Hello there!

When I look back I see one month of pleasure and learning.
One difficulty I encountered, and still do, is that the lessons we have to attend in Leuven begin very early (8 a.m.), so I have to wake up very early which is increadibly difficult for me! Another difficulty was that our English teacher in Leuven gave us a lot of tasks to accomplish (which by the way hasn't changed!).

Even though we attend lessons in the 2nd year and 1st year, the subjects are sometimes difficult and very different from what I've already learnt till now. For instance, in literature class we analysed a part of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe (luckily it was not the whole poem we had to analyse!!).
Though, I learn a lot in this school and that makes the experience even greater! Today, with the first years we saw some idioms in English. It was quite fun and instructive!

What concerns the Flemish people over there, one month ago I would have thought they will be aloof but as I get to know them better, I think they are nice and some of them are very helpful and that creates friendship...

To cut a nutshell short, people are very nice, the topics of lessons are varied and the level is rather high. But I'm very glad to be there because day by day I learn something new!

Hope you enjoy your stays as much as I do!

Mel

From Mechelen

Hello everybody! I hope you do well!

In my previous mail I said that we were very welcome in this school by the teacher AND the students, but in fact it’s a bit different…I don’t see the students very often and so it’s really difficult to make some friends. Moreover, they don’t seem to be very open…
We have a lot of group work, but in fact the group works happen more individually…very strange people. So I’m really disappointed about that, it wasn’t what I had expected! I hope I will improve my English and my Dutch nevertheless.

When I read some messages, some people really seem to be bored…they are speaking about ‘boring lessons’! It’s really different here! We have a lot of work to do, a lot of English...completely new lessons!
We see a lot of literature! It’s really hard and the level is so high!

We have the Easter ‘holidays' now and two weeks after that I’ll begin my training courses during three weeks.

See you soon
Stéphanie

Hello everyone !!

Hello everyone !!

It has already been a month since I left Belgium and began my new life in the Netherlands ... I remember at first how scared I was. Now, it has calmed down and I really have put forward my learning. Of course I encountered some difficulty but it is part of the experience and it is needed in one's initiation.

When I first arrived at my new school, I was impressed by its infrastructure and its organisation. This is really something of which Belgian schools should take a leaf out. It really seemed perfect to me, on the surface. It was quite intimidating. But little by little I took notice that this establishment was not that perfect at all. Authority and respect were two mains problems that I have had to cope with. Indeed there were no distance between the teachers and the pupils and this added a difficulty for me because I was not considered as a teacher yet. I was still observing the classes and still assisting 5 teachers. This put me in a rather particulate position.

At the same time, I was teaching little classes of 5 to 10 pupils with whom I especially practised their oral skills. We played games such as role-plays and went on the internet. This was a very interesting research to do because they had to answer a questionnaire through the Internet. As such, it was easier for me to establish my own rules and have the pupils respecting them. It gave me a certain freedom that not all of us can obtain and which I am aware of.

I expect from that experience not only to improve my Dutch (language) but also to learn more about the Dutch culture which is so different from ours and yet so close. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to realize/carry out such an experience. Moreover, it gave me the possibility to practise my TFE subject ( the suggestopedia) and observe their reaction towards it. That way, I could modify it if necessary and enlarge my knowledge in this field.

Last week, I had an examination session (oral and written). It was very interesting to see how the pupils reacted in such conditions towards us, the teachers. It is a totally different situation, the pupils were extremely stressed out and so was I. I participated to the oral examination and at the end of it, the teacher and I gave them grades. We talked about our decision to be sure of the final grade the pupils got. I was rather suprised because I found myself as stressed out as them. Certainly because I will soon be in the same position as theirs in a few weeks time.

Well, that is pretty much what I could tell you about my experience until now. I hope everything will continue that way because I am enjoying it at the maximum level/at the most. I hope everything is fine for you too.

Take care,

Ireland

Hello everybody,

I've read all your messages and I'm happy to see everything is ok for you!!

This month I really met people. French people, Italians, Colombians and Irish people. It's difficult because I live in a very small village, 11km away from the first small town. And I depend on everybody. But this month was great. We went to visit castles, towns like Limerick and Galway. I spent my weekend with friends in Galway for Saint-Patrick's day. It was really nice.

I don't really have difficulties. I work a lot, especially for my school. I have kids from 4 to 12 years old. To learn French to the older ones is not a problem, but to the smallest ones, is very difficult. You have to repeat everything every day. They can't even speak their own language well, and they're learning Irish as well. And I'm afraid they'll have forgotten a lot of French after these 2 weeks. But we'll revise everything from the beginning.

The week before the holidays the oldest ones presented a kind of talented show. It was nice, they did really well.

I've also organised projects with them about Belgium. Some of them compare Ireland to Belgium. For example, one group in the infant's class have to colour the history of Saint-Nicolas, that I told them before. In another class they are going to make the Atomium made of straws and paper. Another group makes a kind of board game on a map of Belgium. Another group makes a weather forecast. I help them of course. They're small but they're able to do it. It's really fun.

Otherwise I make games. At the moment I'm working on a board game in French. I'll make it bigger and I'll laminate it. But it's a lot of work.

The weather here is great these last 3 days. 2 weeks ago we had storm. The wind was blowing till 150km/h. It was awful. Once it was heavily raining, the other time it was heavily sleeting. Really horrible weather.

About the accent, it's still awful but I understand it better. Irish people really eat their words and don't articulate. But that's fine though.

See you soon and take care!!

Gwennaelle

Jil in Cyprus

Hi,


I have now spent two month here and it's really difficult to speak about the difficulties I encountered because everything was easy and fine from the beginning. If I really have to write something it will be the fact that I missed and still miss my family and friends in Belgium.

Before leaving Belgium I never thought about living such a beautiful experience. It's amazing, everything is more than positive. At school, I attend the French lessons and I give some lessons (public transport, the time, St-Valentine's day,...). I work with them on the pronounciation (awful by the way!), I play the dialogues and read the text. I also play the role of the interviewed: At the end of each lesson, every student has to ask me one question. I also began a project with 26 of my students. In Cyprus, 2008 is the european year of the intercultural dialogue, that's why I decided to work on it with them. My teacher really liked the idea. The aim of the project is to make a parallel between Belgium and Cyprus. We decided with two other teachers to mix three subjects: music, drawing and French. There are 4 groups of students, each group has a different subject. They will search the information on the internet in the Belgian pages at school and then we'll discuss about it and find a original way to present it and to sing it. There will be a representation in front of the entire school just befor easter...And it's will be in french of course! I'm really excited and really involved, so are the students! Thank God!

What about my relationships?
I have two good friends from the school and two good friends from the Alliance Française (one teacher and the other assistant of French in Limassol). It's strange because they always take me with them when they go and see friends...It' surprising...But it's Cyprus! All the people I know, even friends of friends, are really open-minded, speak at me like I'm their friend for ten years and they make me feel like I was home. They are real, they don't play, they don't calculate anything like in Belgium. Everybody is cool. That's the exact word.

Please, take care

Kisses

Jil

Aaaah Leuven

What can I say about Leuven?
First, we have only courses in English but we speak a lot of Dutch outside the class. Sometimes it is difficult to understand because of the accents of some classmates but I hope it will improve...About the courses, we have also a lot to do: we have grammar, litterature, vocabulary and methodology classes...So it is quite different from one hour to the other...And it is quite fun...For those courses, we have to read books, to make a portfolio, to make a three hour course in litterature....

Second, our theachers organise a lot of activities together...A trip to London, dinners...So there is a good ambiance between us...

Now, we have the Easter holidays, then we go back one month to Leuven and then we still have one training week in Mai...

See you soon, kisses to all of you....

Feelings after a month

HIIIIIIIIIIIII everybody!!!!!!!!!!!


It's already more than a month that I'm at the EHSAL with Kevin and Sophie.
Things are all right but it's true that we have a lot to do. For example we must read 4 books in English (Pride and Prejudice). Oh yes Mrs Henin the first name of Mr Darcy is well mentioned in the book (it's Fitzwilliam Darcy).The other books are Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Rotters' Club... Very good books in fact. What is also intersting to say about the English course is that the level is very very high and so, I learn a lot.
Concerning the Onderwijskunde course we don't have an exam but we must go in a Flamish school to observe the differences between teaching in French and in Dutch. Afterwoods we will present our production to the rest of the class.
finaly concerning the Onderwijsbeleid-en organisatie course we just know that we haven't ann exam but a writing production. About what subject? We still don't know....

For the rest I find my relation with the other students positive. Even if we don't see them a lot (2 or four hours a week because we aren't always in the same groups) they accepted us without any problems. If we have some questions we can ask them and they'll answer.

See you in April.

Vaness

Hello everybody,

So what about my last days in Leuven… In fact I wasn't in Leuven these last days. 3 weeks ago I played football, it was Sunday 24 February. One day before my training. As I said I played football and I had a bad injury: I broke my leg and went to hospital. They detected that I broke my leg and that I'll need a surgery. I was really disgusted, and didn't know what to do. Everything was coming in my mind, I was thinking about my training, about the operation, about Leuven, about my exams,… . One week later the doctor decided to not operate. But I have to stay in this damn plaster cast for 2 months. It's really difficult to lie down when you're always moving every day. You also have to find some occupations. I can say now that it's more difficult for me mentally than physically.

I'm reading some books in English of course, but now I waiting for one thing: be back at school.

I hope you're enjoying what you're doing. I hope to hear you or to see you soon. I miss you all.

Rachid

I have spent a month at Ehsal...

Hi!

I have spent a month at EHSAL, near Brussels South and in fact, I have to say that I haven’t encountered any difficulties. You know, it’s quite easy when we are with friends. I’m there with Vanessa and Sophie and we support each other. I suppose it will be more difficult for students who are alone in a foreing country… The courses are not really what I have expected because we review things we learned before with Ms. Cattiez, Ms. Esmanne or other teachers at ISPG. So it’s good to revise some grammar points … but sometimes it appears as a boring lesson because we know the main points of the subject and see the aim of the course, what students (2nd year) don’t see. We have some work, especially in English: we have to revise our vocabulary and we have also to read some books. For the other courses, work will be given by the teacher.

See you soon.

Kevin

aftter a month...

Hello! Here everything's fine except that I miss the school in Brussels, and of course you all! In "Mechelen" that's not so easy, we have a lot to do. We had three books to read, two in English and one in Dutch, and of course works to do on them. Lessons are really interresting but it's hard for me to follow. I think that this is a quite high level. I'll have to give 4 hours Dutch in a school there, next month. A big difference with the ISPG is that they are much less communicative, they send you assignments or instructions for the works by emails, and I'm not yet used to. Otherwise, teachers are really helpful. There is a huge canteen and also a library with minimum fifteen computers!I hope to hear from you soon!

Welcome to the Good Life! I’M GOOD!

Hi there!

It's so nice hearing from you guys! I hope all's still going for the best! One month already?! How about that! Where should I even start...?

The first weeks I was required to present Belgium/Brussels in almost every class (I’m working with sixteen classes from 1st to 5th grade – just a reminder). The timing was perfect because it was the European Week at that time which meant introducing Europe in all courses - even in P.E. class! But I guess it’s always interesting to hear people’s common ideas about some place that you know very well. So for some of them apparently Brussels is racist (don’t ask me where that comes from).

As I work with different levels my job is very diverse. In 1 and 2nd years it’s mostly helping with dialogues in small groups and checking pronunciation. In 3rd, 4th and 5th it rather depends on the teacher. For example in 4th grade I once worked with a Diam’s’ video (from YouTube) and they had to describe the characters (clothes and looks) that appeared in the video. It was appropriate because they had just read a text about this artist in their French manuals. In three other classes (3rd and 5th) I started a project where the pupils will have to present in groups an aspect of the Netherlands (a city, arts, stereotypes, sports) in front of the class. One teacher she gives me a weekly planning before the weekend so I know what I must prepare for the coming week. Others don’t so basically I just come during the lesson and make myself useful – correct exercises, help with the materials, help children with dyslexia, function as a real time dictionary or provide extra knowledge about just anything related to French.

I must say I’m very lucky to work in such a great environment and to meet kind people (teachers, pupils... even outside of the school). So it’s really hard to find anything to complain about. I’m happy to work with teenagers. They’re rather mature, respectful, and polite with me. I’m allowed to start projects; the teachers trust me and I’m really free to bring in any exercise/game (I’m adapting in French the best ones we did for English or Dutch classes) and I will gladly analyse French songs with them soon (something I’ve always wanted to do). There are tons of differences with the average Brussels school (at least the one I have in mind – I don’t know what’s yours). I’ll point out some facts later this year...

The only times I practice my Dutch is at school or with the landlady’s kids when they come around (not to forget everyday situations). And apart from school life once again I’m very lucky I was “dispatched” in the Randstad area so the biggest cities are within my reach. Zeist is next to Utrecht and Amsterdam is 30 minutes away by train from Utrecht (I just came from there Saturday). And this month I’ll visit some of my friends in Den Haag.

Well, I think that’s about it from now. Keep updating the blog; once again thank you for keeping us updated! Thank you for your time (c;

Bye for now,

Aswin!

During the Fête de Langue

The Uithof (Utrecht University) at sunset

Dom Tower of Utrecht

Typical streets of Utrecht

A'dam

Hello, ik vergeet jullie niet, integendeel

Hoe maken jullie het? In België of in het buitenland? Met veel belangstelling heb ik jullie woorden gelezen. Ik zal heel graag naar jullie luisteren als julllie opnieuw in het ISPG zullen zijn.

Met mij gaat het veel beter. Ik ben veertien dagen naar Frankrijk geweest en het heeft me bijzonder veel goeds gedaan. Wat voor een lerares die haar vakantie doorbrengt terwijl de anderen moeten werken!!! Ik moet deze week naar de specialisten in het ziekenhuis terugkeren en ik hoop van ganser harte dat ze mij definitief het groene licht zullen geven om naar het ISPG te mogen terugkeren.

Ik wens jullie allen het allerbeste waar jullie ook zijn. Ik zal bijzonder blij zijn jullie terug te zien.

Met mijn allervriendelijkste groeten en ook dikke kussen.
Ch.Van de Putte

Hello! Lia from Great Britain

Hi everybody!

Hope you are ok. I've spent a month in England and I'm just happy. The only difficulty I encountered was the language and the local accent but I'm managing now. Communication with people is quite easy, provided they are nice, broad-minded and helpful.

Since my arrival, I've been teaching in primary schools, to children from 5 to 10 years. This is really funny but I'm learning at the same time because it's still something I haven't experienced much before. So I teach French, Belgian culture, traditions, famous people, food, monuments and attractions. The rest of the time I'm assisting teachers and helping pupils with their assignements.

I couldn't have expected a better and a more effective environnment to practice my teacher's skills and my English. Especially because I'm probably going to work with primary school children after my studies.

England is a marvellous and facinating country and time goes so quickly here. I hope you are enjoying your experiences as much as I'm...

I wish all girls and women a happy and a joyful Women's Day! Kiss you all!
Lia

EHASAL and the training...

Hi everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!

How are you all?????? Fine I hope...
Already a few weeks that I'm in the Flamish School with Kevin and Sophie and I'm always lost because this school is so big...... It's nice, clean, you find whatever you want (even a Standard shop) but it's horribly big.....
Concerning the lessons it's not really interesting, I'm sorry... Onderwijskunde can be very interesting but for the moment the course is based on the training and so, wa can't particapate that much.
Onderwijsbeleid en -organisatie is a repetition of Mrs Cattiez and Mrs De Smet courses. Concerning the English course I must stay the level is quite high. They work with the same books as us but the level is advanced. I think I will learn a lot with this course... wait and see....

Now, I'm lucky because the first part of my training is already finished. I was in the school next to the EHSAL, Dominique Pire... Everything went smoothly, I had a lot of fun... And oh yes, Mrs Van de Putte, Grégory Vincke thinks a lot of you!!!!!!!!

Ok, I wish you'll have a nice day and a nice week... It's snowing here in Mons, so I'll play with my cats and the snow lol


See you soon

Vanessa

I've just arrived in my new school

Hi!

Vanessa, Sophie and I were the first students leaving the ISPG for a Flemish school, which is EHSAL, in Brussels (near South Station).

In fact, I had no fears and no stress before going to another school. For me, this is a part of our formation and we have to do it as well as a training period or an exam. Going abroad or going in a Flemish school in immersion is a chance we have to take and a plus for our career as Modern Language teachers.

EHSAL is a big school, bigger than the ISPG. In each classroom is there a computer with a white screen, a projector and an OHP. There is also specific material for other sections.

A woman (responsible for the Eurabel students) welcomed us and she explained us everything (the courses, the teachers, the school, the classrooms, the timetable …) and she introduced us to the other students and teachers.

See you soon.

Kevin

First 3 weekS in LEUVEN

Hi everybody, I am happy to share my first days in Leuven with you.
The day before I was not so scared because we had already been to Leuven with Mister VANDEPAER so I knew the school. And of course I was with my great classmates Rachid and Meltem :-) so I hadn't to worry.

The first day itself was interesting and completely new for me. We worked in groups with other student of Leuven and I had a quite great team. They were nice to me and asked a lot of questions about myself. The project we made was a good one. It was about discrimination (gay people, handicap, ...) and it was interesting to share ideas with them. So I can say that I was pleased to meet them and to have worked with them too.

Now I am on training so I do not follow courses there but last week we met our teacher of English. Strange but really nice. We follow English courses in 2nd and 1st year. So we can perfectionate our English too, which is quite good.

That's it for the moment, I still have one training week and then I go back to Leuven. Good luck to all of you...Take care...

Julie