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 FROM THE DESK
This month there has been a lot of activity and all of it good.
The inaugural Student Morning Tea was a great success with everyone having a good time and lots of laughter.
There were some serious aspects to the day when we got feedback from the students about their stay in Australia. Overall they found their Homestay families welcoming and very helpful. It was heartwarming to see them practising their English and having fun.
The next Host Morning Tea is being held on September 24th, if you missed the opportunity to join us last time, do give us a call and come.
We also had a large group of UAE students between 17 and 18 here for 6 weeks studying at ACE Manly. A ceremony was held on 'graduation' night and I nearly didn't recognise the students from the quiet reserved group that arrived.
They had obviously had a great time in Sydney and with their families. So congratulations to those involved for doing such a good job. We're hearing that there are likely to be more of these groups in the future, so if you're in the Manly area we'll probably be giving you call.
Apart from that there are more students wanting to study in the Bondi area, so if you're within 40 minutes travel on public transport to Bondi, please call and let us know you've got a room available.
Photo's from the first event are on our facebook site at
Until the next issue keep having 'memorable' moments with your students and family.
Sonia Ortega
Managing Director
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Host Family of the Month - Alexia and Chris Kalantzis |
by Alexia Kalantzis
We are very honoured to be nominated as host family of the month and feel proud that Global Experience has recognized that we are doing a great job as a homestay family.
My husband, Chris, and I were both born in Australia but both have Greek heritage. We lived in Greece for 10 years due to my husband's soccer profession and returned to Australia in 1997.
I am currently working at the Sydney International Airport as a Sales Coordinator for French Perfumery. We have two children, a 20 year old son, James and 12 year old daughter, Victoria.
 We have been hosting overseas students for 5 years now. We enjoy meeting different cultures and personalities and we find this very educational for the children and ourselves.
One of our first students, Marcel Harmann from Switzerland has been coming back to visit us on a yearly basis. He only went back home in July this year after staying with us for 8 months. He assured us he will be back next year as my children have built up a great friendship with him that will last forever.
We always make our students feel comfortable and make them feel like home. I must admit that our food is yummy as well, according to the feedback I received from my students.
 We also try to involve them in all our social gatherings as we entertain quite a lot. We help the students that need help and quite often our students also help my daughter with her homework. Overall, as a family we are very easy going.
As we've had 5 years experience in hosting students from different cultures, we can normally detect students' main problems that will confront them. The best way to handle and resolve the problems is to do a lot of research and ask many questions so you can become familiar with the student and make them feel comfortable in their new surroundings and I must say my daughter is an "expert" at that.
 As a host family, you must take time to listen to the students and help out with any queries they have. On their first day of school, we personally take them to their college by train and give them a list of phone numbers, write down the name of the station they need to get off and ask them to call us if they encounter any problems. It is a good idea also to have two or three students at a time to make them feel more at ease knowing that they are not the only ones feeling the cultural shock.
All our experiences have been memorable although in January we had seven students with us. Three were with homestay and the other four were friends of the students that were invited to stay. We had so much fun by the pool and plenty of sausage sizzles.
Homestay has taught us a lot about different cultures and personalities and that each student is an individual and how to adjust and deal with different situations. We now know that some students need more time and support than others and we are always there to provide the students with their different needs.
 Our life has changed ever since we have become a homestay family and for that I would like to thank Global Experience for their continual support and professionalism. We are very happy to be a part of this amazing experience and we recommend other families to experience the journey with us.
I am hoping to meet the whole team in person soon, especially Etsuko. I feel like I know her personally when I speak to her over the phone. She is very warm and friendly and always willing to help.
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Egyptian World |
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 Arabic came to Egypt in the seventh century and Egyptian Arabic has since become the modern speech of the country. Of the many varieties of Arabic, it is the most widely spoken second dialect, probably due to the influence of Egyptian cinema throughout the Arabic speaking world.
The "Koine" dialect of the Greek language was important in Hellenistic Alexandria and was used in the philosophy and science of that culture and was later studied by Arabic scholars.
In the Upper Nile Valley, around Kom Ombo and Aswan, there are about 300,000 speakers of Nubian languages, mainly Nobiin and Kenuzi Dongola. The Berber languages are represented by Siwi, spoken by around 5,000 people around Siwa Oasis. There are over a million speakers of the Domari language, mostly living in the north of Cairo and there are about 60,000 Greek speakers in Alexandria.
 Egypt's cultural contributions have included great works of science, art and mathematics, dating from antiquity to modern times.
The ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to implement Mathematical numbers. The traditional view of Ancient Egypt's additive scholars reports that Egyptians confined themselves to applications of practical arithmetic with many problems addresing how a number of loaves can be divided equally between a number of men.
Considered to be the first engineer, architect and physician in history known by name, Imhotep designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630-2611 BC and may have been responsible for the first known use of columns in architecture. The Egyptian historian Manetho credited him with inventing stone dressed building during Djoser's reign, though he was not the first to actually build with stone. Imhotep is also believed to have founded Egyptian medicine, being the author of the world's earliest known medical document, the Edwin Smith Papyrus.
Islam is practised by the majority of Egyptians and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives. The Prophet Muhammad is seen as the last of God's emissaries to bring revelation to mankind. He was distinguished with bringing a message for the whole of mankind rather than just to a certain people. As Moses brought the Torah and Jesus the Bible, Muhammad brought the last book, the Quran. The Quran and the actions of the Prophet (the Sunnah) are used as the basis for all guidance in the religion.
 Among certain obligations for Muslims are to pray five times a day - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening. The exact time is listed in the local newspaper each day. Friday is the Muslim holy day so everything is closed. Many companies also close on Thursday, making the weekend Thursday and Friday.
During the holy month of Ramdan, all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking or gum chewing. Expatriates are not required to fast, however they must not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public.
Each night at sunset, families and friends gather together to celebrate the breaking of the fast. The festivities often continue well into the night. In general, things happen more slowly during Ramadan. Many businesses operate on a reduced schedule. Shops may be open and closed at unusual times.
 Social class is very apparent in Egypt since it determines your access to power and position. The social class an Egyptian is born into dictates their everyday life and the opportunities they will have.
The family is the most significant unit of Egyptian society. Kinship plays an important role in all social relations. The individual is always subordinate to the family, tribe or group. Nepotism is viewed positively, since it is patronage of one's family. The family consists of both the nuclear and the extended family.
Greetings are based on both class and the religion of the person. It is best to follow the lead of the Egyptian you are meeting. Handshakes are the customary greeting among individuals of the same sex. Once a relationship has developed, it is common to kiss on one cheek and then the other while shaking hands, men with men and women with women. In any greeting between men and women, the woman must extend her hand first. If she does not, a man should bow his head in greeting.
If you are invited to an Egyptian's home for dinner, bring good quality chocolates, sweets or pastries to the hostess. Do not give flowers, which are usually reserved for weddings or the ill, unless you know that the hosts would appreciate them. You can bring small gifts for the children to show affection. Always give gifts with the right hand or both hand if the gift is happy and make sure you do not open a gift in front of the giver.
When they invite you to their house, make sure you remove your shoes before entering the house and don't forget to compliment the host on the house.
During dinner time, make sure you show appreciation for the meal and eat with right hand only. Don't ask for salt as it is considered as an insult. Finally, leave a small amount of food on your plate when you have finished eating otherwise they will keep filling it up for you.
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"GE ADVICE" |
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Q: What do I have to do if my student is sick?
A: Take your student to the nearest medical centre; normally the student will have their own medical insurance. Make sure you don't try to be a doctor and give medication to your student without the doctor's advise. If your student is under the age of 18, you can also try to contact his or her guardian so that the guardian is aware of the situation and can let the parents know if it becomes a serious illness. |
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"Every Hour Spent Smiling is A Happy Hour" |
By Roseanna Leaton
Cameron Diaz has a great smile. I think we all, male or female, agree on that one. It's a really cute smile. Pierce Brosnan is another film star who has a wonderful, sexy, delicious smile.
 When you see someone else smile, have you noticed how it can become infectious? Some people just radiate a warm, delightful, energy every time they smile. And of course we all have this ability.
If you would like to test the impact of a smile, why not set out one day with the intention of smiling at every person who crosses your path? You will notice how most, if not all, of those people smile back at you and each time you are the recepient of a smile, you, yourself will feel a tiny bit better again. The effect will multiply as the day passes, with each smile of your own making you feel a little bit better and each smile of someone else adding to this powerful effect. Each hour will become a very happy hour indeed.
Can you imagine what a beautiful place this world be if everyone realized the powerful impact of a simple smile? How nice would it be if every time you walked down the street, people smiled at you? I find it sad when I think that the world could be like this so easily but so many people ae missing out on the one of the most important feelings that a human being can experience - that of happiness.
 So many people are looking for happiness and yet never realize that happiness is not something that arrives when you reach at the end of a rainbow. Happiness is a state of mind, it is experienced NOW, in this moment. It is not a conditional state. Happiness just IS. To be happy one must learn to live in the moment, to live in now, and to savor that moment for what it is.
For some this is easily accomplished. Others require help to change their conditioned perspective, but do not despair. Help is at hand. The secret of happiness is that it is all in your mind and you have the ability to have one happy hour after another.
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Recipe of the Month - Egyptian Koshary Pasta |
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This meatless dish layers common grains, such as rice, lentils and pasta with a tomato-cinnamon flavored sauce.
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked rice 2 cups cooked penne pasta 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup cooked lentils 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup water 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 3 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups) 2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups), optional*
Methods:1. Combine rice and pasta; spoon in bottom of shallow serving platter. Keep warm.
2. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and garlic powder in a medium bowl.
3. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine.
4. Spoon over rice and pasta.
5. Combine tomatoes, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and red pepper in a medium saucepan.
6. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
7. Stir in squash. Spoon tomato mixure over lentil layer.
8. Partially stir tomato mixture into other layers, but do not completely combine all layers.
9. If desired, prepare crisp-brown onions as directed below and add as a topping.
10.Cook onions in large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over high heat, stirring frequently, until brown and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes.
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Quote of the Month
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude."
- Denis Waitley - |
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