The last week...

Yes, it is already the last week of my stay in Haderslev...

During this week we worked on our presentations for next Monday. Manu and I wrote a paper about the differences between the school system in Belgium and the school system in Denmark. On Friday Manu, Carston and me visited Odense, Hans Christian Andersen's town of birth. There we visited the museum about his life and also the small house he lived in when he was a child. We had a very nice day. In the evening we all were invited at Jette's beautiful house for dinner. It was delicious... We looked back on our three months stay in Denmark and had a very nice evening. Afterwards we went to school for the gala party! This is a party organised by the 4rd graders. They celebrated the end of their last schoolyear. We danced all evening! It was great. During the weekend I packed my bags, emptied my closets and on Sunday Tim's parents, Tim, Manu and me went for a boat trip with Carston's boat on the fjord. In the afternoon we went to see the theatre play (in Danish) from 'Extremely loud and incredibly close'. I had a great last weekend in Hadersev. I really enjoyed it a lot...

The eleventh week! Already... The third and last week of our practice.

Hi there!

The eleventh week has started already. On Monday we met each other in front of the church at 7.45 am. The first lesson of the day was a Danish lesson with Ann-Mari. They corrected last week's small dictation and read in small groups to each other. At 8.45 am we joined the morning prayers and at 9.OO am we observed an English lesson in the 4th grade. Else introduced a new chapter 'Invitations and parties'. She introduced the characters of the new chapter to the pupils and afterwards they listened to small dialogues about 'Rita' inviting her friends to her birthday party. From 10.10 am until 11 am we observed the 3rd grade in another English lesson. Else continued her lesson about the members of the family and the house. They sang a song together:'Grandma, grandpa, mother, dad, brothers, sisters, ...'. The last lesson of today was in the 7th grade. Here Iva, Sylvie and me taught the pupils about London. We started the lesson with a small crossword in which the word 'London' was hidden. Afterwards there was a brainstorming about London. What do you think of when you hear the word London? What does London represent to you? At the end of the lesson we showed the pupils a powerpoint presentation with some historical sites of London, the typical way of transportation (dubbeldeckers, cabs, the underground,...) and typical symbols of London (tea, biscuits, red phoneboxes,...). We were stressed for this first lesson and it didn't go as fluent as we had hoped but Else was very happy.

In the afternoon I went to school and worked on the internet. In the evening I watched a movie: 'The constant gardener'. I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Tuesday I got up at 7.30 am and we met Sylvie at 9.50 am in front of the church. We first observed a music lesson with Ann-Mari. The children practiced again for their musical, they danced and sang songs. The second lesson was a Danish lesson in which the children read to each other in small groups.

In the afternoon I went to school until 2 pm and then went home. At home I worked on my thesis and read in my book. In the evening I watched a movie 'Perfume' and I went to bed at around 10.30 pm. I was very tired.

On Wednesday we started the day with a small party in the 3rd grade with Ann-Mari! We made cake together and we played games with the children outside. The sun was shining all morning. We also learned them the song 'Old Mac Donald has a farm'. I am very sad to leave this class, we had a great time during these three weeks. I learned a lot and I loved the teacher Ann-Mari. She is the most friendly, motivated, warm and open teacher you can wish for. I am very happy that I got to know her.

In the 7th grade we continued the lesson about London. First we played a small game with the pupils as a small revision of what we did last time. Then we showed them a small video of Mister Bean meeting the queen. This was so funny... Afterwards we showed them a PowerPoint presentation about the royal family in England. The last 10 minutes of the lesson the pupils had some time to work on their project for Thursday.

In the afternoon I went to school and worked on the internet. In the evening I went to bed early to be fit for Thursday evening... The Crazy Dasy!

On Thursday we started the day by teaching in the 7th grade. Today the pupils had to present their project about London to us. Two groups presented a project about 'Harrods' and the others about 'The tower of London' and 'Madame Tussaud's'. It was really great. They all did a very good job. Because it was our last day was offered them chocolat biscuits. Afterwards we observed another English lesson in the 4th grade where they continued the lesson about 'Parties' and 'Houses'. Else showed them 10 houses and discribed them one after another. The pupils had to guess which house she was describing. At 11 am we observed an English lesson in the 3rd grade where they learned about the furniture in a house. The last 20 minutes of the lesson we played two games together: 'The stork has lost it's cap and the colour is ....' and 'Mime an animal'.

I had a great time at this school, I learned a lot and I loved the two teachers we followed. They are amazing teachers. This was an unforgetable experience.

In the afternoon I worked on the internet at school and at 5.30 pm we all met at Liddle to go shopping for our dinner on Friday. In the evening we watched a movie together and at 11 pm we went to the Crazy Daisy!

On Friday I got up at 8 and I went to school to work on my thesis. I stayed there until 3 pm and then went home. At 5 the other erasmus students came over at our place and we started cooking for our dinner that evening with the following guests guests Jette, Lasse, Christina, Mette, Carston and Thora. They all arrived at 7 pm and we had a delicious dinner. We made fish, meatballs with curry, rice, salade, couscous, chocolat mouse, e.g. . We had a great evening.. I went to bed at 2 am.

On Saturday I got up at 9 am and went to school again. I worked there until 2 pm. At 4 Daniel came over to record a story with me for my thesis (What father does is always right by Hans Christian Andersen). We had a lot of fun.. At 6 Tim and Manu came over and we had dinner together. In the evening we all went to Thora's birthday party.

On Sunday I got up at 8.30 and went to school. In the afternoon I worked at home on my thesis and in the evening I watched a movie.

The tinth week! The second week of our practice...

Hi there!

On Monday we met at 7.45 am in front of the church for our second week of practice and we started the day with a Danish lesson in the 3rd grade. The children had to explain to each other what they did during their weekend. Afterwards they corrected last week's dictation and they read out loud to each other.

The second hour was an English lesson in the 4th grade. Here they continued their reading project.

The third hour was another English lesson, again in the 3rd grade. The pupils presented their houses to each other. Afterwards the teacher introduced the members of the family with little dolls.

The last lesson of today was another English lesson in the 7th grade. Here we watched a 10 minute presentation about Tanzania. One of the pupils lived there for 6 years. She told us about the main differences between Tanzania and Denmark. It was very interesting. The last 30 minutes of the lesson they continued their reading project.

In the afternoon I went to school to work on the internet and to call my family. I also worked on my thesis with Manu. I went for a walk at 4 pm and afterwards I went home and read in my book.

In the evening I listened to some music and I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Tuesday we only met at 9.55 am and started the day with a music lesson. The children sang several songs and they also practised their musical performance. This was really great and funny... Afterwards they could all choose an instrument and they played a small rock song. The second lesson we observed was another Danish lesson. The teacher asked the pupils about their free time and they read a text about a boy who spends all his free time on the computer and behind the television... Most children in the class admitted watching a lot of television themselves.

In the afternoon I went to school again to work on my thesis and in the evening I read in my book. I went to bed at 10.30 pm.

On Wednesday we got up early again and the first lesson started at 8 am. It was a Danish lesson with Ann-Mari. She is a great teacher.. During the first hour they discussed about the story they are reading (the characters, the place, the time, e.g.) and they sang a celebration song for Michael O. It was his 10th birthday today. At 8.45 three other classes joined us to do the morning prayers. We sang songs and prayed together. At 9 am the second lesson started, another Danish lesson. The pupils made a collage about their free time. We helped them and we had a lot of fun. At 10.10 am we went together with Else to the 7th grade where they continued their reading project.

In the afternoon I went to school until 1 pm where I worked on the internet. Afterwards I went for a walk in Haderslev, the weather was nice. In the evening Iva, Sylvie and me met to coninue the preperation of our three lesson for next week. I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Thursday we observed three English lessons with Else. The first lesson was from 8 am until 8.45 in the 7th grade. Here they continued their reading project. Today was the last day of the project. From 9 am until 9.45 am we showed Else our preperations about London for next week. She was happy with our work. From 10.10 am we observed the 4th grade where they also continued their reading project. The last hour was in the 3rd grade. They sang songs together (Itsy Spitsy Spider...) and presented their houses to each other.

In the afternoon I went to school and in the evening I watched a movie 'Little Miss Sunshine'... I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Friday we observed two Danish lessons. During the first hour the children went to the library to exchange their books. I had a look around and found many books by Hans Christian Andersen. During the second hour the pupils had a dictation and they read out loud to each other.

In the afternoon I went to school and worked on the internet. In the evening Sylvie and Manu came over and we watched 'Sense and Sensebility' after a novel by Jane Austen. I know this movie by heart.. Manu was a bit borred, it isn't really a boy's movie.. :-) After the movie we went downstairs to have a drink at Ras and I went to bed at 00.30 am.

On Saturday I got up at 9 am and I went to school at 11 am. I worked on my thesis and did some research on the internet. I returned back home at 2.30 pm and continued working there on my thesis. In the evening we were all invited at Thora's place for a 'movie evening'. We had a great evening all together. We watched 'Moulin Rouge' with Nicole Kidman and 'Save the last dance'. Both beautiful movies... I went to bed at 1 am.

On Sunday we all got up early because Thora and Lasse were waiting for us in front of Fakta to take us on a small 'Viking Tour' in the surroundings of Haderslev. We visited some Viking graves and an old mill in Torningvej: 'Torning Molle'. On our way we stopped at the 'Manège' ton have a look at Thora's horse. She was just so beautiful.. I went into the stable with her and she put her head on my shoulder. I loved this.. We returned back to Haderslev at noon and in the afternoon I went to school.



At 5 pm Iva and me went to Sylvie's apartment and we worked together on our lessons for next week aout London. In the evening I stayed at home and watched another movie: 'The Constant Gardener'.

The ninth week: the beginning of our practice...

On Monday Iva, Sylvie and me met at 9.10 am in front of the church. We are doing our practice at the Kristne Friskole, a private christian school. There we were welcomed warmly by the English teacher, Else. She showed us around the school and we observed two English lessons with her. One lesson was in the 3rd grade and the other lesson in the 7th grade. In the third grade the pupils had to create their own house in paper and cardboard. Else asked us to assist and participate in the lesson so I helped some pupils with their houses. It was strange to communicate with them because they only speak a few words of English (it is their first year) and I don't speak Danish so we had some difficulties in understanding each other.. But I liked this lesson a lot. In the 7th grade the pupils started a reading project today. They have to read 6 small books in English and write reports about them. They also have to make a drawing for each book..

I am very happy to do my practice at this school because the school is wonderful, the teachers are warm and friendly and the way the pupils are teached and approached by the teachers is great. Every pupil is approached individualy. This is something the teachers in Belgium don't do..

In the afternoon Iva and I worked on our weblogs at school and at 6 pm we met at Kate's place again to finish our English presentation. I returned back home at 10 pm and went to bed at 10.30.

On Tuesday Kate, Daniel, Sylvie, Iva and me met in front of the church at 8 am. Today was our presentation of our snap shots of "Extremely loud and incredibly close". We made 7 posters (three for Oskar, four for the grand parents). Jette, our teacher, loved the posters. Each of us presented one. The other students thought our presentation was great...

Afterwards, at 10 am, Iva, Sylvie and me went to the Kristne Friskole for our practice. Today we observed a music lesson where the pupils of the 3rd grade sang religious songs, they prepared their act for a musical and they danced the "Sacha", the "Polonnaise" and a line dance. We participated and had a lot of fun. We also observed a Danish lesson. This was a little bit more complicated.. Our Danish isn't that good.. But the children spook about their hobbies and their spare time. Some of the hobbies they mentionned were: dancing, playing the drums, going to the scouts, collecting stamps, playing basketball, e.g. . The teacher's name is Ann-Mari. I could see that she loves her job. She is very enthousiastic and motivated and she has a very good relationship with all her pupils.

In the afternoon I went to school to work on the internet and at 2 pm manu and I started working on our thesis. We finished at 5 pm and then I went for a small walk in Haderslev. The weather is really getting better now...

In the evening I stayed at home and read in my book. I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Wednesday Iva, Sylvie and me met each other already at 7.40 at the church! The lessons at Kristne Friskole start at 8 am in the morning.. Very early :-) Our first two lessons of the day were Danish in the 3rd grade. In the beginning of the first hour the students presented themselves to us in English. Afterwards they read a story in small groups. The teacher, Ann-Mari, used a bell to start and finish this activity. When they were finished they could write in their workbook and practise the Danish alphabet. At 8.50, 3 other classes joinde us to do the morning prayers. We sang songs and prayed. At 9.05 the second hour started and each pupil went to get a portable in the computer room! This surprised me a lot.. At their age using portable computers.. And every pupil had one.. The school owns 25 portable computers the teachers and pupils can use. It also owns 25 big computers in a computer room. And... They also have a wireless internet connection! This is something you wouldn't see in the primary schools in Belgium. They had to type a small texte about their hobby.

Afterwards we observed another English lesson. Here the pupils started the lesson with a small test about the irregular verbs and then they continued their reading project. Some of them had already finished a book report.

After our practice I went to school to work on the internet. At 4 pm Manu joined me at school and we worked on our thesis. At around 5.30 pm I went home and at 7 pm Kate, Iva, Sylvie and me went to Thora's place to discuss with our buddies the end of our stay in Haderslev...

When I came home I read in my book and I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Thursday we met at 7.45 in front of the church and the first lesson we observed was an English lessons in the 7th grade. Here they continued their reading project. All pupils read books in silence and wrote book reports. At 10.10 we observed another English lesson in the 4th grade. Here they also continued their reading project and read in books (not really in silence :-) ). The last hour was also an English lesson in the 3rd grade. Here we continued building houses in paper and cardboard. I made trees and flags, I had a lot of time. I felt like a little kid again...

In the afternoon I went to school and I worked on the internet. At 4 pm I went home and read in my book. I just love this book... It is 'The Traveller' by Diana Gabaldon.

In the evening I watched a movie and I went to bed at 11pm.

On Friday I could sleep a bit longer. The first lesson started at 10.10 pm. We oberved two Danish lessons today. During the first lesson the children went to the library to change their books and take new ones. They do this every Friday. Afterwards we returned to the classroom and they read out loud to each other. During the second hour they went to get their portale computers again.. They had to finish the small text about their hobbies.

In the afternoon I went to school to work on my weblog and in the evening we went to the 'Friday Café'. Tonight there was a party called 'Ugly party'. We had a great time. I went to bed at 1 am.

On Saturday I got up at 8 am and manu came over at 10 am to work on our thesis. Our thesis is almost finished... Finally... Manu stayed until 3.30 pm and afterwards I went to school to work on the internet. In the evening I went for a drink at Tribunen and I also watched a movie. I went to bed at 1 am.

On Sunday I got up a bit later, at 9 am and I went to school to call my family on skype. I stayed there until 1 pm. In the afternoon I worked, together with Iva and Sylvie, on our three lessons about London. The last week of our practice we will teach this to the 7th grade. In the evening I stayed at home and I went to bed at 10 pm.

The eight week...

On Wednesday we had our last music lesson with Else-Marie. We started at 8.15 am and our first activity of the day was our dwarf performance. This was a lot of fun. I played a girl dwarf and Daniel played a troll. We were together in a huge forest and suddenly a ghost appeared between the trees. I hid myself behind a tree and Daniel fought with the ghost and killed it. At the end the ghost appeared again... The second activity was a game with names. We learned how to create several rhytms with our names. The third activity was creating a composition. This was more difficult but I liked it a lot. Else-Marie told us a story about a man dying in an old gravel pit. We had to choose instruments and create the atmosphere through music. The fourth activity was creating a composition by using a picture of animals. Else-Marie gave us a picture of a fox hiding in a forest and we had to invent a story of three episodes through music about this picture. Daniel and I worked together and we used several instruments like drums, the guitar, the flute, the piano, etc to create this. The fifth and last activity was a radio play. We had to work in small groups again and choose a story for children. I picked: 'Toothache'. This story is about a boy who loses his tooth after being pushed by a black stallion. We had to tell the story to the other groups and use instruments to illustrate it. (Like Peter and the wolf). Our lesson finished at 2 pm. I really loved this lesson. It was very interesting. I would like to do these activities later with my pupils.

In the afternoon I worked at school on the internet. I went back home at 5.30 pm and got ready to go to Thora. She invited us for dinner. We had a very nice evening all together. I went to bed at 11 pm.

On Thursday I got up at 7am and I met Manu at school at 9am. We worked on our thesis until 12 and afterwards I had another English lesson with Jette. We talked about how to remember new words and we also looked into several books and compared the vocabulary exercises. This was very interesting. The second part of the lesson was about "Extremely loud and incredibly close" by New York writer Jonathan Safran Foer. His novel deals with the terrorist attacks of September 11. The book is an example of contemporary post-modernisism. Foer brings a sensibility to this book. He uses type settings, spaces and even blank pages to give the book a visual dimension beyond the prose narrative. The book is written like a personal diary. The book's narrator is a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell. Two years before the story begins, Oskar loses his father on 9/11. In the story, Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father. He is focused on the key and wants to discover what it opens. As if he would open a door and find his father behind it...

In the evening I stayed at home and I read in my book. I went to bed at 10 pm.

On Friday morning we met Torbjon to talk about our practise. He told us to think about Popper's idea and to pay attention to the framework of the school, the content of the lessons, our methodology, our aims and goals and the ability for learning. Finaly we talked about the evaluation of our practise. We should measure what the pupils can and can't do. We should look at the sings and effects of the pupils.

At 11 am we all left for an excursion to Sonderborg! Tim's brother, Stijn, and Lasse accompanied us. We firts visited the Sonderborg's Slot, a beautiful castle next to the sea. Lasse was our private guide, he showed us around. I loved the dancing hall.. It was a huge hall with candles on the walls.

Afterwards we took the car and went to Danfoss Universe, a scientific parc. Here we all felt like little children again! It was a great experience.. Through the activities we could learn more about the forces of nature, the world of science and the technologies that make our lives easier today.

We arrived back at Haderslev at 6 pm. I went home to eat something and at 9 pm we met again at the Friday café. We had a couple of drinks there and at around 11pm we went to Tribunen, another café in the centre of Haderslev. We had a very nice evening. I returned home at 00.30 am.

On Saturday I got up at 8 am and went to school to work on my weblog. At 11 am Stijn and Tim picked me up here and we went, together with the other erasmus students, to Kolding where we had lunch at Hannah Ulrik Neergaard's place, our literature teacher. We only had one lesson with her during the first week but we loved it. She invited us to have lunch, it was more than delicious, and to have a walk in Kolding. She showed us the centre with the shops and the new library. We had a wonderfull afternoon. At 3.30 pm Iva, Kate, Tim, Stijn and me went to the shopping centre outside Kolding. This is the biggest shopping centre in Denmark. But when we arrived there it was closed.. So we decided to return to Haderslev and to have dinner together. We all met at Kate's place and spent the evening there. I went to bed at 11 pm (actually it was already 12 pm with the changing of the hours... )

On Sunday I got up at 8 am and I went to school at 10 am to go on the internet. In the afternoon Iva, Kate and me met at 2.15 pm in front of the church to go to the football match. Tim, Daniel and Manu were playing. We stayed for 45 minutes.. Manu scored a goal and Tim hurt his knee.. Afterwards Iva and I went home and we read in our books. In the evening Daniel, Iva and me went to Kate's place to work on our presentation about "Extremely loud and incredibly close". We made snap shots.. I think our posters look great. I returned back home at 10 pm and went immediately to bed.. I was very tired.

The seventh week: Alkmaar!

On Monday I took the bus (Eurolines) at 5 pm at Kolding. I travalled all night and I arrived at 7 am in the morning in Amsterdam Amstel. I was exhausted.. I didn't sleep a lot on the bus, there were too many people on it. I took a train from Amsterdam Amstel to Alkmaar were Gerard was waiting for me. I was really happy to see him again.

During the week we visited Alkmaar, Bergen and Camperduin. We didn't have a nice weather but nevertheless we had a great week. In the evenings we often went for drinks at several pubs. We also went dancing at the 'Chacha' club. This was really nice. On Friday we had dinner at a beautiful restaurant in the centre of Alkmaar where we ate duck.. I had never eaten this beafore but I loved it. On Sunday my mom, sister, brother and dog Deedee visited us. We went to the seaside together. The weather was nice that day (we were lucky). I was very happy to see them again.. I returned back to Haderslev on Monday evening. I took the train in Alkmaar and I arrived in Kolding on Tuesday at 8 am where I took a bus home. On Tuesday I didn't do a lot, I was tired from the journey. In the afternoon I came to school and wrote some e-mails. In the evening I went to bed at 10 pm.

I loved this week and I wish it didn't pass so quickly..

The sixth week: the international week!

On Monday the international week started... Eight foreign students came to join us here in Haderslev for the whole week. Three of them are from Germany, two are from Portugal and Austria and one from Holland. What is an international week? Students from around Europe join here to look at languages and language learning as an essential element in building our future students' and children's intercultural competence. It is important to get to know new cultures from around Europe. This will give you the opportunity to broaden your horizon.

We started the day by presenting ourselves to each other. I worked together with Melanie Nagel from Germany. She wants to become a primary teacher and her subjects are mathematics, biology and English. Afterwards we had a lesson with Jette about body language. She showed us that every person has his own body language. People use their hands while speaking, they sit down in a certain way, they move their feet and arms, etc..

We worked in small groups and picked cards with images on it. We had to guess what that person showed through his body language.

Afterwards we learned them our Irish and country line-dance. We had a lot of fun. I explained our dance to the international students, you can see that on the following picture:

After lunch the international students had their first Danish lesson. They learned how to present themselves and how to ask each other "How are you?": Hej! Hvordan gar det? Det gar godt, tak.

In the afternoon I went home and I read in my book. I don't have an internet connection at my appartment anymore so I went to school before dinner to send some e-mails. From 6 pm until 9 pm there was a "Get-together-evening" with the international students and their hosts. We ate pasta, meat balls, salad, bread, turcky and lots of other delicious things. We spent a great evening and we had a lot of fun. We also sang two songs together. (This is a Danish tradition.. They always sing together when they have a meeting.)

I went home at 9 pm and I went to bed at around 11pm.

On Tuesday we met each other in the new cantine and we had a lesson about intercultural competence and stereotypes. Our teacher for today was Mister Daniel.. We worked in groups with Danish students and with the international students. Our first task was to make a mind map about Danmark. How do we see Denmark? Is the culture different than in our home countries? What about the educational system? Not to mention the weather... :-) The second task was also a mind map and a drawing about another country than our home country. My group had to present Portugal. On our drawing you can see a Portugese boy standing on the beach. The sun is shining and he is holding a guitar in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. He also has a football near his feet.. Portugal is known for its famous players. For my group Portugal is a country of music, sport, good weather, parties, culture, food and wine.

Afterwards we had a lesson about rhymes and songs, learning and teaching potential. Our teacher Karen Aro asked us to bring typical rhymes and songs from our home country. We had to teach our song or rhyme to the other students and then sing it together. Manu and I taught them: "Ne regarde pas le renard qui passe, regardez seulement quand il est passé". This is a game you play in a circle. Another person, the "fox", is walking around the circle with a cloth in his hand. The others are singing the small song. When the fox drops the cloth behind someone, that person has to run after the fox and touch him. We had a lot of fun. You can have a look at the pictures:

After our linch break we went on an excursion to Ribe. We visited the Viking museum and the old town. Even though the weather was horrible, we had a nice afternoon.

We returned to Haderslev at 6 pm and then went home. I worked a bit on my computer, read in my book and I went to bed at 10 pm. I was very tired..

On Wednesday Kate, Daniel and me visited the VUC school in Haderslev. This is a centre for adults. They get a second chance here to learn subjects they didn't have in secondary school or subjects they are interested in like cooking, computer lessons, etc. The building was very modern and in every class there was a 'smartboard'. This suprised me a lot. I had never seen one before and here I could try them out! I was so impressed..

In the afternoon we made mind maps about the school visits. It was interested to see that every group wrote down the same elements : curriculum, opportunity, freedom, materials, family and ability. Unfortunately the Hip Hop lesson was canceled because the teacher was ill. I went back home at 4 pm and read in my book. I made pasta in the evening and went to bed at around 10.30 pm.

On Thursday we attended a lecture from 9 am until 11 am about 'soundscapes' (: stories with every day sounds like cars, people talking, bells ringing, etc). We listened to "soundscapes from Vienna". The guest teacher here was Mag. Jutta Kleedorfer from Austria. She told us two beautiful stories too: 'Zack Bumm' and 'The Dunkeys'. I liked these stories a lot..

In the afternoon there was "The International day" where the erasmus students had their own stand. We showed the visitors something special from our home countries but also the things we learned and created here in Haderslev during our Erasmus stay such as our amazing weblogs! We also offered the visitors some biscuits, cake, candy and beer from Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. There were also many other stands about other foreign countries. Through this International day we could meet different cultures and also taste them. I learned a lot and I espacially liked the Nepal stand where we could admire pictures Danish students made during their practise there.

In the evening there was the "European Song Contest"! This was really a lot of fun.. This amazing evening was organised by Thora, she was a great host, and one of the members of the jury was Jette. I sang together with Tim and Mireille "Ik leef niet meer voor jou" by Marco Borsato. A great song. But, unfortunately we didn't win the contest.. The race was between Portugal with Joao and José, the Czech Republic with Kate, Iva and Sylvie and Germany with Daniel, Sabrina, Sarah and Melanie. Finally the Czech Republic won with a song about a beautiful princess.

We also ate delicious pizzas..

Afterwards we all went to the Crazy Daisy to dance.. We had a great evening! I went to bed at around 3 am.

On Friday we met at school at 9 am and we worked in small groups on our portfolios about the International Week. Afterwards one member of each group presented his or her portfolio to the other groups. In the afternoon we had a late lunch together. We ate hot dogs, salami, Portugese bread, cake, etc. It was delicious.. I ate a lot! After dinner the International students returned back home. We had a great week all together.

In the evening I went to bed very early (9 pm) and I stayed long in bed on Saturday morning. I only got up at 10.30 am. In the afternoon I came to school to work on the internet and in the evening I went to Kafka's with Kate, Iva and Iva's sister Petra. I went to bed at 11.30 pm.

On Sunday I came to school in the morning to go on the internet and in the afternoon I prepared my bags to go and see Gerard in Alkmaar. I washed and ironed my clothes. In the evening I went to bed early to be fit on Monday.