Richard Haremaker, derdejaarsstudent lerarenopleiding Engels

Hello there!

My name is Richard Haremaker, 27 years old and third-year student at HAN University. After graduation, I will officially be a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) teacher. Before that will happen I had to (yet, willingly) take part in the ‘education in international perspective exchange course’. This year I would live abroad, starting from January till the end of may.

Destination of arrival: Belfast
On the map, it is marked as the capital of a country named Northern Ireland. Yet, this place is an important part of European history and serves as a living reminder of neocolonialism. The name of the country itself is even up for debate amongst some people. This is mentioned because I would be living in a community that is divided as a direct result of ‘The Troubles’. It was a civil war between the Irish Republican Army and UK forces. Hostilities ended in the late 90s after the signing of the Good Friday agreement.

Well, how can this place possibly be professionally beneficial for a teacher?

A new generation & international relations
In Belfast, I had three goals to accomplish: to study, teach and explore.
St. Mary’s is the University where I would study. It is located on Falls road where several clashes happened between the Irish volunteers and British paratroopers. Nowadays, mostly murals remind us what happened here. It usually portrays an important event or it honors the fallen. This is something you will not only encounter in Belfast but all over the six counties. One of those places is in Derry as you can see on the pictures below:

Be that as it may, St. Mary’s has a good reputation and offers a wide-variety of courses. I had the option to pick my own courses which led to interaction with local students with similar interests. It forged new friendships as they allowed me into their world. Making me me more outgoing along the way by sharing music, poetry and taking dancing lessons (just a couple of examples).

Another local and friend invited me to a commemoration march which left a huge impression. See the video below for a short fragment of this event.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrkWQaGVtZM[/youtube]

Professional development
During my stay, I got the opportunity to teach at Holy Family Primary School which you will find in one of the poorer areas of West Belfast. Yet, through positive behavior reinforcement, the teachers are trying to make a difference. The sense of being part of a community is present as pupils, parents and colleagues are trying to get to know you by involving you in their activities.

As teacher in training, I appreciate the given opportunity. If you wish to know more about my school placement experiences you can visit my weekly blog at: http://www.kinginthenorthsite.wordpress.com

Slán go fóil
It is Irish and it means ‘goodbye for now’, I did not mention all the places I traveled to  (a couple of visits are  mentioned in my personal blog) but it certainly helped me to grow as a person. You will learn more about a different culture and its customs. One thing is for sure: you will never be the same after!   I will be back someday and visit the people that are part of this experience. So, if you are interested in history, music, nature and traveling I recommend you to visit this place at least once in your life.