This is the life!!

Week four: 18/03/2013 - 24/03/2013
Personal Development

As I sit in my bedroom, surrounded by a truly magnificent landscape, I can reflect on what has been another enjoyable week in Linz. A month has now passed, with each and every day bringing new, challenging and interesting experiences and within this blog entry I will attempt to share some of these with you.

Celebrating in style!

This week got off to a great start with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day and this really was one to remember! On Sunday afternoon, my fellow Irish friends and I hosted a St. Paddy's bash with many of our Erasmus and Austrian friends joining us. A huge pot of Irish Stew and some 'interesting' singing from Warren and I made for a great days 'craic'. The day could only be rounded off in one way, a few pints of Guinness in our local Irish pub,  a fantastic experience that will live long in the memory! 

Smiles all round!

Throughout the past few weeks I have been fortunate enough to partake in one of my favourite past times, skiing! As I have previously mentioned Austria is widely regarded as having some of the best skiing areas in Europe, with hundreds of excellent resorts in almost every valley in the Alps. A fairly short but picturesque train ride took us to the skiing village of Hinterstoder, located in the district of Kirchdorf, Upper Austria. Despite a few bumps and bruises, my time in Hinterstoder was amazing. The beautiful scenery and crisp snow make this a hobby like no other and I have already planned my next visit.

Loving life on the slopes...

Emma pictured on set!

The highlight of my week came just yesterday when I made my way to Salzburg to welcome my girlfriend Emma who was spending her Easter holidays with me in Austria, something we had been planning for a while. Although we have only spent two days here in Salzburg, we really have had a wonderful time seeing the sights and taking in the surroundings. Salzburg is one of the smaller Austrian lands but it is certainly one of the most important for the tourism industry. Hundreds and thousands of visitors from all over the world visit the "Small Paradise" of Salzburg throughout the year. Unspoilt countryside with unique natural attractions offer no shortage of things to do. Emma and I enjoyed some scenic mountain walks as well as undertaking the original 'Sound of Music' tour, despite having to sing for over four hours, this proved a truly unique and worthwhile experience. 

A month into the Erasmus Programme and I really am having the time of my life! From the Austrian Alps to the unique Architecture, from the Sound of Music to the apple strudel, my journey here is only beginning and I can't wait to see what lies ahead! In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, "To travel is to live."

Gute Nacht,

James!

References:

• Christain Anderson, H (2000) The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography, Cooper Square Publishers, New York

Professional life begins...

Week three: 11/03/2013 - 17/03/2013
Professional Development

Guten Tag!

As my third week in Linz draws to a close I can look back on what has been another hectic yet truly enjoyable past few days. This week has been packed full of activities such as teaching practice, skiing, rugby and getting my first Austrian haircut! Believe me, attempting to explain a 'short back and sides' in German is not an easy task! Undertaking the Erasmus Programme gives you the chance to experience new systems and approaches towards education. Within the next few paragraphs I will attempt to reflect on my professional experiences so far and with both university and teaching practice well under way, there is plenty to share.

The Pädagogische Hochschule OÖ

University life is now in full swing and I am loving it! The Pädagogische Hochschule OÖ is a modern establishment equipped with the latest reources and up-to-date facilities. People undertaking the Erasmus Programme are genuinely treated with a lot of respect by both staff and students and our happiness seems to be quite high on everyones' priority list. Augustinus once said "The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only one page". This famous quote can be seen printed on walls of the Pädagogische and I feel really captures the essence of what the Erasmus Programme means to the people here.

In terms of modules, I was very fortunate to be offered a wide selection. Some of my choices range from learning German to coaching basketball, from making movies to cultural awareness. 'Learning is a process that must be done together', this motto can also be seen on the walls of the Pädagogische and each class I have been to has taken a thoroughly interactive approach. Our tutors are constantly splitting us into groups, letting us be heard and express our own viewpoints. The fact that my classes are filled with many people of different nationalities only adds to the whole experience and it is great to be learning about education systems throughout the world. I suppose education in Northern Ireland is vastly becoming multi-cultural with more and more Newcomer pupils joining our schools every year. Therefore I firmly believe that as future educators we must be equipped with and know how to best implement the strategies that will facilitate the learning of these children and I hope my time in Austria will help me do this.

The Austrian education system is very similar to both the Swiss and German systems. A specific feature of this system is the four-year primary/elementary education followed by secondary education that is split up into two four-year periods. Here, compulsory schooling starts at the age of six and lasts for nine years with both a free and public system on offer. One comparison that can be made between the system here and Northern Ireland is the fact that schools here offer a series of vocational- technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to three additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level.

Pauli the dog!

Professional teaching practice is carried out every Wednesday with students being allocated different schools throughout the city. Luckily for me, I have been placed at the Europaschule Linz, which is located within a stone's throw from our residence. This school is known as a Practice School, meaning it is very heavily linked with the university. New ideas, resources and strategies would be tried and tested here and if successful, later implemented into other schools in the area. One teaching aid which I found to be very interesting was the use of dog therapy. 'Pauli' the dog has been a part of the school for eight years now and has been specially trained to detect a distressed or upset child and basically cheer them up, amazing!


My personal highlight of this week without doubt came on Wednesday, where I was asked to talk to the children about my country, Northern Ireland. Despite the pupils laughing at my somewhat 'different' German accent, this was a very enjoyable and valauble experience and I feel was a success! After all, “Change your language and you change your thoughts.” (Karl Albrecht, 2006)



Presenting to the class!

Tschüss,
James

References:

• Albrecht, K., 2006, Social Intelligence, The New Science of Success, Jossey - Bass, San Francisco
• PH-OOE, 2012, The Pädagogische Hochschule OÖ, available at http://www.ph-ooe.at/ [Accessed 15/03/2013]



A real taste of culture

Week two: 04/03/2013 - 10/03/2013
Cultural Development

It truly is a difficult task for me to summarise the events of the past week in the next few paragraphs. Two weeks have already passed and I feel I could write a book on how warm and friendly the Austrian people have been to us and just how interesting and diverse the culture is that Linz has to offer.

Warren, Stefan and I enjoying a spectacular view of the city

Mahatma Gandhi once said "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people". These wise words really do help to sum up my Erasmus experience so far. Some of the Austrian people we have met really have gone out of their way to help us settle in and experience some of the attractions on show in Linz. Many magnificent institutions of Linz are located on the cultural mile along the Danube through to the city centre. Here, along with one of our student mentors Stefan we experienced a diverse range of cultural venues that truly do represent all genres.

Another aspect of Austrian culture that greatly appeals to me is the differing amount of sports that are on offer to both spectate and participate in. Sport has always been a huge passion of mine and I have been fortunate enough to join a local hockey team which is proving to be extremely enjoyable and played to a very high standard. As you can imagine Austria is widely regarded as the ski capital of the world with hundreds of excellent resorts in almost every valley in the Alps. Therefore, a chance to ski or snowboard in these majestic snow-covered mountains remains at the top of my priority list.

One sport that is relatively new to me is ice-hockey and this evening we had the chance to spectate and cheer on the 'Linz Black Wings' as they faced fierce rivals Vienna in a crucial play-off match. Despite a near death experience when the puck shattered the protective screen metres from where I was standing and having to pretend to know the numerous Austrian-chants, a Black Wings victory made for an unforgettable evening.

Cheering and chanting for the team

Warren, myself, Hakan and Erkan (our Turkish friends)

Being involved with the Erasmus Programme has given me a chance  not just to experience Austrian culture but to immerse myself within cultures spanning all over Europe and beyond. This week for example I had the pleasure of experiencing a true Turkish evening complete with beautiful food and entertainment. Both Warren and myself have already formed strong relationships with our Turkish friends and although their tea might not be as nice as ours, we could certainly not say the same about their food.

Next week it will the turn of the Irish to entertain the Turkish and with the limited cooking skills that Warren Stewart has to offer, I  think I could have a job on my hands! 

I think a new bat might be required!

Despite having yet another fantastic week, there is unfortunately one negative to report. On Friday afternoon, Warren and I decided to play a game of table-tennis, a sport which I have played throughout my life and am rarely beaten at. To my utter dismay, Warren actually beat me. This resulted in one broken bat and a lot of gloating from him. He didn´t think it was important to tell me before hand that he is a former Ireland Junior Champion!

I believe that Jawaharlal Nehru's quote that 'Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit' is a fitting way to conclude this blog entry. Culture is all about experiencing and exploring new things and new friendships. This is very much how I plan to spend the next few months of my life.

Auf wiedersehen,

James

References:

• Jawaharal Nehru University, 2013, New Delhi, India, available at: http://www.jnu.ac.in/ [Accessed 09/03/2013]
• Mahatma Gandhi, 2007, Bombay, India, available at: http://www.mkgandhi.org/         [Accessed 10/03/2013]







Life in Linz!

Week one - 25/02/2013 - 03/03/2013 
Personal Development

As I write my first blog entry, the words ‘Adventure’ and ‘Laughter’ seem fitting to sum up the events of the past few days. Warren Stewart, a fellow aspiring teacher and good friend of mine was to accompany me on our European venture where we would be spending the next four and a half months in Linz, the third largest city in Austria and the capital of the state of Upper Austria.

A daily walk along the Danube River

As I made my way to Dublin airport I experienced feelings of genuine excitement and to an extent some anxiety, after all without my Mother around who was going to cook for me? Wash and Iron my clothes? And most importantly get me out of bed in the morning? Lao Tzu famously said “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” and in our case the first step happened to be on German soil where we would spend an extremely enjoyable and entertaining evening in the Bavarian capital of Munich.

Although our time in Munich was short, I was fortunate enough to get a real insight into German culture. On the other hand after sharing a room for the night with Warren I was unfortunate to discover that my accomplice is prone to snoring, meaning the decision to get a single room in Linz was among the best I have made.

A truly picturesque and scenic train journey took us to Linz in under two hours. Here, we were greeted by an extremely tall and friendly Austrian man named Stefan who would turn out to be our student mentor for the next few months, this was great news. Stefan very kindly helped us with our luggage and drove us across the city to our residence. As we crossed the river Danube and headed for the city centre I was immediately impressed by some of the local architecture. The blend of classic and gothic with modern and futuristic buildings was really different to construction I had experienced before and was something that I was very much looking forward to exploring during my time here.



A popular shopping and hospitality area known as the Hauptplatz

Sledging on the mountain

The next few days were packed full of fun activities that were organized by our university, Pädagogische Hochschule (University of Education, Upper Austria). We were given the chance to meet and have breakfast with our fellow Erasmus students, go ice-skating, complete city-tours and try sledging which proved to be an extremely enjoyable experience. 



A great snap of the Erasmus group

It really was wonderful to be mixing with people from countries such as Turkey, Spain, Czech Republic and Finland to name but a few. The Erasmus Programme is a truly multi-cultural experience and allows you to become immersed in other cultures and hopefully make new friends along the way.

During my time in Linz I am determined to pick-up some of the language, after all "Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own."
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). Due to it’s geographical location Languages in Austria are varied and assorted in nature, with German being the official and the most widely spoken language of the land. It is therefore my aim to take this great opportunity to learn the language to the best of my ability.

As I conclude my first blog entry with a lovely cup of Turkish tea I can only hope the rest of my time here will be as gratifying and fulfilling as my first week.

Tschüs,

James