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| GLOBAL EXPERIENCE NEWSLETTER |
FEBRUARY 2010
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| STUDENT FEEDBACK CORNER |
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"Mr and Mrs Hartojo are the coolest homestay ever. They both were really helpful during my stay but the most important thing is that I enjoyed my stay."
Elizario Siqueira for Hartojo's Family, Rosebery |
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GE ADVICE |
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Q: My student takes shower three times a day and quite often more than half an hour. I found it quite frustrating as there are three people in the house need to share the same bathroom. What should I do and what is the average duration they can take shower and for how many times a day?
A: What you can do to tackle this problem is by explaining to the student about our water restrictions due to drought in Australia.
In general students can take shower twice a day for 10-15 minutes each time. |
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FROM THE DESK
Hello to you all! I would like to use the first paragraph of this newsletter to suggest that everyone that reads this, join us all gathering love in our hearts and sending it openly to the world, specially to our Haitian and Chilean brothers and sisters. Where there is pain, may healing occur and where there is darkness, may light reign.
I am not sure if its only happening to me or more people can relate to this. Sometimes I feel I am not sure where I am standing in time and space. These days seems to pass by really fast and what I think did happened a few months ago I get to find out these events did happen 2 or 3 years ago! I believe our world is moving at a much faster pace and we are constantly trying to catch up to its speed.
The above is not exception for our team as found out that January and February were busy months, settling into the New Year. There were new students to place, changes to make and systems to upgrade - and they all seemed to happen at once. If the first couple of months are a true reflection of what 2010 is going to be, we are in for a great one!!!
Our team has gone through a few changes, Stone has joined us on a permanent basis in the Accounts Department and Miho has left us as she is now traveling within Australia, she is surely missed by us all.
We are having another Host Morning Tea - and this one we want to hear from you about Homestay and the funniest homestay 'stories' - which we'll share in the next newsletter. When we share our experiences and the solutions we find, it helps all of us. I know I've had some interesting stories over the years and am sure you have too. The Host Morning Tea is on Thursday, 11th March at Level 1, 141 York Street, Sydney. Please respond to marketing@globalexperience.com.au, there are only a few spaces left.
It always amazes me what a wonderful wealth of knowledge and skills we have within our "Global Experience Family", and this is not exception. One of our host families: Violeta Araya & Daniel Blazquez are involved in the healing therapies and they have brought "Sintergetica Medicine" (a South American practice) to be shared with us in Australia. In April they are bringing from Colombia Dr Santiago Cordoba, a specialist in this subject, he will be presenting a 2 days workshop in "Sintergetica Medicine" and "Sacred Geometry". If you are interested please read further information in this newsletter.
This year our objective with Homestay is to have things fall into place with ease and grace. We're receiving great feedback on our internet and mobile offer which allows the students to use their own internet service without having to use yours. When they set up their own service its on a month to month basis so it's not tied to a contract - and it means there is no way they will inadvertently run up the bill of your internet or overuse the plan you're on so the service becomes very slow. There are many benefits. Please check out the offer at our website by clicking on the 'Talk Down Under' icon. You can help your student to become more independent by them managing their own Internet usage.
Apart from that ,there is a growing requirement for Working With Children Checks to be done more frequently. Previously it lasted forever when it was done. Now we will begin reviewing those that have been done over 2 years ago and gradually contacting you again to renew the paperwork.
Enjoy the reading about Philippines, I know I found some new things I was unaware of - and let us know if you try the recipes and how successful these are. Also congratulations to Amy and Manuel Diel for being nominated as our host of the month.
Until next issue
Sonia Ortega
Managing Director
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HOST FAMILY OF THE MONTH - AMY AND MANUEL DIEL |
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By Manuel DIEL
Our first reaction was "WOW". Of course, we felt honoured, excited, fulfilled, humbled and "on top of the world" by this nomination. This is "icing on the cake" as we are just doing our bit to be the Australian parents for the students being away from their biological parents and country.
We came to Australia in May 1977 about 33 years ago with our two boys Cebastian (one year and 5 months) and Gerald (5 months) and resided temporarily with friends in Hurlstone Park which is near Sydney. Our third child Ryan Vincent was born in Sydney two years later.
 Coming from the Philippines, a tropical country of about 60 million people and migrating to this beautiful and rich country was overwheling and challenging. We had to endure the chilly weather with thick clothes for about four months but very impressed with the very clean environment. We also had to adjust to the new lifestyle and appreciate the warm reception of majority of the Australian people to new migrants. The support group from the Filipino community immensely helped us settle down quickly in this sunburnt country.
We both have a degree in Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Accounting from the University of The East in Manila. I was a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines and my last job was as a Supervising Bank Examiner at Central Bank of the Philippines while Amy worked as Senior Examiner at the National Police Commission. We both also ventured in our own business in travel agency and taxation business for over fifteen years and currently I'm still doing the taxation business while Amy is retired.
 We've been doing homestay for over two years after being introduced by a client or friend in the industry. Our three boys are all grown up and have their own family. Therefore the homestay program has given us the opportunity to have students whom we treat as part of our family. This is a very rewarding program for us to be able to look after students from different countries because it is educational as we get to learn different cultures from them and vice versa.
You need to make sure that you give students decent meals and make them feel like home where there is love, caring, mentoring, guidance, respect, good rapport, regular communication and responsibility. We also love to take our students out for dinner, karaoke, BBQ and watch sport events such as Rugby League. We ensure they enjoy their stay in Australia whilst at the same time allowing them to learn the Australian way of living.
We have a variety of students from all over the world. We enjoy taking them out on the first day and act like a tourist guide in the beginning. We try to teach them the language and speak to them slowly until they could understand you better. We also try to reassure them that they are not on their own and introduce them to places where they can meet or see people coming from their country. For example, we take our Chinese students to China Town, Italian students to Leichhardt, etc.
 The most memorable experience that we had was when our students introduced us to their parents through Skype. We love it when our students came back from holiday and said "Mom says thank you for caring for me". That alone is a rewarding experience for us. They also brought us a lot of gifts as they come back from holiday. One of our Japanese students presented us with a framed photo of him and our children that he took while he was staying with us.
Our experience in homestay has widened our horizon in meeting people from different background and has demonstrated that we are "one world" and we can live harmoniously regardless the race, religion and culture.
Global Experience is indeed a success story and is an inspiration to all of us. It is a living example that "dreams come true" through vision, commitment, preservance and positive mental attitude. We'd like to congratulate Sonia for creating this organisation and we are proud to be part of it. |
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FILIPINO WORLD
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Filipinos, the term by which people of the Philippines are generally known, descended from the various Austronesian-speaking migrants who came in droves over a thousand years ago from South East Asia. There are various ethno-linguistic groups that Filipinos are divided into. The three major groups are the Visayans, the Tagalogs, and the Ilocanos. They are genetically close to the Taiwanese aborigines, Malays of Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Polynesians.
 Then there are Filipino mestizos, a term employed to refer to those who are of mixed indigenous heritage and Spanish or other foreign ancestry form. They are in minority but form an economically and politically important minority.
Linguistically speaking, the nation is amazingly diverse with more than 170 languages. Nearly all of these languages belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian language group of the Austronesian language family. The 1987 Constitution confers the status of official language to both Filipino and English. Additionally, there are twelve major regional languages with over one million speakers of each. These are Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Bikol, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Kinaray-a, Maranao, Maguindanao, and Tausug. Also, Spanish and Arabic are used as auxiliary languages.
Around 92 percent of the Filipinos are Christians making it the world's third-largest Christian nation. Among the Christians, 83 percent belong to the Roman Catholic Church, 2 percent to the Philippine Independent Church, and 10 percent to various Protestant denominations. Some 5 percent of the Filipinos are Muslim and live primarily in parts of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.
 Filipino culture blends the indigenous traditions of the Philippines with the Hispanic and American cultures, and also have distinct cultural traits of the Chinese, the Indonesians and the Indians.
The Hispanic influences come largely from the cultural influence of Spain and Mexico. The Hispanic influence stands visible in the religious festivals of the Roman Catholic Church. Filipinos hold major festivities known as barrio fiestas to commemorate their patron saints. However, what strikes one right away is the prevalence of Spanish surnames among the Filipinos. This was a result of a colonial decree for the systematic distribution of family names and implementation of the Spanish naming system amongst the Filipinos. Thus a Spanish surname does not necessarily imply a Hispanic heritage.
Besides, some of the Chinese traits are also found in Filipino culture, particularly in the cuisine. Noodles, for instance, are known locally as "mami" and are a standing testament of the Chinese cuisine. Linguistic borrowings is the other way by which the Chinese culture has seeped into the Philippines.
 So far as the American legacy is concerned, English stands head and shoulder above everything else that Americans might have given to the Filipino way of life. Basketball is very popular, another American trait. America seems to have influenced the Philippines in much the same way as it has influenced the rest of the world- through its fast-food revolution. Fast-food joints are ubiquitous in the Philippines. McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, you just name it! Much of what is typically American can be found in the Philippines. Filipinos listen and dance to American music, throng the theaters to watch American movies, and paste the posters of American actors and actresses on their bedroom walls. Asian trends too are now making their presence felt.
However, despite all the influences, the native moral codes are still intact. The respect for the family, veneration of elders, and friendliness continue to mark a Filipino's social life. Among the national heroes, José Rizal tops the list. He was a Spanish-speaking reformist visionary whose writings influenced the sense of national identity and awareness and is a respected name still. |
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FREEDOM FROM RESISTANCE |
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By Hale Dwoskin
Have you ever started a project really gung ho and lost enthusiasm somewhere in the middle? That's resistance. Resistance is quite insidious. It's one of the main things that stops us from having, doing, and being what we want in life. We resist, in fact, even the things we really like - the things we care about.
 Sometimes you can't even get yourself to go to the movies when you want to go because resistance is reactivated. And if someone, including yourself, tells you to do something that's a sure-fire way resistance is going to come up even if you want to do it.
I remember as a child growing up I used to hate when my mother would tell me to do something that I wanted to do because then I didn't want to do it anymore. When someone tells you, you should do something or you have to do something, what do you feel inside? "No way! Don't tell me what to do!" The same thing happens when you yourself what to do. If you say to yourself, "You have to stop smoking," what happens? "Oh yeah?" Or, "You'd better not eat this anymore. "You may eat even more. That's just the nature of the mind. It just doesn't like being told what to do. So resistance is operating all the time because we live in a sea of "shoulds" and "have to's" and "must do's" and imperatives. Any time there is an imperative, it stirs up resistance.
Resistance manifests in many different ways - some subtle - you just forget things that are important to you. Or you'll find yourself gradually moving away from things that are really helpful - you're doing great with whatever self-improvement technique you are engaged in; you're really enjoying it; you just think it's best thing since sliced bread and three months later you're hardly using it anymore. What happened? You hit resistance.
 Resistance doesn't just happen with self improvement; it happens in life all the time. And sometimes it's extreme, where you don't even want to get out of bed in the morning. Anytime you feel like you have to, or you should do something, or you must do it, you're hitting resistance. Because the "should" creates an opposing force equal to or greater than the force that you're exerting when you're trying to get something to happen.
Stop "shoulding" on yourself or others.
One way to start dissolving your resistance and stop creating it in yourself and those around you is to ask rather than tell. Ask yourself to do what you are interested in doing instead of telling yourself. Ask yourself, your friends, lovers, co-workers or children to do what you would like them to do instead of demanding or giving orders and you will be amazed at the results in much less resistance and much more loving cooperation.
Allow yourself to start noticing where resistance manifests in your life. As you notice resistance, allow yourself to welcome it and let it dissolve as best you can. Also, when you feel really lost in resistance, notice the flow or openness that is there as well. It may be a much smaller percentage, however if you put your awareness on it, it will expand rapidly making it much easier to let go of your resistance.
As best you can, let go of resisting your resistance or judging yourself for having it and simply allow it to be there and then do your best to let it go. |
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH - PUTO (Rice Muffins)
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Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 1 cup grated coconut (or coconut flakes)
Methods:
1. Sift the first four ingredients together
2. In a mixing bowl, add coconut milk to sift ingredients and blend well to make a smooth mixture
3. Add anise seeds
4. Mix and blend thoroughly and fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full
5. Cook in a steamer for 30 minutes
6. Test for doneness
7. Muffins are done when toothpick or cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean
8. Serve hot topped with grated coconut or butter |
SACRED GEOMETRY & SINTERGETICA MEDICINE WORKSHOP
26th & 27th April 2010 in Sydney
"Geometry when is made from the heart is sacred"
Facilitator: Dr Santiago Cordoba
University del Rosario
Bogota Colombia
Enquiries at:
Daniel or Violeta
Ph: (02) 9340 7293 |
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"Nothing is Impossible. Some things are just less likely than others."
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