 FROM OUR DESK
Well and truly into the New Year, it's with great pleasure that we launch our first Newsletter for 2008. We were so busy during January and February that we have run out of time to publish a newsletter. We are looking forward from March onwards to sending you our monthly editions once again. You will notice you are getting an extra large edition to make up for the missed issue, read it slowly and enjoy all the great tips regarding culture shock.
With this in mind I take this time to say "Thank You" to every host family that has helped us to host so many new students, with some weeks over 100 students arriving in just a single weekend, things got really busy in our office. Without your ongoing support dear host we would not be able to assist so many young people at once, and many of them would not be able to start their courses on time. The other half of the equation is our team, without the amazing group of girls we have at the office we would not be able to serve our clients, I am so grateful for every single member of our team that stepped up and rose to the occasion by working and taking charge in whatever was needed to get the job done!
 Also I would love to make a mention about our great "End of the Year Party", which we had close to 100 guests attending, enjoying a morning of great company, fine food, entertainment and amazing views over Collaroy Beach. This was a way of saying "Thank You" to hosts and clients. And from the feedback received, everyone had a great time and this encourages our team to create more functions such as this one in the near future. A dear friend of mine, Nina Milanova, Director of "Pero Entertainment" provided excellent numbers during the morning and surprised us all with the professionalism of her dancers. Congratulations to everyone that won prizes on the day!
 I personally give a warm welcome to new members of our team; Alicia is one of our new Homestay Coordinators whom will be joining our Host families' recruiting team, interviewing prospective families in the South Western area. Chie, our Japanese Junior Admin Assistant whom is very willing to learn within our busy environment, I give her a warm welcome; as I write, we are celebrating her birthday with cake, candles and gifts, she was amazingly surprised! And last but not least I welcome Lynn, our business adviser who is bringing her expertise and talent to assist us in creating the structure we need in this time of growth.
If we guide ourselves by the start of the year, it promises to be a busy, prosperous and successful one, not only for us at Global Experience but for everyone that has set goals and dreams for the year and puts some work, effort and passion into it.
Until the next issue
Sonia Ortega
Managing Director
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Host Family of the Month - Chris and Kate Weymouth
Chris and Kate have been together for nearly 14 years. Chris is a facilitator/training coordinator and Kate owns a remedial massage clinic. They have a beautiful 5 years old daughter, Nina, who just started school.
Many years ago, before Global Experience was established, Chris used to work with Sonia (our Managing Director) at a personal development organisation.
They have been doing homestay for almost 4 years now and have had a variety of students from many different countries, ranging from Denmark, France, Belgium, Japan, China, Korea, Thailand and also Colombia, either as singles or couples. It has certainly expanded the Weymouth's knowledge of the world and they have also achieved a minor language improvement beyond English, Australian.
Nina adores all their guests and has learnt so much from the ones she refers to as "language people". Since they are learning English and so is she. The students are often sitting with her and pouring over her storybooks and kids' videos, much simpler than the college texts and probably very beneficial as another method of tuition.
When the guests first arrive to their home, they are usually tired and need to start their studies very soon, sometimes the next morning! Students are most concerned about getting to and from college without getting lost, this is a common problem and also a part of the culture shock. So Chris or Kate take them to their place of study and familiarise them with every part of the travel, there and back. They find their guests are often a little overwhelmed and don't want lots of conversation at first so they just leave them to relax. The friendships and relationships develop naturally according to their needs. Some of the past students are still friends, sending them updates on their doings, even marriages. Others have been gone within 4 weeks and for them, that is also fine.
Based on their experience, the only times it has been difficult with a student is when that person does not realise they worry about their whereabouts if they do not communicate with them, i.e. coming home late, no dinner, etc. It seems that some students are not used to people worrying about them. Most of the time though the students are very corteous and keep them informed.
Christmas this year, was spent at their home, introducing a Chinese student and her friend, to their first traditional Christmas, such as present giving and receiving, food, tree, decorations, etc. It was great fun for them to show the students their own ways of celebrating Christmas particularly when they have been used to working normally on 25 December and were intigrued by this festival.
The Weymouth's also had a week away before the Australian Day long weekend on the South Coast, seeing family and friends and having their first camping experience, which was a lot of fun.
They are also thinking to go skiing to Japan in January/February 2009 with family and friends so that they can give Nina a real skiing experience as she loved the little taste she has had here in Australia.
Chris and Kate were also very impressed by the Global Experience Christmas Party last December 2007. They said that it was so professional, yet relaxed and caring of all the host families who could attend. Also, it was great to swap stories and funny student experiences with lots of people.
They felt very appreciated and looked after by the whole team. Sonia and her eldest son, Diego, were excellent MC and speakers. Chris and Kate also added that the venue was terrific, the entertainment was fantastic and it was fabulously organised and as ever amazed by Global Experience's generosity and gift giving. They felt very priviledged to be invited.
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 How to Escape Your Comfort Zone by Lee Johnson with Albert Koopman
We all have our comfort zones - havens of security, familiarity, comfort. But why, you may be asking, should we escape? Surely a comfort zone is our reward for hard work, the place we've struggled for so long to get to? The place everyone wants to be? And wants to stay?
Slipping into a Comfort Zone is a simple process. When we are comfortable, our activities and behaviour tend to take on familiar patterns. Patterns become habits; habits become routines and before we know it, those routines become a rut. And the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth of the excavation.
Mostly we don't even realise we are in Comfort Zones. So we simply shut off any ideas of alternatives, of the options that lie outside our own narrow existences. Because it feels so safe and comfortable within, even to think of venturing our castle seems foolish, risky and scary.
A second imporant step is accepting the fact that risk and pain are essential and inescapable components of this escape as they are of any change or transition. In its most trite form it is a question of "no pain, no gain". Until we confront this fact and until we muster the courage to leave behind the temporary and unfulfilling 'myths' of security and familiarity and material possessions, we can never begin the process of discovering our true selves and learning what is truly meaningful and fulfilling and worth while in life.
Real honesty also means bridging the gap between "Who I am" and "What I do" and between "Ought to be" and "Is". It is being what you believe in, letting action and behaviour be an expression of who you are inside. The reality is that you have to get real.
You have to realise that you are the Knight in Shining Armour, that you are the Fairy Godmother who can miraculously change your life for the better. And you can only do that when you can see things in true perspective. Yet most people find it more comfortable simply to remain where they are to make excuses and compromises. But why do you put up with a life of compromise? Why do you continue to suffer escaping only in day dreams? The truth is that although you may be unhappy and unfulfilled, this discomfort is relatively more comfortable than the alternative.
 Invariably each Comfort Zone is unique to each individual and very complex in its uniqueness, being an amalgam of many factors interacting powerfully with one another.
Everything in the entire universe is in a constant process of movement, of process and growth. Decay and death are not only valid parts of this eternal and ubiquitous process - they are essential aspects of it... for only through decay and death can new birth begin.
And yet man, with his rational mind capable of contemplating his own destiny, seems to have the dubious talent and desire conciously to suspend or delay or manipulate this process in himself.
It costs so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlighment or the courage to pay the price... one has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms.
One has to embrace life like a lover.
One has to accept pain as a condition of existence.
One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing.
That's what escaping Comfort Zones is all about - to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms. Once you have begun the journey once you have taken the blinkers off your eyes, your mind and soul, you will never be able to fool yourself again. You will either have to continue the journey or live forever with the knowledge that you are living a compromise. And that is the most uncomfortable Comfort Zone of all.
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 Japanese World
The culture of Japan has evolved greatly over the years, from the country's original Jomon culture to its contemporary hybrid culture, which combines influences from Asia, Europe and North America.
The Japanese language has always played a significant role in Japanese culture. Spoken mainly in Japan but also in some Japanese emigrant communities around the world. Early Japanese is known largely on the basis of its state in the 8th century, when the three major works of Old Japanese were compiled.
Japanese is written with a combination of three different types of scripts: Chinese characters Kanji and two syllabic scripts, Hiragana and Katakana. The Latin alphabet, romaji, is also often used in moderns Japanese, especially for company names and logos, advertising and when inputting Japanese into a computer. The Hindu-Arabic numerals are generally used for numbers, but traditional Sino-Japanese numerals are also commonplace.
Politeness and proper behaviour are very significant in Japan. From the time they start school, children learn Japanese etiquette, the correct way to behave in particular social situations. Bowing (Ojigi) is one aspect of etiquette. It is a gesture of respect and sincerity. Bowing represents humility. You elevate, honour and respect the other person by humbling yourself. The lower you bow, the more you are honouring or respecting the other party. To not bow in return is similar to refusing a hand shake. Students stand up and bow when the teacher come in their class. They also "thank you for teaching us" when the teacher leaves.
Japanese view house guests as God, therefore they treat them as such. They take care of their guests in an amazing way, going out of their way to make them feel comfortable. This is why so many Japanese students do not feel as well cared in Australia, as the Australian culture encourages guests to become explorers and independent adventurers and sometimes it can be seeing by Japanese as not being cared for.
An introduction, either formal or informal, is critical for the Japanese. It establishes the status or place of each person. It establishes the hierarchy and then everyone knows how to behave. Everyone knows who to defer to or pay the most respect to. The highest ranking person is introduced first and everyone else in order thereafter.
 Another important part of meeting someone for the first time is the exchange of name cards. All businesspeople, many students and some housewives have their own name cards. This quickly establishes the seniority of the person you are meeting. The business cards are clean, without pen notes, and kept in a case that is readily accessible. The business cards are exchanged and presented formally with both hands. The card is presented facing the recipient so he or she can read it. The cards themselves are handled very carefully and respectfully as if you are handling the person. The cards are carefully read, even if you do not understand a word, and then placed on the table or put away carefully. It is considered very rude to write on someone else's card or to stick it in your back pocket.
All shoes worn outside are taken off at the entrance called "genkan" and you are provided your own guest slippers to be worn inside the house or school. You remove them before entering the tatami room, the traditional Japanese room where the floor is covered with a number of tightly woven straw mats used for sleeping at night or for a traditional ceremony such as a tea ceremony. Tatami rooms have screen doors that slide like some of our closet doors do on tracks. These doors are covered with a thick paper. There are special slippers designated for use while in the toilet room. This is also a signal that the toilet is occupied.
At home, nowadays Japanese use western style commodities and decor, most homes have at least one room with furniture such as a sofa chair and a dinning set. Larger homes also have a typical Japanese room, where people sit on the floor, usually using a small cushion or "zabuton" and tatami floor covering. The latest style is also still used in country and rural area homes.
Japanese place great emphasis on personal cleanliness and taking a bath on almost nightly ritual. The bath is never used for washing, only for all family members' soaking and relaxation. Scrubbing and washing are done before entering the bathtub. Soap must never be used in the tub. In addition to taking long, hot baths at home and at public bathhouses, the Japanese take great pleasure in soaking in the natural hot springs that are in abundance due to the volcanic originis of the country. The water temperatures in these bubbling springs can be as high as 105 F degrees.
When visiting someone's house, people will always bring a small gift. Gifts are also given in summer (mid July to mid August) and in winter (December). The gifts are beautifully wrapped with several layers of paper. When they go on a trip, travelers bring back presents for their friends, family and co-workers. It would be considered rude to come back empty handed, especially if the traveler had previously received presents from other people. Receiving a present means that you must return the favour when you get a chance.
The tea ceremony is a unique custom to Japan. Participants put aside the stresses of the day and concentrate fully on "the way of the tea". Channoyu combines the etiquette of serving tea with aesthetic appreciation of the tea utensils, the surrounding and the overall harmony created by the combination of these elemets. Tea ceremony is performed in a tatami room.
Another art form that emerged simultaneously with the tea ceremony is Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. In truth, it is a composition of natural minerals, including branches, grasses and mosses as well as flowers. Through Ikebana, one seeks to express beauty through line with an emphasis on nature in its simplest form. Unlike Western floral arrangements, Ikebana uses only a few elemets that are arranged symmetrically to achieve a sense of harmony, simplicity and elegance.
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 Staff Profileby Akiko O'Connor
I was born in Kawagoe-shi, Saitama-ken which is to the north of Tokyo, Japan. It has a lovely architecture and has become a popular tourist destination.
As a child, I was a very diligent student and ended up going to University. From there I went to work in the Export Department of Nissan Motors where I made many good friends. At that time, Nissan was a very traditional company; the work environment fostered strong camaraderie between colleagues. I believe the strong supportive corporate culture was one reason why Nissan enjoyed such world success.
During this time I was one of the few women to represent the company in other Asian countries. I spent time in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong. It was a very busy and productive period for me while working there. When in Sri Lanka I had the pleasure of meeting with Business and Government dignitaries and thoroughly enjoyed the people and culture. Later I visited a friend from Nissan living in Switzerland and travelled around Europe.
Ultimately I ended up travelling to Australia where I met my husband to be and got married in 1992. He is an Irish Kiwi and that's why my last name O'Connor. I now have a 13 year old daughter who is a totally Aussie girl loving life in Sydney.
As to my hobbies, I love music, especially classical and often listen to ABC classics on the radio. I loved their recent program which had listeners vote for the best concerto. I also play classical piano and would like to learn jazz piano in the future. It is my dream to practice for and do a jam session with like minded music lovers. Finally I love playing golf and tennis.
Since I was small, I have been concerned about society and social injustice. I wanted to do something about it, so I supported organisations which help people get off drugs naturally. As a follow on to this, I've studied and practised counselling specifically to help people make better choices for themselves and overcome challenging life experiences. I've found it very satisfying.
I really enjoy being part of the Global Experience's team as it gives me the opportunity to help young people settling in Australia as quick as possible and therefore perform well in their studies.
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 How to Manage Culture Shock
by Katie Richardson
CULTURE SHOCK FAST FACTS
Culture Shock happens because of the interaction of two different cultures. A culture is made up of a variety of different things: geographical factors, history, language, art, the values that people hold. With all of this together, if you get two people with even a slight difference you are going to get some sort of a clash.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Physical symptoms just like stress; headaches, nausea, insomnia, some people even feel that they tend to sleep too much. There is a disruption to normal body cycles.
From a physicological perspective, you get all sorts of things like feeling a bit grumpy for a while, anxiety, feeling a little bit of distrust toward the other people in the house; these are all symptoms of culture shock. Feeling mistrust of others is typical of culture shock; often these feelings are irrational.
HOMESICKNESS IS PART OF CULTURE SHOCK
Homesickness has been researched very little over the last 20 years but what has been found is that homesickness is a blend of withdrawal from what you have known and a plunge into the unknown.
THE U CURVE
The pattern of the U curve shows how you arrive in the new country on a high, you feel fantastic, you've got brand new sights, brand new smells, everybody talks funny and you can see some similarities with home but it's all pretty exciting because you're discovering all these new things.
About a week or a week and a half, you start to feel a little bit irritated. You can't quite put your finger on it but something's not quite right. Usually at about two to three weeks, you start to manifest some of the symptoms.
Students are not usually vocal about symptoms. By about three weeks the symptoms start to really kick in. Some people will get over it fairly quickly and start to plateau out and start the upward turn.
On the upward turn, it could be a couple of months down the track, students will start to find their own friends, they learn that in this new culture people are trustworthy, people are nice and helpful. They also start to understand the language and sense of humour better, they fall into a routine and start to feel a bit comfortable and as a result start to feel a bit happier again.
Other people find that they will plunge a lot deeper into depression; crying, stomach upsets, vulnerable to flu because the immune system can be compromised.
If students are having a lot of trouble adjusting you will often find they go back to their home country early.
Tips To Hosts Family For Living Happily with Students
1. If you can recognise culture shock that's the first step.
2. Have strategies in place to say "okay, I'm feeling like this and I need that place to withdraw within my home".
3. Make sure that you don't allow yourself to fall into the expectation that this is going to turn into the biggest buddy relationship because it will possibly be a short-term relationship.
4. The beauty of taking short term students is that you can say, "okay, after these students leave, I need a break". Take a month, or two months, or six months or whatever you need.
5. Remember that you both are going through it.
6. Different family members react in different ways. Some people withdraw; that's normal.
7. The more you do homestay the more you get used to it and can be prepared for symptoms of culture shock.
8. Be willing to be flexible. Psychologists have found that the more flexible the host is, the easier it is to get over culture shock, with fewer symptoms.
9. Hosts need to notice their own culture shock and to put some steps in place to make it better for themselves.
10. The more you expect that the student will stay long term, the harder it will be when things do change. If you are getting short term students or adult students, expect that they might start looking for alternative accommodation. Consider students a short-term arrangement and often you can keep a bit more of an emotional distance.
11. See the student's decision to depart from your home as a good thing, they want to experience perhaps a more independant living arangement and this will also give you the opportunity to host a new guest in your home.
12. Let go of the issue, say "right there's dishes on the bench, I will do them at this time or I will get somebody else to do them or I will talk to the student about it".
13. Lowering your expectations of your student doesn't mean that you lower your expectations of behaviour, cleanliness or hygiene.
14. Household rules and guidelines should be set up-front.
15. Maintaining personal space is important. There needs to be a mutual respect of personal space.
16. Encourage interaction and participation by sitting your student down and saying, "dinner time is the time when we get to talk to each other about our day, this is when you can learn to communicate well with us, this is a friendly time and we expect you to participate in that".
17. Set times when your student is expected to participate.
18. If you believe that you could cope with the change and be flexible enough to understand culture shock is about difference and it's not bad, you will enjoy homestay hosting. I wouldn't recommend homestay if you feel like you need a lot of personal space.
19. With money issues, just put in place tactics that work for you, that aren't going to aggravate you more and aren't going to aggravate the student more.
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 Recipe of the Month
Gyoza - Japanase style dumplings
Ingredients
Dough:
170 ml water
200g strong flour
Filling:
200 g ground pork
Cabbage
Nira - can be substituted by leek or green onion
Garlic
Ginger
Sake
Soya sauce, salt and pepper
Sesame oil
Dipping Sauce:
Soya sauce
Vinegar
Preparation
Dough:
1. Mix the water and flour to a dough that should not be sticky but as soft as an ear lobe
2. Put a wet towel over the dough and let it stand for several minutes
3. Separate the dough in 30 pieces and form each of them to very thin discs with a diameter of about 10 cm. The middle of each disc should be a little bit thicker than the edge.
Filling:
1. Cut some green, outer cabbage leaves, some green onion (or leek), nira, ginger and garlic in very small pieces. The amount of these ingredients should equal the amount of meat. Do it as you like.
2. Put some salt on the cabbage and let it stand for five minutes. Then press the water out of the cabbage pieces.
3. Mix the cabbage, green onion (or leek), nira, ginger, garlic and the ground pork all together and add some salt, pepper, soya sauce, sake and sesame oil. Mix it all very well.
Making and frying the Gyoza:
1. Put some of the filling onto a piece of dough. Remember that the filling should suffice for 30 gyoza pieces.
2. Moisten the edge of the dough with water. Moisten only a semicircle, not all the way around.
3. Close the gyoza. While closing it, fold the edge about 6 times as shown on the image.
4. Put the Gyoza on the table as shown in the image.
5. Fry the Gyoza in a little bit of hot oil until the bottom is brownish, then add water so that the gyoza are in the water with about half of their height.
6. Keep the high heat and wait until all the water has vaporized. Then remove the gyoza from the heat.
7. Dipping sauce. Mix the same amounts of soya sauce and vinegar together.
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HOUSEKEEPING CORNER
STUDENT ARRIVAL TO YOUR HOME
Every time you have a new student through "Global Experience" arriving to your home, please remember to give us a quick call or send us a short email letting us know the student has arrived safely.
This is much quicker than our Admin Team calling every single family to confirm arrivals.
STUDENT EXTENDING THEIR STAY WITH YOU
When a student extends their stay with you after the initial period of the first 4 weeks, please let us know so we can confirm with you the form of payment.
You must remember that many of our students will need to pay fees to the college; after you confirm with our office, we invoice the college and then transfer the fees to you.
Other students will pay you directly after extending. When you call our office we will confirm each particular case with you.
STUDENT DEPARTING YOUR HOME
When a student gives you notice that he/she will leave your home, please let us know as we need to update our records and also in many cases if the student is a minor we need to finalise documents. Once you inform us about the departure date, we can plan with you the arrival of your next student. |
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