 From Our DeskHello and welcome to our April issue. A special greeting to the new Host families that have joined us, a very warm welcome indeed.
I am currently in our Thailand office enjoying the hustle and bustle of this charming city. The sun is shining and everyone is on the streets going somewhere! It is very refreshing to visit a different culture and appreciate its uniqueness.
April has been a surprisingly wet and cold month for Sydney. We're having an early winter which may take many students by surprise. It may be that they ask questions about the weather and what is normal and what is the best way to cope. Many of you, experienced hosts, will be expecting these questions, for those that are new to hosting I would ask you to be patient. There is a lot to adjust to when you're a student!
Our Host Family of the month is the Viray family, who have shown outstanding patience and understanding with their students and have provided a supportive and nurturing environment in recent times. Congratulations Eric and Marie! Working with people like yourselves makes the job a great pleasure. On behalf of Global Experience and the staff I congratulate you and we hope to be working with you for a long time to come.
As well in this issue, I wish you to enjoy our special article about ANZAC Day. In conjunction with that, in this issue, we also cover Turkish culture. Finally, we hope that our health article can contribute to the success of your winter diet.
From warm Bangkok,
|
|
Host of the Month - Marie and Eric Viray
"We never expected to be selected as the next Host of the Month. Actually it was a pleasant surprise" Marie said. "We are flaterred to be selected and it's nice to be online the same as those who were selected, meaning we are doing something extra special to be chosen among many."
Marie and Eric are very kind, easy going and friendly. They are very experienced and have been doing homestay for 12 years, joining Global Experience 7 years ago. They have two beautiful young daughters who are so accustomed to having students that they treat them as part of the family. Eventhough both Marie and Eric work full time, they always make time to check the students' welfare and their children of course to ensure that everyone's needs have been met for the day.
They mentioned that they have had many students who wanted to go back home immedietaly due to homesickness. However with their patience and caring, they have managed to convince the students to stay and continue their studies. They advise the students to start making friends so that they can be preoccupied with studies and so forth and slowly forget about missing their home and family. Eric told them that they have travelled so far and the parents have spent so much money for their education, so they could at least give it a shot.
They hope if one day their daughters will go abroad to study, they will be treated in the same way as they welcome the students that stay with them.
Eric also mentioned that they always enjoy having students who like to cook and converse with them. One in particular that comes to mind is Dinc Denizel, a Turkish student. He started to cook the food that Marie was defrosting one day; they ended up taking turns cooking every other day. Now, Marie still enjoys making the food he taught them.
|
| Turkish World
Turkey is a Eurasian country on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and is at the crossroads of cultures from across Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus and South and Central Asia.
 Around 80% of the people in Turkey are Turks who originally come from central Asia, whilst 17% are Kurds who are mostly in the eastern and southeastern territories. The remaining 3% is a variety of smaller ethnic groups, including Greeks, Armenians and Jews. About 65% of the total population are now classified as urban people. The main religion in Turkey is Muslim (98% of the total population).
Turkish is the official language of the country, that is related to the Uralic-Altaic languages spoken from Finland and China. The language has undergone major reforms during the 20th century. Arabic and Persian scripts were used during the Ottoman Empire period but a modified Latin based alphabet with some extra letters was introduced in 1928 and has been used since then. Most of the Kurdish minority speak Kurdish which also has some common words with Turkish language. Arabic is also spoken particularly within the Southeastern provinces. English is also becoming a popular foreign language probably as third language.
 Turkish culture has a strong belief about the "evil eye", which is called "Nazar Boncuğu" in Turkish. Most people need evil eyes when they have a baby, new car, house or seeking success in business life. They need to protect themselves from Nazar.
The most essential social unit in Turkish culture is the family. Members of large Turkish families, often living as an extended family, are loyal to the family unit. It is rare for a person to live alone mostly for economic reasons. A marriage is not permitted for women before the age of 15 and men before the age of 17. In cities, many wait until their education and sometimes military service, have been completed before getting married. The average age for marriage is 24 for women and 26 for men. Most Turks expect to marry and have children. Traditional wedding celebrations, although increasingly rare, last for three days.
 A typical turkish breakfast is usually light, consists of tea, white cheese, bread, butter, eggs, marmalade or honey and olives. The main meal of the day is eaten in the evening and may consist of several courses. The national drink is raki, an aniseed flavoured clear grape brandy, which is similar to Greek ouzo or French pastis, that clouds when water is added. Eating habits vary according to the region and the food being eaten. Traditionally many foods are eaten with the fingers, however cutlery is now widely used.
Hospitality is an integral part of Turkish culture. Friends, relatives and neighbours often visit each other. In large cities, people usually try to telephone in advance but in places where this is not practical, they may visit without notice. Turks go to great lengths to make their guests feel comfortable and may even tolerate behaviour that they consider inapprorpriate. Guests should avoid asking their hosts personal questions and because a visit to someone's home is an occasion for harmony and enjoyment, bad news or accounts of problems should be saved for another time and place. First time visitors to a home may bring a small gift such as confectionery, fruit or flowers.
 The music of Turkey includes elements of Central Asian folk music, Arabic, Persian classical music, ancient Greco-Roman music and modern European and American popular music. Turkish pop music boasts numerous mainstream artists with wide followance since the 1960s; such as Ajda Pekkan, Sezen Aksu, Sertab Erener, Tarkan and Mustafa Sandal.
|
|
Snapshot - ANZAC Day
 What is ANZAC Day?
Why is this day special to Australians?
When the war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 14 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the allied navies.
 The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate and the campaign dragged on for eight months.
By the end of 1915, the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.
 Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the "ANZAC legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and future.
What does it mean today?
Australians recognise 25 April as an occassion of national commemoration. Commemorative services are held at dawn - the time of the original landing - across the nation. Later in the day, ex-servicemen and women meet and join in marches through the major cities and many smaller centres. Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country. It is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war.
 The ANZAC Day CeremonyEach year the commemorations follow a pattern that is familiar to each generation of Australians. A typical ANZAC Day service contains the following features: introduction, hymn, prayer, an address, laying of wreaths and recitation. Last Post, a period of silence, Rouse and Reveille, and the national anthem. At the Memorial, families often place red poppies beside the names of relatives on the Memorial's Roll of Honour after events such as the ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day services.
|
|
Healthy Diet Tips
 DietingDiets that cut out any of the core food products, particularly dairy and carbohydrates are harmful as they deprive the body of essential nutrients needed to thrive and survive. Dairy provides calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, whilst carbohydrates are the primary source of energy. By removing carbs from your diet, your body will start eating muscle mass for energy. The best way to loose weight is to follow the old-fashioned rule of combining a healthy diet with regular exercise that increases your heart rate.
Iron
Iron is important for many essential bodily functions, including transporting oxygen around the body. Without sufficient iron you will be left feeling tired, irritable and lethargic. Iron-rich foods such as meat, chicken, fish or legumes such as lentils, chickpeas or kidney beans should be eaten. However if you are still feeling a bit low and think your diet may not include enough iron, you may want to speak to your doctor about iron supplements which are available from pharmacies or health stores.
 Eating After Exercise Believe it or not, there is no eating etiquette when it comes to working out. For maximum fat busting, wait an hour after a cardio session before eating. This is because exercise uses up all of your giycogen stores so you then have to burn fat for energy. That means even when you get home from a workout, your body is still in fat-burning mode.
After a weight session, however it is important that your muscles' nutrients are restored quickly, so have a small snack within half an hour. Ideally you should be tucking into something that contains carbs as well as protein but is low in fat, such as a tub of yoghurt.
Muscle Versus Fat
Weighing yourself doesn't provide an accurate reading because muscle is heavier than fat. So even if you are working out regularly and think you should be losing weight, the scales might say otherwise as you could have gained muscle. It is more accurate to measure your percentage of body fat rather than your body weight. This can be done by the "pinch test" at any gym or by your doctor.
(Source: Famous, Fashion & Beauty)
|
Recipe of the Month - ANZAC Biscuits
 Ingredients1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats (regular oatmeal) uncooked
1cup desiccated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoon golden syrup or honey
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoon boiling water
Method
1. Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl
2. Melt the butter and golden syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and golden syrup
4. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well
5. Spoon dollops of the mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading
6. Bake in a moderate oven, 180ºC for 15-20 minutes
7. Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers
|
|
|
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. |
|
