Week 16: 19th April – 25th April

Personal and Cultural Development

After commenting last week about how much I adore water and being at sea, I now feel that I would have to be paid to get on another ferry! That’s not really true, I can’t be kept away from the sea, but the trip to St Petersburg this week certainly tried my patience. We were faced with many mistakes and issues that were given no explanations, so I felt that my patience was personally stretched to the limit. However, it was an experience to remember, shared with good friends. Culturally, I had more of a shock going to Russia than I did coming to Finland. We were the first to take the brand new visa-free ferry crossing from Helsinki to St Petersburg, so we were treated to some celebratory benefits. Of course, these were also attempts to prolong our patience. Hours of waiting was answered with alcohol – a solution that’s commonly shared in many cultures I’ve established. One of the benefits we were given on the ferry was a free buffet dinner – roast beef, pork, chicken wings, ribs, salmon, squid rings, caviar, vodka, wine ... you name it, it was there! We couldn’t believe all of this could possibly be free, so Alex asked twice for us – bon appétit was the answer she was given! Of course, I tried caviar (it was free!!); it tasted like the sea.

St Petersburg itself was an unforgettable experience. I found it baffling sometimes to admire the original and amazing architecture, whilst drowning out and avoiding distraction from the horrendous traffic (worse than in Italy!) At one point, three of us had to be transported by taxi to another hotel where we were to hitch a ride in a limo, but we almost didn’t make it. It was a small, old, beaten taxi that could barely fit the three of us in the back. The champagne in the limo was needed after we made it out of a dodgy situation trapped in the middle of St Petersburg, surrounded by a bus, three cars and a tram, wondering which one would hit us first. I was beginning to think this was definitely the most bizarre city I have ever been in, when this thought was confirmed. We were walking along the street and saw real monkeys with clothes and shoes on, being promoted it seemed by a man that clearly kept them only in a small plastic box. I’m not sure if he was trying to sell the monkeys, the clothes on the monkeys or pictures taken with the monkeys, but I was speechless at this.

Despite all of the asides just mentioned, I’m still in complete disbelief that a couple of days ago I was being guided around the Hermitage Museum, appreciating extravagant rooms in Catherine’s Palace, being entertained at a traditional Russian dinner, and most impressive of all, being mesmerised by a real Russian ballet performance of Swan Lake in the Hermitage Theatre. The talent from the Academy of Russian Ballet was beyond belief. Even seeing the works of Da Vinci and Michelangelo, as well as the largest vase in the world and the first suspended ceiling made of gold and detailed paintings didn’t come close to the feeling of astonishment from the ballet performance. Other highlights of the trip included haggling at a local market (successfully), appreciating the ‘city of religious tolerance’ in the form of intricately detailed cathedrals (especially the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood), and staying in a hotel that was in fact part of a shopping mall, making it too tempting to spend the money I had saved at the market! There was also so much symbolism and references to World War II, that these two ideas seem to sum up Russia for me. As for St Petersburg itself, it’s said to be Russia for beginners, so who knows if I will be back...

Professional Development

This week, the rewarding teaching in TIS continued, but I also had another four hour seminar, a continuation of the previous intimidating but motivating one. I had anticipated that a few people may have decided not to continue with the course because the last seminar had been so demanding, but I did not expect only three of us to turn up – including me! Nevertheless, we continued with the work at hand. This time, we were given exactly the same task, only this time we knew what to do, so the atmosphere was much less tense and everybody worked well. The purpose of this became clear as we were working as a group on self-regulated learning and motivation – all of the concepts we were reading, writing and discussing about we were experiencing through the seminars. As a result, these experiences have significantly enhanced my ability to think critically and reflect on myself and the work of others. If that isn’t professional development, I don’t know what is!

Week 15: 12th April – 18th April

Personal and Cultural Development

As mentioned last week, I went on the ESN Sea Battle to Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn, and returned mid-week 15. This was my first experience of any type of cruise, and it was surreal. I was awe-struck by the beauty of the landscape and watching the sun set at sea was simply stunning. I absolutely love water – the sea, rivers, waterfalls, etc. – so Stockholm, to me, was amazing. Out of all of the cities I have seen in Europe, Stockholm has overtaken all of them as my favourite, because of the water. It is not a typical crammed European city; rather, it is spread out over 14 islands with a charming old town on the island of Gamla Stan. On board the ship, I learned that the natural element for my star sign (Cancer) is water, so perhaps that explains my enthusiasm for such scenery. It was also interesting to see Tallinn again, without the snow this time. I have to admit, though, the town looked so much more picturesque with snow. But, our experience there was just as enjoyable as the last time. We even returned to the medieval restaurant Olde Hansa, where previously I had wild boar. This time, I tucked into a scrumptious fillet mignon steak with pepper sauce and all the trimmings of nuts and barley.

The trip was full of ‘blog moments’, as I call them, one of which was the use of the word ‘disembarkation’. I was amused since I have never heard this term used before (probably because it isn’t a word!), but my amusement was lost on some of my friends. As a result, I had to explain to my non-native English speaker chums why this is not a word, and it should either be debarkation, or disembarking. They concluded that I shall make a good teacher!

A few days after returning from the Sea Battle, I went with two good friends of mine, Thomas and Travis, to Matti’s summer cottage. Matti had invited us to gain an authentic experience of a proper Finnish summer cottage. None of us quite knew what to expect (especially me, since it turned out Matti’s brother also went so I was outnumbered by four males!) What we experienced was somewhat of a naturalistic way of living.                                         <<<<<< Matti proudly showing us the 'toilet' we were to use.

There was no running tap water, so the boys got water from the well, and the ‘toilet’ was an outdoors wooden shack that utilised tree bark instead of a flushing system. What an experience indeed! It was particularly fun at night trying to find my way to this wooden hut in pitch darkness, trusting that the boys wouldn’t pull a prank and try to scare me. Of course, they didn’t, because they aren’t Northern Irish...! ...... A traditional Finnish cottage weekend wouldn't be authentic without sauna, which at Matti's cottage, was in another wooden outhouse (no surprise there). It was a new sauna experience because it was heated with wood and there was no shower, only lake water as the cottage is situated in the middle of woods, next to a beautiful lake. It also happened to be the hottest sauna I have experienced since my time in Finland (or in my entire life, rather) - 120 degrees celcius. After this, the still half-frozen lake was more inviting than ever. Overall, Matti proved himself once again as a fantastic host, and it was surely a memorable weekend!

Professional Development

Professionally, week 15 has consisted solely of continuing my school experience course. I have gained so much from this course, it is difficult to try to externalise it in this blog. I’m always thinking, ‘I should write that in my blog’, and am often writing little notes so I remember, but some things remain left behind. Ultimately, though, what I’m learning and developing professionally here in Finland exceeds all expectations, and has provided me with a new level of motivation.

Noting some points that I have noticed from being in TIS, some small but significant differences exist. For example, the children are required to shower after PE lessons in TIS, something that should naturally be encouraged but is neglected in NI. In maths in Finland, a decimal point is represented by a comma, not a full stop. A full stop represents multiplication, rather than an ‘x’. This has been quite a challenge for me to get used to, but I have been learning through the best method – experience. I have taught two maths lessons this week that were so rewarding. The children have verbally shown their appreciation to me for teaching them quite a difficult concept in a way they could understand. That’s what makes this job worthwhile, in my opinion. I hope my teaching continues to have such a positive effect here in Turku, and when I return home.

Week 14: 5th April – 11th April

Personal and Cultural Development

Unfortunately, my blog for week 14 has come slightly later than normal, but this can be blamed on the travelling bug that I’m developing and taking advantage of more and more. I have just returned from a cruise around Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm called the ‘Sea Battle 2010’. More on that next week!

This is the first time I’ve allowed a few days to pass before reflecting back on the week, and I think it has been somewhat beneficial. Last week was relatively busy, socially and professionally. I was given the responsibility to organise a farewell evening for one of my friends that was leaving to return home. I couldn’t believe it had got to that time already, now it feels like the countdown is on as everybody is beginning to drop like flies. We had a lovely evening going for desserts and cocktails (what we do best!) and didn’t get too emotional!

The highlight of the week was probably the ESN trip to Helsinki that involved excursions to the Parliament House and Fazer chocolate factory. It must not be underestimated how excited I was about going to the chocolate factory, something I had never experienced before, submerged in the world of chocolate with free reign to eat as much as you want! What made it even better was that Fazer is the company that makes my favourite chocolate bar here in Finland! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and was once again awed by the Finnish national pride in the local produce they use in their factories (in addition to the Finnish flag being printed on a lot of the products I buy in the supermarket). Even more so, I was amazed by the way in which Finland knows how to look after their employees – a free gym, healthcare and kindergarden are just to name but a few of the benefits of working for the chocolate factory. The Parliament was also interesting, especially to compare to home. The tour guide informed us that when the politicians meet in the chamber, arguments rarely take place (unlike in Westminster) and decisions are made swiftly. The building itself was beautiful and very impressive. It even included original 1930s moving elevators that are now banned in most countries. Much to our disappointment though, they could only be used by officials and members of the parliament.

Professional Development

I have spent this week completing assignments in time for the deadlines, reading required literature for lectures, and attending school placement. I also received my first grade from a module I completed last teaching period from the Master’s course. It was quite unusual for me because the grading system is completely different here, and I was given feedback via email. Needless-to-say, I was very happy with my result. The literature provided for lectures proved thought-provoking this week, as one article I read on social inequality in education offered an explanation and summary of my collective thoughts through the course of this experience. Comments on globalisation, national competition and local segregation defined the educational situation in N.I. in my mind, despite attempts to eliminate such inequality. It also reinforced ideas of social status, and how much more respect teachers have in Finland than in the UK. I could describe my views on this forever, but I shall save it for the learning diary I must complete for that module.

In TIS this week, the school has been preparing for MYP inspections. I know I have previously mentioned that there is no inspectorate in Finland, which is true for Finnish schools, but international schools are inspected by IB, International Baccalaureate. This is the only form of inspection in Finland, happening every four years. The children in grades five to nine of the Middle Years Programme (MYP) were putting together portfolios of their work, chosen and evaluated by themselves. I enjoyed asking the pupils why they had chosen certain pieces of work that may or may not have been their best, and hearing how they self-evaluate. After a long period of observation and assistant teaching, I have chosen the class I wish to teach in (Grade 5) and have been given complete freedom by the teacher to teach them whatever and whenever I wish. It has been so enlightening to have so much flexibility and choice here, something I intend to continue to embrace and appreciate.

Week 13: 29th March – 4th April

Personal and Cultural Development

I started this fantastic week in true Finnish style: sauna! There is a sauna at my apartment block that has a free session set aside every week, but I have missed it the past couple of weeks with being so busy! So, when I returned, I had the most relaxing and beneficial sauna that I have experienced so far. It occurred to me that this is why the Finnish have sauna so deeply embedded into their culture. I also met a girl from Finland in sauna, which was bizarre for two reasons: (1) Finnish people are normally very quiet and reserved and don’t openly talk to strangers unless under the influence of alcohol, and (2) it is not an everyday occurrence for me to meet people in a situation that involves complete nudity. As a result, this was a culturally defining moment!

The sauna enjoyment continued at Emmi’s parents’ house, where we were invited for dinner and sauna on Good Friday. It was a great experience, and I was thrilled to see Emmi’s parents again. The food we had was to-die-for too! For starter, there was reindeer and smoked salmon nibbles that I thoroughly enjoyed. As much as it seems a sin for fans of Christmas, I love reindeer meat; so much so that I had it again in the form of ‘Rudolph pizza’ two days later. For the main course at Emmi’s, we had a beautiful roast beef dinner that reminded me so much of home. After the main course, Emmi informed us that we would be having cake for dessert. Mine and Travis’s ears perked up at this, and the two of us immediately responded in unison, ‘Cake?!’ with eyes lit up! Sensing our excitement, Emmi tried to describe what type of cake we would be served, but this didn’t exactly go to plan. We established, before overcoming a slight language barrier, that it was pig skin and baby food flavoured cheesecake. Turns out, Emmi was trying to find out if her vegetarian friend ate gelatine (pig skin), while telling us that the cake was made with cheese and mango baby food. Surprisingly, it was delicious!

Pig skin and baby food flavoured cheesecake.

My first day in Finland at Emmi's^^      ^^ Good Friday at Emmi's                                                               (Spring is coming!!)

Because it was Easter, my parents decided to pay me a small visit in Turku. I had a wonderful time with them, albeit short. I was worried that my mum would hate it because she is not a fan of cold weather, but only in the last week has it got a lot milder and signs of spring have even been appearing, luckily for us! I even got a Terry’s chocolate orange and a Lindt chocolate bunny for Easter. :)

The river - half ice/ half water - with baby daffodils >>

Professional Development

I was invited back to a CLIL class this week in the school beside TIS to a baking session with first graders (seven year olds). They were making hot cross buns for Easter, and it was very encouraging to see such young children being given so much responsibility in such an activity. They made them with great pride, because the next morning at 8am, the parents were invited to see the children’s Easter performance and eat the hot cross buns they had made. I also attended the parents’ morning, and was heartened to see so many parents appear to support their children and risk giving themselves food poisoning.

The professional highlight of this week, though, was a four-hour seminar for the module I’m studying, called Learning, Motivation and Learning Environments. I was dreading this seminar because I had never been faced with such a demanding length of time. I was even more discouraged upon entering the seminar room, as the tutor immediately intimidated us by revealing that that seminar we would be worked harder than we have ever been worked before. And she was right. First, we were split into groups of four that purposefully consisted of people we had never met. We were then given two long articles and told to ‘deep read’ them, plan a 90-minute lecture and be ready to deliver it to a lecture hall of 90 students in less than two hours. She offered a voluntary 15 minute break after one hour that I didn’t even take. The task was so overwhelming; none of us felt we could manage it. Nevertheless, we did, and were told two hours later that we could relax. We didn’t have to give the lecture after all. Instead, we talked about how we dealt with the task in our groups and focused on the issue of motivation. Ironically, I walked away from the seminar, after spending four hours intensively working, feeling completely inspired and motivated, and was welcomed by the sauna!

My response to the experience:

I couldn't believe I just lasted a four-hour seminar on motivation that involved a voluntary 15 minute break that I didn't take ... and I left feeling more motivated than ever! That teacher is a genius!