The article published in the school paper of ROC Friese Poort Drachten

Bezoek Hongaren, deel 1

Al enkele jaren onderhouden we als ROC Friese Poort warme contacten met de Raoul Wallenberg school te Boedapest. In oktober is een delegatie van ROC Friese Poort naar Hongarije geweest om onder andere het bezoek van de Hongaarse leerlingen, docenten en management aan ons ROC voor te bereiden.

Van 6 november tot 3 december zijn 14 studenten uit Boedapest bij ROC Friese Poort te gast geweest. Vijf leerlingen vielen onder verantwoordelijkheid van Drachten en de overige 9 onder die van Leeuwarden. De leerlingen volgen op de Raoul Wallenberg school in Boedapest verschillende opleidingen binnen gezondheidszorg en welzijn. 

In de eerste week hebben we deze leerlingen allereerst ontvangen op de Leidijk. Zij hebben rondleidingen gehad bij Kunst en Cultuur en Grafi-Media. Twee dagen later waren de leerlingen op bezoek bij de Wetterwille. Hier hebben zij e.e.a. geleerd over kraamzorg en kinderverpleging. Ook zijn zij op bezoek geweest bij een locatie van Talant.

De studenten en hun meegereisde docenten waren zeer nieuwsgierig naar hoe een en ander geregeld is in Nederland. Zij stelden vragen over het onderwijs, het werk, de arbeidsmarkt maar ook over hoe wij thuis leven. 

In de tweede week gingen alle leerlingen naar verschillende stageplekken. In Drachten liepen Kriszti en Vivi stage op de Montessorischool en Noemi, Evi en Marti bij de kinderopvang. Het was lastig om goede plekken voor ze te vinden die per openbaar vervoer goed bereikbaar waren maar het heeft uiteindelijk heel goed uitgepakt. De leerlingen hebben een goede tijd gehad en veel geleerd. Af en toe hebben ze verbaasd gestaan over de andere methodieken die hier gebruikt worden wat ook terug te lezen is in hun blog (http://holland2011english.blogspot.com) Dit kwam ook naar voren in de eindpresentatie die de leerlingen gehouden hebben over hun ervaringen. Hierbij konden een aantal van de 16 leerlingen (waarvan 6 uit Drachten) die in maart naar Boedapest gaan, aanwezig zijn.

De Hongaarse leerlingen hebben naar eigen zeggen een geweldige tijd hier gehad waarbij ze veel geleerd hebben.  Dingen die ze ook willen gaan toepassen in hun werk in Boedapest. Voor ons als docenten was het ook een bijzondere ervaring om in contact te komen met deze leerlingen en hun docenten. Dit gold overigens ook voor de stage adressen: volgend jaar mogen er weer studenten komen.

Ook het management van de Raoul Wallenberg is een week bij ons te gast geweest. Naast het bezoeken van een aantal leerlingen op hun stageplekken, heeft het bezoek in het teken gestaan ontwikkelingen binnen ons MBO onderwijs. Het programma varieerde van digitale leermiddelen, kwaliteitszorg systemen, de schoolorganisatie tot en met een bespreking van de verdere samenwerking. Ook zijn er een aantal bezoeken aan Friese zorg instellingen afgelegd. Ook het Hongaarse management kijkt terug op een leerzame periode. 

Binnenkort zal het Hongaarse bezoek worden geëvalueerd. Voor alle betrokkenen is het een inspannende en erg inspirerende periode geweest die zeker een vervolg zal krijgen.

Hilma van Drimmelen en Meine Scheweer

Bezoek Hongaren, deel 2

I have been involved in the Leonardo student mobility project from the start. First through two of my students who took part in the first project. I remember encouraging one of my best students who was hesitating about applying because she was unsure of herself. At the time I could only say commonplaces like it is a great possibility that she should not miss. Fortunately I sounded convincing enough because she did apply and got into the team of students who went on a work placement in Holland and despite her initial anxieties she enjoyed it very much.

Last year I was lucky enough to be part the teachers programme and spend a week in Holland. We were there in the third week of the students’ stay and shared the accommodation with the students. This was the time when I had a real insight into the project. It was so good to see how independent, well-organised and dedicated our students were. They were so enthusiastic and serious about their work but they were also having a lot of fun at the same time. Being an English teacher I was happy to see them use English a lot more confidently. I think these programmes are extremely important because this way the foreign language gets out of the classroom and becomes something living and real. I can clearly remember how motivating it was when I first went to England and met real people with whom I could communicate and connect.  

This year I took part in the exchange programme as a project coordinator. I must admit that being a project coordinator means an incredible amount of work and worrying but I never minded that because I knew it was worth all the sleepless nights and all the worrying. To be honest I loved every minute of it. It was great to accompany these fourteen young people on their adventure from their first interviews through all the preparatory classes to their final presentation in ROC Friese Poort. They’ve made a wonderful job and we are really proud of them. They have developed a lot both professionally and personally. Reading their blog entries I was glad to see how intelligent and conscious they were in observing the differences between Holland and Hungary.

As I see it this has been a very important and positive experience for our students, it has improved their self-confidence and made them even more open to other cultures. They have learnt a lot about their vocations, about Holland and also about themselves.

I also constantly learn from this project. One of the most important things it always reminds me of is that we should never underestimate these young people because they are capable of making the most of such a possibility.

Szálteleki Szilvia

28 days :( :)

Aaaaaand the moment of homecoming came. I personally would have liked to stay. I would have come home for a weekend to hug my loved ones and to have some Hungarian food and would have gone back.

3 December around 5 a.m.

Fumbling, shuffling, packing, suitcase dragging and weighing, excitement … it was bad to wake up for this because it made me realize the IT WAS OVER and we were going home. Around 6 the two minibuses arrived to take us to the Amsterdam airport. It was pouring with rain, even the weather shed some tears because we were leaving.

At the airport we dropped off our luggage, got the boarding passes and then got on the plane.

We had to wait 45 minutes for the plane to take off. I love the feeling when the plane takes off. It was literally uplifting. And now we know that the saying „The sun is always shining above the clouds” is true. J

After two hours of flying we landed on our Liszt Ferihegy where our loved one were waiting for us. We all ran to our family, boyfriend, girlfriend with tears in our eyes. It was really moving.  

So this wonderful month that was full of experiences, work, fun and tiredness went by and I must tell that I absolutely LOVED it. I’ve learned a lot at my workplace, gained a lot of experiences and I’ve learnt a lot from and about Dutch people. I didn’t want to leave Holland but I live here.

All in all I would REALLY, REALLY say thanks for this opportunity that we got because it was an experience that we will NEVER EVER forget.  :D

Kitti

The last but one day has arrived. It was somewhat difficult to get up after the farewell party of last night. While getting started some made the last changes in their presentations that we were to give in ROC Friese Poort in Leeuwarden. By the time we arrived a big group of Dutch students was waiting for us. When we saw the size of the audience we really got excited and somewhat scared.

We divided into five groups. In the first group we had the paediatric nurses (Szimi, Noémi, Évi and Márti), then came we (Kriszti and I) the special need’s child teacher assistants. We told them that we workd at a school where we could get acquainted with the Montessori method. Kriszti spoke about the method and its inventor, Maria Montessori, and the daily routine of the students. I spoke about the differences that we noticed and about what we did during our work placement. 

Then came the dental assistants (Ági, Kitti, Eszti, Kati and Erika), they were followed by Annamari, our pharmacy assistant. The last presentation was given by our masseurs, Tony and Magdi. 

I think we did a good job with the presentation and the reaction of our audience showed the same opinion. Around 12 we had our last lunch with our kind Dutch hosts.

In the afternoon we did a little shopping and at the moment all the inhabitants of het Toppunt are busy with packing and weighing their suitcases and with and tidying the place. To me what happened during the last four weeks is still incomprehensible. I feel that it will take some time to „digest” this life long experience. And now I’m going to take my suitcase from under my bed and pack my things. Tomorrow we’re going to say good bye to Holland and fly home. 

Farewell dinner

Since the girls and Tony are dancing (in quite a funny way) at the moment I've decided to write the chronicle of today. 

The students said good bye to the people in their workplaces. They got a lot of praise and present and shed some tears.In the afternoon we started cooking. The group decided that this time we would cook gulyás to show our guest what we mean by gulyás. Our chef, Noémi did a great job and Szimi baked us some delicious apple pies. In the evening our Dutch guests arrived:  Rob, Hylco, Meine, Annemarie and Ellen. We had a really pleasant evening, we talked a lot and we laughed a lot. With some little presents we thanked them for making all this possible to happen, for all the efforts they put into arranging the work placements, the professional and the cultural programmes and also for the attention and the love we got from them.

When our guest left we had a little party. The girls and Tony really deserved to have some fun because they did a good job during this past month. We've got a lot of positive feedback from the workplaces and we are really proud of them.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting too. We go to Leeuwarden and the students will give their presentation about their stay in Holland to the Dutch students and teachers. I'll have my fingers crossed for them :). 

It's been a good evening. It's been a good day. It's been a good month. And it was good to be part of their adventure.

Szilvi

Hi everyone,

The last day of our work placement has arrived. We said good bye to our colleagues and mentors. We’ve all gained a lot of experience since in a foreign country everything is different. I think the three weeks I spent in the Dutch dental surgery deepened my professional knowledge.

When I finished my day at work we said good bye to each other, they wished me a lot of success with my studies and gave me a little present. They were very kind and considerate to me during these three weeks.

When I got home I joined to the others in preparing the dinner. It was a special dinner because we were expecting our host for dinner. We cooked a real Hungarian specialty, gulyás. For dessert we had apple pie. The dinner was delicious and we really enjoyed the dinner. We were all sad to say good bye to our Dutch hosts. We came to like them a lot.

When our guest left we started partying and danced all night. J

Hellooooo!!!!

I’m still in the same nursery as before. The days have the same routine, but there are every day new things to learn.

In the morning there was a traffic jam, so we missed our bus again, but Noémi found another bus to Drachten. We got on and it went another way. First it was surprising, but we saw so beautiful villages! I couldn’t sleep like in other mornings.

Luckily we arrived on time at our work place, so there weren’t any problems. The nursery nurses were preparing the breakfast and I helped them. The nursery nurse told me, that I shall take a walk with the children. At first I was a little scared, but I went to the park with 8 children. They were so well behaved!!! Nobody was running away, they walk nicely next to us. It took much time to walk in the park, so we had to hurry, because the lunch time was near.

The children were very tired, I saw a boy to fall asleep with the sandwich in his mouth. I showed it the nursery nurse, and she wake the boy up and took put him to sleep. The nurses told me that’s how it is after such walks.

Évi

We had a busy day. We visited a dentist, an ambulance base, and a football club.

First we went to a dentist in Sneek. One of our students is on work placement there. The doctor and the assistants have a very positive opinion about our student because she is hard-working, studies quickly and can work independently. We were very happy to hear the doctor say that our students are welcome there next year too. The dentist’ surgery was a bit strange for us: there are 3 chairs and only one doctor. The dentist starts the treatment and the assistant finishes it.

Last year we saw that the ambulance base in Sneek is near the ROC Friese Poort is. Today we visited it. Szilvi’s English knowledge helped a lot. The ambulance nurses were very kind, one of them showed us everything in an ambulance car: the stretcher, the medicines and the instruments. I took 30 pictures, and while I was taking the pictures we learnt what have you do if you want to be an ambulance nurse. You have to study to be a general nurse, then you work 4-5 years in a hospital, then you have to do a specialization course (e.g. cardiology) and after that you can complete the course to be an ambulance nurse. In an ambulance car there are two workers: the driver and the ambulance nurse. Women can also work as an ambulance nurse. We met them in the base.

At last we went to Leeuwarden to the football club. Our sport masseurs works here. There are kids, who play football 4 days a week. The kids like our students and the masseur of the club praised them too so we were very proud of our students.

Éva tanárnő

A bit of German for a change :)

Praktikum im Kindergarten, unsere letzten Tage hier….. L

Die Gespräche mit den Kindergärtnerinnen bringen Ergebnisse. Jetzt erfahre ich, dass dieser Kindergarten ein privates Unternehmen ist, die Eltern müssen jeden Monat 400 Euro für die Verpflegung der Kinder bezahlen. Zu Hause beträgt ein Durchschnittslohn so viel.

In dieser Woche habe ich eine andere Gruppe betreut, weil in der Gruppe der Kleinsten (3 Monate-1 Jahr) zu wenig Kinder waren. Und wenn ein Kind da war, es schlief. Deshalb ging ich zu den 4-jährigen. Ich finde es schade, dass ich nur jetzt diese Gruppe kennen lernen konnte. Diese Kinder gehen bald zur Schule. Wir haben Fangspiel, Versteckspiel, Ballspiele, gespielt, getanzt und viel gelacht!!! Ich hatte meine Kamera dabei, und machte Fotos. Der Timer der Kamera hat den Kindern sehr gefallen. Ich glaube, mir wird diese freundliche Atmosphäre unheimlich fehlen.

Dieser Kindergarten ist in der Kabaalstraat (Lärmstraße), und es gibt hier 4 Gruppen: Lotta, Madelief, Lawaai Papagaai, Stampertjes. Ich habe die meisten Zeit mit der GruppeLawaai Papagaai verbracht, dort waren 3-4 jährige Kinder. Mir hat es gefallen, dass die Kinder jeden Tag andere Tätigkeiten hatten, und sie konnten unter diesen Tätigkeiten wählen. Sie können das machen, was sie möchten. Heute zum Beispiel einige Kinder haben draußen, andere im Innen gespielt. Die Kindergärtnerinnen beobachten alles, und mischen sich nur selten ein. Es ist toll, dass Kinder verschiedenen Alters in der selben Gruppe sind.

Wir haben eine Treppe aus Gummilego gebaut, so sind die Kinder auf die Regale gekommen. Das war witzig. Danach haben wir auf dem teppich einen Marienkäfer gefunden. Für die Kinder war der Marienkäfer sehr interessant.

Es gibt manchmal peinliche Situationen, weil ich kein Friesisch oder Niederländisch spreche. Aber ich kann alle Situationen beEltern spreche ich Deutsch oder Englisch, ich habe eine Englischlehrerin getroffen, eine andere Mutter ist Deutsche. Aber es gibt Kinder der Einwanderer auch. Sie lernen jetzt die Sprachen hier.

Die Kindergärtnerinnen sind alle sehr nett zu mir. Ich fühle mich hier richtig wohl!

Ich wünsche euch einen schönen Abend!

Und ach ja: ich will nicht nach Hause gehen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everybody,

Today we started our last week here in the Netherlands. To be honest I wouldn`t mind spending more time here. The kids in the nursery are just sweet. It`s getting easier to communicate with them each day. Today they made me laugh with the way how they played with me. First they played doctors, and I was their patient, than this turned into another play, and I just started to believe that they play that I am a baby who they have to take care of. They wanted me to lay down on the bed, than they examined me with their stethoscope, then they tried to put different kind of things into my mouth and in the end they brought me a lot of toys like rattles and plush animals. I couldn`t help laughing and the nursery nurse couldn’t help smiling either. Every day I help to clean and feed the kids, I play a lot with them. Unfortunately today one of them closed her hand with the door, so I had to treat her. 

As to the cultural differences I realized are the following things: the kids and the nurses are much more free here than at home. It was interesting when one of the nurses put  make up on the little girls and coloured their nails. It was so good to see the happy smile on their face when they looked into the mirror. In Hungary something like this would not happen but it seemed okay here.

A thing I like is that when the children went for a walk on the street and it was okay for them to run. In Hungary children have to walk hand hands and it`s not allowed for them to go too far from the nurses. I think I will really miss the Dutch nursery.

Márti

Hi Everybody!!!!

It’s me live from Sneek after a long and peaceful day.

I can tell you, that everyone has had a lot of experiences in the last 3 weeks... We had 4 hard workdays and 1 school vocational day, and last but not least the great sightseeing in Amsterdam. Everyone needs some break…

For me this vocational training in the Netherlands is so useful. It is incredible how many differences there are between the Hungarian and the Dutch dental system and also the cutting edge machines make work easier.

On the first day, after few hours I could assist alone! The work of a dental assistant at home is different from the Dutch but it is so easy to learn how they work here and the assistants were also really helpful which made my job a lot easier.

At first they usually asked me after a patient if I wanted to assist during the next treatment.  A few days later it was so naturally that I did my work alone. To take an X-Ray is still difficult to me because the computer program is in Dutch.

The dental unit is arranged in a way that we can the assistant can work sitting on a chair and they can freely get to the right hand side of the dentist. This makes the work more effective.  I also like that they use the Carpulle system which is safe for the patient and for the dentist as well.

I really like that they every instrument and every material has its own place and they work “from the drawers” and from trolleys. Of course the always disinfect the instruments before putting them back to their place. Sometimes I had the impression that the rules of sterilization are followed more strictly at home.

I also saw an implant operation, however I couldn’t see the details the operation because but I could see the instruments they used.

I really like the atmosphere of the dental surgery and that people are friendly. I find it amazing that dental check-up are family programmes, amazing but very good.

I really like being here, I’ve seen many beautiful and interesting things and I’ve learnt a lot not only about the Dutch dentistry, education and culture but also about living what it is like to live an adult life.   

Erika

NAVIGATOR

I Amsterdam

Today we visited Amsterdam. Wow! J I don’t even know where to start. Amsterdam is a long way from Sneek. While we were sitting on I was looking at the scenery and I was really excited. Meanwhile I was wondering what we will do in that huge city. What are the things that I would really like to see. We left behind more and more sheep, cows and horses before we arrived. And we also left behind the calmness of Sneek. There was such a crowd that I’ve never seen before.

First we were shown the meeting point for the evening. We arrived at Dam Square by twelve and our teacher told us that we will meet there at six. Till then we can go where we want to. For a second I was shocked “Six? What shall we do till then? That is a long time.” But as time went by I started to feel that it is not enough for anything. It is impossible to conquer Amsterdam in a day. Could someone stop time, please? J

 A few of us went to the Van Gogh museum first. I didn’t know which museum to chose but I think I made a good decision. I really loved the exhibition. “How beautiful” I exclaimed several times.

After the museum we went for a walk. On the way the group split to smaller groups because everyone was interested in different things. The city is beautiful! The houses, the small streets, the canals and the bikes everywhere. I could believe it was really happening. But we really were there!

As we were walking in the city we I was thinking about what it could be like to live there. I can’t imagine it. I must be a completely different life. This crowd all the time and this busy city. Sometimes it was a little scary too. But I also liked the diversity of the town, all the different people, that they are all special in a different way. I think I have fallen in love. We walked a lot and we got more and more tired yet I didn’t want it to be six o’clock. I sometimes feel this at home too and I feel it here more and more that 24 hours are not enough. Not for me.

On the way home we used all out energy that was left and by the time we got home everyone was really exhausted but we all said that it comes to Amsterdam there is no such thing that “No, I’m too tired”. So could we go back tomorrow?

Kriszti

We’ve had a good day again. We got to know some Dutch eating habits. We started the day with cooking and ended it with baking. With the help of the dutch students we cooked a typical Dutch dish, called Erwtensoep. It is not difficult to make but it takes a long time. It is somewhere between a soup and a „főzelék” (a typical Hungarian vegetable dish).

We were divided into small groups so in the eng we had a lot of Erwtensoep.

In the meanwhile we learnt that they hardly use any oil and we also got acquainted with a few girls. Before lunch was ready we played a game together. Our first task was to choose from a lot of words the ones that are characteristic of Hungary and of Holland. It wasn’t difficult, however we thought cold belonged to Holland. Then we tried a Dutch game and we laughed a lot. We even had a competition and I got the second place.

Then we had lunch. I must admit it exceeded my expectations because at Sinterklass we tried this soup and I didn’t like it that much, but this time it was delicious. After lunch we had a competition again. Later we made papernoten with the help of the Dutch students. We had some difficulties but the result was delicious.

While one half of the group was preparing the paprenoten, the other half was preparing Dutch specialities: different kinds of cheese, herring and sauces. It was good that we could talk to Dutch students during making all these things.

 After that the shool programme we had free programme and the group split. Kriszti, Vivi and I went to Leeuwarden, it was market day so we saw a lot of interesting things. We are really looking to tomorrow because we are going to Amsterdam.

Ági

We are again in Sneek. It’s good to be here in this town again. It’s like coming home….

It was a very long day. We got up at half past four early in the morning, our plane had to start at 7.10, but we had to wait one hour for the start permission. The flight was ok, the pilot had everything under control. It’s not his fault if I say the flight was not pleasant: on board it was a little bit cold.

The weather in Amsterdam was lovely: the sun was shining. Our programme included sightseeing, the van Gogh museum, the Kattenkabinet, the flower market.

We’re learning how to use the ov-chipkaart. It’s a card for public transport, train, and busses. You can load money on the card, then you have to check in on a train for example at the beginning of your journey, at the end you have to check out. When you check out money is taken from the card.

We had some problems during the travel by the train. The carriages are crowded, it isn’t easy to find a proper place for your luggage. And there are these hybrid trains: the one part goes to Groningen, the other to Leeuwarden. If you don’t find the right part when getting on you have a problem like we had. But we were lucky: the conductor stopped the train only for us so we could get off and wait for the train to Leeuwarden.

Éva tanárnő

It was a wonderful day in the daytime child care where I work …. There were again new children I hadn’t met before. I asked the nursery nurses how long they work on a day. They told me, some are here from 7:30 up to 18:00, some work only 8 hours. The nursery nurses have a break during the day, which is one hour long. The children are sometimes there, sometimes not, and how many nurses work on a day depends on how many children there are in the nursery. The nurses are very kind, I could help them with many things for example I painted a Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piets on the window.  I can help also with feeding and changing the babies. I play with the children very often. There are no language problems. There is a little girl, I taught to count in English from 1 to 5. She diligently repeated what I said. Later she told me she would like to take me to her place. She was so cute ... :) 

Noémi

Hoi Everyone!

Today the impossible happened … here the weather is either foggy or windy. By this morning it was both at the same time.

I like what I experience here … It is good to discuss - in English of course - which treatment is better, the relaxing or the „torturing”? It is interesting to see that people pay a lot of money for the „needle” treatment … they actually stick needles into muscle knots. We are taught ,,Nil noccere!" and every student knows that we should deal with such knots tenderly because the client wont trust us if we cause them pain.  

Then came the football school! J Then children welcome us with a smile on their face and kindly say ,,Hoi Magdi, Tony!" :)

In the football school we work more as sport masseurs and not as massage therapists. I don’t know if it is sports massage or the Dutch method but it seems that it has to be painful. The poor kids are screaming when we knead their knots but that’s what is expected of us which is the opposite of what we study and experience at home. It is good to know that different approaches exist as well. Then comes the training. We are there next to the football-ground so that we can help if it is necessary.

When the training is over the trainer gave us a lift to the railway station where we had to wait an hour for the train which gave us time for a vlaamse frites with sauce. We got home by 8 and the others gave us a warm welcome. We talk about our day. Slowly the net started to die because everyone was using it. We are waiting for some news from our loved ones, our loves, parents, friends, these are great moments because they gave us energy. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we love you and miss you. See you next Saturday. Sweet dreams to everyone!

Tony

I’m a massage therapist and I work in the afternoon in the football school in Leeuwarden. Children between the ages of 7 and 16 train in this football school. In the morning I have to go to different workplaces to learn about methods of physiotherapy.

Last week I was in ROC Friese Poort on a shiatsu lesson, and in Sneek in TopFysio. The word physiotherapy means something different here. They know what hydrotherapy is but they don’t know electrotherapy. One of the therapists told me, he has learnt about it, but he only has vague memories.

There is a method called dry needling. It’s similar to acupuncture. Its effect lasts for a month and it can be used on every muscle knot but the patients don’t like it very much because it’s very painful. You don’t need a referral for it.

The other method, I was shown is the manual therapy. The other word for it is chiropractic. It’s used in case of spinal complaints. I think it’s scary and dangerous, if the chiropractor makes a mistake.

Our real workplace is the football school, I’m here with Toni, and we work together. I was very happy about this workplace, on the one hand because of the children on the other hand because of football.

We have to work mostly with the couches. They are very kind; they tell us everything we want to know. At first we had to watch the coach how he treats injuries and we had to memorize, which kid had which injury, and how they got better.

Now we can do the massage, and I really enjoy it. The techniques are a bit different from the techniques used in the hospital, but there are many similarities too. It was amazing to see the techniques I learnt in Hungary during the work of the coach.

We’re learning many interesting techniques. We make friends with the children, they are very kind, and they teach us Dutch. The first word they taught us was regenboog. I don’t know why they chose it.

I’m sorry that I can spend only 3 weeks here.

Magdi

As a pharmacy assistant I spend my practice in pharmacies. So far I have been to two pharmacies, to a smaller one in a little village (it is part of a GP’s surgery) and a bigger one which is in Sneek. The system is a bit different from ours. In Hungary we get the prescription and we go to any pharmacy. Here the GPs are in touch with the pharmacies. Everybody has to choose a pharmacy, usually near their home, where their personal information (name, date of birth, address, insurance) is recorded with information about what medicines they take and if they are allergic to anything, etc. In Sneek they get some 500 prescriptions, ¾ of these comes directly from the doctor who prescribed them. It means that the doctor doesn’t give the prescription to the patient but sends it to the pharmacy where it is printed and the medicines are prepared for the patient who either comes for them or they are delivered to the patient. If the patient has a chronic illness they don’t have to go to the doctor every month to have their medicines prescribed, they can get their medicines for 3 months. Later the patient can get his medicines from the pharmacy and they ask for a prescription from the doctor later.

I found it interesting that in the small pharmacy where I was it was possible to order the medicines on the internet or on the phone. It is also interesting that the patients bring the boxes back to the pharmacy. The boxes have the stickers that have all the important information about the patient as well as a bar code so based on the boxes they know in the pharmacy what medicines they have to order for the given patient. In the small pharmacy which is connected to the GP’s surgery they only print the stickers and then they give the medicines to the patient.

In the Sneek pharmacy they also have a lab where they prepare creams, suppositoria, capsules and ointments. Similarly to Hungary a pharmacist and pharmacy assistants work in the lab. Pharmacists study for six years and assistants study for three years and their qualification probably corresponds to that of the specialised pharmacy assistants in Hungary.

In the GP’s pharmacy there is no lab, if they need special medicines they order it for the patient. In this pharmacy there is no pharmacist, only the GP. Patients do not pay for the prescription medicines in the pharmacy, they pay a monthly health insurance and the pharmacy sends the bill to the insurance company once a month.

I am glad that I had the possibility to know the Dutch system. I learn something new every day. I am happy that I can go to different pharmacies because this way I can learn more.

This day was another simple lazy Sunday. We spent the whole day in our rooms, we watched films. The managers of our school will arrive today. We are cooking dinner for them. I hope they will like it. The smell is delicious…..

The experiences of this week were amazing. I started m y work placement as a dental assistant. My workplace is in a wonderful private practice in Leeuwarden. Our speciality is orthodontics. I really enjoy the work here; it’s maybe because I have got braces too. The people and the work are different from the work in Hungary. There is one dentist in the practice and 7 assistants and the assistants do everything. I have learnt many new interesting things.

This is my workplace

And this is not everything: on Saturday we were on Ameland. This excursion was really amazing, will never forget it. Ameland is an island. We went to the island by ship, and we rented bikes there. We rode bicycle all day. We laughed and we had fun. We cycled to the beach. It was incredibly beautiful. The sun was shining and we were sitting on the beach in our coats. I have been to many beaches in my life, but this was the most amazing. Nothing was out there, no beach umbrellas, nothing like that. We collected seashells and enjoyed this happy day.

 Eszti

AMELAND

Our day started early again, We went to the North, to Ameland, an island surrounded by the North Sea. We went by ferry to the island. In the morning it was foggy so we set out quite ill-humoured but I must say that this turned out to be one of the best days of our stay in Holland.

When we arrived we rented bikes to cycle around the isle, to go to the sea and then to go back to the village to see the Sinterklaas of the village. The following pictures speak for themselves.

Sometimes we stopped for a rest and we saw a lot of interesting things. The inhabitants made statues for their island out of the things they found on the seashore.

After that we went to the seashore. The scenery was amazing. It was unbelievable to be on the beach in November. We had a free hour and we could collect shells, walk on the beach, take photos or just enjoy the scenery.

Then we went to the village to see Sinterklaas. We had lunch in a pretty little restaurant where we could taste a Dutch fish specialty. Then we went back to the ship and sadly gave back the bikes. The day went by quickly so quickly that we didn’t even notice. When we got home Annemarie welcomed us with the delicious Dutch-Hungarian gulyás that they bought in the morning. We had dinner and said goodbye to Annemarie and her colleagues. I LOVED this day!!!! I want more J

Kitti