2014, October. Edition 17 With a night sailing from Rotterdam Europoort on one of the two luxury cruise ferries, students can enjoy a great sailing . They will be assured of a good night's sleep too, thanks to the comfortable cabins. Taking the ferry to Hull will ensure the miles to disappear while they are asleep. When they wake up the next morning, the journey to Appleby will start. We will visit APPLEBY GRAMMAR SCHOOL, a small comprehensive school which currently has 650 students on roll, including a vibrant Sixth Form. Appleby Grammar School is one of seven smaller Cumbrian secondary schools which form the innovative Rural Academy partnership. They work with schools in South Africa, The Netherlands, USA and Taiwan. Students will follow lessons at Appleby , we will visit a Court room in Carlisle and we will undertake a joint excursion to Manchester where we will visit Old Trafford, home of Louis van Gaal and Manchester university. Last but not least we will visit the old town of York, once a Roman city with its beautiful York Minster. Edition Internship • for students from students • for students from TTO-group • for parents • for teachers We think this is going to be a fantastic trip. Why? Because we are going to visit a great school, students will be staying with a host family and we are going to do lots of nice things. Furthermore, we hope this field study trip will educate, inspire and broaden students’ mind and that we will bring home a lot of nice memories and of course some photos. The teachers are really looking forward to this trip. We hope the students are as excited as we are. TTO News Page 2 of 7 The first thing you might think when you hear someone talking about penguins is some snowy polar region… But what if I tell you there are penguins in Africa? For my internship I traveled to Boulder’s Beach, Simon’s Town, south of Cape Town in South Africa. Boulder’s Beach is the only place in Africa that has penguins in the wild. That might be an exaggeration because the penguins are kind of fenced off to stop tourists from interfering with them too much, but they are a natural population nonetheless. I worked in the Boulder’s Beach Lodge and Restaurant, a hotel-restaurant, which is located 70m from the actual beach the penguins live on: a unique location. The hotel is owned by a friend of the family, which is how I got the idea to go to South Africa in the first place. I stayed there for one and a half weeks, mainly helping out at the main reception desk. The people who work there are all very kind and laid back. The South African work ethic is different from the one we have over here in Europe. After that, I stayed at another hotel further up the road, the Glen Lodge and Pub. This place was a bit livelier because it was a hotel, restaurant and pub separately owned but all connected to each other. I helped out in the hotel doing chores and taking care of hotel reservations. At night I helped out in the pub which was probably the most fun job I had to do. On my internship I got to meet a lot of new and interesting people but most of all I experienced a lot of new things. I can tell you the food there is great, and it’s cheap. For us Europeans most things in South Africa will seem cheap. It also took some time getting used to the way things are there. Safety can definitely be an issue, you have to be on your guard much more than you normally would. South Africa is an exception in that regard of course, mainly because it has the highest crime rate in the world. But that didn't seem to bother the people that have lived there their entire life. I think you eventually get used to it, just as we are used to our own environment. Besides the work I had to do that taught me some things, the internship has definitely given me a different perspective on life. Adriaan den Hartog, V6 Naar de Verenigde Staten op stage? Als je op stage gaat naar de Verenigde Staten dan moet je een ESTA-reistoestemming aanvragen. Doe dit minimaal 14 dagen voor je vertrekt. De ESTA-reistoestemming vervangt het groene I-94-formulier dat u voorheen aan boord van uw vlucht naar de Verenigde Staten moest invullen. Het aanvragen van een ESTA-reistoestemming kost USD 14, ongeveer EUR 10,50. U hoeft dit bedrag alleen voor uw ESTA-aanvraag te betalen als u een nieuw paspoort heeft, of als uw vorige ESTA-reistoestemming verlopen is. Ga naar www.esta.cbp.dhs.gov Page 3 of 7 TTO News The pupils of V4A will be visiting Rome from Tuesday 7th until Saturday 11th of October. In the ‘Eternal City’ that once was the capital of a vast empire they will see lots of interesting and breathtaking monuments, they will meet students of a Roman school (the Liceo Kant) and work together with them in a project on history and archeology. They will translate Latin texts on the spot, see the antique harbour of ancient Rome, visit world famous places as the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Navona, dive into Rome on a rented bike, see with admiration not only the Colosseum and the Vatican Museum but the magnificent St. Peters Church as well. The pupils of V4A will be visiting Rome from Tuesday 7th until Saturday 11th of October. In the ‘Eternal City’ that once was the capital of a vast empire they will see lots of interesting and breathtaking monuments, they will meet students of a Roman school (the Liceo Kant) and work together with them in a project on history and archeology. They will translate Latin texts on the spot, see the antique harbour of ancient Rome, visit world famous places as the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Navona, dive into Rome on a rented bike, see with admiration not only the Colosseum and the Vatican Museum but the magnificent St. Peters Church as well. Beauty and history will become reality for them, awe and surprise will move them when we walk were once the emperors, the senators and the tirants of Rome must have trod. A detailed report will be written as an obligatory part of this week’s task. But of course we hope that the joy of being abroad, meeting Italian students, eating ice-creams, tasting a good slice of Italian pizza, drawing a Roman sight, taking lots of pictures and having loads of fun will make this week an event never to forget. School can be helpful by finding an internship, talk to your mentor! TTO News Page 4 of 7 The home of Kafka, incredible architecture and the 1989 uprising; yes, from 5th – 10th October our V4A & B students will be visiting the Czech Republic! Not only to wonder at the astronomical clock, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and all manner of beautiful buildings from the Gothic to the Baroque in the historical centre of Prague (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) , but also, and most importantly, to engage in a cultural exchange with the students of Academia Mercurii school in Náchod! After seeing the sights of Prague, we will board a coach to Náchod where we will get acquainted with the host families. Once in Náchod, our students will give presentations about the Netherlands, their home towns and national traditions to the Czech students and will receive presentations from their Czech counterparts on the same topics. From then on our programme includes: visiting Náchod castle; a trip to Adrspach where we’ll enjoy a boat trip on the lake; and a visit to Dobrošov Fortress. Of course, in between these activities there are quizzes, assignments and an afternoon tea party to enjoy with our hosts! We’re happy that our students are getting the opportunity to broaden their cultural awareness and become acquainted with their European neighbours in this developed nation. Here, they can experience English spoken in a geographical and cultural context lying towards the East rather than the West of Europe; an experience which we believe to be instructive and valuable. Reflectieverslag na je stage Van je stage maak je een reflectieverslag. Daarin beschrijf je je ervaringen met betrekking tot je leervraag. What should be in your report? - - - - Start with an introduction in which you explain why you chose this traineeship, and you thank the people you worked with. Introduce the reader to the company you stayed with (what kind of company) Write down what you had expected from your traineeship and mention whether these expectations came true. Describe what you did and how successful you were in your work. Provide evidence of your work if possible. Say what you learned about the company and the type of work you did. Say to what extent you have benefited from the experience. Take notice of: - This report will also be forwarded to the people you worked with. The report must be in English. It must be between two and four pages long. Your report must be handed in six weeks at the latest after having ended your traineeship and should be assessed as sufficient. In case the assessment is insufficient the school may provide you with an alternative or complimentary assignment. This will happen after consultation between your mentor, the team leader and the coordinator TTO upper school. Page 5 of 7 TTO News The 24th of August was the day my internship became reality. Having done a lot of preparation since midJanuary, the journey finally started at Amsterdam Airport. The flight would take about eight hours, which was quite a long time for me as I had flown once before to London. Luckily, the time flew by and before I could even imagine, we passed the first Caribbean islands. While descending the temperature was rising and rising. Just walking outside Queen Beatrix International Airport, in long pants, having met my host family, the drops of sweat ran over my head as 32°C is about the normal temperature on the island for this time of the day. You might already have guessed were I have been heading to. Well, that’s Aruba, also referred to as one happy island. It’s the island where the temperature never is lower than 20°C, the beaches are snow-white and the water is aquamarine. Among other things, those appealing aspects of Aruba made my first cousin, once removed called Fred (51) decide, 17 years ago, to stay in Aruba. Therefore, my parents were afraid I would as well. My first cousin, once removed, his Aruban girlfriend and her two children were my hosts for those two weeks. In daily live, Fred works as a rector on a school for IT trainings and workshops such as an essential training on Microsoft Office. My job was to build a new website for his company as the previous one was getting outdated. During the internship, we have restyled the design and build new features to inform the interested students in a more efficient way. For the result you can have a look at www.compulearncaribbean.com. As an additional job and a great hobby, my host imitates probably one of the most famous jazz artists named Frank Sinatra. Twice a week, tourists can attend his show, performed in a restaurant in combination with a dinner, and reenjoy their youth. I had to make some pictures during the show as group photos of the guests and the host. Fortunately, working was not the only thing I have done in Aruba. There also was some time to relax, which was of great importance as a workday took nine hours, up to 6:30 pm, after which the sun set very quickly. In the weekends, we explored the island and its beauties. Remarkable is that the island is even smaller than the Hoeksche Waard. However, the diversity in nature is huge and absolutely fascinating. The southern coastline is extremely calm with its white beaches while the northern part is incredibly rough with high cliffs and wild water. Thanks to my host, I saw all those different sights of Aruba and learned a lot about the lifestyle and habits of its inhabitants. And, as we all know, time flies when you’re having fun. I had such a great time that when driving to the airport, it seemed as if I only had been for one week to this amazing island. After all, everything has to come to an end and so did my stay on the one happy island. Having waved my host family goodbye and getting ready for take-off, I saw Aruba for the time being. With a change of crew in Bonaire and having had a glance at Curacao, we flew onwards over the Atlantic Ocean during the night. I got some sleep which was very useful to prevent a jetlag. Waking up while flying over Dublin, we approached Europe and only two hours later, at 11:00 am, we stood on the Dutch territory again. Although I missed Aruba, I was relieved to see my parents again. It felt good to be back in town and see the sun which had been travelling along. The day after, the alarm clock went off at 6:00 am as my first day in the fifth grade started and so my adventure had finished. All in all, I undoubtedly enjoyed my internship as a whole and hope everybody else will do too. Be aware of the fact that the internship is a distinct chance to discover a totally different society. Acquire experience in your everyday English but above all, enjoy it! When you’re interested in more stories, read my blog on www.damiandejong.nl. Damian de Jong, V5 TTO News Page 6 of 7 Do’s and Don’ts Begin op tijd met het zoeken naar een stage! Praat veel met familie, kennissen en vrienden over je stage. De ervaring leert dat er iemand binnen je kennissenkring wel weer iemand kent die wellicht belangrijk voor het vinden van een stage adres kan zijn. Gedragsregels Aandachtspunten tijdens de reis Tijdens de stage kom je in contact met bedrijven en instellingen. Wees je er van bewust dat je op dat moment het visitekaartje van de school bent. School en leerlingen hebben alle belang bij een positief beeld naar buiten toe in verband met toekomstige stageplaatsen. Gedraag je op het vliegveld en bij de douane. Sinds de aanslagen van 11 september 2001 zijn de veiligheidsmaatregelingen verscherpt en verzwaard. Het zou zeer vervelend zijn als jouw gevoel voor humor jou en je medereizigers in vervelende situaties zou brengen. Vaak hebben personen die connecties met een bepaald bedrijf hebben, een stageplaats voor je gezocht. Ook naar deze personen toe, heb je een zekere verantwoordelijkheid. Zij blijven in de toekomst zaken doen met deze bedrijven. Let altijd goed op je bagage als je reist, verlies het niet uit het oog! Vanzelfsprekend drink je geen alcohol en rook je niet. Vergeet je paspoort en je verzekeringspapieren niet! Belangrijke data voor inleveren stageplan TIPS Maak een kopie van je paspoort en verzekeringspapieren en noteer pasnummers (handig bij verlies). Zorg dat je belangrijke telefoonnummers altijd bij de hand hebt. Verder is het belangrijk dat het paspoort (of ID) nog geldig is! Aandachtspunten tijdens het verblijf Pas je aan bij de regels die binnen het stagebedrijf gelden en maak goede afspraken over bijvoorbeeld werktijden en (koffie-)pauzes. Probeer van tevoren aan de weet te komen wat er van je verwacht wordt met betrekking tot de kleding die je draagt. Let op je taalgebruik. De directe manier waarop in Nederland vaak dingen gezegd worden, wordt in het buitenland niet altijd gewaardeerd. Vermijd taal die door buitenlanders als grof wordt ervaren. Breng nooit vertrouwelijke informatie naar buiten van het bedrijf waar je stage loopt. Stel je positief op en bedenk dat zelfverzekerdheid een goede eigenschap is; eigenwijsheid niet! Je stageplan dient uiterlijk 6 weken voordat de vakantie begint, waarin je stage wilt gaan lopen, ingeleverd te zijn bij het stagebureau. Je mag het natuurlijk ook veel eerder inleveren! Raadpleeg voor de vakanties van dit schooljaar onderstaande vakantietabel Vakantie Eerste dag Laatste dag Kerstvakantie Zaterdag 20-12-2014 Zondag 04-01-2015 Voorjaarsvakantie Zaterdag 21-02-2015 Zondag 01-03-2015 Meivakantie Zaterdag 25-04-2015 Zondag 10-05-2015 Zomervakantie Zaterdag 11-07-2015 Zondag 23-08-2015 Herfstvakantie Zaterdag 17-10-2015 Zondag 25-10-2015 Kerstvakantie Zaterdag 19-12-2015 Zondag 03-01-2016 Page 7 of 7 TTO NEWS is een uitgave van het stagebureau van De Willem. Stagebureau De Willem Randweg 2 3263 RA Oud-Beijerland stagebureau@dewillem.nl Redactie Wim Merjenburgh Bezoek onze website www.dewillem.nl Edition 17 – October 2014 TTO News International internship at MAF Last month I did my international internship at Mission Aviation Fellowship, MAF, Arnhem land situated in Australia. My work there consisted of helping MAF’s ground crew of engineers with maintaining the numerous small aircraft which the organisation use to fly locals to remote Aboriginal communities and spread their Christion beliefs. Essentially this volunteer experience opportunity is a requirement of our bilingual course. The goal of this is to help us learn managing skills and to teach us to be more independent in an world that is becoming ever smaller. But besides that I thought it would be a great to turn it into a (very) short term mission trip giving it just that bit more to offer (and a better excuse to travel so insanely far). My organisation of choice: Mission Aviation Fellowship. The choice to do my internship at MAF Australia wasn’t a hard one. This is because we used to serve for MAF Papua New Guinea until 2006 where my father worked as a pilot. Many of our old friends from that time have moved to Australia since then practically insuring me a place to stay while I stayed there. This history with the organisation also made it possible for me to do my work experience opportunity there. MAF has multiple branches worldwide. The branch which worked with was MAF Arnhem land, based in Nhulubmuy, Arnhem land, Northern Territory, Australia. Originally the plan was for me to do my internship at the Mareeba office in Cairns but in the end Arnhem land could offer me more practical and varied work. The relationship between MAF Arnhem land and the aboriginals is built on a strong basis of trust, which is horribly difficult to maintain in a good manner. That is why it is so admirable of the MAF Arnhem land people that they keep that relationship strong. This also gives them a better opportunity to share their beliefs with the Aboriginal communities than if their relationship lacked the trust aspect. I mainly spent my time in Nhulunbuy helping the engineers maintain and fix the aircraft and organizing supplies in the stores. Usually all that had to be done were routine inspections of the planes, but it did happen that a plane was grounded at another town and that an engineer had to be flown in to fix the engine. And I must say, despite the fact that most of what I do at school on a daily basis is theoretical, it was great to do some ‘real’, practical work. Furthermore I visited a small aboriginal community called ‘Milingimbi’. You really notice the difference between life there and and back home. Let’s just say that some things were going on which aren’t exactly very civilized and you could feel some suspense in the air. For me personally gathering work experience at a non-profit organisation has so much more than just working at an ordinary company. Mainly because instead of working for a profit you are actually making an effort to support a specific good cause. I have had a great time and had many wonderful experiences. I would do it again any time! Tim Markesteijn, V5