Thanksgiving in Sweden

Being away from home and my family has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, but today has been especially difficult because of the Thanksgiving holiday.  I hope everyone is having a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.  I miss everyone, and I can't wait to see everybody when I get home.  On a bright note, Melissa, Hannah, and I cooked our own version of Thanksgiving dinner tonight.  Since it's more difficult to get the food we normally eat during the holidays, we made a form of chicken Alfredo with broccoli and carrots.  It turned out to taste great, and we even froze some to have to eat next week.  This will definitely be a Thanksgiving we won't soon forget.

& dessert - ice cream with berries :)

Paris :-)

Tomorrow Melissa and I are heading to Paris for the weekend.  We are very excited, but I'll be even more excited once we arrive!  We have an early train to Stockholm in the morning, and then we're flying out of Stockholm into Paris.  We're a little nervous about being able to find our way around, but hopefully everything will be okay.  I'm definitely praying for safe travels and safety while we're there.  When we get back to Linkoping, we'll only have about a week left until we leave for home!  I can't wait to be back home!

English in Sweden

Most of the people in Sweden speak English.  However, students don't begin learning English until they are in Year 3, or 3rd grade.  My classroom consists of students in Year 4.  Since the only began learning English last year, they still have a lot of learning to do.  Everything I say has to be translated by the teacher.  Last week on Friday, I taught my students a little how about a normal day goes for the 4th graders I had at my last student teaching placement.  They were very intrigued and interested to find out about some American 4th graders.  They couldn't believe that my American 4th graders only get one recess a day!  Yesterday and today, I decided to take the lesson a little further.  My Swedish students are working on writing letters to my American students to tell them a little about them in Sweden.  They've had fun with it, but it's also hard work for them.  They learn how to write English last.  They learn to hear it firstly and then to speak it.  However, I've been helping them figure out things, as well as the teacher.  I think the letters are going to turn out great, and I'm excited to be able to read them when they are finished.  I'm even more excited to share them with my American students when I get back home, and I hope they can write my Swedish students back.

This is a picture of my students in the classroom.  The students don't wear shoes in the classroom!

Hockey!

Last week we were able to go to a Linkoping hockey game.  I had never been to a hockey game before, and I am definitely a fan!  We arrived early, and there were several American songs being played, which made me feel better because I could actually understand and sing along.  The hockey team even came out onto the ice to "Welcome to the Jungle."  I was excited!  The game itself looked pretty brutal...hockey is definitely not for the weak.  There were several hockey sticks broken and several fights throughout the game.  One of the players for Linkoping is actually from Pennsylvania, which I found very interesting.  Linkoping lost by two goals, but I still had a great time.  I plan on going to a few Predators games once I get back home.

Stockholm Pictures

A Saturday in Stockholm

Yesterday, Melissa, Hannah, and I traveled to Stockholm by train. We got to see the countryside on the way to Stockholm, which reminded us of being back home.  Stockholm is a very beautiful city but also very large.  We didn't get to see everything we had planned on, but one day is not enough to explore all of Stockholm.  It was a very cold day, and the wind was fierce.  If I ever travel back to Sweden, it will be during the summer months! :)  We were all excited that we made it to and from Stockholm all by ourselves! Two more weekends left in Europe!

Friday, November 22nd, 2013

On Friday, I gave a lesson on typical American 4th graders because I have 4th grade Swedish students.  I added my lesson on my 4th graders from my last placement, and the Swedish students were very interested.  The students were very dismayed when they learned that my American 4th graders only get one recess a day.  The Swedish students get at least four breaks a day!  I showed my Swedish students pictures of school buses, lunch trays, desks, and classrooms to help them see how classrooms back home look like.  There are several differences, but there are also similarities.  It's good for the students to see this.  I also discussed what the schedule is like for my 4th graders back home, which is longer than their typical day in Sweden.  My last cooperating teacher asked my 4th graders about their favorite parts of the day, and I relayed this information to my Swedish students.  On Monday, we're going to try and write letters to the 4th graders back home in Kentucky.  My Swedish students don't speak much English, and they also don't write very much English.  I'm excited and hope it goes well.  Then hopefully my 4th graders will be able to write back to my Swedish students.