Final Week! (Mon 21st May - Sun 27th May)

Personal blog

This is my last ever blog entry!  This week was spent packing our things and cleaning our room up before we left Vordingborg for good, as well as, saying goodbyes to our ERASMUS friends whom we lived with for 5 months.  We also had our friend Hannah visit from Northern Ireland, so this last week really flew in.  It was strange to pack for going home rather than for travelling elsewhere and it made me realise that I would probably never live in the same place again or with the same people, despite becoming so accustomed to the lifestyle and people.  It also made me ponder when I would get this opportunity to travel and meet new people again and when would I see the friends I made in Vordingborg again.

I am also glad that I went on ERASMUS before I approached my final year of teaching education as it was a refreshing way to spend the semester and learn new, as well as, reinforce some teaching practises that are implemented today.  I think our education systems differ in terms of how much accountability schools and teachers have to the government and inspectors, however modern methods such as learning as a process rather than a product are encouraged in both systems. Having learned that another country supports some of the same teaching and learning strategies, I feel even more confident in the Northern Irish education system. 

The best parts of the ERASMUS experience have definitely been meeting the other students from other countries and getting to know them and developing friendships with them, also travelling to Hamburg, Berlin and other parts of Sweden and Denmark has been brilliant.  I also think that engaging with the Danes and getting familiar with the culture has been good to experience as they seem to live a more relaxed, laid-back life and enjoy their own space and company as well as the company of others.  They have encouraged me to learn to relax and not get caught up in the daily stresses of life, but to take a step back and enjoy the simplicities of life.  I live a busy lifestyle at home and am always doing something or feeling like I ought to be productive, so living in a Danish culture has probably had a positive influence on me.

I have made so many memories and have experienced so many emotions throughout my Denmark experience that I will always reflect on and laugh at!  Travelling to and living in somewhere far from home and with unfamiliar surroundings and faces can be daunting and challenging but very exciting and life-changing even.  I feel the experience has gave me a lot more insight and awareness of the world; different countries and people with different backgrounds and nationalities, the courage to grasp new opportunities and step out of my comfort zone, the chance to communicate and learn more and the confidence to approach tasks and situations with more optimism. I really think going away to study and live has been one of the best decisions of my life!

The entire ERASMUS group!

Week 16 (Mon 14th May – Sun 20th May)

Cultural blog

This week we said Goodbye to Trisha as she left Vordingborg for Northern Ireland.  It was strange that we weren’t leaving with her as we all arrived in Denmark at the same time and shared the experience together. As Trisha packed for home, Fionnuala and I packed for our trip to Sweden with our two Austrian friends and set off the next day on a 4-hour bus journey to Gothenburg (Sweden’s 3^rd largest city).  We stayed in a hostel for one night, then did a little sight-seeing via a canal tour and enjoyed tea and cake; also called ‘Swedish Fika’, in Old Haga town; a beautiful and quaint area with lots of little antique shops, boutiques and cafes.

Old Haga town

The four of us were invited to stay with a Swedish lady and her family for the next few days; where we had our own bedrooms in a dream house that overlooked a stunning lake and forest.  We couldn’t believe our luck!  The Swedish lady made us feel so welcome in her home and prepared a variety of Swedish dinners and desserts for us throughout our stay.  We learned to play some traditional Swedish games including ‘Kubb’; a game involving the knocking down of blocks to win.  The Swedish lady provided us with a rich insight into Swedish culture, which we never would have had if we hadn’t stayed with her and her family.  I learned that the Swedish people are generally quite into the outdoors and embracing the nature around them when the weather permits and if you had seen where we were staying you would know why! The natural forest and lake surroundings were unbelievable; like something in a film!  We were lucky enough to have brilliant, sunny weather and we took a canoe trip down a lake near to where we were staying.  I really ought to appreciate Northern Ireland’s natural surroundings more often as we too have some beautiful scenery such as the Mournes and the Giant’s Causeway. I have learned that it sometimes takes you to be out of your homeland to develop a new appreciation for what you have there!

Where we stayed with the Swedish family!

Enjoying a Swedish dinner in the sun!

This trip to Mullsjo; staying with the Swedish family in their beautiful home, was a perfect end to our ERASMUS travelling experience. We were truly spoilt by the family and couldn’t believe how kind and inviting they were to us, considering we were strangers and each from different countries (Northern Ireland and Austria).  I will never forget their hospitality and open-mindedness!  I would like to think that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would also demonstrate this culture when guests from other countries visit their homes.  I don’t intend to generalise but I do assume that people these days are more wary of people they don’t know and are perhaps more guarded and reserved when it comes to opening up to people from other countries and foreign cultures. I do however like to see that people can easily enjoy the same things and share the same sense of humour even though they come from different countries, backgrounds and cultures. 

Week 15 (Mon 7th May – Sun 13th May)

Personal blog

This week we said our first goodbye to the first ERASMUS student to leave and go back to her home in Spain.  It made me realise how time has passed by so quickly and it’s important that you make the most of it and this gave us the incentive to make more plans with the other students.  We had a Spanish omelette party and pancake party for the Spanish girl and exchanged our contact details and personal messages for each of our journals and also enjoyed the delicious food!  We also promised to keep in contact and I hope to visit her in Spain this July.  I love the networks and friendships we have developed with the students here and appreciate that I had the opportunity to build these through ERASMUS. I think this has been the best part of my ERASMUS experience and would encourage people to go on ERASMUS because of this.

We also had our last class and handed in our term papers which really made us aware that the experience really is coming to an end.  To celebrate finishing the papers, we went to Tivoli in Copenhagen with the Dutch girls and we also wanted to make the most of our time with Trisha as she goes home next week!  At dinner in Tivoli we discussed some of our best experiences in Denmark to date and we quickly realised that we have had so many experiences but have forgotten a lot and lots of the experiences feel like they happened ages ago rather than a few months ago!  We all agreed that the Berlin trip as an ERASMUS group was definitely a highlight as it was where our friendships really began to develop as well as our cultural awareness within the group.  We did however agree that it has been disappointing that we didn’t get to know each other sooner as we all arrived at different times and lived in different accommodation.

The Dutch girls and us in Tivoli gardens

This week we also decided to visit Malmo in Sweden as it is only 30 minutes from Copenhagen by train.  It was a quaint place with nice, old-fashioned buildings and some cobbled streets and a canal which runs through the city. We also found that the culture and scenery there isn’t particularly different to what we have seen of Denmark’s.  Fionnuala and I however will be lucky enough next week to go to Gothenburg and Mullsjo with two Austrian girls and see more of Sweden; which will allow us to contrast and compare some different places in Sweden.  It feels great to be able to say that I have visited parts of Germany, Denmark and Sweden and seen a lot more of Europe than I ever expected at this stage of my life.  It has only inspired me to want to travel more and see more of Europe but also consider international travelling; for example America.  This also means I have a lot of saving to do when I get home!





Week 14 (Mon 30th April – Sun 6th May)

Professional Blog



This week Jayne Moore visited Vordingborg and our university.  It was nice to show Jayne where we have been living for the last 4 months and to tell her what we have been studying as well as how much our lifestyle has changed whilst living here.  It was a great opportunity for us to reflect on our learning here and how it compares to the Stranmillis education system; one of the main differences is the relaxed and laid-back learning environment promoted in the University of Zealand that encourages students to debate and openly discuss topics.

Jayne's visit

We also had the opportunity to tag along with Jayne to a Danish school and see a music lesson being taught as well as be interviewed by pupils in two English lessons.  Something that stood out was the staff’s clothing as they wore casual clothes e.g. jeans, trainers etc.  This was strange as we are used to seeing and wearing more formal and smart clothing when teaching; which I think helps people to recognise the professionals in a school and gives teachers the opportunity to take pride in their presentation and appearance.

Danish school

Another notable difference was the English teacher’s approach and style of teaching.  She was very relaxed and open with the children as she shared details about her personal life which we often feel is inappropriate sometimes.  I did however like that she created an atmosphere in the classroom of equality; where she wasn’t superior to the children but learning a lot from them too and being a facilitator rather than imparter of knowledge.  I also think the Northern Ireland Curriculum (2007) supports this idea of a teacher as a facilitator, although sometimes as teachers more traditional approaches to teaching still do exist.

We also got to see an after school club which was really impressive as they provided horse-riding, roller-skating, wooden playground equipment (swings etc.), fishing, wood-work, drama, help with homework and a range of other indoor activities such as cooking.  The parents of children don’t have to pay as much for this facility as they would back home and it appears that a lot more activities are offered to the children here.  The staff also trusted the children to have their own freedom and partake in activities unsupervised.  The manager insisted this is because he believes when children have this freedom; there is less opportunity for them to misbehave and rebel.  This was interesting as back home we would be more afraid and adamant to let children in our care roam around without our supervision.

I liked what I seen in the Danish school and club however I do like the structure we have in the schools in Northern Ireland as rules and responsibilities are established and everyone is made aware that they are in place to create a positive learning and care environment that promotes a feeling of security in the staff and the pupils.