Kids In Action

For the past five weeks I have been volunteering with Kids in Action as part of my Adapted Physical Activity class. This program is for children with autism and also their siblings. I have had the opportunity to work with a four year old girl (and some days, her twin sister also). There are almost twenty kids that come for this one hour of after-school physical activity. Half of them do aquatics based activities and half of them do gym based activities. The activities are designed by some of the grad students and they do a fantastic job in keeping things organised and varied from week to week. Each week there is a different focus, e.g. one week it was locomotive movements while another it was rhythm. As today was our last day, the children got the chance to use the sensory lab. It contains tunnels, neon lights, a water bed and many other things that are stimulating for children with autism. The children are really active for the entire session and it is a great way for them to use up all of their energy. I would love to be involved in this program for longer and I would encourage anybody to get involved if at all possible. Every day the children put a smile on your face. Although sometimes challenging, it was a very rewarding experience and I am glad I got to experience it.

 

New York, New York!

It’s hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving break. Irish on Tour are leaving Slippery Rock to visit a city which is a bit larger in size and population; the Big Apple. I am very excited to get the opportunity to explore New York City and I can’t even imagine how busy it will be. We haven’t exactly planned out our trip, but would like to see the obvious places such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. We are also hoping to catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Black Friday will probably be a bit crazy. We have never experienced this before as we don't have it in Ireland and so would love to see this first hand and get some Christmas presents bought. However, we have been warned of the dangers of getting trampled on (or killed) so we might avoid this and go sightseeing that day instead. If anybody has any tips or recommendations on anything else to do or see, I’d appreciate the help! I hope you all enjoy your thanksgiving break and get to spend some well needed quality time with your families!

Irish Beef Stew- A Cut Above the Rest!

Preparation for the annual international dinner took place on Thursday and Friday as students gathered in Weisenfluh to cook up a storm! Julie, Gráinne and I had a timeslot from 10pm to midnight on Friday, as we took to the kitchen to cook our Irish beef stew..

About 30 minutes in and twenty parsnips later, a bloody event occurred. In a moment of absent-mindedness, I must have mistaken my thumb for a parsnip and cut it with a sharp knife. Oops. So, as I went to the health centre to get bandaged up, my Irish friends had to work extra hard in the kitchen. (And don’t worry, they threw away the blood covered parsnips for anyone who’s wondering, although it might’ve added extra flavour haha). I made it back to help them complete the dish and sample some other countries dishes. We breathed a sigh of relief as Friday the 13^th came to a close.

Thankfully, the dinner itself ran much more smoothly! The night began with a flag ceremony, whereby I represented Finland and Julie carried our green, white and gold emblem. The full ballroom included a variety of cultures, which was evident in the food that was being served, the traditional outfits that were worn, and the performances that took place. Some of the dishes that could be sampled included chicken curry, enchiladas, pollo guisado and efo riro. It was fantastic to see the community spirit between everybody in attendance. It is definitely a memorable event that I will cherish from my semester spent here at SRU. It was really well organised and I am delighted to be a part of such a diverse community. No wonder it is one of the highlights in the academic year!

Here's our story in photographs:

Education Systems from Around the World: Internation’s Week Round Table Discussion

(Contrary to prior belief, the round table discussion took place in a room with rectangular tables.)

Internations week is upon us (and almost coming to an end, sadface)! With this week brings a number of events including internations sport night, fashion show, coffee house, the round table discussion and of course the major international dinner event, which is on tomorrow, Saturday.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to school or study in another part of the world? Luckily, I have experienced this by coming to the States for a semester, but what's it like in other continents? Yesterday I got the opportunity to experience a discussion regarding various educational differences from around the globe. Internationals students, American students and professors alike gathered to learn about education systems in South Korea, Australia, Kenya and Denmark. Here’s some interesting things I learned about the way education works in each of these regions:

South Korean families take great pride in academic success. Entry to college is based greatly on one exam. The top three universities in South Korea, often referred to as "SKY", are Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University. Attaining high grades and studying hard to be the top student is rooted in the minds of South Korean students at a young age. The suicide numbers are high for students due to the stress and pressure that is put on them for this one major exam. A common saying here is that 'If you sleep three hours a night, you may get into a top 'SKY university;' If you sleep four hours each night, you may get into another university; if you sleep five or more hours each night, especially in your last year of high school, forget about getting into any university.'

There are very slight variations between the education systems in each of the territories of Australia. Most schools have compulsory uniforms which must be worn (similar to Ireland). A striking fact from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that reading assessment results of 15 year old students in Australia who went to preschool for more than a year outperformed those who had not attended. However, in the USA, attending preschool had little or no relationship to the PISA results achieved by students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds.

Kenyan education is based on British education systems. The system here is referred to as an 8-4-4 system of education. The first primary school level lasts for 8 years, then there is 4 years of secondary school, for those who can afford it and have high enough grades. There may be 4 years of university after that. Primary education is considered compulsory. Numbers attending school drop significantly after the primary level.

In Danish universities, students apply to gain entry into a certain course but they do not know which university they will be accepted to until a month before they are due to begin. One interesting part of the Danish education system is the concept of folk high schools. This refers to non-formal courses for adults, whereby they learn something that they are interested in e.g. sports, music, art or writing. It is not focused on getting a degree but in advancing your learning and it is a traditional aspect of Denmark’s education system.

The final event of internations week is tomorrow- the much anticipated international dinner! I’d encourage you all to come along and check out various dishes from around the world, including our own Irish beef stew.. Here’s hoping it turns out edible!