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| GLOBAL EXPERIENCE NEWSLETTER | OCTOBER 2010
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| STUDENT FEEDBACK CORNER | |
"I have been very happy with my homestay family. Elizabeth, my host mother, is a very open minded and friendly person.
Her sons and her have been very helpful. My English has improved substantially and I love my Homestay."
Oezlem Aslan for McNevin's Family Woollahra |
| EXCITING NEWS | |
Homestay insurance - due to be released in November.
Host Families in Canberra. Do you know someone there who might be interested of doing homestay?
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FROM THE DESK
Hi everyone,
OK I'm excited. I'm going for my first visit to South America, Chile and Argentina, on the 11th and returning to work on the 31st. I'll be spending time with Sonia and seeing South America from her eyes which is a relief because my Spanish is non existent. I'm told there's a lot of tango dancing in Buenos Aires, I'll let you know what I find.
In my absence, Agnes and the team will be holding the fort and I do expect things to continue being busy. This month is shaping up to be busier than the last which is a good thing. The industry overall is still reporting a downturn in students but as far as GE is concerned we are lucky and its been business as usual. Part of the reason we're lucky is because of the good work you all do as Hosts. It helps us a lot when we represent you to new institutions and say with confidence we work with families that care. Between us, we make a good team!
You'll notice in this newsletter, Homestay Insurance is expected to be released next month. We're just waiting to have some details finalised and then it will be shared with you. Having seen a draft of the policy I can say with confidence it's very very good for you, the family. I know everyone's been waiting to have a viable solution and its almost here.
Also we're looking for lovely Host Families like yourselves in Canberra so we can start placing students there in January. If you know of someone that would be interested please do get them to call us. We've found over the years that good host families tend to know other nice people who would also make good host families - funny that! :)
That's it from me.
Adios
Lynn Copithorne
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e list for students. With all the
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HOST FAMILY OF THE MONTH - KELLY AND DAVID MITFORD | |
by Kelly Mitford
I'm a family day-care worker, which means I take care of five children a day in my home. There are four of us in our family but there can be as many as six when we have our students staying with us.
We have been a homestay family for eight years. Over this time we have learnt a lot about different cultures and religions. We enjoy getting involved with our students and understanding their perspective. It can be quite different!
Our children also enjoy having students from all over the world. They have even learnt to speak a little Chinese. So far we have had students from China, Japan, Korea, America, United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, France, Belgium, Indonesian and Greece. We love the diversity.
We always make our students feel like part of the family. We show interest who they are and where they'e from. It's exciting to learn about different cultures and some are so different. It's amazing. We encourage them to join us in playing play station, soccer and billiards with our children. My husband does most of the cooking and has been told he makes a great curry. This is always a favourite.
We find Global Experience very professional in their service and support to us. I know if there are any questions I can simply ask them for answers. They always make sure they communicate with myself and students and I know that they are always there for me and my students. |
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GERMAN WORLD
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 The official language of Germany is German, with over 95% of the population speaking it as their first language. Minority languages include Sorbian, Danish, Romani and Turkish. Germany is also known as das Land der Dichter und Denker (The Land of Poets and Thinkers). Famous German poets include Goethe, Schiller and Heine. Poets in Jena and later in Berlin led Romanticism in the 19th century.
German food varies from region to region, but concentrates on meat (especially sausage) and varieties of sweet dessert and Stollen (fruit cake). Germans are also famous for rye bread. Germany also produces a large quantity of beer and (mostly white) wine, particularly Riseling, but also Muller-Thurgau and other varieties.
 In many respects, Germans is the surest way to a successful structures and ordered life. This is a culture that prizes forward thinking and knowing what they will be doing at a specific time on a specific day. Careful planning, in one's business and personal life, provides a sense of security. Rules and regulations allow people to know what is expected and they plan their life accordingly. Germans believe that maintaining clear lines of demarcation between people, places and things is the surest way to success a structured and ordered life.
Germans do not need a personal relationship in order to do business. Germans do not have an open door policy. People often work with their office closed. Knock and wait to be invited in before entering. German communication is formal. They will be direct to the point of bluntness. Expect a great deal of written communication, both to back up decisions and to maintain a record of decisions and discussions.
If you are invited to a German's house, you need to arrive on time as punctuality indicates proper planning. Never arrive early. Never arrive more than 15 minutes later than invited without telephoning to explain you have been detained. Remain standing until invited to sit down. You may be shown to a particular seat. Table manners are Continental - the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or someone says 'guten appetit'. At a large dinner party, wait for the hostess to place her napkin in her lap before doing so yourself.
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MOTIVATION IS OFTEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAILURE AND SUCCESS |
by Sasa Sijak
 You are about to take a difficult task. But what is driving you forward? The most important thing is the motivation. How can you improve your motivation? The answer is simple, you just need to know yourself better, first find the things that give you motivation, make you achieve your goals. Different people are motivated by different things. Some people take money as the main way to motivate themselves. It may be enough, but often it is not always that simple in society. Money is something that makes you feel safer in this world, gives you freedom to do what you want, buy things which you like. Some people take personal growth as their motivation. As your position grows, so does your motivation. As you perform various tasks, take different challenges, learn new skills and you find yourself satifsifed with the results, your motivation gets better and better.
Sometimes things don't go as you've planned. Sometimes you use a lot of energy and time to perform a task, but the results are not always good. This happens to everyone! But remember one thing, it is better to try than do nothing at all.  Some people just turn their back, start doing something and then stop in the middle of the way. If you have not finished the task, it is the same as if you didn't do anything at all. In this case people will see you as a quitter, you will loose face in front of your boss, family and friends. The one thing you should do is never give up. That is the most important point if you want to be a winner. You just think about the results of a task, what you can gain from them. As you encounter more and more difficulties, try to find ways to overcome them. Life is full of ups and downs and focusing on your end goal will help you achieve it. You can use different ways to improve your motivation. After a day of a hard work you need to take a rest, balance it by doing something you enjoy. Also make time to think about the future. Think about your upcoming tasks. Do you have the things that you have always wanted, are you happy with your life? You just imagine what would it look like if you were successful. New skills can also assist you make extra money or deal with the upcoming challenges. Another important thing is to change your way of thinking. Be aware that you always have a choice between being positive or negative. You are the one who decides how to respond to any given situation. No one else. Making positive choices tends to build a more and more positive outcome. The choice is yours! If you are positive, it will be easier for you to accomplish any task. |
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH - GOULASH SOUP |
Ingredients:
2 lbs beef (cut in small)
4 medium onions (chopped)
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp carraway seeds
1 bay leaf
2 cc beef broth
4 medium potatoes
3 tbsp oil or butter
1 clove garlic (minced)
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 cc water
1/2 cc red wine
Methods:
1. Brown the meat in oil or butter.
2. Add the onions and garlic and fry until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the paprika, bay leaf, carraway seeds, water and broth.
4. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and red wine.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
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" Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
- Henry Ford - |
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