Week 12: 22nd March – 28th March

Personal and Cultural Development

I have come to the conclusion that the winter in Finland never ends, and the snow will stay forever. I reached this conclusion as I took the role of a tourist and took in the sights of three Finnish cities in three days – Turku, Tampere and Helsinki – all of which still have snow. It has been fascinating to see how this country copes with what would only be described back home as ‘adverse weather conditions’. Although, I believe after Easter there is some sort of requirement by law that every driver must change the winter tyres back to normal tyres in order to maintain the roads as much as possible. It will be interesting to see how this works out considering the snow is still here and still falling.

I have been in Turku for 12 weeks, and only for the first time this week did I embrace my role as a tourist. It has felt like my home town the whole time, so I decided to save the sightseeing until I had another friend over to visit when we could be tourists together. The opportunity arose this weekend, and we decided to travel by train to explore Tampere and Helsinki in the process. Having passed the cathedral in Turku many, many times, I was surprised that all that time inside that beautiful exterior was a magnificent interior. Turku castle was equally as impressive.

Tampere is often considered the rival city to Turku, and I must admit, after visiting Tampere, I still prefer Turku. However, Tampere did have plenty to offer. We took in the Lenin Museum, from which I learned a lot, and some fun-filled activities including a dolphinarium, planetarium and aquarium. It was quite an experience viewing a dolphin show in Finland; something I definitely did not expect to see!

After seeing the inside of Turku cathedral, I was all the more eager to see inside the churches in Helsinki. I had been told there was a church in the rocks that was worth seeing, so we took the tram to it, but initially it looked disappointing. After going inside, I was awe-struck. It is probably the most amazing church I’ve ever seen. Despite not being a religious person myself, I could appreciate that that church would be the perfect place to worship.

The final highlight of the week was my turn to cook. I hosted a little dinner party by inviting some friends to my apartment where I offered them carrot, celery sticks and peppers to dip into homemade sauce for starter, cottage pie for main, and caramelised bananas with ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. I actually felt quite nervous, as if I was entertaining strangers on Come Dine with Me, but that was my perfectionist side coming out. I have learned from watching that show to enjoy the experience, because if the host is enjoying the evening then most likely the guests will too! Overall, it was a lovely evening, everything ran smoothly and I did enjoy myself!

Professional Development

My school experience continued this week, as well as normal classes and lectures. I’m getting more and more used to this set up of mixed learning, rather than the block practice, and so far I have found it a lot more manageable. I returned to the mixed Grade 5 and 6 class (P7 & Year 8) to see the continuation of their Ethics lesson from last week. They were learning and discussing about the afterlife, what different religions suggest, ghosts, and premonitions. Once again, I was excited to see the children so engaged in discussion of such a deep concept. They shared some emotional stories but in a mature and sensitive way. One girl told her story of the famous Tsunami in 2004, because she was there at the time. I was fascinated by her story, her bravery and her maturity.

I took the time this week to observe some CLIL classes, where I could see bilingual education in practice, in Finnish and English. I was in the Teacher Training School of Turku, so some of the lessons were being taught by Finnish student teachers. It was interesting to note that they all train at one school, so one class may have four or five different student teachers teaching them per day, and the trainees may have other students observing their lesson. This, to me not being used to it, would feel so strange. One lesson I observed, I was one of about twenty other students observing, but the trainee didn’t look fazed. It also occurred to me that for those classes that are taught by the student teachers, there is a lack of stability, but it’s not clear as to how much of an issue this could potentially be. Time may tell.

Week 11: 15th March – 21st March

Personal and Cultural Development

Ignore what I said last week; Turku is the place to be! As time goes on, I feel I’m discovering myself more and more, and to mark the half-way point in this journey of self-discovery, I decided a hair cut was in order! This seems a simple enough task, but Finland is an expensive place and, as funds were stretched in anticipation for the next student loan instalment, it was an ambitious aim. So, instead of paying for an extortionate haircut, I bought a pair of scissors and hoped for the best! Before this, I had cut my neighbour’s hair and dyed Alex’s hair, so once everybody saw the fringe I cut into my own I’ve become the amateur hairdresser on call to all ERASMUS students!

Once again, I enjoyed my cultural development through the help of the ESN and food. The ESN held a baking night this week, where we learned how to make some popular, traditionally Finnish food: Karelian pies (karjalanpiirakka) and pulla buns. The pies have a thin rye crust with rice filling and are eaten with a spread of hard-boiled egg and butter. Pulla buns can be cut in half and filled with cream and jam (yum!), or made into cinnamon swirls during the baking process. It was a lovely evening and I thoroughly enjoyed consuming the food when it was ready! I hope that now I will be able to make these on my own, so I can make them for my friends and family at home.

It was also a fantastic experience to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in another country. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to really enjoy the day, because it always falls at the same time as teaching practice back home. I went with a fun group of fellow ERASMUS students to the Irish bar in Turku, where we enjoyed some promotional gifts and snacks, as well as joyful band that played traditional Irish music. I represented the Irish on a day in Finland that I will never forget. :)

Professional Development

I began this week in Turku International School (TIS), observing a Grade 5 (equivalent to our P7) Ethics lesson on the meaning of life. This was fascinating to me, because I have never seen a lesson like this taught at home, in which the pupils are given complete freedom to discuss what God is, and if they think He is real or not. This area of education interests me the most since it is such a controversial topic, especially in NI. I have been appalled by the way in which it is approached at home, so it was very encouraging to see how it is done differently in Finland. The children were fully engaged and participated. They contributed comments such as:

‘I don’t think He exists ‘cause he doesn’t help people that really need it.’

- ‘Maybe there’s a reason for that.’

‘Where does He live?’

- ‘He lives in Heaven.’

- ‘Where is Heaven?’

- ‘In your mind.’

- ‘You count on your imagination.’

- ‘Just because you can’t see doesn’t mean you can’t believe.’

The class felt comfortable sharing their opinions, challenging each other and questioning ideas, and, to me, this is what such lessons should be about. In the same class, I unintentionally ended up assistant teaching with two of my peers doing the same course as me. It was the first I had experienced of collaborative teaching, and I feel I gained a lot from the lesson ideas my fellow students had come up with, and working as a team to teach.

Amongst others, I also observed a Grade 3 lesson in technical work. This took place in a technology classroom in Norssi, the secondary school situated right beside TIS. I couldn’t believe that children of nine years of age were handling tools such as hammers. I was petrified helping one pupil by holding the robot he was creating while he hammered in a nail! It was such an interesting lesson to observe; there was so much involved, and once the class have created their robots, they will carry out an investigation to find out which materials are conductors and which are insulators. I was astonished at the level of independence children are encouraged to have here. It’s a testament to the Finnish education system.

Week 10: 8th March – 14th March

Personal and Cultural Development

Week ten has been the first week I have felt any form of homesickness. Travis’s mum, a good friend I have made here in Finland, came to visit him this week from the US, and she was fantastic! She was full of energy and fun, and reminded me so much of my own mum that I began to feel the pang of homesickness that everybody else has already had. I decided to make a video for my mum for Mother’s Day, and I’m glad I did because she was so happy she cried tears of joy, even though she could not see me! I also wanted to reassure her that it’s not as cold as she thinks for when she comes to visit me. In fact, the snow is beginning to melt, but freezes over again when the temperatures drop at night, so the ground becomes like one huge sheet of ice! It can be extremely dangerous. But, it is a sign of warmer weather and I even heard birds singing for the first time one day this week, so spring is definitely on its way!

Once again, I have been culturally enlightened thanks to trying new food. This seems to be a defining factor of culture here, and soon it will be my turn to cook a traditional Irish meal for everybody; no doubt I will need plenty of potatoes! The highlight this week came from a friend of mine on ERASMUS from Spain. She hosted a very special evening of enchiladas (Honduras Central American style) and tequila. The enchiladas were totally different from the Mexican style I have had before, but absolutely delicious and I can conclude that Sussan is an amazing cook!

The other culturally defining moment occurred at the weekend, through an event organised by the ESN. Turku’s rival city is Tampere, and every year the ESN hold a Turku-Tampere challenge, which this weekend consisted of a traditional Finnish sitz party – the Turku way! This is a dinner party with a twist! It was a black and white sitz party, so Turku wore black and Tampere white, and everybody was mixed up at the tables for the dinner party. Although I mentioned the food was culturally defining, even more so was the singing that was belted out at the sitz party, with Turku and Tampere in competition with each other, so you can imagine the atmosphere! It was something unique that I had never experienced before. I’m also still getting accustomed to saying ‘cheers’ every time someone has a new drink, and it must be said with conscious eye contact, otherwise you are considered rude.

Professional Development

I started some new classes this week, and am looking forward to this teaching period now that I’ve had a taste of what it shall entail. Two of my modules this time are from the Master’s degree (only one of my courses was Master’s in the last teaching period), and seem extremely interesting and motivating. The module from the Master’s course that I attended in the last teaching period, I have just completed this week by writing an essay on education and values. It was a completely different experience writing this learning task, than previous essays I have done for Stranmillis. There seemed to be a lot more freedom and flexibility here to choose a topic to write about and base it on your own thoughts, ideas and experience. This had its advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately it was an encouraging change. What I found strange was writing a self-evaluation at the end of the essay, and emailing it rather than submitting a hardcopy. The self-evaluation involved grading yourself and reflecting on the lectures and seminars in relation to your own thoughts and experiences. I felt this was useful, because it enabled me to judge my essay in a completely different light, and I think I will do this in the future of my own accord for my own benefit.

Week 9: 1st March – 7th March

Personal and Cultural Development

Another week has passed; who knows where the time is going?! I must say, this week has been culturally defined by food, and what an appreciation I have developed! From American Sloppy Joes to Chinese (missed Chinese food so much!) to classic Italian; what more could a girl ask for. Out of all of these, Sloppy Joes has proved to be the most interesting dining experience this week. I had no idea what to expect, so when I walked into the kitchen, ready to lend a hand, it seemed to me we were in the process of making spaghetti Bolognese, without the spaghetti. I was convinced I must have had the wrong idea about unhealthy American food, but then the burger buns were revealed and I was shown how to eat Sloppy Joes. Slopping minced meat into a burger bun, and attempting to eat it, finally showed the true Americanism. All table manners were discarded, and we were told that if we weren’t making a mess, we weren’t doing it properly! My advice? This is definitely not a first date dinner! It tasted so good though.

It has felt like something of a holiday week, since it is the break between the third and fourth teaching periods. The ESN had organised a Russian party that gave me the first chance to wear my overalls. I thoroughly enjoyed embracing the Finnish student culture in such comfortable attire. I can imagine that most girls wouldn’t be seen dead in those at home! Here though, you sometimes look out of place without them! Needless to say, the party was a success, and now I have another patch to sew on. :)

To finish the week, my best friend came to visit me for just a couple of days. I had missed her as if I had lost a limb, so it was fantastic to see her again! And she even brought the sunshine with her! I decided I wanted to provide a proper winter activity for Donna to remember Finland by, and luckily my classmates had organised a day of sledging that I could invite her to. We braved some steep and bumpy hills, and all suffered from a few bruises the next day, but it was well worth it!

That night, we also met the Finnish Big Brother winner in a little bar in Turku – star-struck (not!) Matti typically embarrassed me by asking the guy for a photograph with me, as I’m an admirer. Since he spoke in Finnish, I was oblivious to this mortification, and posed for the photo to show I’d met a local celebrity. Only afterwards did I learn why Matti found this so funny! Lucky for him, I liked the photo.

Professional Development

I have mentioned that this has been like a holiday week, but, officially, it was exam week for third period. I only had one exam, and that was for my Finnish course. A miracle occurred, and I passed with a good mark! As demanding as that course was, I am so glad I did it. I feel I have learned so much, and can now reflect on the English language in a different way, as a language learner. This, I think, will help me if I decide to pursue a career in TEFL. I have also accepted a job that was offered to international students, to help create a language package for learning English. My job consists of proof-reading, paraphrasing and creating a glossary for videos of real interviews conducted at the European Parliament in Brussels. Professionally, I believe this is inspiring me to work for such a company that involves travelling as part of the job.

As four of my courses have come to an end, now is the time to complete the learning tasks. For two of the courses, part of the learning tasks required us to participate in group discussions and write reports regarding what was discussed. We compared the education systems of our home countries to that of Finland, and concluded that Finland represents the ideal that every other country aims for. However, the Finnish education system works in Finland, but it cannot be said that it can be transferred elsewhere and implemented successfully.

Week 8: 22nd February – 28th February

Personal and Cultural Development

Week after week I find I am developing more as an individual through different cultural experiences, and this week was no exception. The last week of February has been dominated by the Baltic Trip I went on organised by the ESN. We travelled by ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn in Estonia, where we stayed for one night. Then, we proceeded by bus to Riga in Latvia, where we stayed for two nights. Prior to this trip, my Mum had emailed me to say she read in the newspaper of a ship that was trapped in the Baltic Sea, because of the ice. She expressed some concern that this could happen to me and we could be potentially stranded on the ferry for days. On Thursday, however, there I was on the Baltic Sea, gazing at the ferry battling its way through the ice, awed by the breathtaking views.

I was equally amazed by the ‘city’ of Tallinn (it was undoubtedly the smallest city I have ever seen, and it’s even the capital city!) It boasts beautifully preserved architecture and ruins from the 14th and 15th Century that astonished me. How they could stand the test of time and mankind’s destruction I don’t know! Tallinn breathes the medieval theme to the extent where I felt like I was living in a completely different era; it was so bizarre. We ate in a completely authentic medieval restaurant, eating by only candlelight, waited on by servants with traditional music being played by a little folk band in the loft. I was captivated by the whole experience, so much so that I was feeling brave and ordered wild boar off the menu. It was surprisingly delicious and served with an unusual assortment of nuts, berries and vegetables. Following this unique meal, I was still in a trance from the medieval atmosphere that I revelled in the stories and legends told by the shopkeeper from the handmade gift shop connected to the restaurant. She handed me a nutmeg that will bring me good luck, unless I give it to someone, and that will be a sign of my love for them. I adored Tallinn, for it oozed romanticism.

I was convinced while we travelled on to Riga that Tallinn could not be beaten. Initially, we felt intimidated by Riga because of its bad reputation, but it completely exceeded our expectations and put itself on par with Tallinn. The difference was Riga is a much busier, cheaper and livelier city with an amazing nightlife. (Anywhere is cheaper than Finland, however!) In Riga, posh restaurants are actually affordable and at least half the price of even back home in Belfast! Compared to Tallinn, Riga is huge. It has 26 universities just in that one city!! I think that may be more than the number of universities in the entire country of Finland... impressive. We took in the sights of the city from the most stylish bar I have ever come across.

It’s called Skyline Bar and it is situated on the 26th floor of a hotel, so you can imagine the spectacular views. Some of the cultural differences, however, were quite a shock. There was heavy police presence in the city (although this wasn’t too much of a shock), but I was surprised that there was no smoking ban in public places and in bars and restaurants the toilets were mixed. It was like walking into the past. All in all though, the trip was, personally and culturally, one of the best experiences I have ever had.

Professional Development

Having read Simon Duff’s article on the Stranmillis website, I would entirely agree that this ERASMUS experience is immeasurable in terms of the professional opportunities and experience I am gaining here. That’s not to mention the personal and cultural development that I think speaks for itself! I’m now in the process of planning my school experience that will mostly take place at the Turku International School (TIS). This is a fantastic opportunity to link my studies from the Multicultural Education module to practice. It will be interesting to see how TIS not only cope with multiculturalism in the everyday classroom, but also the constant change as new pupils arrive and others leave at various times throughout the year; some only staying for a few months, others for a couple of years.

We had our final classes this week to finish the teaching period. Next week is exam week, and then the following week is the beginning of the last teaching period of the year. In our final class of the Multicultural Education course, we were asked to present what we plan to write about in our essays. I have chosen to compare multiculturalism, with particular reference to identity and equality, in Finland and my home country. I decided upon this topic because it sums up what I have experienced and reflected upon personally, culturally and professionally since I’ve been here. In my presentation I reflected upon the difference in identity between the two countries, something I had never thought about before, but now realise it has a huge impact on society and education. I have previously mentioned in my blog about the confusion over my national identity and it has become apparent that N.I. lacks this. Finland, in comparison, has an extremely strong national identity and pride, and I think this is something that is reflected in the education system, and affects the children of today that will be the providers of the future. Even just being here is expanding and enhancing my ability to reflect, that will hopefully, one day, make me a better teacher.