Week Two - Settling in well - 27th Feb 2014

At the end of another busy week with beautiful weather it is time to reflect on events here in Kreuzlingen.  Once again there have been many more memorable events coupled with settling in that little bit more in my new ‘home’. 

Introducing our housemate Yuexin to some
 Irish beer! 

The reality of living away from home really landed on me this week as I faced the challenge of housework and cooking.  One event that will live both with me and my housemates was my attempted arson!! Somehow I managed to set fire to my tea – yes in actual flames! Looking back now my housemates and I are finding it hilarious although it was far from funny at the time.  Understandably I am now being known for nearly putting the house on fire.

Everyone at the meal

It has also been a week of getting to know our fellow international students that little bit better.  Last Friday we were very kindly invited to celebrate with our Israeli friends at a traditional gathering meal which consisted of their songs and prayers and the sharing of Hala bread and wine.  Other girls from our university were also there and we had a great evening sharing our cultures and beliefs.  It was a truly brilliant experience and one that we all thoroughly enjoyed!

On Sunday Kreuzlingen hosted their annual ‘Fasnachts Parade’.  This parade can be described in only one word - and that is madness! With nearly 100 floats and everyone dressed in crazy and traditional costumes we were able, through a fun event, to gain a better insight and understanding of the Swiss culture.  It was a day of lots of laughs and screams as we got covered in confetti and my run of  bad luck continued as I got picked up and carried down the street in the middle of the parade by one of the ‘monsters’.  To my embarrassment all the onlookers were laughing as were Ashleigh and Sarah and instead of helping me they decided it would be better to take pictures! Thanks for that girls!! But all in all it was truly enjoyable. 

The girls and I with a member from the parade. Note the confetti in our hair! 

Inside St Peters Church Zurich

This week also heralded the start of our travels as we finally plucked up the courage to leave our little town that we now know well to experience some of the other sights in this picturesque country.  As Rosalia de Castro stated:

“I see my path, but I do not know where it leads.  Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it.”

We made our way to the city of Zurich and became tourists for the day with cameras around our necks and a packed lunch in our bags.  This day consisted of sightseeing and visiting some beautiful buildings with yet again many more laughs and embarrassing moments!

Now that I have completed two weeks of classes in our new teacher training university, Padagogische Hochschule Thurgau, some of the differences between our system and the one which this university uses are starting to become clear.  Here students have the opportunity to choose what they want to study from a range of different modules, such as: Religion and Ethics; Philosophy for Children; The study of Stone Age History; and Global Education – just to name a few.  Each one of these modules gives the students a vast amount of detail and understanding.  Philosophy for children was developed by Matthew Lipman who quoted “…a paramount objective of education is to help students develop their ability to think for themselves and to learn to use this ability in responsible ways.” This is the module that I have chosen to study and one that I feel will benefit me hugely within my future teaching career. 

Until next time,

Stephanie.  

Week One - Arriving safely in Switzerland - 20th Feb 2014

The 13^th February was the day that was not only the start of my big adventure and move to Switzerland for five months but the realisation of leaving home and my family for this length of time.  The goodbyes to my family were harder than I expected but throughout my first week I soon began to realise how fortunate we are to have access to Wi-Fi enabling the use of Skype and Facebook – these will certainly help me through my time here! Although I was initially apprehensive at the thought of leaving my home comforts in Northern Ireland to live over 1000 miles away, it is an opportunity that I am extremely thankful for and one I am going to make the most of.  I certainly intend to experience all aspects of life here.

So, the journey began at Dublin airport where I met Ashleigh and Sarah - together we all experienced the mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness, but knew that together we would make sure we thoroughly enjoy our time. 

Ashleigh, Me and Sarah at Dublin Airport

When we arrived in Zurich airport we were kindly met by Chantal (who was on Erasmus in Stranmillis last semester) and her friend Tracey.  They took us to our accommodation which is in the town of Kreuzlingen in Northern Switzerland.  It is situated on Lake Konstanz, right on the border of Germany.

Myself and Ashleigh are living together in a flat with five other students – four from Beijing and one from Czech Republic.  This alone has already been a challenge as never did I think I would be living in a house with people from two completely different cultures and beliefs.  

With my mode of transport for the next five months!

Very quickly we found that we had to settle into the Swiss way of life. One major difference is our main method of transport - we have to cycle everywhere!  Although this is great to experience, I must admit that all week I have been complaining about my sore bum and legs. I am hoping this will improve soon!  Not only have we to deal with cycling on the roads but here they drive on the right hand side meaning we have to remember to give way to traffic coming the opposite direction.  Needless to say we have nearly caused some accidents already!  Most of the roads here have got good cycle lanes and I have found that drivers are very respectful - often giving cyclists priority on the roads which I am thankful for. 

Having now nearly completed a week of class already I am starting to notice the difference between Switzerland and Northern Ireland.  It has really opened my eyes at how capable the Swiss are at speaking English so fluently as their second language and in some cases as their third.  It really puts us in Northern Ireland to shame that we don’t put as much effort in to learning another language so well. 

Meeting with other Erasmus students from Israel - Meital and Ravit

It is fair to say that my first week in Switzerland has had its ups and downs.  There have already been some memorable moments visiting some beautiful locations and meeting some lovely people and some lows - but this is all part of the experience and one that I am going to grasp with both hands as I know that when I return home in July the good will most certainly outweigh the bad and become the best experience of my career so far.  As Kristen Wiig says: “When you go out of your comfort zone and it works there's nothing more satisfying.”

This is at the beautiful Lake Konstanz

So until next week – Tschüss (Goodbye in Swiss German).