24th-31st May

This week began with relief as we handed in both our buisness assignements, both of which I am very satisfied with. There's nothing like the feeling of getting assignments completed and handed in, especially when it isn't a night before job. During this week, Becca had her friend Rosalind out, so we entertained her in between our practical asessments. This mainly consisted of going to the beach, as Rosalind was determined to make the most of the good weather before returning home. This was great news for us as we could look over our teaching que's for our badminton/tennis asessment. Studying on a hot beach in Malta sure beats doing it in the dining room table back in Belfast! During this week, Seamus Dee and I also decided we would go scooba-diving. I was a bit nervous at first, but generally thought it would be easy enough.

                                                    However, when I got under water and started sucking up water, I panicked and if it wasn't for the instructor, God knows what would have happened. Once I got over this initial shock though, I was fine (something that can't be said about Dee!). It was amazing to swim under water and we saw plenty of fish and other animals i'm unable to name. This certainly isn't something I could have experienced at home.

On the friday was an early start as we set off to the junior college to get assessed on tennis. My overall tennis ability isn't the best so I was glad to get the opportunity to coach as this would hopefully better my grade. JP and I were coaching the serve so we constructed a lesson plan that consisted of four different activities. The first simply introduced the path that the ball must follow when conducting the serve, the second used the movements of a serve but still without a racket. The third activity introduced the racket, as students performed the serve against the surrounding fence. To finish, we instructed the students to move onto the court to practice what they have learnt. Throughout our session we stressed the teaching que's which were keeping knee's bent, arm straight and keeping eyes on the ball, ensuring there is a full follow through. Miss Larra Tonna was pleased with our session and was particuarly impressed with the way we asked the students questions throughout to ensure they understood. On the following monday, we had our final practical asessment in hockey. We travelled down to a place called Quormi with Chris from our class. The Maltese students often tease us for our pronunciation of this place. Our asessment wasn't until late afternoon and it was the day was the warmest had in a while. Our first activity was dribbling, which I felt went particuarly well as I was rather quick and I am confident with the indian dribble. We then had to display our ability to trap the ball and pass it. I kept remembering that our tutor told us not to tell the ball come to you, but rather cushion it. Our final task was shooting, which went okay considering I scuffed one shot. All in all, I'm happy with how I did in all of my practical asessment's, now I just have to get revising to do well in our two exams.

17th- 24th May

This week commenced with our first practical assessment in softball. Everyone was feeling a bit nervous before we started and this was made worse when our tutor, Dr Attard called us one by one to be assessed, under the observation of everyone else. I feel I did particuarly well in the pitching and batting activities and was even asked to pitch for the other batters, which couldn't have been bad. All in all, the assessment went fine and I would feel confident teaching softball to children. On the tuesday, we had another theory class  with Mr Riolo. I have became very fond of these classes as Mr Riolo is very passionate about physical education. He discussed the developement process of children, making referance to the child, coach and parent as important factors in this process. He often tells us that physical activity is not an inbuilt part of the Maltese culture, therefore people like him have to work harder to ensure interest is generated from children. He also told us that it is important that sportsmanship is integrated into coaching lessons. This can often lead to educating the parent also.
Furthermore, we also had our final hockey session before assessment next week. Our final session was all about shooting and goalkeeping. Saviour (one of the Maltese students) was fully kitted out in goalkeeping gear and we all got an opportunity to ping a few at him.
On thursday, we had another assessment. We were split into groups of two, one group for coaching volleyball and one for uni-hock. I was in the volleyball group. We were to coach around 20 students a particular skill in volleyball. We had already planned our session and included a lesson plan for the tutor. During my session, I intoduced the 'three pass rule' to the children. The first task was simply to get into groups of three, throw the ball between each other and then on the third pass, throw the ball to the oppsong team of three. I then made this more difficult by telling the children that while the opposing team was passing between them, they had to lie on the ground, get up again and recieve the ball before it hit the ground. After my session, Mr Riolo informed me that I had done very well, seemed confident and my positioning was good and instructions were clear . However, he also stated that I could use demonstration to better effect and that this could be done by using one of the more skilled children as an example.

After a hard week of being assessed, it was finally time to have some fun at the weekend. First up, we had a residence prom. This was organised by mainly some of the American girls and they did a great job. Everybody used it as an excuse to get dressed up and we all looked very smart. Going to the prom also meant you had to get a date, whom had to be proposed to in a public way.                                             With this in mind, I decided I would get into just shorts, spraying "Prom?" across my chest with whipped cream, and a flower in my mouth. Mary was the lucky lady....thank God she said yes! At the prom, we all had our chance to get photos with our dates and their was even a prom king and queen, but I didn't win. On the sunday, Ray, the night receptionist had organised a sports day for the entire residence. For most of the events, we were split into our countries. This was all well and good until Becca decided to go with Ireland instead of the UK.....me and Matt were not pleased! So, as the Irish were giving us stick, Matt and I decided to get changed into our Northern Ireland tops and get the flag out, which caused some reacction from not  only the Irish but everyone else, who also seemed to know the rivalry!                                                          

But all was taken in good steam and it turned out to be a great day. I even managed to win an event, the three legged race with Elaine, despite getting off to a slow start (narrowly beating two of the italian girls). After, memorably beating Becca and Matt in the semi after about three replays, we won the final against the favourite's, Federico and Ilaria.
All in all the day was a great success and hopefully more events like this are organised again to get the residence together for some good clean fun!

2nd May-9th May

Our first day back at university after easter was on the 2nd of may, my birthday. Our first class was softball. The aim of the class was to demonstrate the technique of batting. The tutor stressed that it wasn't simply down to hitting the ball as hard as you could. The best way was to have knuckles connecting on the bat, knees bent with the bar being held straight. When hitting, it is also very important to follow through with the bat. I'm not sure if I was having birthday luck, but I seemed to catch on quite quick and really enjoyed battering the ball around the gym hall. Our other class that day was uni-hock and was the final of our theory classes. We discussed how uni-hock varies for different age groups. The tutor advised us of the best suited teaching points for each age group. We also briefly discussed the importance of getting parents involved. Later that week we had a practical uni-hock class which was based on teaching how to make the best use of the space around you. One of the games we practiced involved a group of four, three passing and one retrieving the ball. The aim was obviously to keep the ball from the defender. the tutor emphasised that this is made much easier if the full area is used.Furthermore, we also had a practical volleyball session, in which we learnt how to teach the serve. The main points to focus on were the body posture, keeping the wrists straight and also letting the ball go instead of throwing it in the air, so that connection with the ball is better. Our final class of the week (due to cancellations) was badminton. Mr, Ronald Zammit explained our practical test and let us practice the different skills we would be assessed on. I felt fairly confident in every skill with the exception of the clear. Eventually, Mr Zammit took me aside and broke down the movements for me. He told me that it is important to move the body quickly to ensure that when I am clearng, the shuttlecock is infront of me and not behind. Then, when hitting, ensure that both the right arm and leg come from behind and follow through, so that the shuttlecock will travel as far as possible, making it difficult for my opponent. Mr Zammit's instructins certainly made the skill alot easier to perform.

Outside of class, I was celebrating my birthday with Mary, whose birthday was the day before mine. On the monday, around fifteen of us went to a restaurant called 'Heat', mainly because it's half price. We then went to our local karaoke bar that night, where everyone was very generous in buying me drinks all night. It really was a great night with all my friends around me. If I thought monday night was fun, thursday was out of this world. This was the day that Mary and I had set out to really celebrate. Laura, Becca and Matt had bought Maltese flags for us and got everyone to sign them, wishing us happy birthday in their own way. All the gesture's made me laugh, particuarly Jean's which was just a typical statement from her! We also had a mini-party in room 107. Both Denise and Synne made cakes for us and I recieved other gifts from a few of the other residents. After that we all headed into Paceville. Overall, I'm really glad I had my birthday in Malta, it was great to celebrate with all the different culture's in residence and it really showed how close I was with everyone here. I don't think i've had a better birthday to be honest!

During the first week of easter, my friend Claire visited for a week. This was really good as not only had I not seen in her since leaving, but as everybody was leaving, I had something to do for the week. Claire was staying in a nearby town called Sliema, which was two short bus trips away. During Claire’s stay we did alot of relaxing, with many visits to the different beaches including Comino as she wanted to make the most of the sun. We also managed to visit the catacombs in Mdina.             I’m not sure if its was the catacombs or the spiders but she was certainly a bit freaked out by the whole thing. As for me, I was too occupied by the handset provided at reception which seemed to know every step I was making, as I learned everytime I went near a dark area: “stay away from the dark areas at all times”. Claire wasn’t exactly impressed with the Maltese buses which were always late and absolutely crammed. We even experienced a bus which broke down. The driver wasn’t exactly polite about the situation, just telling us to get off and wait. Not surprisingly, the most impressive thing about Malta for Claire was the nightlife in Paceville which definitely contrasts that of Northern Ireland. Claire also managed to witness my last football match in Malta. At this stage, the senior teams season had finished, so I played some games with the under 19’s as I was still eligible. This was great as it actually meant winning a game and we got promoted with a 2-1 victory against Pembroke, slightly disappointed about not keeping a clean sheet but sure.

After Claire’s stay, it was time for us to leave Malta for the first time as we ventured off to Sicily with Laura and Mary. We left straight after a massive Easter dinner at the residence in which everybody made food. Matt and I just made spuds. The flight was a mere 45 minutes or so long, but we ended up staying in Sicily airport as we had nowhere to stay the first night. After getting a bus in the morning as far as Trapani, the bus driver left us in the pouring rain and thunder with the knowledge that the second bus we needed was not running today. Thankfully we got a taxi. After a day in Sicily, we were then joined by Allison and Jordan who had flew from Amsterdam with some funny stories to tell. During our stay in Sicily we mainly just relaxed at the beach in the sun and went out a couple of nights. We learned that the Sicilians had very little English, making us appreciate how the English was in Malta even more. We mainly relied on Laura’s ability to speak Spanish to pull us through. I would occasionally fire in the odd French word as well such as “Pourquoi?” Our apartment also had one of the best scenery I have witnessed in my life. Basically, it’s a very big mountain.

                        Every picture seemed to be of this mountain, it was amazing. One day we planned to conquer it and climb up, but then we decided that sunbathing at the beach followed by a football match would be better. The football match was the most competitive game I have played in. The teams were Laura, Jordan and I versus Matthew, Mary and Allison. After going two nil down, we changed our formation, pushing Laura back into nets. We fought back to win 5-2, although this wasn’t without witnessing one of the finest saves I am yet to see, one that I would have been more than proud to make. This was after Matthew managed to get past me for the only time in the game, he shot and was about to skip away in celebration only to have that smile wiped of his face by the outstretched foot of Laura. Amazing. I felt our team totally deserved the victory. Their best asset (Matthew) was totally marked out of the game and Allison was just brutal, leaving Mary as their only outlet.
All in all Sicily was a great trip and I have become very friendly with those who cam. It was good to get away from the residence for a bit, especially as it was empty with everyone going home for Easter. On the other hand, I have never seen four people more excited than we were on the plane home. It was great to be welcomed back by everyone and was brilliant to see everyone after two weeks apart. It just shows how close we have become with everyone after just a couple of months.

11th – 18th pril

After an enjoyable weekend of relaxing, this week was to consist of our normal classes, but more importantly our final sports day!!
In class, we were issued our first assignment by Mr Decelis in our business management class. The assignment was based on constructing a marketing plan for a sports organisation of our choice. Mr Decelis is particularly excited about us foreign students assignments as he wants us to choose an organisation from back home. When Matt and I informed him that we both wanted to do the IFA, he told us it would be possible for us to do it together, so long as it was in more depth than the others. This was strange for us, as we certainly wouldn’t be able to do an assignment together back home.
The main part of this week was completing our final sports day. The location was again St Michael’s school, this time for the upper junior students. Therefore, we again dressed ourselves up in the 60’s theme. During the opening ceremony, the dance was more complicated for the older students, something me and Matt were struggling with, so decided to hide at the back and let the others take the limelight. This time, my activity involved the children doing different forms of dribbling and movement with use of a basketball. This game really tested my patience as none of the children seemed capable of setting their ball back in the box when finished, but instead threw them causing all the balls to fly everywhere. I didn’t receive much help from the teachers either! After twelve different sessions of this and a closing ceremony, we were all delighted that all the work was done so celebrated by having a water fight. We all went home soaked and I felt sorry for our class mate Chris, who was driving us home. All in all the sports days provided a great opportunity and experience for us as we were able to work directly with children, testing us in a different way due to the slight language barrier. It was great to see how their cukture differentiated in sports days. I feel that their way of doing a sports day is much better than ours. They put a strong emphasis on ensuring that all the children involved at all times, unlike back home where children are sitting watching for most of the day. Furthermore, the aim of the day is not winning, but competing. Back home children are usually not happy unless they win and there are few rewards given out. In Malta, everyone is rewarded at the end of the day so everyone goes home happy. One possible downfall of this is that it is not teaching the children how to lose, however as they are still so young I feel this is still the best way.

On Friday of this week we were given another assignment from our other buisness management lecturer. This assignment was based on the economics of sports organisations. The format of this assignment fully demonstrated the difference between university in Malta and in NI. It showed how much more laid back life is out in Malta. This has both advantages and disadvantages. We were happy because we were given plenty of time to complete the assignment, however we were all given random titles with absolutely no guidelines to follow. The lecturer said he wanted this so that the assignment would be very open. Furthermore, we also went over our four sports days on Friday with Lara Tonna. She also give us a report to complete that refers to our organisation and implementation during our own sports day, as well as giving an overall evaluation.
Another week completed and now we have two weeks off for easter. Alot of people seem to be returning home for easter, so I’m glad that I have a friend visiting for a week . Matthew and I have also booked to go to Sicily for a few days with Laura and Mary, so hopefully we will make the most of our time off.

4th-11th April


So this week will be the week of all weeks with three sports days and class running as normal, with the exception of tuesday. The first sports day was at Lamrox football stadium in Pembroke. We all arrived bright and early to meet the St Joseph's caretaker who had all the equipment in the centre of the pitch. We all had a sheet that displayed our game and what equipment we needed. My game only required hurdles and the aim was to begin with letting the children jump over or crawl under in any which way they wanted, followed by relays. I would often shout out other instructions during the game to ensure they didn't get bored. Everybody had their own station located on different areas of the pitch and we were all discussing how we didn't want to be located infront of the stand as that is where all the parents would be. Sure wouldn't you know I got the worst spot imaginable. Not only did I have to deal with the speakers blaring non stop music, but the all the children shouting and waving at their parents, although I feel I coped very well. The main worry I had coming into the day was the language barrier that may have become apparent. However, this was not a problem as all the children understood English, I just had to speak clearly for them to understand my accent. I also demonstrated each activity and asked the children questions to ensure they understood. The day proved to be a great sucess and was closed by all the children, parents and teachers doing the 'Waka Waka'. Even me and Becca decided to join in, which I was quite proud of as dancing isn't my best trait and I certainly wouldn't have done this back home.
The second sports day was at the Victor Tedesco stadium in Hamrun, a location Matthew and I are very used to from our football matches. As this was my sports day I felt the need to be more active than the last one, so I quckly set up my station and began to help others with their activities. Keith, Kayleigh and I had previously given all our students a sheet that informed them what they were doing, their station number and who they would be working with. We also ensured that everyone had a helper, which was a parent of one of the children involved. After all our planning and organising, all the children began arriving and there were loads of them! All the children were split into different colours and moved from station to station accordingly. My game was called 'The Grid'. The aim was to make your way through the grid according to the sequence I had on my paper. This was a game I proposed to be included and I thought was fitting as it highlights the children's need to work as a team (as they have to go in two's and remember the sequence), which fitted the theme of our sport's day: co-operation. Again this sport's say was very successful and am pleased to say we encountered no difficulties. One thing that Becca, Matthew and I noticed was that despite having helpers, it was us who done all the work, which I seen as a plus, as it helps us go outside our comfort zone, I feel all three of us were doing a great job.

On friday we had an early start for another practical tennis lesson, in which we moved on to striking the ball with the raquet. The main teaching points were the person's co-ordination, body stance  and positioning on the court. After our tennis lesson we went to buisness management before rushing off to do our final sports day of the week in St Michael's mixed primary school. The age of the children were 5-7 year old's and this time there was a theme: The 60's.



This meant us dressing up in colourful t-shirts and painting our faces in all sorts of colours. This really made the day more enjoyable for us and the children, making some funny pictures with our class mates.
In this sports day, it was inside the school and we had alot less room than normal, which I thought would be a problem but in the end turned out just fine. This time my game consisted of just cones and the aim was that one team would turn them upside down, while the other team do the opposite. I thought that this game may become too repetitive for the children however they seemed to really enjoy it. During the day, one of our students had to leave for a sports game. This left one station free and nobody was aware. I noticed this during my break as there was a group of children standing at the station doing nothing. I ran over (with no idea of what the game was supposed to be) and started playing random games with the basketballs at the station. I really felt this showed how much my confidence had grown since coming to Malta as I was able to make fun games for the children on the spot. I also got a big thank you from one of the student organisers who would have been quite embarassed had I not took the session.
All in all this week has been very tiring but very benificial and worthwhile. I hope that the final sports day next week runs as smoothly, but until then I think a weekend of resting is on the cards.

28th March-   4thApril

This week was supposed to be a very sad one for me, as I was waving goodbye to my parents. Little did I know that as I went to the airport with them, my little sister Anna would be getting off their plane to greet me. This was a great suprise as I hadn't expected to see her during my entire stay in Malta as I am not returning home during easter break. I couldn't wait to introduce Anna to my friends at residence, who already knew all about her! To say I was excited about spending the next few days with her would have been an understatement. Not long berfore she arrived in residence, we were straight out the door and hitting Paceville, what a night! Aside from that, I also took Anna to see Comino, which is one of the other Maltese islands. This place is literally tiny and consists of two burger stands, a tiny area of sand and the most clear and blue water I have ever came across. Other than relaxing all day, Sean and Reece showed us the cliff which they all jump off on previous visits. Anna and Denise decided they would give it a go and after about half an hour of nervously looking down at the water, they finally jumped. I thought I might as well do it myself, so I ran and jumped, no waiting like the girls. This made for some class photos.




More importantly, inside university classes were continuing as normal. Fielding was again at the centre of our lesson as we were taught the best activities to teach children how to move the ball quickly without dropping. My personal favourite activity was when the students formed a circle and had to move the ball around the circle before one student ran around the entire circle. This proved that the ball moves quicker than human, however dropping the ball can cause otherwise. The point was to show that fielders are their own worst enemies.
Additionally, we had our first practical tennis lesson thus week. I was really looking forward to playing some tennis but I wasn't going to be playing any this week. Our tutor Lara Tonna, put strong emphasis on how it is important to allow children to familiarise themselves with a tennis ball before coming anywhere near the raquet. We played a series of games that invloved throwing, bouncing and catching  the ball with both hands. I feel this would be the perfect way to intoduce tennis to young children.
In our friday afternoon buisness management lecture, we began reading and comaring/contrasting articles on the economics theory of professional sports teams. My article was based on how different sports teams from different countries vary in relation to their wealth and the money expenditure. I found this interesting as it showed the difference between English premiership clubs and sports teams in America.
After this week, I feel like a good night sleep is much needed to prepare me for a hard week ahead, consisting of three of our four sports days. Here's hoping they will run smoothly and be a sucess.