FINALLY I AM NOT BEHIND WITH MY BLOG ANYMORE, YAY!

Yippee, last Friday we went to Vejle for shopping, shopping and then back here for dinner. After dinner we, five of us, went to Århus to visit a Deaf Club by car which took about one hour. It was a poker-night, we did not play, we watched and talked with other Deaf people. Århus’ Deaf Club was interesting, especially because there also had many hearing people and interpreters. I’ve never saw them in Copenhagen’s Deaf Club. But it’s ok. Then we drove back here at Castberggaard at night.

Yesterday on Saturday, I cleaned my room the whole afternoon. I took a warm shower and ate good dinner, yum. Afterwards I went to another house with others Frontrunners and the DDU’s Board. We talked and talked.

Today, on Sunday… I wrote in my blogs and e-mails all day believe it or not! But after lunch I visited DDU’s meetings for an hour. It was too interested to see what kind of their youth system works. It was a very different from Finland’s system. Then I went to the computer and typed and typed.

Yeah, I am fine. I have been here already almost ten weeks; it means 2 months and 2 weeks. Huh, time is running too fast that I can’t believe that now is November, soon it is XMAS! Here, there is no snow, heh. I enjoy here a lot! Lots to study, and at the same time I am doing also some for EUDY and FDYC, e-mailing and e-mailing after school everyday. So time ran faster because one day = morning - afternoon is school and afterwards I worked on e-mails and then evening began à zzzz.

Tomorrow is Monday = starting a new week, Joe Murray and Tomato Lichy are coming here… Really interesting to hear them!!! Then next, A SPECIAL WEEKEND- Frontrunners Party weekend in Copenhagen!! Can’t wait to see my friends! Some friends from Finland, Belgium and Germany, etc. is coming to Copenhagen!! =)

I’m going to Finland for work 23.-27.11. I fly to Helsinki then drive to Malminharju about 2 hours from Helsinki. Then back to Helsinki and FLY back to Denmark. So it means that I will not have time to see my friends or visit the city of Helsinki. Oh.
Then on 1.-4.12 I and Tiina Haanpaa from Finland will have a DNUR’s meeting in Copenhagen. DNUR = Deaf Nordic Youth Council… =)

Now I am so tired and the time is 23:20, now is bedtime =)
I will try to type more often in my blog!!!

Mette Sommer from Denmark and Patrik Nordell from Sweden

Mette Sommer and Patrik Nordell

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7.11 Patrik Nordell came here and told us about Deafism and his philosophy. We were exposed to philosophy (positivism vs postmodernism) by Patrik. Read more about this later www.frontblog.dk --> weekly report.

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8.11 Mette Sommer is studying sociology. She told us about sociology and her 1 year at Bristol University in the UK. Read more about this later www.frontblog.dk --> weekly report. =)

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ODENSE - City of Hans Christian Andersen

4.11 Friday, we went to Odense to see the H.C.Andersen museum which was interesting. We discovered a lot about who he was and about his life.
Hans Christian Andersen was an writer who wrote many fairy tales and stories. A few famous of H.C Andersen’s fairy tales are The ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Little Match-seller etc. Comfortables stories for children and of course us, adults heh. I love books so I bought one book from there =P Heh.

1.-3.11 Really a nice PROJECT!

Ole gave us one task for this project. We were split in 4 groups. I and Thomas worked together. We had to design a week program for students in Deaf schools. Thomas and I picked young people aged between 12 and 17 for this program.
SCHEDULE OF THE DEAF CULTURE AND HISTORY COURSE FOR DEAF YOUTH (13-17)
I tell some examples about our plan- Monday: Introduction to the course and the themes, Deaf Culture introduction, creative workshops etc. Tuesday: Quick evaluation from yesterday and introduction to Deaf Education, History of Deaf Education. Wednesday: Sign Language Thursday: Deaf Identity etc. Friday: Deaf organizations EUDY and WDFYS, evaluation and summaries of Deaf Culture, Deaf Identity, Sign Language and History of the Education. We also made materials for this course, made questions for student, homework themes, workshops etc. I really enjoyed a lot about this project, I like to teach Deaf children about those themes.

A wonderful week in Copenhagen on 24.-30.10

We went to Copenhagen for a week and visited a lot of deaf organisations.
Ahh what can I to write first… Monday we arrived in Copenhagen from here and we went to a hostel with bags etc. Then we went and grabbed some food then met Redtop for a Deaf History tour. He took us around Copenhagen and showed us some important places where deaf education developed. He also shared the history of Castberg; the man that Castberggård is named after.

Monday noon, we went to a meeting for Tegnsprog Nu and was too stunning to see how they act with Tegnsprog Nu = Sign Language NOW. Tegnsprog Nu group is like active group and they want to show what is sign language and justice. The goals are: Make DSL an official language of Denmark, increase awareness about DSL and the Danish Deaf community, increase events relating to DSL and the Deaf community, increase media about DSL and the Deaf community. www.tegnsprognu.dk

Tuesday morning= THRILL!
Guess what? We went to the CI- hospital to get know doctor’s theory about Deaf, Sign Language and CI. A little bit sticky to explain what it was like in there. A woman who is an audiologist, told about CI, CI- children etc, we had questions for her and she answered us. We can see that she lies sometimes. Lie is maybe a wrong word but unaccountable tales were explained to us. Also she showed us CI- objects, how an operation process. This time was too hostile mood, my feelings was. Can’t explain. It was too close that I left in the middle of a meeting, but I stayed there all time with FR.

After CI we went to visit Deaf TV.
We went to Deaf TV’s studio and we got know about their a history etc. They have a variety of programmes; children’s programme What is Didi, teenage programme Beebs, young adult programme Swap, adults Viften 30 minutes. Then Beebs interviewed us in the studio with video cameras about our Frontrunners. Frontrunners’s interview will be shown on TV here in Denmark sometimes in the last week of November. We enjoyed it a lot. www.deaftv.dk


Wednesday morning: Deaf Danish Association – DDL.
Wednesday afternoon Knowledge Centre. Read more about DDL and Knowledge Centre www.frontblog.dk --> weekly report

Thrusday morning KC – Communication Centre. Read more about KC www.frontblog.dk --> weekly report.

Thrusday evening I went to visit Thomas’ home, we talked about EUDY etc and then meet others in the city. We went to a restaurant to eat and talking, talking. Was a nice evening with Deaf people =)

Friday morning Centre for Deaf
Friday afternoon Deaf Church . Read more about Centre for Deaf and Deaf church www.frontblog.dk --> weekly report.

Finally weekend time! I and Sarah went to Thomas’ home and stayed in Copenhagen for weekend! I, Sarah, Christoper, Jerry and Thomas ate thai-foods at Thomas’ home and of course drinking and talking J And then we went to Deaf Club for party, there was a lot of Deaf people. Almost young people, new faces.
On Saturday morning I, Sarah, Christoper, Gordon and Iva went to Helsingör (North of Copenhagen/Denmark) by train about 45minutes. In Helsingör has one big and historical castle called Kronborg Slot. We visited there for about 3hours and went to walk in Helsingör- city. Ohh, old houses, beautiful!!! And then we went to SWEDEN, Helsingborg by ship only 10 minutes from Helsingör to Helsingborg. I’ve never been in Helsingborg before! Ohh, Helsingborg is too unique and old city. We visited in Helsingborg’s old city, walked, walked around the city. I’m happy when I visited a lot of cities in South Sweden; Göteborg, Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg. BACK TO COPENHAGEN from Helsinborg by ship and train. When we arrived in Copenhagen, we met other Deaf people and we went to eat together. Talking, Talking… Sunday whole all day I was lazy and stayed only at Thomas’ home, heh heh. Afternoon I and Sarah left from Copenhagen back to Castberggaard. We’d not want to go to back Castberggaard, we enjoyed lots in Copenhagen!!! Hih.

EUROPEAN UNION OF THE DEAF YOUTH

22.10.2005 Surprise, Surprise!! Elina Pokki sent a message to my mobilephone: “Congratulations! You have been voted in the EUDY’s Board!”. Incredible!
I’m happy when I was voted and now I am belonging in the EUDY. Of course it’s much things to do for EU youth. I am also from the Finnish Deaf Youth Committee of the Finnish Association of the Deaf (FAD). So it means that I will do lots with F D Y C and FAD as teamwork too. Thank you, FAD and Elina Pokki!! You are supporting me in the EUDY!!
Regards, Minna

http://www.eudy.info and http://www.kl-deaf.fi/nuorisotoiminta