Denmark! You would think that I would be excited by this thought, and don’t get me wrong, I am very excited about going home, but at the minute, I keep thinking of the great time I am having here, and wondering how I will pack what I want to do into the next 2 months.

This week is the last week of class before Easter holidays and teaching practise. We will only have a few classes during our teaching practise before we graduate from this part of the course. The course ends on the 30th April, but we are staying on to complete an individual assignment. As this applies to only a few people, most of our class are leaving at the end of April. Talking to a few classmates this week, it was sad realising that we will not have much time together during the next few weeks due to placements. They were telling me how annoyed they are at having to go home in just a few weeks as there is a lot they still want to do. I will appreciate the extra time we have here to explore more of Denmark, and visit other towns and cities outside of Copenhagen as I have not had the chance to do so yet.

Due to our busy schedule at university the past few weeks, I have really enjoyed the days where I have been able to just relax. At this point of my stay in Denmark, I have discovered places that I really like to go to, and places that make me feel relaxed. On Saturday, after finishing my work for Monday, I went to watch the rugby in the city centre. We met up with two of our French classmates – Karim and Claire to watch the end of the Six Nations. Even though Ireland lost, I was able to support France with the same passion and was glad they won. It was feeling I had not wasted 4 hours of my life watching men fight over a muddy ball.

I have also visited Frederiksberg twice this week due to its laid-back, relaxed atmosphere. The weather on both Sunday and today was amazing and so it was really nice walking along the streets and going to the park – I even bought an ice lolly today! It was really nice not being cold as we sat on the bench taking ‘Spring pictures’ and people watching. When I got home, I realised I had maybe gone a little too far with all the pictures I had taken, so I am only enclosing my favourite one. Frederiksberg reminds me of a typical European city. It is very unique and continental. I know this may sound very obvious, as I am in a European city, but it is only when I go to Frederiksberg that I really appreciate it due to the ‘holiday’ atmosphere it creates.

Cultural Development

This week, Kirsten invited us to a play at a small theatre in Østerbro (East of the city). The theatre was putting on an English play about the life of Tony Hancock. I was very interested about going, as I was looking forward to hearing some English accents and some English humour. The theatre, Krudttønden, was a small place. It had a very cosy café as you walked in the door; and we were able to make use of it as we arrived 45 minutes early! The theatre itself was very small – with only room for about 80-100 people. The experience was just like going to a theatre at home, but a little more relaxed. Not many people had dressed up for the event, not that I had made a huge effort to dress up, but most people were just wearing jeans and comfortable looking clothes. From observing people from all walks of life here – from business men and woman, to lectures at my university and students at my university, it is uncommon to find anyone in a suit or extravagant clothing. I like the fact that everyone dresses for practicality and ease rather than looking awkward in discomfort as they manage their daily tasks. Definitely part of the Danish culture I will be bringing home!

Today I managed to find my way to the building where I apply for my Danish residence. I am not quite sure of the technical term for this type of building, but the directions I was given were clear and the building was easy to find so I didn’t think about logistics. I am sure you will be glad to hear that I got ‘accepted’ as a resident in Denmark and my form is being processed. I will be receiving something in the post. I am not quite sure what is in the post, but the efficient lady said it would be with me in 2-3 weeks – I hope it is a certificate. The process was very quick and easy, and as I mentioned the lady was so efficient. Even though there were many people waiting to get ‘accepted’ and only 3 ladies working in the office, I did not feel like leaving after 40 minutes in a queue like what normally happens at home. This was down to two reasons – firstly, I was only in the queue for ten minutes, so I had no reason to give up, and secondly the building was clean and welcoming unlike some of these buildings I have experienced at home - waiting was not a punishment.

Professional Development

I had my final Multicultural Classroom lesson this week. We were presenting our group presentations for the model school for multicultural teaching. We put a lot of effort into our PowerPoint and visual aids for the presentation, and our efforts paid off as our school won! Even though getting a bar of chocolate was really good, I really enjoyed getting to hear the creativity of some of the other groups. Some of the groups put a lot of effort into how their school and classes would look, and other groups focussed on how their classes would function. I loved getting ideas of how I could use activities in my own class like having a project area for producing information on different cultures, and interactive tools. The experiences and examples I have been shown over the past 2 months will be invaluable for my classroom practise in Northern Ireland. I feel that being in a different country; I am more open to new ideas and will not be afraid to try them at home.

In Visual Culture this week, we also had a group presentation on our findings and conclusions through doing the two tasks we had been given. Everyone had the same task for task one – we were looking at similarities and differences in our universities; and every group was given a different task in Copenhagen for the second part. Due to the fact that every group had produced a Wiki page and a podcast for both, the presentations were carried out in smaller groups, were everyone had the chance of presenting their projects, and also visiting other groups to hear their thoughts and findings. The class was very interactive and we were able to listen to everyone’s podcasts and ask questions. We also took part on an online discussion to conclude the lesson. I found this way of presenting very beneficial and I was able to play an active role within the class. We were also able to ask individual questions, making the topic more relevant and interesting. I really enjoyed this class, and got a lot from it – both professionally and culturally.