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.