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| GLOBAL EXPERIENCE NEWSLETTER |
JANUARY 2010
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| STUDENT FEEDBACK CORNER |
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"My homestay experience is very good. My host family is very kind and friendly. The other students in the house are also very trustable. My Host Mother always cooks delicious food. Thank you."
Yoshiko Nakajima for Beata Lang, Bondi Beach |
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GE ADVICE |
Q: If I have under 18 student from Taylors College or Charles Sturt, do I still have to notify you that the student is extending his or her stay?
A: Yes, you do. Although under 18 student supposedly staying in a homestay until he or she turns 18, however we cannot guarantee that this person is going to stay with you for that period of time. Therefore it is your obligation to let us know on a monthly basis if the student is still staying with you to avoid delay in terms of payment.
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FROM THE DESK
As I write this message, on the last Friday of January, it's time to make a quick review of this fast paced month.
It is a busy time with placements, Study Tours, Airport transfers and on the management side Lynn (our G.M.) and I are planning our trip to Hong Kong as we depart next Tuesday.
A special 'THANKS' to the good work done by everyone last year. We had a great 2009 with all the support and dedication received from hosts, partners colleges, agents and our unique team.
We have been extremely popular receiving new students and at the same time our team has been welcoming Study Tours from various countries such as Argentina, The Reunion Island, Brazil, China and other far places.
Last year as many of you can recall (it seems so far!) Global Experience was recipient of an award for "Export Services" HKABA NSW Chapter. As a consequence of this, we have been invited by Austrade to represent our industry within the Australian Pavilion at the 2010 Career and Education Expo in Hong Kong 4th to 7th February. So we are working hard here with our team and on the weekend start packing our bags for the big experience.
I take this opportunity to invite hosts to put their names down to host students during the next few months as many of our partner colleges will have major intakes so we will be receiving many more students.
In this issue, we are pleased to nominate Mervyn and Silet Thomas as "Hosts of the Month". They are an open and friendly family. They are culturally sensitive due to their own experiences living abroad and in Australia. Their love for family time and passion for food makes them a favourite of many students. Congratulations to this special host family! I must admit although I pride myself in having a great interest in cultures from around the world, this time I am also learning about a culture I did not know much about. I have never travelled or read much about Sri Lanka and this month I am certainly enjoying the reading.
Thank you to those families who have already joined us in the Facebook family, it is great to chat and exchange ideas. We look forward to welcoming many more of you in the near future.
Until next issue
Sonia Ortega
Managing Director |
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HOST FAMILY OF THE MONTH - MERVYN AND SILET THOMAS |
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By Mervyn Thomas
Our family background is Sri Lankan and we came to Australia in 2001. I work as a Shipping Manager and my wife, Silet, works as Account Receivable. We both have two sons, 14 and 17 years old.
I used to work in Saudi Arabia for 14 years before I came to Australia. I started my career there as a Radio Operator and ended up as a Store Materials Controller for 14 years.
 We have been doing homestay for 7 months and we really enjoy having the students around. We try our best to provide them with good food and make them feel comfortable at home. Silet loves to cook both Western and Eastern food and most Saturdays they like to have roast lamb for dinner.
One of our Chinese students, David, is very happy to stay with us. He said our home is the best and he'd like to recommend us to his friends. He always asks my wife to cook curry for him. He's a fine gentleman.
Another student from Taiwan, is very lovely. She came to our house with lots of smiles and has since adjusted with us very well. As a matter of fact, from the day she arrived, she brought sunshine to our home.
Our children also enjoy to have the students around as they can make new friends and learn about other cultures. Some of our students also still keep in touch with us.
We are very happy to work with Global Experience. The way they deal with us is great and they do everything the right way, there is no room for complaint. |
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SRI LANKAN WORLD
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 The culture of Sri Lanka has been influenced by many things in the past. Mostly it has been influenced by religion and colonization by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British.
A vast majority of the Sri Lankan community were only influenced by their own traditional food and nothing more. Due to economical growth and intense competition in developed countries, companies have taken themselves overseas to developing nations, in an attempt to achieve a positive global presence. Consequently this method has caused a major ripple effect in countries such as Sri Lanka like never before. In some major cities the influence of western culture is being increasingly felt with the introduction of major fast food brands such as McDonalds, Pizza HUT and KFC.
In Sri Lanka, Sinhala is regarded as the mother tongue of the Sinhalese ethnic group, which is the largest in Sri Lanka. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It is spoken by about 16 million people in Sri Lanka, 13 million of whom are native speakers. It is one of the constitutionally recognised official languages of Sri Lanka along with Tamil.
 The main religions of Sri Lanka are Buddhism and Hinduism, which both have large influences on political, cultural and social life. Generally speaking, Buddhists believe people are reincarnated and have several lives. In each life, they learn lessons and should try to better their conduct in each life until they reach what is known as "Nirvana". On the other hand, Hinduism has two important beliefs, "Samsara" (reincarnation and that actions in this life determine the status of the soul in the next incarnation) and "Dharma" (caste or social class).
Religion has both direct and indirect impact on business. The caste system has created a culture that also operated within a hierarchical system. Sri Lankans are very conscious with the social order and status. All relationships, whether in family life or at the office, to some extent involve hierarchies. At home, the father or oldest male in the household is considered as the leader of the family.
Sports pays a big part in Sri Lankan culture. Their main sport used to be volley ball, which then it was replaced by cricket. Almost every child in Sri Lanka knows how to play cricket and there are many cricket fields scattered across the island for children and adults to play the sport. The biggest pastime of the Sri Lankan population, after cricket, is watching the Sri Lankan National Team playing cricket. It is common for business to shut down when big matches are televised.
 Being one of the largest producers of tea in the world, Sri Lankan drink a lot of tea. Many Sri Lankan drink at least three cups a day. Sri Lanka is also one of the best tea producing countries in the world, particularly ceylon tea.
The cuisine of Sri Lanka draws influence mainly from India. Rice which is usually consumed daily can be found at any special occassion, while spicy curries are favourite dishes for dinner and lunch. Sri Lanka has also long been renowned for its spices. In the 15th and 15th centuries, traders from all over the world who came to Sri Lanka brought their native cuisines to the island, resulting in a rich diversity of cooking styles and techniques. The main influence of their cuisines will be Dutch and Portuguese. |
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CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE
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by Patrice Steen and John Robson
 "You don't have to buy from anyone. You don't have to work at any particular job. You don't have to participate in any given relationship. You can choose." - Harry Browne.
Choice. It's all about freedom - the freedom to pick one thing over another. Are you choosing what you want from life? "Oh no." comes the reply."I can't because... I haven't got enough education... I need to look after my family... I don't have enough money... I don't have the time." What's your excuse?
The truth is we have choice in every single moment of our lives. For those who are destitute, the choices in life are fewer. But the rest of us often think we don't have freedom when we simply haven't claimed our power to choose differently. How do you typically make decisions? Do you do so based on:
- "Shoulds" - doing what you believe you should do
- Pleasing others - doing what others want or expect you to do
- Fear - choosing the safe route for fear of doing something different
- Habit and reaction - you don't even think about what you're doing - you've always done it this way?
 On the other hand, you own your power to choose when you decide on the basis of: - Desire - choosing something you want
- Need - reponsding to deeper desires
- Authenticity - you know who you are and what you stand for
- Creative expression - you strive to be more
So how can you open to choosing differently?
1. Be clear about what you want. Have a sense purpose. With a target to aim for, you'll know what will serve you best.
2. Stop and ask yourself questions "Why am I doing this? What do I want to achieve?" Write down your answers. Be more conscious of how you are spending your precious time because this is your life passing by. This will help you say "Wait! I don't want to do this anymore!"
3. Never allow yourself to play the victim. Victims have given away their power. You alone are responsible for your life. When you fully accept this, you will claim your inner power to make better choices. Change often comes from nothing more than a shift in perspective.
4. Be open to possibilities for yourself. Select one area of your life where you are unsatisfied and choose something new, something more for yourself. Do different things and do things differently. Risk more.
Empowerement arises from the three Cs: Choice, Courage and Change. They are yours to claim. You'll be astounded at how easy it will be to take charge once you have made up your mind to do so. You have the opportunity to create a future that's very different from your past. Also remember, not choosing is also a choice. |
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH - LOVE CAKE
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Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes
Ingredients:
- Melted butter , to grease
- 375g raw unsalted cashews
- 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 315g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 250g (1 1/3 cup) semolina
- 80ml (1 1/3 cup) honey
- 2tsp rosewater
- 1tsp ground cardamom
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 4 egg whites
- Icing sugar, to dust
Method
1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Brush a 20cm squre cake pan with melted butter to grease. Line base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
2. Place the cashews in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped.
3. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until very pale and creamy. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the cashew, semolina, honey, rosewater, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Use a clean beater to beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl intil firm peaks form. Fold into semolina mixture.
5. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in oven for 1 hour 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Turn oven off. Leave the cake in the oven, with the door slightly ajar, to cool completely. Cut into pieces and dust with icing sugar to serve. |
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"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
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