We (Kriszti and I) had the second day of practice in a different place, and I have now really mixed feelings about it, and I am trying to change my attitude for this place because I have to go back there for three weeks at the end. But to be honest, I dont like this place.

That is one thing, that it is not really connected to our professions, but I don't like the methods what they are using. Methods = pills here. I know that in Hungary we dont really using pills, and we have really serious rules for using them. I am a little disappointed now, I expected something more from a country which is as good as Denmark.

To be here, it was really like a living cage for me. I have to sleep one more for it, and deal with that I will go back.

Anyway, the children were really nice, their P.E. lesson was good, and the equipment is much better than in Hungary. Something good.

This post will not have that serious topic like the others. I will just write something about accomodation, weather, and freetime. So have a look at it.

Maybe this was the first week when we saw the sun on the sky. It was really weird for the first time when I felt that I am missing something, and then I realised how the days passed: of course, the sun! I could not image that here, down, not that up to the north it can be recognizeable that the weather is changing, but it can, and it is really weird. To tell you the truth, Denmark has got a really woman - like weather : you will never know what she will do in the next hour. But anyway, in the few past days we could see the sun, and the weather was cold, but really nice (cold, it was not cold compare to winter time). I am looking forward to see the spring here!

In the previous post I did not write about the informal happenings of the third week, because I wanted to have post for them with pictures.

On the 10th of february we went to Aarhus. Yet the most fantastic experience in this time here!

First, I have just felt that when we arrived, that I am too tired, and the others are walking too fast, and everything - than I started to look around, and my breath stoped! This city is full of life - even in the morning -, and full of little (and also big) things which makes a city so beautiful. Even the people are colorful there.



First we visited the 'old town'. It is a really-really fantastic place - but I don't want to speak about it a lot, because I have no words for it - I could spend my whole life between this walls - so I let the pictures speak:

On the 9th of february we had a really interesting topic, and this topic was about stereotypes, and national 'specialities'. I found it really interesting, and funny. We had to write sentences with the beginning 'I am (...nation...) because (...reason...)'. I really found it good, it can even be a drama game.

But to tell you somethings, about this. For example.

Have know that...?

• Turkish people are drinking speacial coffee, and putting money to their bras?
• Belgian people like to eat chocolat (and I have seen that they are eating it with bread!)?
• Polish people like to drink vodka?
• Czech people can play instruments and like to drink a lot of beer?
• Hungarians are painting eggs at easter, and like spicy foods?

And have you known that...?

• Danes are saying very often 'skaal'?
• Have a special instrument?
• National animal is the swan?
• Very proud of being a Danish and they are using their flag a lot of time?
• They are dancing and singing around the Xmas three?
• They are puting the flag to the table at celebrations?
• And they are like hygge?
• Their attitude can be written down in Jante's law?
  
• (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jante_Law)
  

Now, you know this. :)

And because of this topic I started to read the internet about the Danes and I have found a hungarian man's blog, who works here in Denmark two year ago, and he writed down this 12 sentences. I hope you will enjoy them.

On the 5th of february Kriszti and me had a practice visit Favrfritten (back to the Danish lesson topic - try to pronunce this!), which is a kind of after school.
I was very happy about this, because on this week we had to get up very early in the mornings (for me), and I still did not sleep enough after the arriving, and after school meanted that we can sleep in the morning, and finally have a little relaxation (little hygge, how the Danish people saying).

So in the afternoon we went to the after school.

I was amazed in one way and in the other hand frightened too of the freedom what children have. They can go out alone to the garden, they can choose from several different activity types even from playing on playstation (but only for limited minutes in a day).

The second thing which I was amazed that is enviroment/equipment. Oh, my God! If I can say that. That is one thing, that the building is really homelike, nicely decorated, and new... but! They have their own kitchen (and they are not cooking for the children, because they have lunch boxes - tipicall Danish - they are only cooking once in a week together) , working room, biliard table, playstations, and several playgrounds (outside and inside too) - for example they have a huge room only for dancing! Or another example they can do things with their hands, and they have money for buy things - this is really different from Hungary!

The third thing which was suprising for me is the number of the teachers: they are about 10 for 83 children. Thats a lot! In Hungary they would be about 5 person.
They are playing with the children, they are often changing places between different activities, and they are very nice, and helpful. And there are boys too, even if they are learning in university! (I wonder, maybe every Danish guy called Lars?)

The children were really open and nice, it is a shame that we couldn't speak with them really, but at least, we tried - and they tried too! But in the end we played a lot with them, and I even recieved a drawing from a little danish - vietnami boy. He was cute, and the drawing was really nice. I'll keep it, and place to my room's wall, this will be the first picture on my wall. :)

Unfortunately I did not do a lot of picture there, because in Denmark without the parents permission you can't do pictures of the children. Weird for me. But I did some, I hope you will like them (so it is mostly about the equipment)!

Before we left we had a little discussion about the financial of the after school (payed by the parents, sometimes by government too), and the social background of the families, because we saw there children with special needs and different culture's children too. It was interesting, and I have to say that they are dealing with these problems much better than the Hungarians, but they are much closed to talk about this, than the Hungarians.

As I promised to you in this post I am gonna write more/show more pictures about the first week. This post will be about the Module 1, which contained in the first week: The Danish School system and comparative, Cultural dimension, and Danish.

About the first lesson. It was quite interesting, and I realized that my high school was really like the Danish system, so maybe I was the one who did not get new information, but get some new questions about my own past. And maybe I am the only one at the moment who really can feel, and can see, and can think about a similar system faults. About the education system this is one of my favourite topics: the alternative methods in Hungary. The final conclusion of this again: if you are basing in system in partnership you have to find those people (teachers) who can be really partners, and not just idealist wannabe-partners. Of course I know, that in Hungary it is really hard, mostly because of the communism. As Talmud says: If you are teaching your son, you are teaching your grandchildren too.
At least, we are trying to do something, and trying to evolve.

The cultural dimenson lesson was quite fun. We had a task to do something with hands about the stereotypes of Denmark. I let the pictures to speak.


And I will return to the Danish topic later - when I can pronunce at least one word correctly in Danish - damn, it is hard!

The first week went away so fast. I cant even believe that I am here, the opportunity to came here was almost a miracle: somebody cancelled it, and I could come. Somehow I can't even realise that I am not at home, and I am just wondering, listening to the others, observing them. Tyring to understand that they are really my Erasmus mates, and to become an Erasmus student is not a dream anymore for me, because I am here, and I live this dream. I am sure that it will take a little more time to get realized in my mind, that I am really here, and I am really not dreaming - and by that time I am sure that I will try to save every minute to my brain, because I can't let my dreams go.

In these hours, we came by three busses (two from Hungary to Coppenhagen, one from Kolding to Haderslev), one ferry (somewhere from the German border to - I guess maybe - Aarhus), and one train (from Copenhagen to Kolding). So bus - bus - ferry - train - bus.

Maybe I won't tell a big suprise for you, if I am saying that this was a really long journey from home to Denmark.
I was quite suprised by my own power (maybe it is not the correct word for it, but I haven't got better at the moment). I mean twentyfive hours of travelling is really hard: sometimes sleeping - sometimes not, you have a little place for yourself, and also there are too many people, the bus is not really comfortable for that long time, etc... So it was quite a challenge for me, and I think I managed it right.
To be honest, I like to travel - travelling is one of my passions, and maybe the biggest of all. And moreover this I like when I am on road. I mean while I am getting from one place to another. But that was really long time ago when last time I travelled with bus for that many hours, and I was not sure that I will enjoy the road, and wont get too tired. (But to get somewhere is always happier than get back, so I dont want to think about of our leaving and that 25 hours again...)
But I enjoyed, and I think I can thank a lot for Kriszti, because it was good to travel together, speak a lot, and play a lot on the road, so we did not get so bored.

Sometimes I got a little confused because I didn't know exatly where we are, and where to go. The biggest confusing thing was in Coppenhagen, in the morning around 5.30 - we had to locate the trainstation, and buy a ticket, find the train - with suitcaises in dawn, and without a clue where we are. But that was okay, we managed it together, that was quite good groupwork, and thanks for God we were really near to the trainstation (and to Tivoli).

On the train Kriszti was sleeping - she slept a very few hours on the bus -, I tried to not fell asleep, because I was afraid that if we fell asleep together then we will miss the trainstation where we have to get off. So I was somewhere between sleeping and listening.

If my memory is good than we was travelling with the train nearly three hours. The train was as good that I expected, the Danes were a little bit more opened than the Norwegians last year, so everything was like I expected.

Finally, we arrived to Kolding, waited there for the bus for half an hour, and I learned that in Denmark you not allowed to drink on the busses - and I not meaning alcohol - anything! But the driver was quite nice and helpful.

In Haderslev we waited a little bit for Christine, and after took a bus near to our dormitory, and walked down the street from the bus. We was so tired, nearly 100 meters seemed to be the longest road in my life. But after that we arrived, and I took the nearest room to the door - because I nearly couldnt stand -, so thats why my room is the first. Spoke with Christine that: we will meet her in the afternoon, and she will show around the city.

After that we went to sleep, tried to get out our suitcases, and after meet with Christine. She was very nice and helpful, showed us the city - it was cold, and windy, and wet, with a very few sunshine - but nice and historical. I felt that I will enjoy to walk in these street in the next four months.

After that in the evening we waited for the others arriving, and when we went to sleep - after a lot of speaking, and a lot of tea - four people went to sleep (and we met also with Jette, because of some kind of key problems), the others arrived in the next two days, and the journey was started.