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| GLOBAL EXPERIENCE NEWSLETTER | JULY/AUGUST 2010
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| STUDENT FEEDBACK CORNER | |
"My Host Family is very wonderful. I felt like home and I treated my Host Mother as my own Mom as she cares a lot about me. I was lucky to be placed with them and feel very grateful."
Juliana de Paiva Pinto for Briffa's family, Chifley |
| GE ADVICE | |
When your new student arrives, write your name, address and phone number, down on a piece of paper and give it to your student.
If your student has a mobile number make sure you know what it is - if not they can go to GE's website and order a phone via "Global Gossip". |
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FROM THE DESK
Hi Everyone!
OK it's still cold and now we have many different seasons in a day, feels more like Melbourne than Sydney.
Things are starting to pick up now and more bookings are coming through for September which is a good sign. If you have a room available please give the office a call and let the ladies know. When you call us and let us know you have a room it means you're likely to be at the top of the list for students.
With all the talk of politics these days, the decisions that need to be made by the government regarding education are still pending - so the industry is still in a state of flux. It will be interesting to see what unfolds.
We are continuing to chase up items like insurance. There is a specific insurance product which is being designed for Homestay that was due to be released in July. The release has been delayed and it may be in September before we have details to share with you. As soon as we know we'll share! The industry continues to change with more and more emphasis being put on compliance and awareness.
For those new Host families this will seem normal, for those of you that have been working with us a long time - it will seem very strange. Homestay is a unique industry where its all about people and relationships. Now we're seeing the industry change so that it's all about people and relationships and compliance - insurance, inspections, smoke alarms etc. Not bad things in themselves, just different.
This month congratulations are due to Michelle and Justin Lo who are wonderful examples of Australian culture. Justin is of Chinese descent and Michelle is from England - both are Australian. Each time students live here they come to understand what a 'traditional' Australian family looks like - and there are many smiling faces that make up the mix. GE is delighted to recognise the good work Justin and Michelle have done with their students and looks forward to working with them for many years to come.
Enjoy the reading!
Sonia Ortega
Managing Director |
e list for students. With all the talk of politics these days the decisions that need to be made by the government
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HOST FAMILY OF THE MONTH - Michelle and Justin Lo |
by Justin Lo
 We are very flatered to be nominated as host family of the month. It is a big surprise. Our main aim in hosting students is to allow our own children to meet people from other countries and learn about other cultures around the world.
I'm Australian born Chinese and Michelle is from England, arriving in Australia at the age of two. There are four in our family, Natasha is ten years and Jake is eight years old. I work as an Area Manager for PIZZA Hut and Michelle is an Office Manager. We spend a lot of time outdoors and we love our sport.
We started Homestay about five years ago and have been with Global Experience for almost two and a half years throughout this time we have many students from all over the world.
 We always try to make the students feel like they are part of the family, from day one. The most important thing is to be open minded and patient with them. It also helps to do a quick Google search on their country and be familiar with their culture.
As soon as the student step into our home, we welcome them by having plenty of conversation and make sure it is two ways. We also explain our house rules, clearly to avoid misunderstandings in the future.
Our kids always adore our students and most of our students love Michelle's yummy cooking.
On a personal note, we have been very happy with Global Experience. They are friendly and professional. We are hoping to continue working with them for many more years. |
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UKRAINIAN WORLD
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 The culture of Ukraine is a structured from the influence over milleninnia from the West and East, with an assortment of strong culturally identified ethnic groups. Like most Western countries, Ukrainian customs are heavily influenced by Christianity. Russian and other Eastern European cultures also have had a more or less significant impact on the Ukrainian culture.
Food is an important part to the Ukrainian culture. Special foods are used at Easter as well as Christmas, that are not made at any other time of the year. At Christmas time, for example, kutia - a mixture of cooked wheat groats, poppy seeds and honey and special sweet breads - is prepared. An average Ukrainian diet consists of fish, cheeses and a variety of sausages. Head cheese is also quite popular in Ukraine as well as Kolbasa, a type of sausage. Typically bread is a core part of every meal, and must be included for the meal to be "complete". At Christmas time, for example, it is tradition to have a twelve-course meal. Ukrainians often toast to good health, linger over their meal, and engage in lively conversation with family and friends. Often they will drink tea, wine or coffee afterwards with as a simple dessert such as fruit pastry.  In Ukraine, guests are given lots of attention. If you are someone's house guest, your hosts will likely take you around town and show you the sights for several days. Traditional Ukrainian attitudes dictate that guests be well-fed and entertained for as long as they stay at your home. Offering a guest a glass of water seems an absurdity to Ukrainians, the more so because ice water is thought to cause colds. In the business world, however, drinking bottled water has started to catch on and being offered a glass of water is no longer an extreme rarity. On average, Ukrainians' personal space is smaller than in Germanic and Anglo Saxon cultures. Some people touch each other quite a bit during conversations if they are standing. Greeting women with a kiss on the cheek is common. Gestures tend to be smaller - no American arm-flapping here! Also, smiling is usually reserved for friends.  Ukrainians have preseved superstitions and omens about things like shaking hands through a doorway, whistling indoors and other things. Everyone knows these omens and jokes about them, but they avoid breaking them all the same. Western society is more rational not only in this regard but in every other. Ukrainians' religious views (especially in the areas where Orthodoxy dominates) have elements of mysticism and uncertainty. Ukrainians in public tend to demonstrate restraint and avoid attracting attention to themselves. In small towns where everyone knows each other this is less noticeable, Ukrainians usually speak quietly in the presence of strangers. Loud foreigners who are oblivious to their surroundings always draw smiles. Ukrainians tend to be warmer in their personal relationships than is typical of most western countries. Gender roles are often quite traditional in the home and the stereotype is that the wife does the cooking and cleaning, while the husband takes care of repairs. Grandparents play a greater role in raising children in Ukraine, There seem to be more overprotective parents and children are brought up to do well in school and to keep out of trouble and avoid mistakes.
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A NEW BEGINNING |
by Larry Agresto
 A new beginning is just a thought away. Let me start by saying that you are your thoughts. Did you know that life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent what you do with what happens to you? Think about it for a moment, you can't control life but you do have a say about how you respond to what happens in your life. Your success and happiness in life, is in direct development you create in your life.
Your mind is the most powerful force that you possess. Thoughts have a basis in reality creation. Try experimenting with a simple exercise by being aware of your behaviour and emotions the next time something good or bad occurs in your life. If in the moment, you were thinking positive thoughts, you most likely realised a positive result or circumstance; on the other hand, if you were thinking a negative thought, you probably experienced a negative result or experience. A positive thought, will never create a negative result: likewise, a negative thought will never create a positive result. Therefore, it is safe to say that, "thought are things", based on their ability to create results or circumstances. It has been proven that thoughts are pure energy; based on what you are thinking, those thoughts can create positve or negative energy. Thoughts have the power to affect not only our lives, but they have the power to affect the people and events around us.  What you think has everything to do with the reality that you experience. By creating the right image or thought of what you want to achieve in your life, that thought or image has the power to create the appropriate circumstance or outcome that you wish to manifest. But where do our thoughts come from you ask? Well, a simple answer would be that they come from our minds but the answer is not that simple. For most poeple, their present thoughts are based on their past paradigms. We come to know ourselves through our past experiences in life, which limits us from embracing the unlimited possibilities that exist in the moment. Sadly enough, what this means is that very few people are ever really living in the present because their thoughts emanate from their past experiences. What's so bad about that you ask? Well, if your thoughts are based on your past paradigms and much of your past is based on childhood experiences of fear, anger, lack of love, security or confidence, which they are for many people, can you see how that reality would not be a positive or joyful one. What I'm suggesting here is that your past paradigms colour how an indiivdual views their reality. People hold on to their past paradigms because it's what they know and are comfortable with; it's what they've grown up with in their life. Your past paradigms create a "negative safety net" for us; even a negative paradigm can create a sense of power in the thought patterns and behaviour of an individual. What people need to realise and understand is this; "your past is not your future" or said in another manner "your past is not your present".  In order to create "a new beginning" for ourselves, we must first realise that we have the power to change our thoughts. It starts with changing your thoughts in the present. We must begin to truly live in the present and embrace the act of living, which is the present moment. In order for you to be present, you must learn to live life consciously; act as if everything that touches your life matters but as if nothing is so important, that it can invade your peace or power. Be aware of what you're thinking, think thoughts that are positive and inspirational. The simplest way to become aeare of your thoughts is to become a "witness" to what you're thinking and how you're behaving. Stop living what I call "a mechanical life". Once you develop the discipline of being aware of your thoughts, you will then become more aware of your behaviour. Once you are more aware of your behaviour, you will have more insight into your actions and results. Change your thoughts and you change your behaviour; change the behaviour and you change the actions you take; change the actions and you change the results. In doing this, you recondition your belief system and create new positive paradigms. Another way to say it is "change the inside and you change the outside". As you become more aware of your thoughts and who you are being in the moment, take the time and begin to develop a new self-image of yourself based on who you are and what you want for your life. This image will be created by the "True Self" not your past paradigms, ego or fears. We can all create "A New Beginning" for ourselves, by simply changing our thoughts. |
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH - RED BORSCHT SOUP |
Ingredients:
1 package (16 ounce) pork sausage
3 medium peeled and shredded beets
3 peeled and shredded carrots
3 medium peeled and cubed baking potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium chopped onion
1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1/2 medium cored and shredded head cabbage
1 can (8 ounce) diced and drained tomatoes
3 cloves of minced garlic
salt and pepper as required
1 teaspoon white sugar to taste
1/2 cup sour cream for topping
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley to granish
Directions:
1. Crush the sausage into a deep large frying pan on medium-high heat. Cook the pieces by stirring it until it loses its pink colour. Remove the pan from the heat and keep it aside.
2. Fill half of a big pot water (around 2 quarts) and let the water to boil. Add fried sausages and cover the pot with a lid. Let it boil again. Add the beets in that mixture and cook until the beets lose their colours. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for around 15 minutes until the vegetables become tender. Add the can of diced tomatoes and the cabbage to that mixture.
3. Heat some oil in a large skillet on medium flame. Add the onion and cook until it becomes tender. Blend in the water and tomato paste and mix them well. Put the mixture to the pot. Add some raw garlic to the soup, put a cover and put off the heat. Let the taste blend in the soup for 5 minutes. Season with pepper, salt and sugar.
4. Serve it hot in soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and sour cream.
5. Serve it hot with fresh bread. If you like to make it vegetarian, then just omit the sausages and taste this delicious recipe. This wholesome meal is just perfect for chilly winter. |
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" Growth is determined for those who strive to grow nothing into something. In life you never grow, if you don't know what you want to grow. "
- Lebitsho Mtshali -
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