A cultural mix!

Week eight: 15/04/2013 - 21/04/2013
Cultural Development

 "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." (Marcus Garvey)

Today we live in a world where culture is not important to eveyone. In fact many people live only knowing of their own culture. However, not everyone is satisfied with that and personally I believe that our culture is an essential part of our human identity and expression. In a recent lecture, one of my tutors referred to culture as 'puzzle pieces which make up the world, once the puzzle has been solved, only then will you develop an understanding of the world in which we live.' Culture has again played a significant part this week and I have enjoyed a real mix of cultural events and attractions.

The 'prayer room' of the mosque...

This week, as part of our TAB (Teaching across Borders) course we were given the opportunity to visit a Mosque of Islamic Religious Association which is located in the suburbs of Linz. From personal experience I have not been made aware of the Islamic Culture within my own education nor had any previous expereince of visiting a mosque. I feel that this made my experience much more valuable as I was delving into a new environment for me. I was able to take away a great deal of new knowledge and education surrounding this fascinating religion.

The prayer room of the mosque was truly beautiful with traditional religious decoration which was of stark contrast to that of a traditional church from back home. All in all I found this experience to be highly rewarding, interesting, personally satisfying and educationally positive as it provided me with insight into Islam.

Privilaged to be pictured with Stephen Kiogora, the men's champion!

The highlight of my week came just this morning when I participated in the Linz marathon. Almost thirty students from our university joined together to form teams which would compete in the 42 kilometer challenge. Long-distance running has always been a passion of mine and I have completed both the Belfast and Dublin marathons in the past. However, the Linz marathon was truly a unique experience and I was delighted to discover that it has been a big part of the culture here for many years. Today it felt like the whole city was pumping with adrenaline. As the sun shone, the race followed a varied route, the final kilometres took us right through the city centre where tens of thousands of onlookers enthusiastically cheered us on. The atmosphere really was something special and it felt great to be part of a team and complete the distance with a personal best time. My medal is something to cherish and it will hang proudly in the Ferguson household for many years to come.

A great picture of the University team...

Enjoying some Turkish Menemen!

Tonight we rounded off the week in a truly cultural style by preparing some Turkish food for our Turkish friends, sounds slightly ironic doesn't it? For many weeks now we have been cooking and eating alongside our Turkish friends but this evening Warren and myself entered into the true Erasmus spirit and tried something different, and I must say we did a good job! Turkish Menemen was the dish of choice, a tasty vegetarian meal consisting of potatoes, eggs and a range of vegetables.  This tasty Turkish meal certainly ticked the Ulster tastebuds! Who knows, there could be a joint Turkish/Irish restaurant venture opening in Belfast some day soon!!


Gute Nacht,

James

References:

• Nicholas, G., (2010) Being and Becoming Indigenous Archaeologists, LEFT COAST PRESS, USA

Time flies when you're having fun!

Week seven: 08/04/2013 - 14/04/2013
Personal Development



Guten Tag!

Enjoying life in Linz...

They say that time passes quickly when you are enjoying yourself and for me this certainly is the case. It's hard to believe that two months have nearly passed as it feels like yesterday I was saying my good-byes to friends and family. Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) once said that "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life...". With this philosophy in mind I really am trying to make the most of my time here and this week has been another action-packed but truly enjoyable one!



Pictured at Mauthausen...

Like most European countries, Austria looks back on an eventful history and the period of Hitler and his Nazi Regime is a topic that has always been of great interest to me. On Monday of this week we were given the chance to visit Mauthausen, a concentration camp constructed in March 1938. The site was designed to resemble an old fortress, complete with stone guard towers. Jews and political prisoners from Poland, Britain, Austria, Holland, Italy, and Hungary were forced into extreme labour in the camp.

The entrance to Mauthausen...

To witness the squalid conditions where these innocent victims were kept proved both a harrowing and thought-provoking experience. The estimated number of prisoners that passed through this camp was 335,000 with most of them being forced to do hard labour in a rock quarry. The quarry was at the base of the infamous "stairs of death." Prisoners were forced to carry blocks often weighing as much as fifty kilograms up the 186 stairs. Often exhausted, they would collapse in front of other prisoners in the line, creating a horrific domino effect the whole way down the stairs.

The Jews in Nazi Germany suffered appallingly and being literally metres from these stairs was quite surreal. Once in power, Hitler used his position to launch a campaign against the Jews and brainwash his people into a campaign that culminated in the Holocaust. Hitler blamed the Jews for all the misfortunes that had befallen Germany and this evitably led to almost 40,000 jewish people dying at Mauthausen. In all, some 119,000 persons were murdered here, whether by execution, starvation, exhaustion, or disease.

On a more positive note, just last night I was very fortunate to witness a superb show to celebrate the opening of Europe's latest opera hall! Designed by British architect Terry Pawson, the steel, stone and glass-fronted 'Landestheater' is situated in the central park, smack-bang in the middle of the city. The two-hour performance explored the 'grotesqueness' of human life with singers, acrobats, dancers and even robots helping to provide an amazing spectacle. The people of Linz seem extremely proud of their latest attraction and I look forward to a show or two in the near future!

A fantastic shot of the new 'Opera House'...

No turning back now!!

To round off another fantastic week it was time again for another haircut! However, this time I was able to call upon my trusted, Albanian friend Klaudio who had agreed to give me a quick trim. I would be lying if I said I was not slightly anxious as I would only be Klaudio's third ever customer but in the words of Albert Einstein (unknown) "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new". I am very pleased and slightly relieved to tell you that Klaudio did a great job and will be definitely getting my custom again in the future!

Chao,

James

References:

• Darwin, C., (1958) Selected Letters on Evolution and Origin of Species, Dover Publications, New York
• Kleiser, G., (2005) Dictionary of Proverbs, : A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, New Delhi

The legacy of Desiderius Erasmus...

Week six: 01/04/2013 - 07/04/2013
Professional Development

"It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is." (Desiderius Erasmus, unknown)

The 'Erasmus Programme' derives from the great Desiderius Erasmus (1466 - 1536) who is recognised as being one of the greatest intellectuals of the sixteenth century. Erasmus lived and worked in several parts of Europe, in quest of the knowledge, experience and insights which only such contacts with other countries could bring. Thanks to the legacy of Erasmus today we have the chance to travel across Europe and develop culturally, personally and in this case professionally. I do firmly believe that this exchange programme will be one of the greatest culture, academic and character building programmes that I will have in my whole life and within this blog I will inform you of just how I am developing in a professional context.

Pictured at the Europaschule, Linz

As I have mentioned previously I have been placed at the Europaschule, Linz where I will conduct my teaching practice for the next few months. I have to admit that so far, I have been genuinely very impressed with not just the facilities here but the strong teacher/pupil relationship and family ethos that seems to exist within these walls. On Wednesday my fellow Erasmus student Semra and I had the task of presenting the city of San Francisco to the class as this would be their topic for the next few weeks. A colourful and informative PowerPoint seemed to interest the pupils and please our class teacher. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my teaching practice here, I feel one day a week is perhaps not enough. Teaching practice in Northern Ireland is always a period which I find to be extremely satisfying and beneficial, a time when hard work really does pay off and crucial experience can be gained. Getting to spend at least six weeks in a school environment gives you time to settle in and develop that strong rapport with your pupils, something which is very important to me.

My university courses are also proving to be very enjoyable and diverse. This week Warren and I had to invent, design and create a children's story for our 'Language and Cultural Awareness' module. Lots of planning, brainstorming and coffee finally led to the creation of 'Warren the Leprechaun and his search for Gold'! This story tells the tale of 'Warren the Leprechaun' and his search for the 'pot of gold' which he hopes he will find at the end of the rainbow. It was our aim to promote qualities such as kindness and generosity with a multi-cultural twist and a few jokes thrown in too! Although time-consuming, this really was a fun task that went down very well among our peers and tutors. Our tutor even wants to include this video on the university website, great!

'Warren the Leprechaun and his search for gold'

Mum outside the Hofmann Bakery...

This week was rounded off in style with the visit of my parents to Austria. As this was their first time visiting the country, I really wanted to give them a trip to remember and I think we achieved this. In just a few days we managed to fit in many activities, see some beautiful sights and eat large quantities of apple strudel! A true culture-filled weekend that will live long in the memory, despite my mother's sore legs!

My parents enjoying a stunning view of Linz...

References:

• Rees, F., (2006) Desiderius Erasmus: writer and christian humanist, Compass Point Books, Minneapolis
• Europaschule (2012) The Europaschule Linz, available at: http://www.europaschule-linz.at, [Accessed 06/04/2013]

A cultural adventure...

Week five: 25/03/2013 - 31/05/2013
Cultural Development

John Abbott once said "Every man's ability may be strengthened or increased by culture." To be completely honest the concept of 'exploring culture' is something that I have at times overlooked and undervalued. However, since joining the Erasmus Programme and arriving in Linz my perception of 'culture' has completely changed. Culture has played a big part in my last week. From singing to skiing, eating wiener-schnitzel to eating haribo, I have had a truly fantastic week filled full of fun, travel and most importantly, culture.

A magnificent view of Salzburg...

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, my girlfriend Emma had came to spend a week of her Easter holidays here with me in Austria and after all the hype she had heard it was my duty to give her a week to remember! We began our week in the beautiful land of Salzburg, regarded by many as the oldest and most important cultural and spiritual centre in present-day Austria. Here there was no shortage of activities to do. We enjoyed some very interesting walks through the city, with the stark contrast between the new and old town proving fascinating. My personal highlight however had to be the 'Sound of Music' tour, even if I don't like to admit it! A four-hour long tour took us all over the city, through the local mountains and across many different towns and villages. I was even asked to sing a solo version of 'Edelweiss', thankfully no videos were recorded! 

Pictured with my good friend Mozart!

Salzburg really is a land with an intensive cultural tradition that extends far into the past. After all, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is this city's most famous son, representing the high point of the classical musical tradition which is still fostered nowadays.

"I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings." (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1779)

Emma and I then ventured south for a two-day ski-trip in the town of Hinterstoder. We spent two very enjoyable days on the slopes and the snow proved to be fantastic. Emma concluded her trip with a couple of days here in Linz, which itself holds a lot of culture and has many fun and interesting things to do.  

I really was enjoying a week packed full of culture, and there was more to come! On Saturday, our student mentor and good friend Stefan decided to take us on a small road trip, exploring what culture the neighbouring towns and cities had to offer. Our first stop was the unassuming market-town of St Florian, which lies approximately ten miles south-west of Linz. This small town is famous for it's huge and imposing abbey, which is widely regarded as the most impressive in the county. St Florian was a Roman who converted to Christianity but was drowned for his pains. In many Austrian churches he is represented wearing Roman military uniform and dousing flames with a bucket of water. 

Myself and some friends enjoying the surroundings...

Taking in the view from the castle tower...

We also had time to visit the city of Freistadt which is known to many as 'the romantic city'. This ancient, medieval town was founded around 1220 and is guarded by the mighty tower of the castle and protected by two town-gates. The well preserved fortifications and the small alleys, squares and courtyards invite you to take a trip to past centuries and this really was an experience. 

Culture truly has been the theme of my week. I have been fortunate to travel and see more of what this beautiful country has to offer. I look forward to my next adventure!

Auf Wiedersehen,
James


References:

• Rushton, J., (2006), Mozart, Oxford University Press Inc, New York
• St. Peter, A., (2010) The Greatest Quotes of All Time, Xlibris Corporation, United States of America