Week 1 in Copenhagen

Personal Development

So, the time has finally arrived, the months of form filling, phone calls, google map searches, emails and conversations have all paid off and it is time for the adventure to begin! My last week at home was unbelievably busy. There was lots to organize and lots of goodbyes to say, however I couldn't wait for the moment when I actually arrived in my new home for the next four months. The night before I left, I didn't sleep a wink! I had a lovely meal with my family and said the last goodbyes before catching the bus to Dublin airport with the others. On Thursday 28th January at eleven o'clock we set off for Denmark and we got the first flavour of the Danish accent as we boarded the plane.

Once we arrived in Copenhagen, we were met by a student from UCC and she took the four of us to our accommodation. This was so kind of her, as the train and metros are not easy to use in Denmark, especially when you have to work out which zones you are traveling to and work out what you have to pay, (we are still trying to get the hang of this!). It was so great to arrive at the flat and get things unpacked and get settled. Our accommodation is really nice and feels like home for now! The first evening we endeavoured to go to the local shop, we have all been laughing at how such simple things at home are made into missions when you first arrive in a new country. In a book I have been reading it sums our experience up really well, ' Even commonplace activities become extraordinary, routine choices become adventures, and are often experienced with a sense of heightened clarity.' Young (2007, p.15). We have also found that shopping is very expensive here too, so we have spent a large majority of the time trying to find the best deals and cheapest options, very much the student approach!

One of the most pleasant experiences about this week as been the amount of snow, the place is covered in a blanket of white. Apparently there hasn't been this much snow in over twenty years in Denmark. One of the evenings we were caught in a snow storm as we walked home, a truly amazing experience! Katie and I also spent a large part of Sunday afternoon building a snowman, it was quite the challenge and I think we became rather competitive, however we were rather pleased with the result!



I have found Copenhagen to be a very modern and well organized city. Everyone here can only be described as very cool and fashionable. The people have been very helpful towards us and are always keen to give directions and advice. I feel that I have settled here extremely quickly and it is so great to have the company of the other Stranmillis students in my flat. We have all found it great to have each others' company, especially in the initial stages of our stay. It was also great to see the bigger picture of this experience during our welcome talk at uni. We met with the other Erasmus and Danish students and have already had some great conversations and we are looking forward to getting to know them more this weekend during our residential weekend away this Saturday. I am really excited about the modules that I am taking in University and can't wait to discover more of this amazing place.

Cultural Development

My first cultural experience has been in reference to food, typical in relation to me! On our arrival our ladylady very kindly set up some "afternoon tea' for us which included bread, cheese, cakes and Earl Grey tea (they drink that a lot here). The room was very dim and had small tea light candles lit. She explained that because it is often expensive to eat out in Denmark, people often invite people for 'Hygge'. The word does not translate easily into English, but basically means 'cosy'. We all really enjoyed the experience and are keen to Hygge again soon! On Sunday evening, we were again invited for tea, the meal included an amazing traditional Danish dish, Frikadeller (a type meatball) which was so tasty. One of our course involves learning to cook traditional meals and I can't wait for that!

Our first trip into the centre of Copenhagen opened our eyes to the vastness of the city, the beautiful buildings and endless museums all waiting to be discovered over the next four months. On Tuesday we headed to see Den lille Havfrue (the little mermaid), one of the most famous sights in Denmark. Unfortunately, we chose one of the coldest days of the year to visit the mermaid and the water had even frozen in parts of the marina! However, on the positive side there were very few tourists so we got a great view, however we were keen to escape the minus temperatures and made our way back to the station!







On Sunday, Katie and I went to the local Luthern Church ( Hedegardskirken ) with our landlady, we really enjoyed the service and people were so welcoming. We hope to get involved with some of the events over the next couple of months at the church, we feel that this is a great way to get to know the local people. The service itself was very traditional, and involved a lot of hymns, more than would be the case at home. The Hymns were sung by three extremely talented musicians and there was a lovely atmosphere during the service, even though the language barrier was somewhat of an issue; we still gave the singing a try! I cannot wait to learn a little more Danish, as I find it extremely frustrating at times not understanding what is being said. The minister spoke to us after the service and explained a little about the format of the church in Denmark, especially in relation to their Parish. The parish includes two churches, the East and West and the church has four, full-time ministers who take one service each month. We are keen to visit a few more churches during our stay so that we can getting a bigger picture of the religious culture in Denmark.

Professional Development

On Monday, we arrived at Blaagaard/ KDAS and met with the other Erasmus Students and were introduced to the course. There are students ranging from Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Norway, Germany, Belgium , France and of course four from Northern Ireland! The university format is similar to Stranmillis, with the exception that the course classes are not set times each week, there is a different schedule for each week. Classes are split into day and night classes for students, which gives those who are working during the day; the opportunity to study full-time for another career path during the evening. We have had one night class this week and it went on until 9.30pm, something that we are definately not used to at home!

So far this week we have had two modules, Danish and Globalisation and Professional Change. The Danish class for me was extremely well taught and interesting, I found that already I have grasped a few key phrases, we even practiced the whole way home in the bus and I can't wait to learn some more phrases. One of the most difficult aspects of the Danish language is the fact that the spelling and pronounciation are in no way related, a challenge which will be difficult to overcome. We have been told that is essential for us to grasp a level of Danish which we can use during our school placement. Each of us are eager to meet this goal during the duration of the four months.

Globalisation and Professional change has a number of aims which we are going to consider over the next couple of weeks. The module investigates the issue of discovering other professionals in other cultures and countries. The emphasis deriving from the fact that we as student teachers will inevitably come into contact with other professionals from other cultures and we need to know how to relate, communicate and learn from each other.

The course focuses on English as a global language, it was extremely interesting to note how essential the other Erasmus students place on their ability to learn English and how talented they were at reading and speaking the language. In many ways it made me embarrassed at my ability to only speak English fluently and my poor grasp of languages that I learnt at school. It made me reflect on how important the initiative of introducing languages in primary schools in Northern Ireland is, many of the Erasmus students told me how they had been learning English from a very early age, and this was essential for the development in the language.

I am looking forward this coming week to learning a bit more about the Danish school system. We have an Erasmus residential weekend this coming week and I feel this will be an excellent way to hear more about other school systems and share our own experiences.

More to follow after week 2! Speak soon,
G.