12th March - IW - Reflection on the School Experience

On Thursday the 12th we had altogheter a lesson for reflections on the school experience. Erasmus students didn´t go to a school-visit that day, but we had the lesson together with the "international students", who had school-visits that morning. We spoke about the differences noticed in Danish schools in comparison with our systems. I would like to mention two more features in Danish schools, about which I haven´t spoken before and which I found very important:

• no marks until the grade 8th (really!)
• knowing answer by understanding, not by heart

Then we spoke together more about WHY are there differences in European school-systems, what is behind. And we found 3 things very important:

• climate
• economy
• religion

Maybe I wouldn´t agree with religion, I would say "history" instead. We were speaking about the Protestant Church (in fact a lot of small churches) - that people had to be much more tolerant and democratic there. However, I would say that people had to have been tolerant and democratic even before the Protestant Church "succeeded", was accepted and adopted in Nordic countries. That this way of thinking was in peoples minds and culture before protestantism. And this way of thinking allowed the reformation to succeed in the North.

The second thing about what we spoke then was - why in the North. And suprising thing for me, that that is not only geography, but also historical impact. Since Danish and other nations in the North never experienced absolutism. Absolutism never reached this area, e.g. Roman empire was almost in the whole Europe, but not here...
Interesting. Sometimes you are surprised how many things can be behind!
And what I really like about this study-programme is that we go behind. That it is not just only about observing the differences, but also thinking why. And it helps you to think more about your own system too; what from another system you can use in your country, what is difficult to change, what can help you to do things different way etc. ...

11th-12th March - IW - Music lessons

During the International week we had quite a lot Music lessons.
On Wednesday we had Music with Else Marie. It was mostly focused on using body and voice in many different ways. Most of all I liked the "COMPOSING parts" - we composed our own music in many different ways. Else Marie showed us that we, and the children, can compose our own music without any special music knowledge. We really liked the composition according to a grafic part:




We also experssed some emotions according pictures of faces - through music composition. Exciting! Sometimes you don´t need so much for making a composition, just some frame, ideas and enthusiasm. Good idea with the faces - to start children to thing, how to express it...and they MAKE THE MUSIC then. :)





We listened to Pictures from Exhibition by Musorgskij and drew two different pictures according to Promenade 2 and 3. And then we made our own "exhibition" :).

I very enjoyed the "music-puzzle" for The Gnome music, I am sure I can use it with my pupils in the Czech Republic.
We got many useful ideas for activites and materials from this lesson and also the CD with music for it. Mange tak, Else Marie.



On Thursday we had Music lesson with Annette, we introduced some our national songs each other. Our Spanish friends, always in good mood, sang for us our favourite song "Tolon, tolon" too :)



We really enjoyed sharing our national songs with the others, it is obvious :)

9th-10th March - The Inte-nse Inte-rnational Week :) - Monday&Tuesday

Week 11 was very "intense time of Living and Learning Together". 14 more students from the whole Europe came to enjoy and learn for one week with us. Moreover, some Danish students joined us. All of them really quickly fit in our group, we became a big "team".


On Monday morning we, and especially the "intenational students", were nicely welcomed and introduced to the whole programme. We did some "get-acquainted" activities and then we had music with Annette. Then the international students had a Danish Educatoinal System lesson and Tour of College, therefore we had some freetime. After that we had a Danish lesson altogether. And then the walk through Haderslev with our History-teacher followed. Eventhough it was raining pretty much, nobody wanted to missed that. It was really interesting to hear more about Haderslev from such an educated (and also entrertaining :) )person.

In the evening we were all invited to the canteen for a dinner and so called "Get-together-evening". ...It fulfilled its name very well! :)
We ate a delicious dinner (frikadeller couldn´t be missing :), of course), spoke a lot together, had a lot of fun...Also time for quitar and singing came (we sang mostly Danish songs, sure...Our pronunciation was excellent :D ;)) And we spontaneously started to some games altogether, it was very good time...
And we didn´t want to go home too early, we just wanted to spend more time together, so we finished the day with going for a beer...:)

























On Tuesday we went together with Canan, Zep, Noemi and Máté to ESBJERG. The others went for a trip to Ribe, but we had unfortunately been there before, so we didn´t join them. Canan and Zep needed a stamp to their visas, so we traveled with them to the International Department at police station in Esbjerg. After about half an hour they finally got it - you can see their really happy faces! :)

Than we travelled to the Esbjerg´s seashore, where we could find four big white statues. Canan had a very good wisecrack - she called them "four men on the toalet" :D These men are pretty lucky - they can sit, relax and watch the beautiful sea all the time ;)

After we were thinking about going to the "Fish-and-Sea Museum" with a huge aquarium, but unfortunately it was very expensive, 80 DKK. Therefore we decided to go to Ribe directly. However, we saw a giant whale-skeleton in front of the museum...Astonishing!

That day the weather was beautiful, that´s why Ribe looked different, even nicer then last time. I took loads of pictures again. Unfortunately we didn´t spent so much time there, we just deliver Canan to the others and then we left...




Anyway, we stopped on the way home at the seaside near Ribe, the place, where enormous flocks of birds can be seen, but unfortunately we saw none :) Nevertheless, the place was very beatutiful and I could see about 3-or4-metres-high embankment, which protect the land from high water during sea-storms... There were also colourful Danish houses, in my opinion a lovely place where to live...

7th to 8th March - A Hamburg-Visit

We decided to make a weekend-trip to Hamburg togehter with Noemi, Máté, Zep and Míša. The four of us sleept in my friend - Lena´s flat and Míša visited her friend whom she knows from Iceland. I know Lena from my volunteer summer work in London ane I have to say - IT IS GREAT TO HAVE FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD - even in this part of Europe ;) You can see much more then. I also visited my Czech grammar-school-mate Lenka there, I spent really good time in Hamburg.
I saw not only the historical buildings as St. Nicolaj Church or Rathaus like ordinary tourists, but also various parts of the town where my friends live or spent their free-time. I was invited for a cake by Lenka´s house-keeper (I had to speak German! :)) in the beach-area of Hamburg, I visited Lena´s parents in Northern part of the city, we slept in young-people´s flat in the centre...had a coffee in students´café with Lena, we went by public-transportation --ferry... So I could see Hamburg really more from "inside". I love this kind of travelling!

4-5th March - My Birthday...Party

You realize that you are far away from home especially on some kind of "special days". To be honest, one day before my birthday I found myself pretty homesick. It had happened me maybe for the first time in Denmark - I was really homesick.
...I will not be able to celebrate it with my dear family as usual (I have 2 sisters and 1 brother - we are quite a big family, all of the members are very important to me. So, everytime the celebration is in 6 people (at least;)), it simply belongs to all celebrations, it belongs to my life...so far...). And I even can´t go for a beer or Kofola (Czech kind of Coke ;)) with my closest friends...That was, what was in my mind that evening. And I also got a very nice mail from my parents...Therefore I started to miss all of that so much. And the day with lessons until 5 pm was before me and my back was aching so much... So after school - swimming instead of a party...

Anyway, I decided to enjoy the day as much as possible. There are a lot of other people with whom to enjoy it - it is just different. So don´t worry, be happy. :)

In the morning I brought candies for my schoolmates (a Czech birthday-tradition:) ) and all of them started to sing "Happy Birthday" for me. How nice...:)
The lesson of arts in the morning was very pleasant. Moreover, we finished earlier, so there was about an hour before the afternoon music-lesson. That´s why we decided to go for a cup of coffee and pizza together with my friends - Zep, Carlos and Anja. Yum yum :)
Then I spend afternoon in the music lesson, but we were allowed to leave earlier...
And my flat-mates prepared a decorated table for dinner - with a (in Denmark essential during a birthday:) ) Danish flag. :) I was surprised why there is also a small drum from the house on the table, but I didn´t say anything. However, after the dinner, my flat-mates asked - how do you like your present. ...Present? :) Therefore I realised - look under the drum :) Bingo! There was a Nutella for me :D Many thanks, people! It´s very nice that somebody is thinking of me.

I also get a lot of SMS and messages on the intenet from my friends. And I bought a flower for me, just to enlighten my room a bit :)
So in the end, it was a very nice day! I finished it in the swimmingpool and sauna, relaxing...

On Thursday I organized a "Apple-Pie, Pudding and Masala-Tea party."
That was very very great, we enjoyed it so much. There are some pictures, you can see, how happy I was...
And some "thanks" at the end: to everybody that they came, to Misa and Vasek for the sweets and candles (I can have a lot of hygge now ;)), for all people from the dormitory for the balloons - especially to Lilla who bravely rode a bicycle through the whole town with them!:), for helping with cleaning to Noemi + for good mood, games, fun and very nice time again for all of my Erasmus schoolmates! :)