Week 14, 16.04.11 – 22.04.11 (Cultural Blog) – Mandy Brown

As time goes on I am taking opportunities to experience various surrounding countries of Finland.  Previous blogs have included visiting Norway and Russia; and so Estonia follows this week.  I travelled to Tallinn for the cultural experience and to meet with my friend.  I was pleased that spring arrived in Estonia as well as in Finland.  Therefore I was able to pack away my winter clothing and sent it back home.  Temperatures were well into plus degrees not unlike home.  In addition to this I was glad to experience a country that was less expensive!  For example, provided I took the time to view menus around the town I got a decent meal for a reasonable price.  This encouraged me to be more relaxed about dining out whereas in Finland I am conscious of the more expensive prices.

The natives in Tallinn seemed much the same as the Finnish people – quiet and did not say more than absolutely necessary.  They spoke fluent English which was useful for me, however I soon realised that they also spoke Finnish.  Furthermore when I was in a shop, the assistant spoke to me in what I thought was Finnish, but was in fact Estonian.  She explained to me (in English) however that the two languages were similar.  I explored the medieval ‘old town’ of Tallinn which appeared to be small.  It was a quaint place and things could be seen within a matter of one or two days.  The people working in the old town were in medieval dress which I thought was a nice way to attract visitors to the town.

I participated in a bus tour of the city to learn about the main sights.  It seemed in general, the city was tiny and that everything was within walking distance.  Therefore following the tour I set off on foot to explore more.  This allowed me to see that not the entire city was pretty and that there were poorer areas. 

On a professional note – as I walked through Tallinn I noticed numerous children’s play parks, similar to Finland in that they were spaced out around the city.  I enjoyed observing the comparison to Northern Ireland and that there seemed to be a high importance on quality outdoor play facilities.

Finally, it is now a matter of weeks before I return home and the experiences I have gained from Finland and the surrounding countries seem worthwhile.  I look forward to reporting to others of my experiences and hope that I return as a more culturally informed individual, able to reflect on my own cultural differences.

Picture: View of the 'old town' in Tallinn.

Week 13, 09.04.11 – 15.04.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

A Professional Blog is appropriate this week.  I attended placement and a trip to Saint Petersburg in Russia organised by University (the main purpose of this was to tour children’s homes).

In the pre-school setting I find that as time passes, planning and organisation of work for the children is different to that of Northern Ireland.  The teachers are not pressured to the same extent with large amounts of paperwork; in fact it seems more relaxed and that they can use their time more effectively with the children.  I favour this approach as I would suggest from previous experience that teachers are constantly required to complete excessive amounts of administrative duties, hence creating a de-motivated atmosphere. 

During a lesson this week I helped the children make their own paper clocks this week, in keeping with the current topic of time.  This was an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere and following the activity the children used their individual clocks autonomously, telling the time. 

In addition to this I attended an information meeting from Turku International School which was primarily for the prospective parents to learn more about the school.  It was a great opportunity for me to learn about the school and to request some placement days so that I can experience the Finnish schooling system for children above seven years-old.  The teachers were happy to welcome me to the school and I will be observing some lessons in May.

Finally this week I visited Saint Petersburg in Russia to tour some children’s homes with a mix of sight-seeing opportunities.  This was an enjoyable way to gain course credit!  Whilst there I visited two children’s homes which was an interesting experience.  I was informed that the most common reason that children (3 – 18 year-olds) were living there was because of poor social welfare backgrounds, for example, parents could not care for them properly.  The homes were similar in that both provided mini-apartments for the children to create a homely atmosphere that the children could feel comfortable in.  I was told that they encourage the children to be independent with day-to-day activities as they would do at home, for example cleaning and tidying their dinner dishes.  According to the owners, a child’s length of stay in the home can range from one week to one and a half years.  I questioned if they had outdoor play facilities because I think this is an important resource for children (as I did not see any outside); they did not have any however the indoor facilities were impressive.

To end my time in Saint Petersburg I explored the cultural surroundings.  It appeared to be large and extremely busy with traffic.  In the beginning I found this city unattractive because the buildings and pavements tended to be unkempt, smoking is permitted anywhere and the fuel fumes from traffic was quite disgusting.  However I filed this to the back of my mind and found some lovely architecture with beautiful, colourful cathedrals.  I also visited the Russian Vodka Museum as I am informed that vodka is very popular in Russia and that people tend to drink it straight by itself and often! 

Week 12, 02.04.11 – 08.04.11 (Cultural Blog) – Mandy Brown

I travelled this week and experienced more of the Finnish and other cultures.  Firstly, my sister and her boyfriend arrived in Helsinki at the weekend where I met them to explore the city.  They had flown to Tallinn and ferried it over to Helsinki, informing me that the Baltic Sea was frozen with ice during the entire journey.  I was not overly surprised by this as I have adapted to this as a normal sight because I live in Finland, therefore it was not as exciting for me!

We visited the Suomenlinna Island (a fifteen minute ferry journey from Helsinki).  Again, the sea was covered in ice and the boat was breaking through it with ease.  The Suomenlinna Island appeared to be a quaint village with 850 residents on the Island.  As we walked around the Fortress I saw that it was a beautiful place, however could not believe that people lived there as it seems a remote environment. 

In addition to this I attended an organised event through University to cook and eat some traditional Finnish food.  Although I have tasted some Finnish food in my placement, this was a good opportunity to experience and learn new recipes.  Finnish trainee chef students demonstrated the recipes and I made Pulla – a Finnish Sweet Bun, Blueberry Pie, Karelian Pastry and Cinnamon Cookies; the food was delicious.  The majority of the Finnish students were fluent in English; however some were not so good and tended to shy away from talking.  This is different to back in Northern Ireland as people tend to be more outgoing and enjoy talking, although I can understand that it may be difficult to have the confidence to speak a second language without fluency. 

I also attended an event organised by exchange students in my housing complex – an International Dinner.  Everyone brought some home-made food of their home country for others to try and there was a nice atmosphere to enjoy discussions about the foods on offer.  I tried German and Spanish food and both were very nice.

Finally – the weather in Finland is gradually changing, and for me it is a slow yet welcoming transition to the spring season.  Finn’s have informed me that spring usually arrives earlier than April, however due to an extremely cold winter it has taken longer to change.  I am looking forward to the change in weather as I would like to pack away my winter clothes and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather!

Picture 1: Suomenlinna Island with my sister.

Picture 2: Finnish Food Event with other Exchange students.

Week 11, 26.03.11 – 01.04.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

March and April are becoming the demanding months in relation to placement and University work submissions.  Managing my time was important in the beginning however has become more crucial at this stage of the semester.  I completed two examinations this week; one for the Service System module and one for the Finnish Language class.  I passed the Finnish examination with some additional assignments to complete before the end of the semester. 

Furthermore, I completed three days in placement this week and I continue to learn new things as time goes on.  This week there were less staff and children due to sickness; therefore I was allocated to care for the 4 year-old children rather than pre-schoolers on one of the days.  This was different as I had forgotten how much more dependent children can be at this age.  My University tutor recommended I work with this age to observe the differences and this was a good opportunity.  The teacher allowed me to introduce new songs to the children and read story-books, and the children concentrated well.

Over time I have noticed that the behaviour management of the children seems more relaxed than of Northern Ireland.  I am curious whether this is because the children are in smaller groups or if their behaviour is acceptable that would otherwise be inappropriate back home.  Perhaps it is because there is a more relaxed atmosphere between teacher and child; therefore children do not have the same respect for the teacher.  I find this a challenge as I am trying to follow the teachers lead and be consistent, however in Northern Ireland I would not tolerate some of the behaviour.  It is a difficult position to be in, as I had the authority to discipline in previous employments as would seem appropriate and here I have to hold back.

On the other hand I am impressed with the method of how children’s work is recorded.  Each child has a folder where their work is filed and it is accessible to the child should they wish to look at their work.  I find this a personal way for the children to enjoy their progress and have observed children doing this.  In Northern Ireland work is separated by subject exercise books and children do not necessarily get to see their work at a leisurely pace.  In raising this point, time seems precious and perhaps it is not manageable to allow thirty children to access their work during teaching time compared to a pre-school of nine children.

I look forward to returning to Northern Ireland and experiencing my old routine and being able to bring new ideas and opinions that I have learned in this setting in Finland.

Week 10, 19.03.11 – 25.03.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

Placement and University classes continued again this week with a short trip to Norway!

During my time in placement the teacher is encouraging me to teach more pre-school lessons with the children.  I think this is because she is pleased to have a native English speaker in the setting and I am very happy to do so as it is all good professional experience.  There does not appear to be as big an emphasis on lesson planning here as there is in Northern Ireland, and I hope to discover if this is a true reflection of other pre-school’s (or schools for that matter) in the city. 

Therefore I taught an unplanned lesson about clocks and time this week.  This activity included group activity sequencing numbers on the clock (the teacher provided me with a wooden clock where the numbers could be slotted in).  I moved on to encouraging the children to create a group comic strip on the blackboard where they created a story, thinking about the times that things happen during the day.  The children were engaged and listened well and we ended the lesson with an independent worksheet on time. 

In addition to this, as Turku is the ‘European Capital of Culture 2011’, pre-school children in the city had been invited to see an orchestral play in the concert hall (free of charge).  I attended the trip helping to supervise the children and enjoyed my first experience of a Finnish play.  Although performed in Finnish, I was able to understand the plot.  The concert hall was full with pre-school children and teachers and I think this was a lovely experience for the children.

With regard to University my Service System in Finland course has ended and I have some final online submissions to complete.  I have enjoyed this learning experience as it has developed my knowledge of the systems in Finland in which I can compare to Northern Ireland.  There seems to be a more relaxed relationship between students and tutors in all classes that I have attended compared to Stranmillis.  For example, a one-week extension for some work was given for what seemed no reason, whereas back home there is a protocol for students to request this.  The method of submitting work here is all through returning it online which I find strange but have adapted well to.  On return to Stranmillis I think it may be a challenge for me to re-adapt to submitting hard-copy assignments and adjusting to the old routine, however I look forward to this!

·         In addition to the above I briefly visited Norway with four other exchange students this week, and discovered that it is an expensive country yet very beautiful.  Not only was I impressed with the surrounding scenery and lovely city of Oslo, but the Norwegian’s appeared to be more openly welcoming, helpful and friendly – seemingly different to that of the Finn’s.  I was somewhat surprised by this as they are close neighbours.  The people were also more inclined to speak and share a joke than the Finnish.  Visiting this country was an expensive however excellent experience!

Picture: Me in the stunning Norwegian Fjords.