#international students in australia vlog

[thegirlwhodownunder]

Vlog 13: Reflection

Hello everyone!!! Happy Friday or Saturday everyone, how are you today? Today vlog is going to be a bit different from the rest. Most of the vlog focuses on what I experience while studying abroad where I talk about the university, adventures, etc. Today's vlog is a reflection of my study abroad and what I learned from the 8 weeks I've been here in Melbourne, Austrulia. 

What I found interesting is the traditions here are almost the same in the U.S during the fall time. Australia celebrates Good Friday and Easter in April. Their Easter here is similar to the U.S where you have your usual Easter egg hunt for the kids and Easter dinners. There is a national holiday that is coming up which is called Anzac day which celebrates the recruitment for the army for WW1 which is celebrated on the 25th of April. 

With religions there are more than a 100 types of them with Christianity being the most practiced. Christianity in Australia is funded/established social services as a way of giving back to the community for example hospitals, home facilities, schools, and charities. Another religion that is considered popular is Buddhism since it focuses more on the academic since its origins come from Asia.   

One of my favorite local places while studying abroad is Queen Victoria Market. It is about a 30 minute drive from La Trobe and almost an hour ride on the tram to get there. The market sells so much stuff from clothes, organic food, souvenirs, etc. They also have some delicious food. For example they have fried potato on a stick that you can have seasonings or cheese on it, I had mine with cheese . There is also the night market which takes place on Wednesday nights and it is seasonal. I was lucky enough to go over mid-term break, and if you come to Melbourne I recommend that you go to both Queen Victoria Market in the daytime and to the night markets on Wednesday. 

One of the most fascinating things I've been learning about Australia is with the different people I interact with on a daily basis. Since I’m an international student I have interacted with many Australians and people from other countries who I became friends with. I became friends with people who are from India, Sir Lanka, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria,  etc. While I became friends with them I got to learn some of their culture and traditions that they practice and I get to learn them sometimes which is great because I like to learn about anything when it comes to diversity. 

I feel like even tho I still have a few more weeks of my GO-Experience I feel I learn a lot about the continent itself, where there are some things, I never knew about especially when it comes to Australia history and Indigenous people. This helps me reflect and grow as an individual, which will help me when I interact with other people in my future career. That it for reading as always and I will see you later :).

[qutvickylo233]

KKB285 Audience Engagement, Ethics and Diversity (key challenge)

According to the client brief: In 2032, during the Olympic Games in Brisbane, Northshore will be home to the Athlete’s Village.

I will be focusing on Maritime Green.

Our target audience is the youth and destination vistors, including primary and secondary school students (age 6-18 or above) (including parents and guardians), families and groups visiting Brisbane with a short-term travel time. This includes locals (such as students) as well as international/non-local visitors (overseas tourists). There will be people from different cultural backgrounds, such as local australians who grew up in Brisbane Australia, non-local travellers who adapted different cultural background, and foreigners with different ethnicity. There is a potential market for a wide diversity of visitors that we have to pay attention .

To engage to our targetted audiences, we have to provide good and rich experiences that shares cultural/educational values, instagrammable (tiktok, vlog etc) memorable appearances for visitors' documenting purposes. It is also important to provide a strong connection to waters – ocean and river as Northshore is located besides the Brisbane River, where it connects the entire city.

In conclusion, the main focus should be on providing a cultural experience of Queensland and Brisbane focused theme. Especially referring to the client brief, this place could be used for future Olympics 2032, it is important to have a prospect for future growth and expandings.

The proposal of a multi-purpose open park should meet the target audiences needs as well as having a potential of future growth.

[priyaexplains]

If you plan to do your higher studies in Australia but are unsure where to start, this video is for you. Let’s get started! In this video, I have explained the step-by-step process of applying to an Australian university as an international student. Also, I have presented the required documents needed to lodge your application and addressed the limitations of a student visa. Australian PR, Step by Step Guide - https://youtu.be/o8v3vrH_Fak How to apply expression of interest (EOI) via skill select - https://youtu.be/w1sdf9iRGL8 Frequently asked question and answer section related to Australian Permanent Residency - https://youtu.be/t90U4t_uIXI. Essential things to know before moving to Australia - https://youtu.be/JtGvHp_6O1M Ways to find a job in Australia - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430PW... Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSpJ... Song: DayFox - Saeng You Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Video Link: https://youtu.be/glQfij2JS1A #Australian #moving to Australia #tamil #studyinaustralia #HowToStudyInAustralia how to apply to an Australian university apply for a course in Australia apply for a course as an international student how to get admission into an Australian university conditional offer letter vs offer letter confirmation of enrolment statement of purpose prepare sop to apply for a course in Australia (at Sydney, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTykoIvDakKBjACaZTmyD8VCwqfQPVOPqD_XzA0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[seedfinance]

Drew Binsky on How He Got Started Traveling the World

Select’s editorial team works independently to review financial products and write articles that we believe will be useful to our readers. We can receive a commission when you click on links for products from our affiliate partners.

There are 197 countries in the world, and YouTube travel vlogger Drew Binsky has only two left to visit: Jamaica and Saudi Arabia.

His passion for travel began as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he had the opportunity to study abroad in Prague in 2012. It was then that he decided to make the world a priority.

He didn’t want to go into the company after college even though he had a degree in economics. When a friend told him about a program to teach English to children in a city outside of Seoul, he seized the opportunity. His experience in South Korea cemented his desire to travel: after teaching for two years, Binsky set out to visit every country in the world.

While teaching in South Korea, he started sharing his travel experiences on a blog called Hungry Partyr, which documented his travel and nightlife experiences. The blog’s success led him to launch a YouTube channel and a Facebook page in 2015.

A stroke of luck would help Binsky’s Facebook page and YouTube channel grow in popularity. In 2017, he made a video about a three-day guided tour of North Korea that went viral and received nearly 10 million views. After seeing the success in his video, he devoted his energy to creating more content for YouTube and Facebook.

Bring people together with YouTube

For Binsky, the appeal of traveling and sharing his story and the stories of others lies in emphasizing the common humanity between his viewers and those who are considered foreigners in distant lands.

“I have my heart in countries like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Iran, Lebanon – these countries that everyone is afraid of,” says Binsky. “And [my viewers] think it’s just a war zone and they think it’s so unsafe. But when you go there and meet people and connect with the human aspects of these countries, that’s really nice. “

Travel vlogging has not been an easy task for Binsky, and he stresses the importance of realizing that traveling to a new country can bring a number of unique challenges. He struggled to shoot videos in Libya and countries in Central and West Africa, for example, because people were more skeptical about being filmed.

“I love the challenge,” says Binksy. “And I love trying to overcome these struggles. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to share the best stories I can share.”

Binsky’s best budget travel tips

Binsky started traveling on a budget, but in recent years travel vlogging has become quite lucrative for him.

He now has 2.7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 4 million followers on Facebook, and he makes money off of social media advertising, branded offers, and selling his own merchandise and an online travel hacking course. And he’s no longer a one-man show – Binsky has a team of 26 to help him produce content. His business is well on the way to hitting seven-figure sales this year.

Still, he believes that travel is easy and cheap when people are strategic. He recommends travelers in regions like Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America to stay in low-cost countries and skip regions like Western Europe and Scandinavia, as well as countries like Australia, Singapore, and Dubai where travel costs can be higher.

Binsky suggests that budget-conscious travelers looking to keep accommodation costs down could opt for a hostel or use a service called CouchSurfing, which connects travelers with locals who offer free rooms.

For American travelers, Binsky recommends using credit cards to finance their trips. (International travelers can find it much more difficult to get approved for these cards.)

Choose a credit card that suits your lifestyle

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

reward

10x points for Lyft trips through March 2022, 3x points for travel worldwide (immediately after you receive your $ 300 annual travel credit), 3x points for restaurants including eligible delivery services, takeaway and al fresco dining, 1x point for every 1 US dollars for all other purchases

Welcome bonus

Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $ 4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after opening your account

Annual fee

Introduction of APR

Regular annual interest

16.99% to 23.99% variable

Fund transfer fee

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed

Binsky is particularly enthusiastic about the Priority Pass Select Lounge Pass because it gives him access to lounges at international airports, some of which include amenities such as free massages, showers and sleeping accommodations.

Due to the flexibility of the award categories, he recently signed up for the Amex Business Gold Card. New cardholders can also take advantage of the Welcome Bonus: Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $ 10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. For him, spending on Facebook advertising is a high priority, so he can get four times as many points back in this category.

American Express® Business Gold Card

On the safe side of American Express

reward

Get more rewards with 4X Membership Rewards® points in two selected categories where you spend the most each month and get 25% points back after booking a flight with Pay with Points (up to 250,000 points back per calendar year).

Welcome bonus

Earn 70,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $ 10,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership

Annual fee

Introduction of APR

Regular annual interest

14.24% to 22.24% variable

Transfer fee for the credit

Foreign transaction fee

Credit needed

While the pandemic slowed Binsky’s travel habits for a few months between March 2020 and June 2020, he has been on the road again since June 2020, often doing Covid-19 tests and itching to complete his last two countries, which he plans to do in October.

For prices and fees for the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here

Note to editors: Opinions, analysis, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the Select editors and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by third parties.

source https://seedfinance.net/2021/08/14/drew-binsky-on-how-he-got-started-traveling-the-world/

[swinburne]

Around the world with Igor

If copywriting for brands like Nestlé, Samsung, and Coca-Cola wasn’t impressive enough, marketing grad Igor Korogodskiy is now running the world’s first ever virtual reality 360 travel vlog.

Written by Alicia Nolan, Bachelor of Communications (Advertising). 

Turning wordplay into a career  

Igor has always enjoyed the competitive and creative nature of wordplay, and as a result, kicked off his career as a copywriter.

“I wanted to work in a creative environment with the opportunity to generate my own ideas for awesome brands,” says Igor.

Igor started to really enjoy his position when he was able to flex his creative muscles across different channels.

“I started to write not just social media posts but actual scripts for social media campaigns,” he says,

“When I worked for the agency Ogilvy, I created a script for Nescafé, which they noticed.”

“During this process, I was able to move from Ogilvy to an intern position at the client side of Nescafé. This gave me the chance to work on the same idea from both perspectives, implementing the idea in the marketing communication of Nescafé.”

Making virtual reality his reality

When working for Samsung, Igor got a taste of virtual reality (VR). This began his work in VR technology, exploring its creative potential for storytelling and advertising.

Igor now runs his own travel vlog, documenting his trips around the world using 360 VR technology.

“I do everything by my own, starting from the storyboard, production, post-production, posting plan and communication with brands and users,” he says.  

“I think the travel sector has a huge potential. Maybe one day, we can create VR trips for people who are not able to travel.”

Igor also sees limitless possibilities for VR in the education sector.

“There are many great ways people could use VR or even AR (augmented reality) in education, for example learning a new language by seeing the vocabularies popping up in real time straight in front of you,” he says.

“I really hope that in five to ten years, this technology will be implemented in our daily life and help people struggle a little less every day.”

All the videos on Igor’s 360° Virtual Reality travel vlog are interactive so you can see everything Igor see’s too. 

Igor’s Swinburne story

Originally from Germany, Igor travelled abroad to study marketing at Swinburne.

“I wanted to study in Melbourne, and Swinburne had a great reputation,” he says.

“I really enjoyed the class size. In Germany, there are some courses with more than 400 students. I also liked the teachers and the relaxed atmosphere in all of my classes.”

“My favourite class was digital marketing because we actually had to create a real blog and gather followers on a topic of our choice.”

Looking ahead

When asked about his ‘world domination plan’ Igor couldn’t choose just one thing.

“I can’t tell you everything, because you might not be able to prepare yourself, but I am not planning to be a super villain (for now). Rather I would love to work at many different places in the world and help people and companies to find innovative solutions to their problems through creative thinking. That’s why I work in the “design thinking” sector at the moment.” he says.

Igor plans to continue his work in VR and hopes to be using this technology to disrupt the educational and travel sectors one day.

He has a parting word of advice for any current marketing students.

“Get at least one internship in a creative advertisement agency,” says Igor.

“I know, the salary is really bad, but as long as you are young, you can afford to not be able to afford stuff,” he jokes.

“Many people on the client side do not understand how creativity works. They finish university and go straight to work for a big brand.”

“But clients do not produce the ideas, they simply manage them. Copywriters, concept artists, art directors and strategists create the ideas and bring them to life.”

“If you learn how to do that on your own, you can switch to the client side later and you definitely will stand out with your expertise. No doubt, starting on the agency side was the best decision I have made in my career.”

And for those readers who have caught the travel bug…

“Australia is probably the best country in the world to travel as a backpacker. But the funny thing is, most Australians do not travel in their own country!” says Igor.

“Get a van, drive to Uluru, and enjoy a beer - if possible, a German one - in front of a campfire with your friends.”

“Oh, and definitely do a Quokka-Selfie on the West-Coast! #WorthIt.”

Written by Alicia Nolan, Bachelor of Communications (Advertising). Alicia is also undertaking a Professional Placement in Swinburne’s Media and External Communications team.

[wlg-cdg-blog]

Week One / January 8 - January 14

Sunday 8 January 2017 4:37pm - Auckland, New Zealand Today, I set off on my journey. Mum, Dad, Chadz, Nana, Grandad and Amanda came to see me go. We said goodbye at the airport, and I know that if I’d turned around to wave them goodbye properly, I would be crying for days. I was still crying when I sat on the plane. The lady next to me made sure I was okay, giving me hugs and sharing her own experiences of he exchange. She’d been back in New Zealand for six years and shared lots of stories about her love life and job. She’s a chef, and prior to returning to New Zealand, had been overseas for 25 years, learning how to cook. She helped a lot. Currently sitting just outside duty free in Auckland International Airport, waiting for my gate to appear on screen. Too nervous to vlog at this moment - maybe I’ll start once I get to France, on the prep course. 6:53pm - Emirates Plane AKL - BNE Meal has just been served. For dinner, I have a mini fruit salad, dried fruit, fruit bread, water, salmon (both hot and cold), with a mini salad (lettuce, a cherry tomato, some other vegetable I think) and hot carrots, courgette and mashed potato and a little chocolate too!! I’m going to eat while watching ‘The Light Between Oceans’ - I now don’t have to pay $10-$16 for it! Going to eat, drink and then sleep - my priorities for the night! 7:04pm - Emirates Plane AKL - BNE The other vegetable in the mini salad is cold cubed potato. 4:23pm - Emirates Plane AKL - BNE, AU Time Zone. Cold cubed potato is not nice. Also, gluten-free bread is always dry. That’s okay! I added the dried fruit and have orange juice now too! The highest abomination is that the FRUIT SALAD HAS GRAPES WITH SEEDS IN IT!! SEEDS!!! 7:05pm - Brisbane International Airport, Gate 75 Arrived at about 6:45, took about twenty minutes to leave the plane. I went up to Gate 75 to transfer, and found it completely deserted! Needless to say, I started crying because !! I’m in a new country, there’s no passengers or staff around, and I don’t know if I’m supposed to be there or not. At this point, a wonderful young family, who were waiting for their daughter, came up and asked what was wrong. After explaining the above predicament, they assured me that everything was fine! Although, they did say then say that they were on the same flight and didn’t know where to go. At least we had each other! I entertained their two year old and chatted with the mum while the dad went to find answers. Unknown time, somewhere over Northern Australia I slept for three hours, had dinner (chicken breast, mini salad, bread roll, chocolate brownie) which was great! Chicken breast came with mashed potato and tomato paste, both of which I mixed together and put on the roll as gluten-free rolls are BLAND, and mint mushy peas. Chicken itself was lovely! Salad came with a slice of chicken, chopped tomatoes and cucumber and spinach - yum! But the BROWNIE was so good - so rich and chocolatey! I had two glasses of apple juice and one cup of water too. Now my eyes are straining, so I’ll head to sleep. There’s a super nice flight attendant called Charlotte who calls me Miss Maisie. She’s from England. Also, HELP! My nose is running and I only have two hours left to last 11 hours! Monday 9 January 2017 1:55am - Emirates Flight BNE - DXB, above Colombo, Sri Lanka According to the screen, we have 4 hours and 20 minutes left to Dubai. I’ve used all my tissues so have resorted to using the ones in the bathroom - which is both a negative and a positive as I’ve run out of tissues but at least it lowers my chances of deep vein thrombosis! I just popped up to the galley to ask for water or juice , it seems like I slept with my mouth open - it’s all dry and funny! I may go brush my teeth on my next trip for tissues. My in-flight entertainment unfortunately has not been working the entire flight - it used to only play Finding Dory for anything I selected, with no audio, and once that finished, it just went black and I can’t play other movies, tv shows, music or games! It’s alright though. Instead of looking at the flight cameras, which were also affected by the Finding Dory situation, or turning off the screen (ditto), I’ve been doing homework that’s I’ve set myself (Year 12 French textbooks), been sleeping, or been playing games on my phone. Fingers crossed that it works on the next flight! I’d like to watch the last half hour of The Light Between Oceans and then the movies below: Imperium: Harry Potter pretends to be Muggle white supremacist (alt-right?) to get information for the police. The man next to me was watching it and I saw a clip on Graham Norton, so I know it looks interesting! Finding Dory: Ellen Degeneres finds herself. Good reviews from my brother and sister. Let’s hope it doesn’t break my entertainment system again! I JUST LOOKED UP AND THE AISLES HAVE TINY LIGHTS THAT LOOK LIKE STARS. I love space. So much. I’m sitting next to the Big Dipper! Obviously I’ve never seen it before, having lived in the Southern Hemisphere all my life, so that’s amazing! Probably not as cool as the real thing, but I’m still in awe. I’ve also calculated on my next flight (DXB-CDG), I’m sitting really close to the front, so I can get off quicker! TV Screen up fronts announced there’s four hours now until we land. I might play some Broken Age - Mum, tell Alby that for his birthday I’ll transfer $20NZD into his account, but only if he uses it to buy an iTunes card and get the game. He loves it, after all. I forgot to mention! There’s another exchange student from the same company on this flight, she’s going to France too! Except she’s going home. I just realised my Flight Information isn’t working either. It still says 7628 miles until destination. 3:46am - Emirates Flight BNE - DXB, across from Delhi I BROKE A NAIL! I was trying to pop my wallet back into the seat pocket and my nail caught on the tray table and snapped! Quite a shame, considering I just got them done two days ago. Anyway, I wanted to write down how many people are watching various films (that I know of and can see) 1x The Magnificent Seven 1x Florence Foster Jenkins 1x Iron Man 3 1x The Avengers 1x The Avengers: Age of Ultron 2x Now You See Me 2 (they’re sitting right next to each other) 8x Bridget Jones’ Baby (at least). Breakfast is here soon. The lighting for morning is so much better for my eyes than the lighting for the night, but I still have a bit of a headache. Will tell you what I get for breakfast when it comes. 3:21am - Emirates Flight BNE - DXB, somewhere over India 1.5 hours left to go! Breakfast is: Bread roll (1) Jam and margarine (1 each) Fruit salad (pineapple, grape, melons) Omelette (1) Baked Beans (1 serving, multiple beans) Yogurt (1) Roast vegetables (courgette, potato, pumpkin) 4:04am - Emirates Flight BNE - DXB Coming into Dubai now. Had a splitting headache so tied scarf tightly around my head and eye. Eye socket feels swollen. Got paracetamol from flight attendant, as mine was in the overhead locker. Started crying because I know Mum always carries parasol on her, so I could’ve asked. Half an hour away from destination, says the screen.  11,791km away from Brisbane. -19 degrees outside. Unknown Time - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Lunch is: Water Coleslaw, a slice of tomato, ham, salmon Fruit salad ( pineapple, melons, a grape) Gluten Free muffin Strawberry reserves Milk Will be grabbing lemonade asap! 10:21pm in Paris. Emirates Flight DXB - CDG I just put on Tarzan after the man next to me caught me watching his screen - he’s watching The Shallows. I got confused with time. The previously described lunch was actually SECOND BREAKFAST. I truly feel like a hobbit now. Actual lunch was: Mini salad (chilli chicken, cucumber, lettuce, lemon, tomato) Fish and quinoa, broccoli and tomato Bread and margarine Chocolate and a little chocolate cake, which had yummy vanilla frosting. I just got spooked because a man sitting behind me stretched out his foot and I thought it was an animal. Anyway, we’re currently flying over Budapest! This is cool, I’m officially in (or over) a part of the world I haven’t been to yet. An hour and forty minutes left of the flight - just enough for a nap. 10:02am local time - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Update! Flying over Germany - caught sight of Munich on the monitor. Only one hour left! 11:37am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG The home stretch! I just saw on the map both Lille and Paris - so close now!! 11:41am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG 27 minutes left!! We are coming up to flying over Ardennes. I’ve also realised my camera won’t turn on, which means iPhone vlogging but that’s okay!! It’s very foggy in Paris apparently - only 700m of vision and you can’t see the sky, but it is clearing up! At least, that’s what the pilot told us. 11:47am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Passed Luxembourg and had the PA for landing. 11:51am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG it’s quite unfortunate that the weather is allegedly so dull in Paris, the skies above are beautiful and bright. 11:53am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Passed Reims! Honestly my sense of geography is so bad, I don’t know what that really means, but we look pretty close on the map. Only 16 minutes left until arrival now! My screen says 61 miles until destination, but that means nothing. I’ll have to look at the main screen. Apparently 90km!! Not long now!!! You can tell I’m getting excited by the amount of exclamation marks I’m using!!! 11:75am - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG 9,153ft. Outside temperature is -4 degrees Celsius. I can see Dijon on the main map and am eagerly awaiting seeing buildings below us on the cameras. 12:00pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG We are 61km away, and still above the clouds :( 12:04pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG GOING THROUGH CLOUDS 12:07pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Still going through clouds. Watching three different screens to see different angles of plane. Looking at the screen of the main next to me, we’re getting close! On my screen, I can see dark through the clouds but nothing definitive yet. The outside temperature is 2 degrees celsius, I’m expecting it to stay around this temperature due to the winds and general winter coldness. 12:10pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG The cameras were blocked by cloud for a bit and then we came through that… to see more cloud. At this point, Paris may as well just be Cloudland. 12:12pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Definitely in fog now, the tail camera is getting wet I SEE THE RUNWAY 12:13pm - Emirates Flight DXB - CDG Landed. It is 5 degrees outside. It is surreal just being on the runway. 2:44pm - the TGV to Lille I had to run to get the train! My representative met me after I collected my baggage. We went to Paul, a patisserie (I’m making the assumption it’s like Brumby’s, as I saw two of them in Dubai Airport as well). I got a ‘le Parisienne’ - that is, a ham sandwich. She also bought me a chocolate tart for the trip, as well as water. And now I’m zipping through the French countryside, trying to catch my bearings. I’ll be in Lille at 15h37 according to my ticket. Tuesday 10 January 2017 17h38 So sorry for not writing! We had a bunch of activities and dinner, after which, I was too tired to write. We had tartan at L’Arriere-Pays followed by crêpes for dessert. Before that, we quite literally got lost in the streets of Lille, and had to ask for help. We stopped at the supermarket and H&M, the latter of which had Wi-Fi. We also stopped at Notting Hill Coffee for… coffee, where we people-watched. This morning, breakfast was a slice of apricot jam toast, fruit and juice. We had classes today, going over the rooms of the house, school, holidays and body parts. We also had ‘galette du rois’ for l’Epiphanie. We broke for lunch - ciabatta with ham and cheese, pain au chocolat, water - and managed to get lost again by retracing our steps from the night before. We stopped by H&M so I could grab tights, and I stopped by the supermarket again to buy two packets of lollies for Alby’s birthday, just like he asked. He also asked for a souvenir from France, so i might pick one up tomorrow when we do our day trip to Paris. Iris at this moment is getting the same, unless she messages me asking for something else. I did see a cute shop I might go to and see if there’s anything. I’m going to head off for dinner and then I think we’re doing laser tag. Talk tomorrow about Paris and laser tag! Wednesday 11 January 2017 9h04 - the TGV from Lille to Paris We haven’t left Lille yet, maid aujourd’hui, nous voyageons à Paris! I think that the plan is to go to Sacre Coeur, then the Louvre, the down the Champs-Elysées to l’Arc de Triomphe and then La Tour Eiffel. if we have time, we’ll go to Notre Dame. When we get back, there’s going to be a trip to the shopping mall if we’re not too tired. A man has sat next to me, and I don’t know if he knows that I speak French or not. Going to put this away and do some reading Much love, will talk on the way back. Fingers crossed that I’ll vlog from Paris! Saturday 14 January 2017 10h15 - Perpignan I have so much to write about! In keywords: Laser tag was exhausting, but tremendously fun Paris was beautiful, I vlogged, it looked like pictures La Piscine (the museum) was gorgeous The train was long, I slept Perpignan is also gorgeous. Ma famille d’accueil sont très sympas. In detail: Laser tag! After dinner at La Chicorée, we went to laser tag, where we had two twenty minute games and we found out just how competitive everyone is. In the second game, we played teams, and the blue team (not mine) figured out how to attack us from above. Paris was amazing! We visited Sacre Coeur first, where I was swindled out of five euros, but then I found five euros on the side of the street so all was restored in the world. We then went to the Louvre, and ate lunch there. Unfortunately, we didn’t go inside, but the pyramid itself is gorgeous (I use that word a lot, I’ve realised in this entry.) It was just surreal. We next wandered along to Notre Dame, where all I could think of was Philippe Petit, the tightrope walker (The Walk is one of my favourite films, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt one of my favourite actors.) The inside of the building is BEAUTIFUL, After that, we went to the Eiffel tower, which was very exciting, and I bought two Eiffel tower souvenirs for Iris and Alby. After that, we went to the Arc de Triomphe. where alas, we couldn’t go up. That was because as under-18, we were free, but we also needed an adult with us. We then wandered the Champs-Elysées, where I bought a new knit jacket from Zara. On Thursday, we went to La Piscine, which is a museum in Roubaix. The story behind the name (which translates to ‘swimming pool’ in English) that the main building itself used to be a swimming pool. You have to go through an old changing cubicle (or at least, we did) to get to the museum. The main hall’s architecture is beautifully structured, with high ceilings and coloured glass in the shape of the sun. There’s many sculptures spanning the length of the old pool, and even more in other rooms. There’s even more paintings in all the rooms, and even one on the ceiling!! And yesterday, I caught the TGV from Lille Europe to Paris Nord, from Paris Gare Lyon to Perpignan - all in all, it took six hours, which was okay because I slept most of the time. I can’t say much, it was nice and warm on the train. I was picked up at the station by Marc, Rose, Marion, Myriam, and Myriam’s student, Clara. We went to school and I got my timetable and textbooks. I’m in Premiere-L, or Premiere focusing in literature (English literature or litterature anglaise is one of my subjects). I thought I was going to be in Seconde, which meant struggling through maths again! We had pizza for dinner. Today, I’ve been sitting at the dinner table while Marion does homework, I work on both the blog and the vlog, Rose makes lunch, and Maxime plays rugby. I’m about to find music for the vlog, but I think that tonight (or this afternoon), we’ll head out to get school supplies and anything else I need, like my bus card, shampoo and conditioner, etc. There may be another update tonight, otherwise I’ll chat next week. 

[oztrekk]

How do you deal with homesickness when you’re studying in Australia?

You’ve got your confirmation of enrolment, your short-term accommodation arranged, and you’re almost packed and ready to go.

What have you forgotten?

Believe it or not, one of the most frequent concerns OzTREKK students encounter is homesickness. In theory, you feel prepared for your journey to Australia, and you’re excited to begin this new stage in your life, so it may come as a surprise to you to find you are missing family members and the comforts of home more than you expected.

This is totally normal!

In general, homesickness kicks in as soon as the frenetic pace of starting your classes and familiarizing yourself with your campus has morphed into routine. What then?

Well, first, it can be very helpful to not ignore the possibility of homesickness beforeyou leave. People think it won’t happen to them and that’s the first big mistake. If you accept the fact that you might be homesick, it will make things easier. Being prepared helps, too.

Because we love to stay in touch with our students, many have shared their tips to deal with homesickness when they’re studying in Australia, and of course we’re going to share them with you!

Bring the familiar

Sometimes just the sight of photos of your family members is enough to snap you out of the homesickness funk. If there is something small and light that can fit easily into your suitcase and you think it will help, bring it along!

Get Skype

Of course you already know this one! Skype gives you instant access to family and friends back home, and it’s cheap. Once you’ve figured out the time zone differences, you’re good to go!

Explore your surroundings

You’re in your room, staring at the wall. It’s time to get out of there! When feeling homesick, one of the worse things you can do is to mope around feeling sorry for yourself. Getting out of your place and exploring your city is a great distraction from any home-related anxieties. It also helps you become familiar with your surroundings and that in itself can be comforting. Take some time to stroll through the park or the area where you live. Actually look at the buildings. Find one near your home that will help be a beacon of familiarity.

Look after yourself

If you’re stuffing your face with junk food and forgetting to exercise, you can bet your mental health will be heading into a downward spiral. And if that happens, who will have the energy or desire to study? It sounds simple, but eating healthily and getting some exercise and regular sleep can really help to boost your well-being.

Give yourself time and praise

Okay, it’s been two weeks and you still haven’t snapped out of it. No worries. Take an evening to yourself to examine your reason for being in Australia: to study and to get that degree! That in itself is an amazing, brave thing, so be proud of yourself. Do you know how many people are too scared to do what you’ve just done? Give yourself a pat on the back and know that you have what it takes to not only get your degree, but also to have an great time doing it! Positive self-talk is healthy and will counteract the negative emotions you may be feeling.

Meet other Canadians

Know that you’re not alone. Meeting fellow Canadians is an instant pick-me-up. OzTREKK hosts orientation sessions for new students, giving them an immediate access to multiple Canadian connections on campus. We also provide you with a “Student Contact List” that lists everyone who is in your university and program. Not everyone chooses to attend our orientations or to be on this list, but we recommend that you do! If you’re interested, please be sure to contact your OzTREKK admissions officer. And guess what? This also gives you the opportunity to support others who may be feeling homesick.

One day at a time

Sometimes it’s easier to take it one day at a time. Setting mini-goals or achievements for your stay helps, too! It might be helpful to take each part of the process in steps: Made it to Vancouver, made it to Sydney, made it to the hotel. Day one done, day two done, etc. It’s a handy little trick and before you know it, you’re on day 248. Easy-peasy.

Keep a journal or a blog

Another handy-dandy OzTREKK student tip? Writing in a journal or starting an “Adventures in Australia” blog or vlog is an excellent way to keep track of your progress—and to share your experiences with everyone back home. If you can regularly keep up with an online blog (even Facebook or Twitter posts), you will receive encouraging messages from everyone! At the end of your journey, you will have an amazing record of your time in Australia. Show your grandkids. Also, we love following our students on social media!

Ask for help

Sometimes, even after attempting the above, you still may find yourself missing home a little too much, and this is where Anxiety likes to step in and reek havoc. Worrying about your studies or your finances will only make things worse, so take steps to sort any issues out or get support as soon as they arise. Your university has international student support groups, as well as student groups. Ask your university for a list of groups or student counsellors or upper-year students who may be able to help, then contact them!

Even though it may feel like it sometimes, you’re not alone. Many people have endured homesickness and have come out on the other side happier, stronger, and braver. You can do it!

[medicalschoolinaustralia]

OzTREKK student named Regional Student of the Year

JCU Medical School student (and former OzTREKKer!) Reuben George has been named Regional Student of the Year at the 2017 Study Queensland IET Excellence Awards! The IET Excellence Awards recognise international education industry leaders, community and business contributors and current and past international students for their achievements.

These high achievers were celebrated at an awards ceremony held Nov. 22, 2017.

The IET Excellence Awards are the only state-wide awards program specifically dedicated to recognising the Queensland international education and training sector and celebrate individual and team success.

Having recognised the importance of support for international students studying medicine, Reuben has worked tirelessly throughout his studies to ensure his fellow international students felt supported and welcomed.

From his own journey of moving to Australia, Reuben recognized that there were very limited supports for international students in the medical program. He decided it was his duty to help guide all future incoming international students.

Reuben has since created an international student manual, which the university provides to each incoming international student. He also lobbied to co-create a mentorship program funded by the JCU College of Medicine and student medical society. This program partners each international medical student with an upper-year international student to support them through their transition of moving to a new country and entering a highly demanding degree. The program involves having coffee catch-ups and weekly social media mental health check-ins, group activities, and peer tutoring for free.

Reuben ensures each student feels heard and he encourages all to be leaders. His passion for international students’ health and well-being is what spurred many of the upper-year students to become mentors themselves.

The current JCU med student’s experience landed him the role of Australian Medical Students Association’s International Chair in 2016, representing all international medical voices across the country.

Reuben does all of this work not for himself, but so that no student feels as isolated as he did in his first year. He wants to help give international students a hand up and achieves this through his many platforms, including his vlog, “Beyond the Stethoscope,” (below) where he captures his life as a medical student and the many challenges and triumphs that come with it.

Congratulations, Reuben, from all of us at OzTREKK!

About JCU Medicine

The 6-year, full-time MBBS degree is a comprehensive program with integrated instruction in biomedical sciences, professional practice and clinical medicine. Graduates will be uniquely qualified in the fields of rural, remote and Indigenous health, and tropical medicine.

Program: Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery Location: Townsville, Queensland Next semester intake: February 2019 Duration: 6 years Application deadline: TBA. Generally the end of August each year.

[crusecaptain-blog]

My List of Dreams

Today I was thinking about all the places I hope to explore on my journey. I’ll probably start out on a plane, for the most part. Maybe someday I’ll get a boat and cross the seas, wind in my hair. Maybe I’ll get a motorcycle and cruise across the countryside of Italy, like they do in the movies. Maybe I’ll climb with crampons and a pickax, grappling on hands and feet up the side of a mountain.

Or maybe all of them.

However it goes, here is a “TOP 10 LIST” of dream journeys I hope to include on my pilgrimage, in case any of you were hoping to catch a quick glimpse of where we might soon be going together,

Take a walk through my dream bucket list!

1) “The Unorthodox Whale”

A month-long internship in Sri Lanka with world-renowned marine biologist, Dr. Asha De Vos, studying the blue whale population that migrate around this region of the Indian Ocean.

2) Surf-Camp Australia

Because who wouldn’t love to learn how to surf all along the eastern coast of Australia for two weeks with other students from around the globe? To be fair, I’m petrified of the snakes in this country, but wouldn’t a snake encounter be a vlog to remember? I would do this for you all.

3) Tianmeng Shaolin Kung Fu Academy

4) Kunyu Mountain Shaolin Martial Arts Academy

After all, if you’re going to study tai chi and northern shaolin kung fu, and become the next Avatar: The Last Airbender, you may as well travel to two of the best international martial arts academies in China and learn from black-belt monks.

5) European Motorcycle Tour

Honestly, this would just be a breath of fresh air: cruising through the hills, the finest wines in the world, walking the gardens of the villa from Star Wars: Episode II (Yes, I found it. It’s called Villa del Balbianello, and you can tour it.)

6) Fire-Dancing School

Seriously, how hot would that be? (I’m so sorry for that...I’m bad with puns.)

7) Northern Lights Icelandic Bubble Tour

Every bit of what it sounds: there’s a wilderness hotel that lets you camp out in a transparent igloo to watch the aurora borealis.

8) The Swiss Alps

Some of the most famous and majestic mountains in the world. Mountains are, for me, spiritual places, and journeys among them have always been significant milestones in my life. Everest, someday?

9) Maui Sea Turtle and Cultural Expedition

Sea turtles are one of my four spirit animals—go watch a National Geographic documentary on their lifecycle and you will be blown away. Also, I have recently been struck by the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian islands, and want to learn more about their history, stories, and language.

10) Kevin Richardson Wildlife Sanctuary: The Lion Whisperer

Yes, lions are also on the spirit list, alongside sea turtles, blue whales, and eagles. But how amazing would it be to spend a summer or more working on safari in South Africa with freaking lions?

Anyway, that’s a sampling of some of the dreams I hope to chronicle on this travel blog. Follow along so that you don’t miss a moment!

Also, stay tuned for ways you can get involved in making these dreams possible...

[thegirlwhodownunder]

Vlog 5: Orientation

Good day mate!!! I thought I should try a new introduction today so first of all happy Friday in the U.S and to other countries and Saturday in Australia and others countries too. This week is all about orientations so I've been learning the ropes of La Trobe, meaning the locations of the buildings for classes, academic support, what clubs they have etc. So, I start classes next week. 

Orientations have been really fun because I’m exploring what clubs/activities that they offer and some of them are really cool. During orientation you get to explore the institute that you’re  staying for the next few months. It is a great way to make friends in the process since you are experiencing something new and the people you meet may experience the same thing or have gone to the institute for a while so they may help you fix into the culture of the country/continent and the university. 

During orientation week, it lasted for a few days and for these days they're a variety of clubs that students could join. One of the clubs I plan to join is the scuba diving club since it is something I always wanted to try and I thought it would be cool and fun at the same time. Another club I plan to join is the socialist club since I see myself as one who fights for the rights of others. Joining  different clubs than you used to is a good thing because you're pushing your own personal boundaries where it helps you grow as a person overall. Joining different clubs also benefits you since you're meeting new people who have similar interests as you which will help you in the long run. 

One of the interesting things that I learned about Australia is by orientation with their culture and traditions. So on the first day of orientation some people performed a tribe dance, where they honor their ancestors. I went to some meet and greet for international and domestic students who are new and currently studying at La Trobe for a semester and or just starting out their college experience. With the clubs, this is also a great way to makes friends 

So overall, this week has been mostly relaxing since it was just full of orientation with just getting to know the classes you plan to take, meeting new friends, exploring the university itself outside of class, etc. So next week is when the real grind begins. Thank you for reading the vlog as always and have a great weekend. 

[thegirlwhodownunder]

Vlog 3: Australia Profile

Good afternoon Happy Friday everyone. I’m  flying to Sydney, Australia in 2 days, so I'm excited for the new experiences that I will endure in a new continent and nervous at the same time since I’m flying somewhere outside of the country for the first time ever. So for this week's vlog I will be discussing research on the country/continent and city  that you plan on studying in and the languages that are common there. Since I’m studying in Melbourne you may want to explore the city that you're staying in and in the whole country/continent. 

Melbourne Australia is mostly known for its street art. Fun fact about me for the day I'm a huge art fan and Melbourne is known for being the capital of the world for street art. Melbourne is also known for having great coffee, cultural diversity, and bayside location. It is also known for being the sporting capital of the world. So Melbourne is known for many interesting things which I’m excited about because I love art, coffee,  and learning about different cultures. Melbourne has many interesting aspects so I’m ready to see what the city has to offer. 

It is not just Melbourne you should research about, you should research the country/continent that you're studying in. So Melbourne is located in Australia so this continent is known for water sports, architecture, zoos, etc. In the first vlog I mentioned that before I headed to Melbourne for my program, me and mom are going to Sydney for a few days. Sydney is mostly known for being the largest city in Australia, the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour bridge, etc. So the tip of the blog would be to look up some point of interest in the cities you plan on staying for a few days/ sight-see. 

In Australia there are multiple languages that are spoken with the biggest one being English. Outside of English the 5 most common languages that are spoken are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese,Vietnamese, and Italian. In Melbourne the most popular ethics groups in the city are Italian and Greek based on some research. In Australia, ethnicity consists mostly of British, Irish, Italian, and German descendants. Since I’m an international student I'm probably going to become friends with others who share the same language with me, even those who speak another language with me. 

So, researching where you're staying while studying abroad is important since you want to know some point of interest to explore inside and outside of the place that you're studying. With the different points of interest, you can learn and discover more about the city and country/continent that you never knew about. It's also important to research what the city is known for so you can dive into the culture of the city and also the country/continent. This can also be connected to the languages that are spoken there too. As I mentioned before Australia is very diverse and being exposed to the languages that citizens speak in. That is for this vlog and next time be vlogging in Sydney so thanks for reading as always and have a great Super Bowl weekend 😀. GO EAGLES!!!!!