Some pictures of my favourite moments

Playing in school

All wrapped up



At the Royal Palace

Erasmus Conclusion

It’s hard to believe my time of 17 weeks has passed. It feels like only a few weeks ago I was at the airport with my luggage, nervously waiting for the boys so we could catch our flights. When I arrived in Vӓxjӧ, when I saw my empty bedroom and my empty house, I sat in my room thinking these next four months would be so long away from home, however I look back now and see it couldn’t have went any quicker.

During my time here I have met some of the most amazing people, people who have been very sick, people from all sorts of backgrounds, all still managed to up and leave their comforts and more away to the unfamiliar. It was so great to meet people from so many different countries, places I would have never thought of. How interesting it was to learn about everybody and their countries and cultures. It was definitely one of my highlights; getting to know so many different cultures.

I have made some of the best, life-long friends from across the globe, Australia, America, Canada and Holland. Although we are all so far away, I would love to have the opportunity to meet with all these amazing people sometime in the future. Some of the girls I have met have already planned a trip to Ireland this week and so I hope to see them here, and a friend from America is also coming to Ireland in July and so I’m happy that we have made Ireland a popular tourist destination.

Since going on Erasmus I feel I have definitely become more independent and feel like I can fend for myself more often. Surprisingly I wasn’t very homesick for most of the time away and so I’m happy to know that I could travel the world, looking for work abroad if required.

I absolutely loved the three-week placement which I completed in a local primary school. It was so interesting to see how others work, to see other education systems, and to learn many tactics which I can use in my own teaching career. It was great to be able to help pupils to improve their English, to practise their conversation skills, and to know that through my help, I have paid a part in their successful English examinations’ results.

All in all, for anyone reading this who is even considering going on Erasmus DO IT! I know when I was going everyone said that it was the best semester of their lives, I always thought people were just saying it, but I can say it definitely was for me. I loved every minute of my time away and would recommend for everyone to go away somewhere, it’s only one semester so make it count. You will have a ball!

Thanks for reading my blog, hope you’ve enjoyed it!

Vecka Femton

This week I will continue with the professional blog from last week, reflecting on my week on placement. As this is the last term of primary school for the children. The children have very few classes as they are allowed ‘to relax’ before beginning life in secondary education. Because of this, I have seen very few lessons being taught over the past week. The children appear to have a lot of free time, or are working on projects which are already meant to be finished. During anytime where they have nothing to do, the pupils should take out their Ireland projects and work on them, however, I feel that I was asked to do this project as a ‘time-filler’, that the teacher didn’t have anything for them to do and so he asked me to carry out this project with the children. They can spend up to three hours throughout the course of the day working on the projects. I feel that this ‘time to relax’ is a very bad way to prepare children for secondary school. They will never get this in secondary school and shouldn’t get into the habit of becoming lazy. I know for certain in Ireland, pupils would barely get a week of this not to mention a whole term of few lessons. I know when I was in the last week of primary school, we did some fun lessons, art, music, P.E etc.. but only for one week, not a whole term. I think this is a bad habit for the children.

I have noticed that children here in Sweden are very respectful of each other and of adults. Discipline doesn’t seem to be an issue for teachers to deal with at all. In both schools I worked in, I have never heard the teachers raise their voices once. I have spoken to the teachers regarding this and they have all said that children will do their work with little or no talking, and also without any debate which I have had to deal with before. I feel that children in Ireland lack the respect for others, whether this has to do with culture or they way we were brought up, I don’t know. On many occasions I have also seen the teacher leave the room for various reasons and the children remain in their seats continuing with their project work, I know for a fact, if this was done in Ireland, pupils would be up moving around the room messing with each other. This is definitely one of the things that has amazed me most during placement, the respect pupils have for each other and the teacher. How the pupils take responsibility for their work and need little or no instruction to do so.

If only our classrooms were so quiet and full of hard workers, I feel that teaching would be so much easier without the constant battle to get pupils to work.

Vecka fjorton

After a bit of difficulty, I have finally been placed in a local primary school for my placement. I am working with a grade 6 class where the children are between 12-13 years old. The children have been learning English for almost three years and were all extremely shy and didn’t like to speak incase they made a mistake. However, after much persuasion and with the help of an English lesson, the children felt more secure and began to speak more confidently. Towards the end of the week the pupils would come and speak English which was great. I was happy they had overcome the shyness and I could see how excited they were to be able to do this. The pupils have their national tests coming up where their knowledge of English is also examined and so I felt it was important that they practise this with me.

The class teacher wanted the children to learn about our culture and so he was happy for me to work as much as I could with the children about Ireland. He asked me to do a presentation on Ireland for the class which they enjoyed. I then asked the pupils to, over the next few weeks, do their own presentation on Ireland. I gave them some topics to choose from: food, music, famous people, famous places, sport, and the Titanic. In pairs the pupils would have to work together to make a presentation which they must present to the class during my final week. Most of the pupils really enjoyed this task and have been putting a lot of effort into their work. I immediately noticed that pair-work is no problem for these children. From my previous placements in Ireland, I know if I were to give this assignment to children in Ireland, where they go off and work together in the library or on the computers, children in Ireland would be messing and not working on what they are supposed to be doing. I feel that Swedish children really take responsibility for their work and will do it without constant supervision, which I feel many children require in Ireland.

I also took an art lesson where I told the pupils about a shamrock, and it’s meaning to Ireland. They then had to paint a shamrock or a leprechaun to put in the Ireland corner. Again the pupils were keen to learn about this, a symbol linked closely with Ireland, and enjoyed the painting activity.

The children are interested and happy to learn about our culture, and I am proud to be able to teach them about it.

Some more on placement will follow next week...

Vecka treton

This week as I am still home, I will continue with a culture blog, comparing Vȁxjӧ to home. After spending some days in Sligo, Jackie and I went to Belfast before our return to Sweden. When we arrived I showed her the city of Belfast; City Hall, Queens University and of course, the shopping centres. I have never actually walked in around queens and so I guess I learned a little of our culture. We compared the huge Queens, to the tiny Linneuniversitet where we study here in Vȁxjӧ.

The next day Jackie and I went to see the new Titanic museum. It was quite busy and so we just looked at it from the outside. Although a tragic event, it’s great to have the Titanic linked with Ireland; that it was built there. People from all across the world can come to and visit the birth-place of this historical ship.

I also brought Jackie to see some murals; to see some of Ireland’s history. I told her about some events that I have learned about, and of course there are many with I don’t know of. I spoke about sectarianism and how it still exists in many parts of Ireland. She was fascinated to learn of our cultural background and about the history of our country. We went to visit both communities involved and compared all the different art-pieces, something which was very interesting for me too. As Sweden is such a clean country, I doubt we would see any such pieces around the streets and neighbourhoods. It is well kept and always looks clean. I realise that some murals in Belfast are not art-work as such but are out to scrutinise the differences between communities. Again, Jackie was able to learn of some historical events which occurred in our country, and sadly which still does in some cases. Jackie then spoke about the aboriginal community in Australia, and how they are also often mistreated because of cultural differences. It’s clear that everywhere we are there will be cultural differences however, some of us have trouble accepting these.

Vecka tolv

This week I will complete a culture blog, comparing Vȁxjӧ to home. I went home this week for some appointments I had to attend. Luckily I was finished class, and colleges at home were closed for Easter holidays and so I got to meet up with and spend some time with my friends and family.  I also have a friend who I’ve met here in Sweden, Jackie from Australia, who always wanted to visit Ireland but never had the opportunity to, and so I invited her to along on my trip home. We were both so excited, I was excited to get to show off the lovely Ireland to my visitor and she couldn’t wait to meet my family, see some sights, the green grass, and of course the lephrachans!

When landing in Belfast, we were greeted with a familiar downpour of rain, rain which we never quite experience in Sweden, immediately I knew we were home. The familiar accent at the airport and the use of English was nice. Coming from a non-English speaking country to this feels great!

My sister picked us up at the airport and we drove to Sligo. Along the way I was giving Jackie a grand tour of our beautiful country. She had her camera out taking photographs of the green, green farmlands, the colourful mountains, and anything else out of the ordinary she spotted on the way, she couldn’t wait to show her family in Australia the ‘green-ness’ of Ireland. I quickly realised how beautiful Ireland looks through the eyes of an outsider.

Luckily Tuesday turned out to be a lovely sunny day so we headed to the mountain of Knocknarea which is in Sligo. From the top we had some beautiful views of the coast, and of the whole of Sligo. Walking up through crowds of sheep we spoke about the differences between Sligo, Vȁxjӧ and Melbourne.

We also made a trip to the beach on Tuesday. It was great to be near the coast again as Vȁxjӧ is about an hour from the coast and so it’s difficult to visit the beaches. From living in Australia, Jackie is also used to sunny weather and being at the beach and so she loved seeing what an ‘Irish’ beach looks like in comparison to theirs.

We will be in Ireland for a few more days and so I will continue a culture blog into week 13.

Vecka Elva

As I am still waiting to receive information regarding my placement I will do a personal reflection on my time here since the beginning eleven weeks ago.

Before coming here I was nervous, about classes, incase I didn’t make many friends and incase I didn’t like it here. Eleven weeks on I have completed my classes, which although difficult at times, I really enjoyed. I enjoyed exploring other cultures and learning about other international students in my classes. Even though it was difficult, I managed to grasp a little Swedish, enough to pass my exams!!  I found this course very grammatical however I loved learning the spoken language through conversation activities.

The friends I have made here have deeply enhanced this whole experience for me. I am so lucky to have met so many people from all over the world and created such close relationships with them. It’s just a pity I can’t take them back to Stranmillis with me. My friend family have been so good to me, taking me in as one of their own, cooking for me and inviting me to excursions with them, hopefully I will get to spend much more time with them before returning home. The ‘buddy’ system here in Vȁxjӧ is brilliant too. Each Erasmus student is befriended by a Swedish student. I was lucky to get a really nice Swede who is always happy to meet me for coffee and a chat.

I have really loved this experience. I have definitely become more independent and have learned to appreciate everything that I have and all that is done for me at home.

The weather is coming and going, hopefully for our last few weeks here, we will see lots of sunshine.

That’s all for this week!

Vecka Tio

                                  

The sun is out, and we can see spring is here and summer is near! I think this week temperatures are up in the high-teens. I am currently waiting to be given a school for my placement, my classes have finished and so I am off for the week enjoying the sunshine. Luckily some of the others are also off this week and so we are all off relaxing in the sun together. I am however, in major need of a shopping trip, I don’t have any clothes for this weather, I only have my winter woollies; great excuse for some retail therapy!

We have had a nice chilled out, activity based week. Michael and I played some pool, needless to say I didn't win. Everyday we went with some friends up to a large green area for some sunbathing only to find half the student population was there. It was like Stran open day except it was for the week, a lot of banter was had!

Time to get the frisbee’s out! We joined a huge game of ultimate frisbee where I got to show off my lack of frisbee catching skills! Still this far into the semester we have so many opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. We also played some outdoor basketball with our Dutch friends, brought me back to the good ol’ days of QUB basketball.

 

We bought a barbeque this week and had some awesome barbeques cooked by non-other then or very own chef Michael Nelson. We toasted some marshmallows and relaxed; enjoying the weather with not a care in the world.

THIS is the life....

Vecka Nio

Today I will make a short personal reflection based on the weekend I have spent with my friend family.

As I was late to receive a friend family I haven’t known them for very long. I have been placed with a Swedish/American family. The father is Swedish and the mother is American. They have four beautiful kids, two boys and two girls, whom I have been able to spend lots of time with. They are four, six, nine and eleven years old. Luckily for me, they all speak excellent English because of their American heritage. They tend to speak English most of the time I am there, but sometimes will use Swedish with their father. It’s amazing the way all the children, even the four year old, can change between the two languages so easily.

I went out to them on Saturday afternoon. It was really sunny and so I borrowed the mother’s bike and brought the kids for a cycle. It was really fun to get to know the kids and allow them to spend some time getting to know me. They also really enjoyed it as they we could all go together.

We then had a barbeque with different Swedish meats which was delicious! We sat outside and got to know each other a little better. The parents were then going out that night and so I stayed and babysat the kids. They were so excited to have me sleeping over!

The next day we went for a drive through the countryside, admiring the Swedish scenery. We also went to see Kronoberg Castle which is located just outside Vȁxjӧ. The castle is located on a lake with the most beautiful scenery, luckily the sun was shining making it all the better. It was built in the 1440’s and has been her since the war between Sweden and Denmark in the 1540’s. I hope to make another trip to the castle when it opens in the beginning of summer.

I have had a great weekend with my friend family. I loved spending time with the children and telling them about life in Ireland. It was great to see a family being a family, and being allowed to be part of this. They are such lovely people who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. They make me feel like part of the family, like a big sister. Their love and hospitality has really enhanced this experience for me. I can’t wait to call again!

Vecka åtta

This week I will do a cultural blog which will also include many professional aspects also. Similar to my last blog I will reflect on my experience of the week-long visit I made to the primary school. However, in this I hope to make some comparisons between the Northern Irish Education System and the Swedish.

I found that the Swedish education system is very informal. The teachers are spoken to on a first name basis, which I think is good in a way as pupils can relate to teachers better and they appear to be more comfortable with the teacher. Although I do feel that use of the first name makes the teacher appear to have less authority and be more of a friend to the pupils which can make life a little difficult when disciplining them.

Schools in Sweden also have no uniforms. Pupils can wear anything they wish to school. Personally I feel that uniforms create a sense of unity within a school and also lessen the risk of bullying in schools. Pupils here feel under pressure to keep up to date with all the latest fashion, something which I feel is very unnecessary for children of 10/11 years old. Pupils also take off their shoes upon entering the school, something which again I found very unusual in comparison to back home.

Here in Sweden all schools have large dining halls which provide children with a hot meal everyday; free of charge. Most teaching staff also avail of free hot dinners daily. I know at home in the South of Ireland, most pupils take a packed lunch to school and so I was shocked that teachers also eat for free! In Sweden, pupils’ books and stationary are all supplied for free. Again in Ireland pupils are required to buy their own books and stationary for school. I see that the Swedish government have a huge focus on education and are of clear assistance to this.

During my visit to this school I noticed that children could walk around the class and discuss each other’s work. This is very different to Northern Ireland as pupils would do most work individually with little or no talking allowed. I found that this informal method can be good and bad. I noticed that some children took advantage of this and walked around the classroom chatting to other pupils, not discussing the work. However, if done correctly I feel that this is a good method as children can learn from each other’s opinions and ideas.

I also had the opportunity to look at the Swedish curriculum and the requirements. This wasn’t as detailed as ours and so I noticed that teachers here can teach more freely using methods as they please, whereas at home, the curriculum is much more structured and doesn’t allow for as much personal input from the teacher.

Although very informal, I feel that the Swedish Education system has many strengths in comparison to the Northern Ireland system. Teachers have much more freedom to teach using their own methods. Pupils partake in much more group work and discussions where they can learn from each other. I loved this school visit and  have taken some tips from this visit which I can hopefully use when I become qualified.

That’s all for this week...

Vecka sju

  Last week we had the opportunity of visiting a primary school for the week. I was placed in the school with another student who was from South Korea. I was moving between two classes, grade four and grade five (P6 and P7). I was in two classes to enable me to observe English lessons and other lessons taught in English so that I wasn’t observing too many lessons in Swedish, where I couldn’t understand the content. However, in some cases this was not possible and so I observed some lessons which were taught in Swedish. During these lessons I was not able to assist pupils when they were stuck on something as I didn’t have enough Swedish to understand all of the questions. I found this very difficult however, I these lessons enabled me to experience what life is like for EAL students who come to our schools in Northern Ireland and do not speak much English. I learned that it is definitely very important to learn a couple of words of the new-comer’s language to assist with some explanations. The speed at which the teacher speaks at is also something I will remember for when I get an EAL pupil. In many cases the teacher spoke very fast to the pupils in Swedish, making it almost impossible for us to pick up any words. I would try to speak slowly to enable the newcomer to pick up some words and follow the lesson.

The grade four class have been learning English since the start of this year, seven months. I was amazed at the level they were able to speak at. All of the children could hold a conversation with both Chi Yeong and I and where not shy or afraid to try which was excellent because we could talk to them and help them with their numeracy and geography lessons too.

I noticed that the grade five class, who have been learning English for almost two years, were all extremely shy and didn’t like to speak to us incase they made a mistake. However, after much persuasion and with the help of an English lesson, the children felt more secure and began to speak with us more confidently. Towards the end of the week the pupils would come and speak English to us without any instruction which was great. I was happy they had overcome the shyness and I could see how excited they were to be able to do this.

In both groups I found that pupils were eager to get their English right and so if they didn’t know a word they would ask their peers and the class teacher any words which they didn’t know. This showed me the interest they all had in the language.

I found this week of school very beneficial as I could experience a totally different school system. The English lessons also enabled me to notice each child’s different strengths and weaknesses in language learning, a topic which i studied for a module last year and which is of great interest to me. I was also able to observe lessons which I didn’t understand enabling to see what life is like for young EAL pupils who come to our school in Northern Ireland. I can appreciate how difficult life will be for these pupils.

Next week’s blog will outline some of the differences I have noticed between the two school systems.

Until then..... Hej då!

Vecka Sex

This week I hope to speak a bit more on the personal aspects of my experiences. I have been meeting with friends a lot for the past few weeks. We are all getting closer with each other which is great as can do so much more together now that we all get on so well together. This weekend our American friends went to London travelling and the Australians went to Lapland. On Sunday when they left I found myself feeling very down and just wanted to be at home. I spoke with my family on skype and felt really homesick. I then realised how much time my friends and I have been spending together as they had only left and already I was bored and lonely.

That evening Michael and I went to Niall’s for dinner, and Irish Stew which was delicious! I then started feeling a bit better as I had company. I have now realised how much I can miss home and how much I love to be surrounded by people, that I prefer company than being on my own. I then began to appreciate how difficult Erasmus can be for some people, I can’t imagine what going further afield on international travels would be like. So well done to everyone that did go!

However, these few days of homesickness are nothing compared to the great moments and memories I have made here. These days just make me want to experience the comforts of home. I know that things at home have not changed and so I realise that I am missing nothing at home but am so lucky to be able to be studying in another country.

I am still finding Swedish language classes very difficult. These classes have a lot of emphasis on grammar rather than conversation and so it can be very difficult. These classes help me to appreciate the power of English. At least I can understand what is being said by the teacher in English however those from non-English speaking countries have a much more difficult time in learning Swedish.

Although I’ve had a few days of homesickness I continue to love each day here and am becoming more and more comfortable and independent.  

Vecka Fem - Understanding Cultures

Since coming here I have been given the opportunity of learning about many different cultures and how their education systems work. Our regular class presentations enable each of us to gain a better cultural understanding of countries from all over the globe. In this blog I hope to give you and insight into some of the interesting facts I have learned since starting study here.

In both China and Turkey teachers to have to work with large numbers in the classroom, in China for example 80-100 pupils is quite common in all classrooms. Imagine in Northern Ireland people complain of large class numbers when a teacher has over 30 pupils. I couldn’t imagine being able to remember each pupil’s name. It would also be impossible to develop a personal relationship with each pupil – something that I think is very important for a teacher and pupil to have.

In Sweden and in China, the common age for pupils to being primary school is 7 years old. I personally feel that this is quite late, especially when I can see what children are capable of at school in P1. Many students in our class were quite amazed at the fact that pupils can read and write many letters and words in P1, and also that in Ireland pupils also learn to speak Irish from the age of 4. It is normal in China and Sweden for children of this age to remain engaged in play activities all the time until they begin school at 7.

I also learned that in most of the countries we have learned about (around 10) teachers haven’t as much of a status as many others careers and aren’t paid very well either. On a recent visit to a vocational school we were told that particularly here in Sweden, there are very few post-primary teachers; something which I was shocked at as teaching is a career that many people at home tend to choose. Also the wages for teachers in Ireland/Northern Ireland seem to be significantly more than other parts of Europe.

We also had a discussion about disciplining the children. Many Asian students talked of how teachers in Asia are allowed to hit the children with a long stick. We were all quite shocked at this, but whenever we then talked about how in Northern Ireland it is not even permitted to hug a child or allow it to sit or your knee, most people were gob-smacked! They couldn’t understand how we comfort an upset child without engaging with he/she. This is completely normal in most other countries, we also learned of teachers carrying younger pupils around in the playground, something which would be unacceptable in most cases in Northern Ireland.

In Stockholm there are small schools which have no classrooms but rather one large room where all pupils work together., called Vittra Schools. In this school pupils are grouped in accordance to their ability not their age. I feel that this system would be very beneficial to pupils all over the world as not all pupils of the same age range have the same abilities. I think that it would be good to have some of these schools in Northern Ireland also for pupils who do not match the same ability range as their peers.

I am really enjoying my class – Intercultural Competence and Understanding, as I learn more and more about other cultures and how their education systems operate. I often come out of class wondering how we would have turned out had we attended some of the schools we have heard about.

Vecka fyra

 This week my sister was over visiting. We went to Stockholm where we did some sightseeing. We went to the Royal Palace which was exciting as I’ve never seen one before. We also saw the changing of the guards where there was a short parade. We also saw some beautiful sights of Sweden during our travels around. We also went skiing for a day which was unbelievable, and we survived with no injuries! During the ski trip I noticed the tiny children, some no more than 4 years old skiing down the mountain with absolutely no fear. I was amazed as children of this age at home can’t even tie their shoes and here are children putting on their own skis, getting the chairlift up the mountain, and skiing down successfully all by themselves. It’s amazing to see the difference in cultures, even for little things such as this.

In front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm

We also went to an ice-hockey match with some friends which was exciting as I’ve never seen one before. We were standing in a perfect spot for the game as we were beside all the real fans, chanting and playing drums. As all the chants were in Swedish they were quite difficult so we will have to get practising for the next time we go to one.

My sister and I also went to Goteborg this week. I absolutely loved it. It is a fantastic city. W e went to a huge park which had a small zoo in it and I got to see an elk! We also went to an aquarium where we saw some sharks and some really beautiful fish.

During my travels throughout Sweden I noticed that there are not very many people suffering from poverty or homelessness. Compared to Ireland where one could note poorer people/homeless on almost every street, I think on my trip here and after visiting the different cities I noticed three in total. Presumably this is due to the high tax rates and the benefits which people can avail from due to these. It’s seems that most Swedish people are of the one class whereas in Ireland one can clearly notice the differences in people from different areas.  I think Ireland could learn a trick or two from the Swedish system!

I met up with my buddy again this week. She was helping me to practise my Swedish. I’m still working on it, it’s very difficult, but I’m getting there, hopefully by the end of the semester I will be able to have a full conversation!

Until next time.....

Vecka tre - School life

It’s not getting and warmer here in Vȁxjӧ it was -20 at some points! But it’s great to still have the snow, everything looks so much nicer.

This week I was enabled to look at elements of professional life here in Sweden. We had the opportunity to visit a vocational high school where we met with the principal who had excellent English and told us many interesting facts. He told us about the school, staff, facilities and courses on offer. In the school there was a bakery, a garage for mechanics a media room, a painting and crafting studio, and a hairdressing and beauty salon. This high school was rather similar to what we would call a ‘tech’. I had never been in a tech before and so I was amazed at the facilities a school would have and we also had the opportunity of watching a number of pupils at work. Some of the pupils showed us some of their work and talked about the college in general. We also got to taste some chocolates which the students were making in the cookery school. They were delicious!  It was a great opportunity for us to view other options for when students finish school.

We also visited a pre-school where unlike Ireland students are of the age range 1-7 years old. In Sweden pupils start primary education at the age of 7, many people wonder how we can start at 4! This visit was a brilliant opportunity to observe the children from as small as 1 year old working and interacting together yet they were still so tiny! This particular pre-school teaches the children through music. We observed a lesson for the class of 5 year olds. I loved watching the children singing and dancing in the lesson, they weren’t even distracted by us students being there which was great! This visit enabled us to observe the pupils in each of the different age groups, we could notice the differences as they got older but it was amazing to see what the youngest were even capable of.

We will also be making trips to primary school’s here which I am looking forward to. We will be able to observe the progress from the pre-school to primary. We will also be able to compare and contrast with primary school’s which we have observed at home.

My sister is coming over to visit next week and so I’m sure I’ll have many exciting stories from that!

Hej dӧ!

Vecka två i Sweden

This week we began our proper classes. One of our classes is about Intercultural Understanding. The teacher discusses the Swedish system, both education and Swedish systems in general. She then invites us all to discuss similarities and differences between our systems. This is very interesting as in our class there are students from many different countries who have varying opinions and points of view. One particular aspect which I found interesting is that education including university is all free here in Sweden. Students also get a monthly grant from the government so assist with funding university. Many students from other countries also spoke about their little fees and government assistance which they can avail from. This is clearly a huge benefit for Swedes who must pay such high taxes.

In class, each person or group of people from a country also have to make a short presentation about their country. We have learned a little about Australia and Germany and so were able to make comparisons between all. Angela, Michael, Niall and I will be doing one on Ireland on Monday and so I’ll talk about that next week.

Last week my flatmates and I had a ‘family dinner’. Here we made a dish from our own country and the brave ones tasted each others. I cooked an Irish stew which all the girls tasted and seemed to have enjoyed. Some of the exotic foods over here do not appeal to me and so I didn’t taste a seaweed soup which the Vietnamese girl made. Maybe someday I’ll become more exotic! This was a great sociable evening where we all got to know a bit about each other. With all of us in different courses and in class at different times, I rarely see my flatmates and so I think we will make this ‘family’ dinner a weekly thing. 

I have also met my buddy this week. She is a Swedish girl and is lovely. She has shown me around campus and told me a little about Sweden in general. She has another Erasmus buddy who is from Finland. We met up for a ‘fika’, a coffee this week. It’s nice to finally talk to a Swedish person!

I started Swedish classes this week. I am in a class with many students who have done Swedish last semester and so it can sometimes be quite difficult to keep up, however I will continue to work at it and I know I’ll improve. It’s also quite difficult as they have three extra vowels which sound almost identical. I’m already learning lots of phrases and so with a little work I know I’ll have a good command of the language by the end of the course.

At the weekend Michael celebrated his birthday. We had a small dinner party which was really fun! There were 8 different nationalities in one room together which was cool. This experience becomes more and more interesting as we’re becoming close friends which such a diverse group of people.

It’s starting to get colder and colder now. The lakes are all frozen over enough for us to walk on, so I braved it eventually and walked out to the middle of the lake, scary! I think it’s -16 and the weekend! Hopefully it’ll snow some more too!

Hello Vӓxjӧ !

With my bags packed and my goodbyes said, there was only one more thing for me to do, leave for six months in Vӓxjӧ. Surprisingly I wasn’t at all upset leaving my family and friends but excited about the semester ahead.

Upon arriving in Vӓxjӧ, first impressions were that it’s not as cold or snowy as we had anticipated (I think this was a good thing until we find out feet here). In the taxi on the way to the hotel, we were given a short guide of the main features of the town. The main street itself is very small (I had heard it was small, but I think this is about the size of one street in Belfast!). At the hotel I was introduced to many other Erasmus students and quickly realised just how many countries participate in this programme.

The next day we moved into our accommodation where I am staying in a dorm room, it’s massive, much bigger than the Stran halls, and I have my own bathroom and shower which was an added bonus! I live with three other girls, German, Swedish and Vietnamese who are all lovely. The University and Vӓxjӧ town are all within walking distance from my apartment which is brilliant, saves bus money! A very modern looking University makes the experience more exciting as life here doesn’t seem like it can be too boring. It has been quite difficult to find our way round so far, hopefully we won’t be needing the maps as much in the coming weeks.

Everybody asks about the Swedish food, it’s pretty much the same as home once you learn the names of what you are looking for. Cooking for myself is not as bad as I thought, I’ve realised I’m not really a bad cook!

On orientation day we all had the opportunity to get to know a little about Sweden and of course Linneaus University. We also got talking to some other Erasmus students and went for a ‘fika’ (what the Swedes call a coffee date). After leaving the lecture building, we went outside where the ground was covered with a white blanket of snow, which Michael quickly threw himself into the middle of.

With our fellow Erasmus and International students, we have been for many walks around the campus which is surrounded by two beautiful, ice-covered lakes. The stunning Teleborg Castle is also located here on the college grounds where the lightening can be seen all over the campus. Having experienced little or no rain yet, the dry, crisp air is perfect for exploring the campus however a hat is definitely required!