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| Our accommodation |
It's currently the beginning of week 2 which is Easter week here in Voss.
During our first week we're getting settled into our work placements and getting to know the people in our group as well as familiarizing ourselves with the area around us and it's amenities.
Our first ever night in or accommodation was interesting. We all agreed on who was staying in what room as some were more homely than others. In such a short space of time the trio became quite close, to the point where at 4m we decided to move into the same bedroom to keep warm. The mixture of people on the trip makes it easy to organize eating out and doing activities as everybody is happy to go along with others or do their own thing.
It takes a bit of getting used to looking out onto snowy mountains and many trees. It's all so beautiful here. There are so many good opportunities for taking amazing photographs.
Our accommodation is only a 10 minute walk from central Voss, where we have enjoyed going out for meals such as Peppes Pizza, the Steak House and China House, which seem to be our favourites so far! There is many handy shops around to pick up snacks and other essentials. Within the 10 of us are living together we decided to use a kitty to make good use of our money when buying group food shops. This has been probably handy for buying items for making up packed lunches for placement and cereals/milk/bread for everybody's breakfast.
Things we have done so far:
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| Top of the mountains |
- Watched films in he communal area
- Lots of walking exploring the area
- Shopping
- Eating out
- Visit to Bergen via train
- Went to play park
Work placements -
We were all very happy to have received placements which ill benefit our further studies/careers, and the support from our mentors based here in Voss have been very supportive.
Hayley Hardy - Bjorkeli Barnehage (childcare)
As I am currently studying childcare at college I couldn't refuse the opportunity to come here to Norway and develop my skills and experience in a nursery of a different culture. At Bjorkeli Barnehage all the children and staff are so lovely and inviting, I felt right at home working alongside them. Routines are completely different than of nurseries in Shetland the children eat 3 times during the day and most are there from around 8am until 3:30. They base each individual rooms in the building and children are split into the same mixed group each day with the same staff member. Everybody comes together for singing songs which cover the topic of the week/month, which right now is Easter. I have contributed to hear songs using English as the children enjoy listening to both languages. In the afternoon the children who require sleep are wrapped up warm in suits and put in sleeping pods inside their pram. There are sheds outside the entrance where the prams are parked for the children to have a good sleep with the benefit of fresh air. I am looking forward to spending more time getting to know their ways of work and developing my communication skills with the children as so far this has been a challenge.
Becky Moverley - Logolink
At the college I am studying digital media and so alongside James we were put together on the same placement. On the first day we arrived only to find out that here it is normal to remove your outdoor shoes. We thought this was strange. We had a chat with the manager who told us about the company and their values as well as introducing us to the other co-workers. Our first task was to make a favicon using Adobe Illustrator. I was told that mine was better than James'. Inga the manager then took us out to a clients building to take photos of a vehicle involved in the project to create a logo for it. He also took us out for some lunch which was extremely nice of him and made us feel very welcome. The nest few days we carried out other tasks using the computer making different logos for different companies. Wednesday 25th was by far the best day for me as Inga treated us to a trip up the mountains via the cable cars which was truly amazing and I got some great photos. Overall it was a good experience at Logolink but I am excited to start my second placement at the Voss Gymnast school in the ICT Department.
Holly Kemp - Hagahaugen Rehabilitatengsenter
My placement is situated on a steep hill which takes a minimum of 30 minutes to walk to n the morning. This is a challenge as I am not used to doing so much exercise. On the first day me and Sanna actually got lost trying to find our way to work. I am working with elderly people who struggle to speak any English however the staff are very helpful in supporting me with this issue when trying to communicate with them. I help to serve up lunches to the individuals using the service which is good experience to have. I feel my confidence is progressing through doing this experience and it is having a positive impact on my determination to do well following my future career choice which is adult nursing.
