Language and identity

My language portrait

We had to made our own language portrait, choose a color and a place for each of our languages.

French:
-green: it's my natural language
-the leg: I grow up half in French
the brain: it's my mother tongue, it's the one I speake best and it takes the most place in my brain.

Dutch:
-red: it was the language that I spoke in my primary school, I had to work hard and it was a difficult time for me
-the leg:I grew up half in Dutch
the brain: I don't think a lot in Dutch anymore, it takes less place in my head.

English
-blue: it's my favorite color, I've had very good experiences in my life with English speakers. It's an important language for me and the world, it takes a lot of space.
-the dress: it's the first language I've learned in my life. There is still a lot of white, because I would like to improve it and there is place for the other new languages that I would like to learn later.
the brain: it takes more place in my head today.

Spanish
-yellow: it's a sunny country, a happy language, I like the culture and the Spanish people.
-the dress: I learned this language, I know it a little.

Danish
-black: it's a very difficult language, I don't really like it because it's very hard for me to prononce.
-the dress: I'm learning this language.

German
-grey: all my sisters talk german, I don't (sometimes I'm a little jealous).
-the dress: I understand a little.

Analyse of the activity:
I think it's a great idea to do with kids, today there is a lot of nationalities in the same class (really usual in the Belgiam cities).
By doing this excercise children can be aware of the knowledge of all they langages, and take time to think about their place in their lives, it's another way of knowing yourself and your identity.
For once the children who have more difficulties at school because they get confused by all the langages they know, are highlighted.
It helped me to put my life in order...

"Hyggelig"

This is one of my first Danish words, I'm really glad I know it, beacause in my opinion that's the word which explains the best the Danish culture.
Hyggelig= agréable (in French)
= gezellig (in Dutch)
I think the Dutch word is the nearest to the Danich meaning, in French this word doesn't really existe.

Danish people like to be in their house, with their family, enjoying being simply together, light candles...
It has been neary 2 weeks that I've had arrived here and I also want to be "hyggelig" with this cold weather.
It also explains a bit the inidvidualisme of the Danish people, you don't need the others, you are happy in your little house (and life).


I start to have dinner early (at 6 o'clock) and when we did a little party at the residence we invited our guests at 8 PM, we turned the lights off, put candles everywhere, played cards, chated, had some drinks, it was very simple and relaxed, the party finished at 12 PM... we all became a bit Danish !

Danish and European stereotypes

Danish and European stereotypes

On the 10.02.2010 we had a lesson called "Danish and European stereotypes",we discussed about what we tought about Denmark before we came at this Ersamus.

What I thought about Denmark before I came here:

Firstly, I have to admit that I had not a lot of ideas of what it would be like, I was excited to go in a foreign country where I only new very little about the country and the culture, so I didn't have so much special expectations our ideas.
Indeed, mostly when you try to imagine how it's going to be, you are usually disappointed, I wanted to discover everything in Denmark and I'm not disappointed at all!

But of course I had a few ideas and images, what I thought about Denmark before I my Ersamus:

1. I had read a article about the Danish happiness. So I though everybody was always happy, all the time. I thought it was like a perfect country in all the fields, but I realise that it takes sometimes a long time to be get treatments when you are ill, which is important problem to me, my country is performant for that point.
It's true that people are simling much more, they look more confident and satisfied about their life (even little job's).

2. I thought it will be a very ugly country, because it's flat country (if there is a ugly building you see it from far away like in Flandres)and I thought there will be windmills everywhere (and I think that's really ugly, in my opinion it destroys the landscape) but I haven't seen any (they are more near the sea). In reality the buildings are quite nice and there are a lot of fields and there aren't as much houses as in Belgium, the town is pedestrianized, the houses are mostly colorful.

3. I thought Denmark liked his royal family a lot, but I didn't imagine that it was that much (nearly in every lesson, we talk once about them) for me it's very surprising, when you compare to Belgium, where we use to make fun and destroy our royal family daily.


Belgian stereotypes

I'm Belgian because:

1. I don't take myself seriously. I easily make fun of myself.

2. I always criticize the chocolate, chips and beer of other countries. When I leave my country for a while, I've always a stock of Belgian chocolate in my suitcase. I always eat my chips with mayonnaise.

3. When I travel more than a hour, it's already a long trip.

Frist visit in a danish school

Today we visited a danish school, I was really chocked but in a good way of course!
The 3 things that impressed me the most:

1. The ambiance:
everybody (teacher and pupils) are so relax and smiling all the time. You directly noticed that they are happy to be there, they take time (not always in a hurry, there is no stress... The relationship between the teacher and the puplis is really close,

2. What's the most important:
The teacher doesn't play attention to little things like ask the children to stay still or to be quiet. They are can move on their chair, sit where they want but their work.

3. Pupils attention
Pupils play attention, they look really interessted all the time! I asked if they liked to go to school, and they all replayed with no hesitation: "yes!"

My residence

My residence
I live in a residence with 6 other people.
A other Belgium boy (Cedric), 3 spanish girls (Maria, Isabel, Carla), 2 Turksh girls(Sinem and Seyhan)and one Hogerian girl (Viki). It's a nice place to live in, but it's far away from the university (35min walk), there is a good atmospher!


The aderess:

EUC syd, Chresten Kolds vej 18,

Haderslev

Danmark

My first day

I arrived on sunday evening, the journey was long and I wae really tired. When I arrived at my residence people were very welcoming.