Students at Embassy

Christmas Eve at Embassy

“We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

I hope for you that Christmas celebrations were wonderful with your family, friends or Homestay family; and that the poor turkey was delicious! Here, for the 25th, no turkey, but a fantastic Christmas BBQ with my Homestay family.

In Brisbane, for the last week of the year 2010 and the last day just before the Christmas holidays, the school organized us full of surprises!

Friday December 24th, to celebrate Christmas, we began at the school by a few reviewing of Christmas carols. In my class, we tried to find (or guess) missing words to the lyrics of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". It's a very funny song, listen:

It made us all laugh!

After, unusually, courses stopped earlier, at 10.30am and ...

Let's go! It's ready for finding Christmas candy hidden in the  school's hallway: the one who catches the most wins the game, and it was a Brazilian girl friend who succeeded to find over a dozen, yummy!

After, go to the 6J room to enjoy Christmas treats and arbitrate a cooking competition of international food, we could taste: grandmother's cookies prepared by an Australian teacher, Taiwanese ravioli, a Korean recipe, and an apple pie ... a French version cooked by Loic and I, re-yummy! Look!

Then, we could choose between lots of different activities:

• Cards and origami: many beautiful christmas cards, and thank you Tom for teaching us the traditional Japanese art of origami. We could create a star, a crane, a ball...
• Board games
• Learn to sing Christmas carols
• Christmas trivia and games with prizes

Cards and origami

The Christmas tree with origami, so cute!

 

I choose the Christmas trivia and we laughted a lot.

There were several teams of 4, I was in the team "Pearl Harbour" with Swiss and Brazilian friends. And the game was to recognize the characters of Christmas, answer quizzes ... while being fast. And we won the first prize: Tim-Tam (it's a delicious chocolate cake) Re-re-yummy!

Christmas is not Christmas without Santa Claus and Christmas presents.

So going Santa Claus home: before each student had to buy a small gift and we exchanged that day. For my part, I offered a small plush and Santa Claus brought me a fish purse.

Friends and I with Christmas presents, I love my lovely fish purse.

Finally, Christmas cards created by students were delivered to their owners.
And for those who wanted, in the afternoon, there was a Christmas movie and free popcorn.

It was a very good start to Christmas.

3) *A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.* (Lao Tzu)

I've been busy these past weeks studying for the TOEFL, and I have only one week left in the United States but I wanted to write a post about the wonderful city of Boston, where I've been plenty of times.

During the 3 months I spent here, I familiarized myself with this town and felt in love with its atmosphere.  At first I lost a lot of time seeking help to find my way in the subway network, but then I found my footing in this big town and I took pleasure in going for a walk in downtown Boston.

It’s a very nice town and I especially appreciate the harbor jetty, which is a real breath of fresh air. For a moment, you don’t feel like you are in the United States anymore.

Besides the town, I also learned to appreciate its inhabitants. Bostonians are friendly, smiley and outgoing. Each time I needed help, as I was unable to locate myself on the map, I could stop a passerby and he would give me information with a smile. A few times I engaged some people in conversation, while waiting for the subway, or sitting in the commuter rail. 

Here come some pictures of Boston, and some of my favorite places.

 
When arriving in Boston by car

 
Quincy Market, a very pleasant place to have lunch and enjoy watching many street shows

 
Go to Quincy Market and try some "French crêpes" !

 

 
Boston Common and its ice rink (unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to try it yet)

 
Beacon Hill, a really pretty part of Boston

 

 The Prudential Tower

 
 View of Boston, from the 50th floor of the Prudential tower ! (The Charles river)

 
 
 
Boston Public Library, a magnificent and very peaceful place

 
The harbor jetty

Cécilia studies at Embassy Boston Merrimack. Find out more on the Embassy website.

Southbank

Cécilia studies English at Embassy Brisbane.

 

Hi, again!

Today, I would like you to discover my favorite Brisbane district: Southbank.

Southbank is situated in the middle of the city, on the southern side of the Brisbane River. And this place is magic, everytime you go at Southbank, you are sure to meet a friend. It’s the place to be. You can find all that you need: restaurants, shops, a library, museum, garden, cinema… But the most exciting is the beach, a true inner-city beach with white sand, palm trees and a crystal clear lagoon. We can swim in front of the Brisbane River and Central Business District.

A paradise !!

After school and with sunny weather, my friends and I enjoy relaxing at the beach, and sometimes we like to organize a BBQ. It’s really easy because there are several barbecues across the Parklands.

An other pleasant thing is the Lifestyle Market, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we can go for a walk through the different markets and find local souvenirs, gifts, arts, crafts, exotic items, fashion clothes, food… Everytime you can’t resist and we bought something, the last time it was for a beautiful headband.

I like also to walk across the garden and it’s very surprising to bump into a Nepalese pagoda or a rainforest just after the road.

In front of the Nepalese pagoda: I'm in the middle!

And the rainforest.

And a symbol of Southbank is the arbour, it was made with columns of steel, each covered with a violet bougainvillea plants. It’s a splendid arbour and my friends and I enjoy walking inside. We often encounter people biking or rollerblading.

For a little bit of culture, near the opera, there is an Art Gallery, a huge library, a science museum and the Goma (same as Moma in New-York). The last exhibition was the Valentino retrospective, the famous Italian fashion designer. I was there and the exhibition traced all Valentino’s career, with the wonderful dresses worn by celebrities.

To finish a perfect day, I advise you to go to a chocolate bar. The menu is crazy: crepes, waffles, fondue, chocolate pizza, ice-cream… All is prepared out of delightful chocolate. For a chocolate addict like me, it’s a permanent temptation. Hum, dark chocolate!

Yes, chocolate is good for you!

So, now, I think you can understand why Southbank is my favorite place.

See you soon...

Wow! Want to see Southbank for yourself? Sample some of that chocolate pizza perhaps? Find out more about studying English in Brisbane on the Embassy website.

3) Circular Quay!

It was a lovely day,  so I went to Circular Quay with my friend.

Circular Quay is the place where you can see Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.  I just wanted to eat something while spending a tranquil time gazing at Harbour Bridge.

We bought a hamburger.

 

 

 

Suddenly as I opened it, several seagulls flew at me. It was really scary thing!!!

I had to be careful not to let the seagulls attack my hamburger!!!!!

This is a picture of the seagulls and me feeling tense!

 

 

 

After eating our hamburgers we just enjoyed taking in a night view of Circular Quay. How wonderful I can see these things! If you are in Australia please come to Sydney! Sydney is the best place in Australia I think : D

 

 

 

 

Want to follow Hae Mee's advice and see Sydney for yourself? Find out more about Embassy Sydney.

Multicultural Festival

Yesterday I went to the Multicultural Festival at Roma Parkland with my friends. I found out about it from a newspaper advertisement that I saw, and then I searched for the website. Some friends who went there last year said it was a nice festival so you have to go there. So I went to the festival.

The festival was held at Roma Street Parkland on Sunday 17 October from 10 am to 5 pm. More than 94 cultures showcased their traditions with lively music, dance and acrobatic performances, and there were more than 100 food, craft and information stalls.

The festival's well-known cultural performers, like The View from Madeleine's Couch, The Twine, Blind Sight and Bollywood Dhamaka - alongside performers like the Ukranian Folkloric Ensemble and the Abyssinian Danve Group - made this one Sunday I will never forget.

My taste buds were spoilt for choice with diverse delicacies on offer incliding African donuts, savoury pancakes, samosas, rice dishes, curries, baklava, Hungarian fangos, haloumi cheese, Ethiopian flat bread and fritters.

I was impressed by Gereja Kristus Brisbane. It was a lively performance of traditional Indonesian dances  combined with an Angklung ensemble. Angklung music is made by playing a set of at least 14 hand-held bamboo instriments, each of which produces a particular note when shaken or 'trembled'.

Secondly, Bollywood Dhanaka was a combination of classical Indian dance, folk dancing such as Bhangra, and a bit of Arabic with western influences like hip hop, jazz and funk.

It was a fun, expressive way to see what the music means through graceful body movements.

I saw everything and then I came back home. Today I was very tired but it was interesting.

 

 

 

 

Why Perth?

Once I had decided come to Australia to study English, I had to choose the city, and just when I came here, a lot of people asked me "Why did you choose Perth?". I didn´t know why at first, but now I'll tell you why I wouldn´t choose another city if I had the option.

The weather in Perth is the best weather in Australia, the sun shines every day, even in winter you can get some amazing sunny days, there are the most beautiful beaches just 20 minutes away from the CBD, and you don't need to have a car, the public transport system works pretty well. It's a clean city and has parks everywhere.

Perth is peaceful and quiet, people enjoy the city and you don't see people rushing in the streets like in the biggest cities of the world, what an amazing feeling! Once you come here you feel you can't stand living in a noisy and busy place. Shops are closed at 5 p.m. almost every day, but in the CBD you can enjoy yourself 7 days a week almost 24 hours a day.

Now we're in spring and I bought a bike, Perth has uncountable bike paths and with my bike I've discovered the most stunning views around the Swan river, and in my opinion spring is the best season of the year, nothing better than to have a BBQ with friend in the beach or a picnic in Kings Park. Who cares if Perth is the most isolated city in the world: with more than a million population, you do not need more.

Huh, another one :P

Well, here is another blog post since the last time my computer somehow would not want to put in pictures -.-

My friend took me to his suburb, where they got a hill from which I had a nice view of Melbourne. Too bad they are going to build houses all over that place...

 

Today, I went to Chinatown (which is not unusual since there are many Asians in Melbourne). But there is also a Greek precinct nearby.

 

Something else you should try when you come to Australia are cupcakes and macarons. So nice, but only for people who have a sweet tooth! 

Left: cupcake, right: macaron (both strawberry flavour xD)

To sum up, I can just say that I learned a lot in Melbourne. Not only did my English improve, but my personality developed also. It has been the longest time that I have been away from home. The longest time before was three weeks xD

And because I met so many different cultures here I can understand better why people behave in this or that way.

News from Melbourne (still rainy xD)

You haven’t heard anything from me for quite a long time, have you? I just have too many things to do and am having too much fun! xD

School is still going well. Once we played this funny game… We formed two groups and had to spell words with letters written on cards. Those who finished first and had the correct spelling got a point:

 

To celebrate some students' farewell we went to a famous chocolate café here in Melbourne which is called Max Brenner. I shared a 'chocolate pizza' with two other students:

 

Yummi!

I tried to stay fit, and this is the reaon why I went jogging in my neighbourhood. Unfortunately, the swooping season has just started... It lasts for about six weeks. What's so bad about it? Well, the birds (like magpies) are nesting and therefore behave super protective - hence, they attack you if you approach their nest and if you don't know how to protect yourself. I tried running away because I didn't know ^^ Useless, it makes it even worse -.- In fact, it's quite simple, you just have to look at them and keep the eye contact...

When you think of Germany, you may think of pretzels! I have seen a ‘Pretzel World’ here in Melbourne, but they sell very strange variations. Today, I tried ‘Jamaican Almond’. It tasted very different from the usual, salted one, because it had sugar on it. Nevertheless, it was very nice!

Next week I will have to leave Melbourne, so I'm going to profit as much as possible from the time left!!!

 

 

Part 1.2 Rotorua in the morning

I got up early in the morning, had breakfast and packed a lunchbox. The good thing was that I could leave my bags until I took the next bus even though I had checked out.

I stepped out of the Spa Lodge after having got ready! In fact, I prefer the sea or lakes to mountains, so I did expect to see the Rotorua Lake. Ah, I saw a Chrysler Taxi... What a fancy taxi it was...^^

Anyway I don't have to say anything. I think that the impression would be less than real if I said how I felt.
Great photos - just for appreciation.

 
Lake Rotorua has many good places to take a photo and this is one of them. 

 
The weather is clearing up now.

The surface of the lake is like a mirror.

 
A very harmonious black swan family.

I spent almost two hours taking pictures: birds flying freely, people strolling along the lakeside, beautiful hills at the opposite end of the lake and reflecting images of the sky on the lake's surface like a copy machine. It was just marvelous.

This is the real New Zealand, like Siva always says.
Isn't it, Siva? ^^ Now I know what you mean.
I just didn't want to move my steps.

The lake is this big....

On the way back to the lodge, I dropped by the Government Garden. There were people running a marathon and people cheering them. The stop watch on the wall said 3:47:30. I stood for a while giving a clap for the runners.

And there were people who were playing bowls as well. I think bowls is the most popular sport for seniors in New Zealand because wherever I go I can see people playing.

People are playing bowls. I think it's a good sport for seniors.

The impressions that I had due to Rotorua Lake, I couldn't get the images out of my head until I fell asleep on the bus to the Taupo.

I will be walking the road that I walked today again in the near future .
This is the very place that I want to come to again.
One more thing, I was so lucky because I saw a rainbow while waiting for the bus.
I've never seen a rainbow. I was just satisfied with everything during this trip!
And tomorrow is Taupo.
Taupo has its reputation for the lake too.
I can't wait to see the lake tomorrow morning!

 
Bonus shot. That short and small bridge is very dangerous because of the birds' xxxxxx. ^^ 

My First Party in Auckland.

I enjoyed my first party in Auckland last Friday at our handsome and kind librarian SJ's place.

He had told me that he was going to throw a party and asked if I wanted to join and I said yes, of course.

That would be a very good opportunity to meet many friends who have many various nationalities - and it really was.

 

I had imagined some big and formal party with people in very formal suits and dresses.
Becuase in Korea we're not very familiar with the party customs.

And also I haven't had many chances to know about parties because I can't drink. It's not a matter of like religion or belief things. I have a bad headache after drinking some liquor.
I hate a headache. Everybody asks that - I don't know why but maybe I look like I like to drink. ^^

I think it's good for my health but sometimes fell a little sorry when my friends are going to a bar and I want to join them. But I can still have some soda, ade and water so it doesn't matter any more to me.

Anyway, before having the party I had been wondering how it would be and then SJ kindly explained to me about that.

First, you don't have to prepare food. If you want, bring some food to share.

Second, you should bring some drinks such as wine, beer, soju (famous Korean liquor), etc.

Third, you don't have to wear a suit.

And last, don't be shy. Come and enjoy meeting people, making friends, having great foods.
Everyone except me might know those above.

I promised to SJ that I would help him to make food. He had already made his decision of food: Chicken Barbeque, Sushi, Korean Pizza. There was one more thing but we had forgotten to make it, so we ate it the day after. Sorry guys who were at the party, it also was great.

Well, I've been living by myself for alomost 10 years so I can cook a little. I was in charge of Korean Pizza.

Actually, Russian friends were really interested in how to make it, and they tried some and made the kitchen a little messy, I mean very little.

At 6:30, the people were coming one by one and talking to one another while the foods were prepared. I thougnt it would be great if I interviewed these guys and asked them for their story and some advice. It might be very helpful to other students.

So I did it. ^^

There were 12 people, but Russian friends had to leave early so I couldn't talk with them much. Tragic...

Ok. I asked some questions to them and they answered really well.
I really appreciate this to you guys through this blog.

 
First friend is Jirika Vorba from the Czech Republic.
He majored in computer-science in the Univ. before coming here.
Q: Why did you choose New Zealand?
A: The great nature, English, softball (he plays twice a week with local people), travel, adventure.
Q: Do you have any special place which you travelled to before?
A: Kauri tree, it's really big and over 300 years old, the fresh air, views. I had a great time there. You must go there.

* Kauri tree. It's at the end of the north island.

Q: Why do you study English?
A: English is the best way to communicate with people all over the world. It's also helpful for my job.
Q: What do you think about Embassy?
A: I am satisfied with well-educated teachers. I had good time.
Q: Would you give any advice to other students who study English?
A: Watch movies, listen to the people, radio, take as many chances as you can.
Q: Do you want to say something?
A: Hi, Nadia!
Thank you Jirika.

Next, SKY from Cambodia.
He came to NZ because his relatives already had lived here.
And he is in foundation course now and will enter AUT to study the international business.
He told me that the time he spent in Taopo, Whakapapa Ski Area.

It was a great experience to him because it was August but not that cold so he could enjoy skiing with just shirt on. Wow. And it is located on the north-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu.
He likes to study by himself, sometimes do a study group.
He emphasized that the students have to concentrate during their class.

 
The third friend is Dean from the Republic of Turkey. He majored in Finance, but wants to study how to cook. We can maybe see him as a chef later.

He chose NZ because the NZ dollar is cheaper than others, and to travel. Bungee jumping and scuba diving were great experiences, he said. He is studying English to get a good score in the IELTS test and I'm sure he'll do very well. Studying hard as much as you can before coming here was his advice.

And my Korean friends Min, Yujin, Mijin.
They are also studying hard here and said to me this: many students could be depressed after three months staying here. But don't worry, it's natural and you would get it over soon. I wish them luck.

Last, James from Vietnam.
He goes Auckland Univ. now and majors both commerce and science.
He is interested in music, movie, philosophy, psychology.
And also he gave me some advice.
Be confident and don't be afraid of making mistakes when you speak English.

 

This is a little longer than I thought it would be - but it's not all that I wanted to tell.
It was a great time for me. I met many friends and could learn a lot from them.
Some of you already enjoy and some of you don't, but I think with good people and food it would be great. So if you have a good chance, just try and enjoy it.
 

That's all I want to tell you.
Next time I want to write about our library where I spend so much time.
And thank you again for your time. Cheers!!!