Week 20 3rd-9th June (Personal)

After a fantastic twenty weeks it is officially time to say farewell to the Netherlands. Yet, I know that that Netherlands will always be a second home to me. Unquestionably, I will be returning some day for a visit and to relive all the wonderful memories I have made here. Luckily, there are already talks of having an Erasmus reunion in 5 years time.

This week as expected was an emotional one, full of final goodbyes, a lot of speeches, scrap book making, leaving dinners, tears, hugs and even one of our Spanish flatmates wrote a song especially for everyone in our flat. I have to say that is the first time anyone has ever written a song for me and it was moving.

For our leaving present, our Belgium flatmates made Daniel, Rachel and I a photo scrap book, where they recorded amusing memories and added numerous photos. I got the whole of our Erasmus group to write in the book. It was touching reading the comments and wishes that everyone had written. I enjoyed reading all the funny memories and appreciating the friendships that have blossomed over the past twenty weeks. I think the scrap book is a lovely way to capture all those memories. I am excited to read it in years to come.

The Erasmus Family of the Netherlands 2012

I have met many inspiring people over my time in the Netherlands, from my Dutch lecturers and buddies to all my Erasmus friends, even the children and teachers in my placement school. I have made many life-long friends here. It is amazing that after only a few short months I have a range of friends all over the world that I can go and visit.  One of our American friends and a couple of our Belgium flatmates’ have already booked flights to visit Northern Ireland in the summer. I can’t wait to show them my magnificent hometown of Belfast.

I have met a lot of different people on Erasmus with a range of personalities, but somehow we all got on like one big happy family. Interesting living in an environment like this has manufactured relationships that would never have happened if it wasn’t for Erasmus. It is awesome how much I have learnt over the space of Erasmus, not only in education but also in how I view different cultures.  Being on Erasmus has heightened my understanding of accepting different cultures, but it has also changed the way I view my own culture.

I have grown an interest in learning about different countries now that I have new friends that live across the globe. It has also heightened my passion for travelling and seeing new places. I love going to new places and visiting all the tourist attractions. Yet, there is nothing better than allowing yourself to get lost and finding the hidden gems which allow you to see what a country is actually like. In one of the module ‘Social responsibility in education’ we looked at the opportunities of taking internships in developing countries and this module has inspired me to look deeper into this area.

I am sad that my time here has come to an end, however I have had an unbelievable time in the Netherlands and I am thankful for that. The Erasmus experience has played a valuable part in my personal and cultural development has given me many skills as an independent young women. Deciding to go on Erasmus was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I know I will be talking about it in years to come!

 Twenty Weeks later and the three Amigos arrive back in Belfast.

Week 19 27th May-3rd June (Professional/Personal)

As my time is coming to an end in the Netherlands, it has become clear how my experience in the Netherlands over the previous months has helped my professional development as a teacher. Initially, I was intrigued by the fact that the Netherlands and many other countries don’t wear school uniforms. Before I started placement I didn’t understand how this could have advantages in a school context. However, I was surprised how well it did work in practice, a perfect example of this could be seen in my placement school (Ulenhof college), where the academic level and the behavior of the children were both at an extremely high level. I think ‘no school uniform’ works because the style of teaching is more relaxed in the Netherlands in comparison to home. This is due to a closer relationship between teacher and pupil. I liked the closeness I felt with my pupils in my class and my teacher tutor encouraged me to work on my relationship with my classes. I think that this made my time at Ulenhof more enjoyable. I think this is something that I would like to take home with me to Northern Ireland as previously I have always been worried not to be too friendly with the class as they would not see me as being the teacher. Previously, I have always been cautious to keep a distance with the class. I think having a placement in the Netherlands has taught me to relax more as a teacher.

My whole educational experience in the Netherlands has made me more open minded about teaching. I am more open to new ideas and ways to teach. I think I will be more critical of the education in Northern Ireland when I return home instead of just accepting what I am taught. Now, I have gathered a lot of ideas about education from my placement at Ulenhof College but from also talking to other Erasmus students. I have learnt to not be solely dependent on technology, although it is important to utilise ICT within lessons, there are lots of other key strategies that can be used. It is not the be all and end all of a lesson.

Gliding

Rachel and Daniel went gliding this week. I decided against the idea as I I’m not the biggest fan of airplanes- especially small ones with no engines. However, I decided to go along to the airfield to provide some well needed moral support and of course to be the chief photographer of the occasion (which has pretty much become my role of the Erasmus trip). I’m the one who is always making sure that we have enough quality photographs so that we can look back on them to remember the great times we’ve had in the Netherlands.

Erasmus Hawaii Party

This week we planned a Hawaii party to be held in our flat. All the flat members decided to buy some decorations for the themed party. I was slightly worried when our Belgium flat-mates came back with a paddling pool and a six foot inflatable palm-tree. However, it all added to the theme of the party and our flat looked the part. Everyone had a great night, though sadly this was probably one of our final parties at Vossenveld and what a party it was to end on.

In our paddling pool courtesy of the Belgium girls

This week, the Northern Ireland football team was playing the Netherlands in the Ajax Arena in Amsterdam. We decided that it was essential that we supported Northern Ireland and so we bought tickets for the match. We went together with a group of our Erasmus friends. However, they sat with the Dutch fans while we sat with the Northern Ireland supporters. It was nice to hear a few Northern Irish voices and join in with the craic on the Northern Irish supporter’s side. Unfortunately, we lost the match 6:0, however there were no hard feelings on our side as we were having a great time soaking in the atmosphere with the Northern Irish fans. It was nice to get a little taste of home.

Supporting Northern Ireland as they lose 6:0 to the Netherlands, in the Ajax area, Amsterdam.

Week 18 20th-28th May (Personal/Cultural)

The weather this week was heavenly. I was beginning to feel like I wasn’t in the Netherlands. It was a minimum of 30 degrees everyday and to put the cherry on the cake, all our lectures were cancelled on Thursday and Friday. We enjoyed a week packed full of sunbathing, swimming in the canal, playing volleyball and having water fights. Who needs a summer holiday, when the sun is here in the Netherlands?

 Going for a swim in the canal

Time for a water-fight

This week we organised a dessert night in our flat, whereby every representative country had to make one of their speciality desserts. We decided to make apple crumble with a cinnamon touch, served with vanilla ice-cream. It was delicious. It was good to taste everyone’s desserts. Rachel and I took all the recipes so that we can make our own Erasmus cook book.

Watching the sunset on the roof of the 8th floor

As we had Friday off Rachel, Daniel and I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to have one last adventure. We decided to jump on the train to Luxembourg. After a long seven hour train journey that took us through the Netherlands and across Belgium until we finally arrived in Luxembourg. The view of the countryside from the train was beautiful. We stayed the night in Luxembourg on Friday, and did a spot of sightseeing on Saturday. Once more, we could not have asked for better weather. Unfortunately, Daniel and Rachel looked more like lobsters by the end of the trip.

The only reason I knew about Luxembourg before visiting, was that its capital city is also named Luxembourg. It is the only answer I usually get correct in any pub quiz. Luxembourg is bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; German, French and Luxembourgish are the official languages. The country has a highly developed economy, which could clearly be seen when strolling through the city. The city is packed with designer shops such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. The sort of shops you don’t find in Belfast. The range of cars passing through the city included a range of the newest BMWs, Autos and the occasional Ferrari. The city was very clean and safe, but it was also quite expensive. Luckily, it wasn’t quite as expensive as our previous trip to Geneva. The typical food of Luxembourg is similar to German food. Unfortunately we did not get to try much food from Luxembourg on our stay, as we opted for an Italian restaurant. But it was a good choice as the food was delicious. My favourite part of the trip was walking through all the beautiful parks in Luxembourg and visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and the Place of the Grand Dukes. 

 Enjoying the beautiful parks in Luxembourg

Sightseeing in Luxembourg

Week 17 13th-20th May Personal

It is astonishing that in less than three weeks it will be time to go home. It doesn’t seem so long ago since I sat down at my laptop in my new room in Nijmegen to begin writing my first blog. I can remember not knowing how to begin to write a blog and now it’s like second nature. I can’t wait to make the remaining time here unforgettable. Over the next few weeks there is lots of fun activates planned to celebrate the remaining days of Erasmus 2012.

The weather this week has been very peculiar to say the least. At times, I’ve felt like I’m living in a tropical rainforest. One minute the sun is shinning and the next it’s raining with the sky roaring with thunder and lightening. However, I cannot complain as when the sun comes out, it is delightful, with temperatures hitting 24 degrees. On Monday due to the fantastic weather a group of our friends decided to have a barbeque down by the canal and it was great fun.  I have officially had my first barbeque of the summer. We ate lots of food, played games and toasted marshmallows until it got dark. I could get used to this life-bliss.

 Enjoying a barbecue by the canal

Thursday was a public holiday in the Netherlands. It is commonly known as Ascension Thursday, Holy Thursday, or Ascension Day. This day commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is a universally celebrated across Christian churches. It is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter. To celebrate classes being cancelled, we decided to plan a picnic on a local beach. Rachel baked up some delicious pasta salads for our trip. Rachel is now commonly known as the ‘mummy’ of our flat as she is always cooking, cleaning and looking out for everyone in the flat.

 At the Ascension day celebrations in Nijmegen town centre

On the evening of Ascension Day a celebration was held in the centre of Nijmegen. Not knowing what to expect we went along and I’m glad we did as we had a great night. There was a large stage and bars set up along the main shopping street of Nijmegen and people where all dancing, drinking and soaking up the atmosphere. It was a whole family event with everyone relaxing as they enjoyed the remaining hours of sunshine before dusk. I have noticed the Netherlands regularly organise free events within their towns, which I think is wonderful.  Free events like this are not as regular at home.

 Taking the boys on a cycling tour of Nijmegen

Rachel’s boyfriend and mine travelled out to see us this weekend. We had a lovely weekend and I was happy that they got a last opportunity to see Nijmegen. We spent one day in Nijmegen and a day in Amsterdam. It was nice showing them around Nijmegen and showing them our University campus and town centre to give them a taster of what our day to day life is like in the Netherlands. We even managed to borrow bikes for them so that they could tour Nijmegen the traditional ‘Dutch’ way. Surprisingly, they both loved the cycling, both suggesting that they want to buy a bike when they get home. In Amsterdam we made a visit to Madame Tussauds and the Amsterdam dungeon.

In addition, it was a good opportunity to send some stuff home with the boys as I have noticed the extent of clothes that I have gathered up over the last few months, dear knows how I’ll mange to get it all squeezed into one suitcase home.

Dinner with the boys

Week 16 6th-13th May (Professional)

I am enjoying my school placement more and more as the weeks move along as I have now settled into life in Ulenhof College. Both of the science lessons I took this week went really well and I got excellent feedback from my school tutor. I think I am starting to understand the Dutch style of teaching and surprisingly I like it. This week I also got to observe a bilingual math lesson. I found the style of teaching math was similar to home. Amazingly, I have even got used to the long two hour journey of getting to Ulenhof College. I actually find it quite peaceful having some ‘me time’ on the train journey. Living in students’ accommodation 24/7 means you are constantly with people and so I actually quite enjoy gazing out the window at the striking Dutch countryside and having the time to appreciate and reflect on the opportunities I have been given over the past months.

Pretty Dutch countryside

My school tutor being a ‘typical’ Dutch man will tells me exactly what he thinks for example, if the lesson was good or bad he will be sure to let me know. I have found that this is a very different style from home. At home we generally withhold exactly what we think to avoid hurting feelings. Even within some of my previous placements at home I have found that I have had to really question teachers to find out what they thought of my lesson. Well, I most certainly do not have this problem here in the Netherlands. My placement tutor is fantastic at giving feedback and will sit for at least an hour after every lesson to explain and help me to think about what went well and what didn’t. He is also very good at giving recommendations and explaining what he would do in certain scenarios. However, he encourages me to do what I want to do as ultimately every teacher is different and therefore it is important to develop my own style of teaching.When my tutor gave feedback this week he observed that I have been able to control the class really well and in some cases he has said he has never seen them behave so well. Perhaps, it is because they are concentrating so hard to make out my accent. I think both classes are beginning to really see me as their teacher. 

One thing I have noticed about most secondary schools in the Netherlands is that they don’t have sport facilities attached to their schools as they would do at home. Ulenhof College does not have any hockey or football pitches. Apparently it is normal in the Netherlands for young people to attend sports clubs outside of school instead of in school. I found this strange as it is opposite at home. Sports were a central part of my secondary school. I used to have hockey practice twice a week and match every Saturday morning whereas the boys would play rugby or football. I guess this is just the way they do things here.

In the module of ‘Social Responsibility’ we had a school visit this week whereby we helped out with a school project. The project was a three day long project and we were assigned to help out with one day of the project. The project goal was to help improve our world by delivering an introduction for pupils about 21^st century challenges and invite the students to search for solutions. The project was taking place in Canisius College which is located in Nijmegen about a thirty minute cycle away. I found it interesting taking part in this project as it gave me the opportunity to see what another secondary school is like in the Netherlands. It also gave me the opportunity to compare whether my own placement school is a ‘typical’ secondary school in the Netherlands.

Flat Photograph

This week we held a Tapas and wine night in our flat. I had a great night bonding with the rest of my flatmates. We tasted loots of delicious new tapas and wines that we haven’t tried before. Rachel and I have decided that we will make a recipe book to record all the delicious recipes we have tasted from all the different cultures since being on Erasmus. When I go home, I can’t wait to cook a meal for my family and show off my new culinary skills with all the marvellous recipes I have collected.

 Tapas and wine night

Week 15 30th April -6th May (Personal)

This week was May break and what a brilliant week it was. This was the last public holiday in the Netherlands before we leave, so we thought we had better make the most of it. In the Netherlands Monday the 30^th of April is Queen’s day and every town in the Netherlands is packed with people partying on the streets, dressed in crazy orange themed costumes. At first, we were undecided of where we should celebrate queens day, but after talking to some of our Erasmus buddies we were advised that if you are only ever going to do Queens day once in your life, you should do in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam on Queens day

Queens’s day came and went and what a day it was. The atmosphere was indescribable. The whole city was packed with people. Queen’s day typically attracts 700 thousand visitors each year. There were numerous outdoor concerts organised at various locations, live DJs, bands, amusements parks and thousands of burger vans and merchandise stalls which lined the streets of Amsterdam. It could be described as one huge street party. The streets where so packed at times it was hard to even walk and the canals where lined with hundreds of boats that were packed with people dancing. The atmosphere was bustling as everyone celebrated with their friends and families across the city.

Lieze (Belgium flatmate) and I relaxing in Vondelpark on Queens day

Celebrating Queens day with a few of our Erasmus friends

From Amsterdam we caught a train to Brussels where we got our flight to Geneva. Unfortunately this trip involved an overnights stay in the airport-not comfy to say the least. However, it was all worth it when we reached Geneva. Geneva was beautiful, however extremely expensive.  I couldn’t believe it when we visited McDonalds and a Big Mac was 13 euro-crazy prices. It is no surprise that in 2011, Geneva was ranked as the fifth most expensive city in the world. Geneva is the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Geneva is a global city, a financial centre and it is the most important UN international co-operation centre along with New York.  In Geneva the hotels were also expensive so we opted for a hostel. Our hostel was basic but we couldn’t have wished for a better location. It was less than a 5 minute walk to the lake of Geneva. The view of Lake of Geneva with the Jet d'Eau (water fountain) and the lake side promenade was postcard perfect. The winding alleys of the Old Town were quaint and I especially enjoyed the boat across the lake. After two days in Geneva I was excited to begin our next part of our Journey to Barcelona- at least we’d be able to afford more things there.

The postcard perfect lake of Geneva

Luckily, we had beautiful weather in Barcelona and it was over 20 degrees with beaming sun every day. Rachel and I were not used to the heat and we both got slightly burnt the first day. We stayed in beautiful 4 star apartments with a swimming pool, this was luxury in comparison to our hostel in Geneva. Two of the Spanish boys that we live in Nijmegen are from Barcelona so they had already told us all the things that we must see on our visit.

Rachel and I visiting the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

We decided to opt for the sightseeing tour as it would take us around all the key attractions. The highlights of the trip was the tour of Nou camp football stadium and visiting the Sagrada Familia. We took a boat tour around the harbour, visited the markets of la Ramblas and ate in beautiful restaurants.My favouraite was when we enjoyed cocktails in the ‘W hotel’ which is 26 floors high and overlooks the whole of Barcelona. The view over Barcelona at night was breath taking.

In Nou camp Stadium

Week 14 22nd-29th April (Personal/Cultural)

This week was the last week for a few of our Erasmus friends who had opted for the three month Erasmus term. To celebrate the occasion we went for dinner in a local Italian restaurant. I found it surreal that their time in the Netherlands was over and it brought to light how little time I have left until I finish. I can’t believe it’s week 14 and I have only 6 more weeks to go- it’ scary. I know I will miss Nijmegen and all the friends I have made here. I appreciate the fantastic time I have had and the experiences and memories I will carry with me forever. This experience has shaped the way I see things and see other people and other cultures. It has defiantly broadened my horizons and made me aware that there is far more in the world other than Northern Ireland. It has been a great experience living in another country. Yet I know down in my heart that Northern Ireland will always be my home. I think I have surprised myself with how easily I have adapted to living in another place. I thought that I would be homesick, but I was surprised that I haven’t felt homesick at all. I think this has been down to the support of having Rachel and Daniel here with me and making lots of great friends out here. I am determined to make the most of my remaining time in Nijmegen.

Outside at the train station of Gouda

On Saturday we decided to visit a few towns in the Netherlands along with a few other Erasmus friends. We visited the town of Gouda and Rotterdam. Gouda is a city in the western Netherlands, it a quaint, typically Dutch village. Gouda is world famous for its Gouda cheese and its 15th Century Town Hall. Gouda has a regular cheese market which is held in the centre of the city. We stopped off in Gouda to have a spot of lunch and visit the famous Gouda market.

Harbour area of Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and has the largest port in Europe. Rotterdam is very different to the other cities in the Netherlands as it is bursting with high-rise buildings and is often described as a concrete jungle.  Rotterdam is a major international commercial centre and has always been one of the main centres of the shipping industry in the Netherlands.  Its strategic location allows for a vast distribution system extending throughout Europe and this is the reason that Rotterdam is often called the "Gateway to Europe". Rotterdam is perhaps the best place to shop in the Netherlands. Therefore, we took full advantage of this and spent the afternoon shopping. Later we went for dinner in a lovely Chinese restaurant before we got on the two hour long train back home to Nijmegen.

Week 13 April 15th- 22nd Professional/Cultural

This week I have spent a considerable amount of time developing my professional competences as a training teacher. Luckily within my school placement I have been placed with a superb teacher who has gone out of his way numerous times to ensure I am making the most of my experience in Ulenhof College. The previous week, my teacher had video recorded my teaching. I was exceedingly anxious to watch the video back. This was the first time I had ever been recorded teaching. It was interesting watching the video as I could clearly distinguish my strengths and areas that needed improvement. I think I need to be more relaxed with the class as the teaching style in the Netherlands is slightly more casual than back home. I think it was good that I kept circulating around the classroom and checking pupils’ progress when completing the set exercises. By doing this I was able to tell who was working effectively. It also helped keep a good pace with the lesson. I have found learning the names of the pupils in my class quite problematic as they are not typical names from home and so I am worried of pronouncing the names incorrectly. However, my teacher has reassured me that I should give it a go and if I get the name wrong I should laugh it off and learn from the experience. I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Ulenhof College and already I can see that the experience has helped to develop towards becoming a better teacher.

Inside Ulenhof College

This week I had my first experience in a Dutch cinema. Surprisingly, the experience wasn’t a lot different from a cinema at home. It is interesting that all the films in the Netherlands are shown in English. In Belgium and France and other countries the films are changed, but in the Netherlands they leave them in English and just add the subtitles. Perhaps, this could be another reason why the Dutch speak such good English. Interestingly, the cinema sells alcohol. This is something that would never been seen at a cinema in Northern Ireland. Similarly, The Dutch ice-skating rink and bowling alley also have pubs in them.

This week the student union had planned a trip for the Erasmus group to visit a local Dutch brewery in Nijmegen. We learnt about the process of how beer is made and even got to taste a range of beers. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. However, I would have preferred if it had been wine tasting rather than beer as I am not a big beer fan. We also got to taste a few typical Dutch snacks which was the part of the tour that I found most interesting.

The Brewery in Nijmegen

Week 12 8th-15th April (Personal/Cultural)

Easter Sunday had finally arrived and after starving myself of chocolate for the past 40 days of Lent, I can happily say I was more than excited to see this day come. On Easter Sunday we had our flight home from Rome which flew into Dusseldorf airport, before we got the train back to Nijmegen we decided to eat in a local German Restaurant to celebrate the occasion. I have surprisingly become rather fond of the German cuisine. The next couple of days we relaxed back at Vossenveld while grazing on lots of chocolate. Classes started back on Wednesday with our new modules of Global citizenship and Social Responsibility. I found the new courses interesting and I am excited for the coming week’s lessons in these classes. On Friday it was our Greek flatmate’s birthday (Iro) and she decided to make us all some of her Greek speciality dishes with one of my favourites being Tzatziki. It is delicious. Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt, mixed with cucumbers, carrot, garlic, salt, olive oil, and pepper. Tzatziki is served cold and is often served with bread (loaf or pita). 

 Iros Greek themed birthday party

On Saturday evening, our Eramus group had a cocktail party whereby each floor had to create their own cocktail and dress up like movie stars. Our floor decided to make a non-frozen version of a strawberry daiquiri and it was delicious. All in all we had had a great night, dancing, laughing, and drinking with all our Erasmus friends.

Having fun at the Erasmus cocktail party

This week we also booked our next trip away over the may vacation. May vacation in the Netherlands is from the 30^th April to 6^th May. The 30^th of April is Queen’s day in the Netherlands. It is a traditional celebratory day in the Netherlands. This day is also known as "Koninginnedag". Queens’s day is a national holiday in the Netherlands. It is celebrated in honour of the Queen's birthday which is the 30th of April. Interestingly, this day is not the birthday of Queen Beatrix (The current Queen of the Netherlands). It is the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana. Queen Beatrix decided to keep this date, because her own birthday is the 31^st of January is in the winter. Queen's Day is also an occasion to showcase the world-famous ‘orange craze’. Therefore, it is normal for people to wear orange clothing and creative orange accessories on this day. The colour orange represents the name of the Dutch royal family and the House of Orange. In Amsterdam, on Queens’s day it is normal to see orange banners and orange coloured foods and drinks. I am excited to join in the orange craze in Amsterdam on Queens’s day this year.

Dutch people start celebrating Queen's Day on the evening of the day before. Usually the evening before, and this is called Koninginnenacht, Queen's Night. The clubs in Amsterdam organize special festivities and from what I have heard, for young people this is the night to be in Amsterdam. The atmosphere in the city is buzzing at this time and I also know that Amsterdam hotels book up early around this time.  Amsterdam is very busy on this night as many young people move from one party to another, while others prepare the next day market.

After celebrating Queen’s Day in Amsterdam we have planned to fly to Geneva the flowing day. We plan to stay in Geneva for two days and we have also booked a flight to Barcelona to follow this trip in hope that we will catch a few rays of sun. I am very excited about the weeks ahead.

Week 11 1st-8th April (Personal)

This week we had Easter break and what a week it was. We decided as we had time of we wanted to do a spot of travelling. Our trip of took us to Dusseldorf, Vienna and Rome.

Our flight to Vienna was booked to fly out of Dusseldorf airport and therefore we decided that it would be worthwhile to book a hotel for a night so that we could see the city of Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf is a modern and vibrant city although it has retained plenty of traditional character. The main tourist attractions in Dusseldorf include the Rheinufer Promenade which has beautiful riverside walking trails. On our second day in Dusseldorf there was a German market occupying miles of the promenade. Honestly, I have never experienced anything like it- the amount of different types of food, the array of people walking up and down the promenade while grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying a few beers. Needless to say the atmosphere was bustling. Now I can say I have experience a proper German market.

 German markets along the Promenade of Dusseldorf

Dinner in Dusseldorf; Enjoying some typical German food

Dusseldorf is also a popular city due to its good shopping which is mainly located on Konigsalle. It is also well known for its vibrant nightlife which is found in the Old town area-also known as the Alstradt district; which was one of my favourite highlights of Dusseldorf. The busy nightlife with many different types of busy bars making the whole atmosphere of the town beaming, not to mention the scrumptious strawberry daiquiris.

Our next part of the trip took us to Vienna. Luckily one of our friends (Laura) from our Erasmus group lives in Vienna and so she had asked us to stay with her. She lives in a beautiful apartment which is a 5 minute walk from the main shopping street.

 Rachel, Laura and I enjoying the view of Schloss Schönbrunn Palace.

Sightseeing in Vienna

Vienna is awesome and it was especially helpful having our own personal tour guide. We managed to see all the main attractions in Vienna including Schloss Schönbrunn Palace, St Stephens Cathedral which were two of my favourites. Vienna is a modern and extremely clean city, the architecture of the grand buildings where beautiful. It was nice not just being a tourist but also experiencing how Austrian people live. Laura and her friends took us to a local club and introduced us to all their friends. Everyone we met where lovely and Vienna is a truly beautiful city.

Rachel and I at the Trevi fountain

Our last stop was Rome. It would be hard to put into words how great Rome was. For this part of the trip Rachel’s boyfriend and my boyfriend came out to meet us. We had four full days in Rome and for most of it the weather was beautiful. We managed to see all the main attractions including the Colesseum, the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish steps, The Vatican and many more. We took full advantage of trying out all the best Italian pasta and pizza dishes and tasting the best Italian wines. I am only home and already, I want to go back. Although I am glad to give my feet a rest after all the walking I have done this week! However, I cannot express enough what a fantastic week I have had.

 At the Collesseum in Rome

Robbie, Rachel, Jonny and I, Rome 2012.

Week 10 25th March- 1st April ( Cultural/Personal)

This week the weather in the Netherlands was beautiful, spring is well and truly here at last. I took full advantage of this blissful weather by sunbathing outside in the afternoons alongside the canal beside our student accommodation. Also, due to the lovely weather went exploring some of the beautiful parks in Nijmegen.

Exploring Nijmegen

On school placement this week I was given the opportunity to take three science lessons. Unfortunately, the class teacher was on a school trip to Italy and therefore I would be responsible to take the class on my own. I was slightly anxious about the experience but the teacher reassured me he had every confidence that the lessons would be a success. He decided that it would be worthwhile to video-record the lessons and therefore we could watch them back together and discuss my progress. Luckily, the lessons went well, the classes were well behaved and the pupils completed all the work I had planned for them. It will be interesting to see the videos back. I have never had my lessons videoed before so it will be a good experience and I am excited to see the footage. Hopefully, I will learn a lot from this experience and it will undoubtedly help my professional development as a training teacher.

 Old-fashioned windmills in the Open Air museum

This week within the module of 'Dutch culture and society' we had a trip to a museum. The museum we visited was the Open Air Museum in Arnhem which is the town located next to Nijmegen. The museum is similar to the Ulster Folk and transport museum back home. This year the museum was celebrating its 100^th anniversary. The museum boasts a range of Old Dutch farmhouse buildings, windmills, churches, schools and the museum also contains its own fully functional old-fashioned tram. It was interesting to see and hear how people in the Netherlands used to live and make and living. We also where shown how the Dutch used to make paper, milk, cheese and honey. There was a section in the museum that displayed old-style Dutch clothing and head wear. I found the headwear most interesting. In the Netherlands it was traditional for women to wear a Dutch cap or Dutch bonnet. It was usually made of white cotton or lace. However, it is interestingly characterized by triangular flaps or wings that turn up on either side. This can be seen in the photograph below.

       The Dutch cap or bonnet which is characterised by triangular flaps or wings.

Week 9 18th -25th (Cultural)

Over the course of Erasmus, I learnt lots in terms of cultural development. Last week I learnt a lot about the political system of the Netherlands and this week each country was given the opportunity to do a presentation of the political system of their own country. I thought this was a useful activity as I had never given much thought to politics before and I even enjoyed learning more about the politics of Northern Ireland when we had to make our presentation.

The Dutch political system is based on the Trias Politica idea of Charles Montesqieu. The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The government of the Netherlands strives for broad consensus on important issues, within both the political community and society as a whole. Therefore, the Netherlands is often described as a consociation state. Similar to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands also have their own Royal family. Queen Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, born 31 January 1938) is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  Queen Beatrix's official title is Her Majesty Beatrix, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Netherlands; Princess of Orange-Nassau. The queen herself has limited power in terms of political decisions. However, she is a very important body in the Netherlands and takes pride in many special appearances and opening of new buildings.

I found that the Belgium political system was perhaps the most interesting yet troubled political system. Interestingly, Belgium had a record breaking 535 days without government in the years 2010-2011. This is due to the difficulty of Belgium occupying three cultural communities, the Flemish Community, the French and German-speaking Community. Unlike the Netherlands, the Belgium government struggled to gain a consensus. In September 2011, the six main negotiating parties of Belgium achieved a breakthrough agreement on local government of an electoral district with a Francophone majority comprising both Brussels and parts of the surrounding Flemish region. The agreement was finalised in October 2011, with only the remaining hurdle of budget allocation among Belgium’s local regions. Finally, in November 2011 a new government with francophone Socialist Elio Di Rupo as Prime Minister was formed on December 5, 2011. I found this extremely interesting as our Erasmus group has people from each part of the Belgium communities and it was interesting to see the difference in opinion on this topic and how running without government for such a long period of time was such a struggle.

Our flat dinner

This week we had our second flat dinner, whereby each country was to make a dish to share. We decided to make Pavlova, of which I was extremely proud of. The rest of the flat also made lots of other dishes including cheese fondue, salmon canapés, homemade pizzas and a chicken dish, all of which were delicious. I am starting to really enjoy our monthly tradition of flat dinners. I love trying new food and getting new recipes and ideas for cooking. I have definitely become a lot more adventurous in my eating habits while I have been in the Netherlands, I like to try new things and when we treat ourselves to go out for dinner I always try and pick something new. One of my favourite dishes is moussaka, which I had never tried before coming to the Netherlands. A few weeks ago our Greek flatmate’s parents came to stay for a few days. They own a restaurant in Greece and they were very kind to us and made our whole flat a range of traditional Greek foods.

Our home-made Pavlova

Week 8 11th-18th March (Personal)

This week I taught my first Dutch class in Ulenhof College. I was given the opportunity to take two science classes. Luckily enough the classes are taught in English, therefore language will not be a problem. However, I was anxious about the experience as I was unsure if the pupils would find my accent hard to understand.  Yet, the main dilemma was that the classroom I was teaching in had no smart board. Reflecting on my previous experiences of teaching in Northern Ireland I have always had the luxury of a smart board and I would always create a PowerPoint for each lesson. The ‘no white board situation’ will be a challenge and it highlights the extent to which I have relied on technology in the past. Nonetheless, I think it will be a good experience to help me embrace activities that don’t rely on ICT. 

To begin the lesson I thought it would be worthwhile to introduce a few key points about Northern Ireland. The pupils really enjoyed the personal touch and got really involved asking more questions about Northern Ireland. One of my pictures of Northern Ireland was of Rory Mc Ilroy, I couldn’t believe that not one of the pupils in either of my classes, nor the teachers, knew who he was. Just shows that golf isn’t such a big sport in the Netherlands. Teaching in a Dutch classroom was quite similar to home; the pupils in my class are really well behaved which made the classes easier to teach. In the lessons, I taught three experiments that I had never done before. Luckily enough they were all a success and no one managed to set anyone on fire. Overall the classes went well and I received thumbs up from the teacher, so I was very pleased. Next week my class are on a school trip to London and therefore I do not to have any lessons next week. Yeah!!

Out for dinner with the flat mates

This week we had a flat dinner party in a lovely Italian restaurant in Nijmegen, I had lasagne washed down with some fine wine. It was good fun spending some time with all the flat mates. Over the past two months our flat has grown so close, we’re like a close-knit family now. I would never have expected to get so close to people from all different cultures. The experience is priceless and I know it’ll be hard saying bye to everyone at the end of this experience. We’ve already started planning summer visits to ensure we all keep in touch. Time is really flying here and I’m determined to make the most of it.

This week Rachel and I also joined the university gym. I’m proud to say that we’ve already been twice this week. However, I’m not so sure how long we’ll keep it up but if all else fails at least the cycling will keep us fit.

Celebrating St. Patrick's day with all our Erasmus friends

This Saturday it was St. Patrick’s Day. We decided to celebrate it in style by having a pub crawl around Nijmegen. We gathered up all our Erasmus friends and we went to a few famous pubs in Nijmegen. Typically we ended the pub crawl in the Irish pub, where we watched England play Ireland in the rugby. Unfortunately we lost 30 to 9; nonetheless we still had a great St. Patrick’s Day with all our Erasmus friends. 

Rachel and I with our Guinness hats.

At the second bar of the Pub Crawl.