I have now been in Sweden for thirteen weeks and it is going by extremely fast. As teaching is a reflective practice I think I have naturally started to reflect on my time in Trollhättan and how great it has been as well as how I have changed as a person.
Firstly, I think I have become a lot more aware of public transport as at home I am used to jumping in my car and going wherever I need to be whereas here, in Trollhättan I have to walk or wait for the bus or train which is also fine as generally everything is on time and you do not have to wait too long. I have even bought myself a monthly bus card which can take me in and around Trollhättan and Vänersborg; although expensive it will definitely be worth it when I am travelling to school every day next week, especially as I have to get two buses to get there and two to get back!
Despite buying the monthly bus card I am still keen to walk as it is good exercise and I only live thirty minutes from most places I need to be in Trollhättan which is quite similar to home but I would still drive due to convenience. Perhaps when Erasmus is over I will walk more places rather than drive.
I think I am beginning to pick up more Swedish than I give myself credit for as I can understand most numbers and even some words in relation to trains and buses. Throughout these thirteen weeks I have also managed to successfully translate Swedish in the laundry rooms and my washing has always turned out well with no mistakes! Most people speak English as I have mentioned before and even if they say they don’t speak English they still have enough vocabulary to communicate with you. For example, the other day when I was in a taxi, the taxi man said he did not speak English as he was not originally from Sweden but asked if I spoke German, as I have German to GCSE level I thought it was risky to say yes so I said I spoke a little. We were able to have a conversation in German/English which was great as I was able to use my limited knowledge of German. It worked out quite well and we were able to understand each other and I arrived in the right place.
This just shows that Erasmus has plenty of opportunities for personal development as I never thought I would be speaking German to a taxi driver in Sweden.
Another week has passed and soon I will be starting my teaching practice which is exciting! I cannot wait until I see what I will be doing at school but before that I am going to Latvia on an international student cruise with the entire Erasmus group from Trollhättan. I am looking forward to this trip as it will be good to see Stockholm again and do something fun before all the hard work starts over again!
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