AIM Overseas

Week 2: Spanish classes, ancient Pyramids and meeting Leon Trovsky´s grandson!…among many other adventures!

2012-01-26T14:54:00.000+11:00

Week 2: Spanish classes, ancient Pyramids and meeting Leon Trovsky´s grandson!…among many other adventures!

Rebecca Honey blogs from Mexico City on the Intensive Spanish in Mexico program

A panarama view of the beautiful town of Taxco

It’s the end of my 2nd week in Mexico; time is starting to pass more quickly. Last Friday we travelled to the beautiful town of Taxco. I would love to spend more time there; a day trip is far too short! Taxco is amazing, everything from the hilltop colonial Spanish houses, cobblestone streets and VW Beetle taxis racing up the steep narrow streets barely managing to pass each other.

The Spanish and Health Students at the National Palace

On Saturday we spent the day exploring the heart of Mexico City, visiting the National Palace and admiring the Murals of Diego Rivera, Cathedrals and ancient ruins from the prehispanic times. Of course a Saturday night in Mexico is not complete without tequila, mescal and dancing the Salsa! After only a few classes I only knew a few steps but had a go anyway! Sunday was spent visiting the Teotihuacan Pyramids. Teotihuacan was once the largest city in Latin America in the first half of the first millennium AD, and the larger Sun pyramid is the third largest pyramid in the world! After the Pyramids we visited the Shrine of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. The place was crowded as a Sunday service was starting and it poured with rain! However, that didn’t stop the ambiance and warmth of the place shining through.

On Monday we began our Spanish classes. I'm in Una Basico, which is the lowest level, along with 3 others in the Spanish program. The classes are very 'Intensive', I’m learning a lot but we are taking in so much that it’s difficult to remember it all once the lesson is over for the day. I still find myself frustrated that I can't communicate enough and being with Australians most of the time makes it difficult to find people to practice with. I must say though, I couldn’t ask for a better group of people!

In the heart of Cuidad de Mexico

On Wednesday we visited the lovely district of Coyoacán, home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Casa Azul ‘the blue house’ is where Frida and Diego lived and was transformed into a museum after Frida died. I´m intrigued by the life of Frida Kahlo and extreme honesty and transparency in her art. Just a few blocks down the road is the Leon Trotsky Museum. Leon Trotsky spent his final years in Coyoacan before Lenin finally caught up with him and a visit to is home (now the museum) brought more than expected. A documentary was being filmed about Trotsky’s life and his grandson was there, we were able to meet him and take photos with him. That was definitely a highlight of the week!

The Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's house in Coyoacán

Rebecca Honey is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Rebecca is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor Social Work degree at the University of Newcastle.

Anything but pedestrian Prague!

2012-01-26T14:39:00.000+11:00

Anything but pedestrian Prague! - International Law and Human Rights Blog with Lauren Howes

It doesn't matter where you are in the world, getting up on a Monday morning is very hard. Especially when you have had such a fabulous few days in one of the best cities in the world!

It's hard to believe that we are more than a third of the way through our International Law and Human Rights Course. We have had such great experiences already! On Thursday we got to be judges for a few minutes, taking our seat on the bench at the Constitutional Court. A few of us were also lucky enough to get tickets to the National Ballet Company performing the 'Swan Lake' ballet! It was a truly spectacular performance and it only cost $7 AUD!

The whole group on the bench at the Constitutional Court

After a week of anticipation, Friday finally arrived and we were on our first weekend trip away. Two and a half hours later and our train pulled up to the 'hlavni nadrazi' in Prague! We walked from our hotel through the beautiful streets of Prague to the offices of Allan and Overy. We were given a great talk by the office manager of the firm, who spoke about the ethical responsibility of corporate lawyers. This was then followed by talks from representative of Czech NGO's. There were some really interesting perspectives on human rights, and it was great to compare the Australian and European systems of law.

Saturday was definitely the best day I have had so far. We started early and began our walking tour of Prague. Accompanied by our wonderful your guide Wencelaslas, we conquered most of the major sites of the city. From the Prague castle to Charles Bridge, words can't quite describe how beautiful this city is! Standing on the Charles Bridge with a bunch of new friends whilst it was snowing was just amazing! A word of caution though: the streets here are all made of marble. This is very pretty, but when it starts snowing it gets very slippery!

Our walking group with the city of Prague in the background

After such a big day on Saturday (and for some, a very big Saturday night!!!!), Sunday morning was very early. We checked out of Hotel Evropa and caught the train to a little city about an hour out of Prague. Kutna Hura contained a fascinating church that houses the bones of 30000 plague victims. These bones had been turned into works of art - everything from pyramids to shields and chandeliers. Honestly - it was a little bit creepy! We finished up the day visiting a beautiful church and eating deep fried cheese!

I've found out there are definitely some things I take for granted in Australia!

• Laws about smoking! The Czech Republic has no laws about smoking - you can smoke anywhere! This includes inside in shopping centres and restaurants!

• The natural beauty of Australia - especially the beach! The Czech Republic is a beautiful country, but it's landlocked! I definitely miss seeing the beach.

• Vegetables. I love salad and vegetables. But nothing is served here with vegetables! I have eaten a lot of potatoes, bread, meat and cheese, but not much else!

• Shower screens! No shower has a shower screen over here. Let's just say I have learnt the hard way not to put any dry clothes anywhere near the shower.

I'm very excited for the week ahead. We have a lot of really interesting activities scheduled! Until then!

The gorgeous Prague Castle

A shield made of bones at Kutna Hora

The group in Kutna Hora

Charles Bridge in Prague

Lauren Howes is participating in our January 2012 International Law and Human Rights program at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Lauren is about to start her 5th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Medical Science degree at the University of Wollongong.

Health in Mexico article

2012-01-24T18:24:00.000+11:00

Edith Cowan University (Perth) have written the following article about their student, Antoinette Hays, and her experience on the AIM Overseas 'Health Care in Mexico' program.

http://www.ecu.edu.au/news/latest-news/2012/01/mexican-adventures

Mexico City changes lives! - Public Health in Mexico Blog with Kahlia Hickey

2012-01-23T13:12:00.005+11:00

Hola!

Well ALOT has happened since my last update! Firstly we visited BRIMEX Community Health Centre, which is a connection of the private ABC Hospital. The hospital had many different units, including high-quality cancer services & bariatric services.

We then visited Coyoacan, here we went to the Frida Kahlo Museum, it was an amazing place to visit!

From here, we made our way to the home of Leon Trotsky. While there we viewed some amazing photographs & personal items owned by himself & his wife. As we made our way out to the garden area, we saw a film crew. This film crew were 60minutes, filming a segment on Leon Trotsky’s grandson! He was there! This was pretty amazing to meet someone who lived in the home & witnessed a lot of events!

The next day, we made a visit to the largest HIV/AIDS Clinic in Latin America! The visit was a huge eye-opener and we were introduced to some amazing people making real progresses in the world of sexual health. We also viewed some extremely advanced material!

January 20th was a day that changed a lot of lives. We visited a Public Hospital, here we viewed nutrition, psychology & emergency. We were fortunate enough to make our way into surgery to witness a C-Section! It was one of the most surreal experiences!

Yesterday we went to Xochimilco! We visited Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera’s connected homes..

We then went to Dolores Olmedo Museum..

Then came the floating gardens!!

Bring on the next 12days!

Kahlia Hickey is participating in our January 2012 Public Health in Mexico Program at La Salle University, Mexico. Kahlia is going into her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree at Victoria University.

Week two - International Relations and Politics in the EU Blog by Sophie Ootes

2012-01-23T11:59:00.006+11:00

WEEK 2
From Friday until Sunday we had a long weekend of travelling. On the Friday we rose early and hurried onto the bus in the cold dark hours of the morning. Most people slept on the way to Brussels, and awoke to beautiful old buildings lining the streets and lots of traffic.

That day we were to visit the European Parliament and the European Commission, which we had just been learning about in our course. At the Parliament we were greeted by a very enthusiasitc guide who gave us a lecture about the various European bodies. Many of us were surprised to have a lecture as on our itineries it stated that we would ‘visit’, and in our minds that meant walking around and seeing things!! However the lecture was very informative, and helped us to consolidate what we had learnt in class as well as giving us extra information, and the chance to ask lots of questions. The building that hosts the European Parliament is very interesting in itself, as you can see:

After our visit, we all parted ways for lunch. I ended up at a cute little French-speaking Italian resturant where we had filling pasta dishes. We then headed to the Commission where we had to whip out our passports for identification. Dario collected them all up, and we came to the concensus that he was going to sell them to the black market and run away!

I found the Commission slighty less interesting than the Parliament, although I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it. I think we were all just very tired from the early morning, the travel and all of the information from the morning’s lecture so it was difficult to fully concentrate!

After checking into our hotel, we all went out to a pub (Delirium Cafe) to trial the Belgium beer! It had a great atmosphere, and in a count conducted in 2004, they had 2004 different varieties of beer! Our dinner that night was 10 euros each for a drink and a beef steak, salmon steak, chicken or lasagne! Yum!

On Saturday morning the Psych kids joined us, and we had a historical tour of Brussels, which felt to me like a cross between Paris and Amsterdam, with the addition of some areas of big glass buildings. But not ugly modern buildings. I felt that everything fit togther quite nicely, and found out later that there is a law for building, where you must consider your surroundings when you build. We need to adopt the same idea in Australia. Anyway, back to the tour:

In the main square where we were, there is a huge catherdral-type building which is actually the town hall! Many people are married there, and the many tiny statues and carvings tell stories – eg. One pillar had a carving of a man and woman kissing, the other side of it had the man and woman with kids, the next pillar had the man at the pub drinking, the other side had the woman throwing him out of the house with the furniture, and the next pillar had the man alone doing the chores for himself!! I still think she should have kept the furniture, but each to their own.

(2nd pic is of some of the old buildings in the main square)

We were taken to the oldest undercover shopping mall in Europe. It was filled with expensive fashion stores, chocolate shops and cafes. Halfway down the mall, there was a slight change of direction, and apparently it was designed like that so that people would be curious about what was around the bend and wander further in to see!
We visited Manneken Pis (the boy who pees) and also his female counter part. There are many stories behind these two, and it is unknown exactly which is true. When we arrived, the boy was dressed in costume but was not peeing. A man had to climb over the fnce and fix the piping so that the fountain worked. Both statues are normally naked, but the boy is dressed several times a week in different costumes. The girl was placed where she is (down some little side streets to entice tourists into that area and help the bars and resturants there. She is locked behind a grill so that no one can steal her.

Pick the real Manneken Pis!

After the tour we had a few hours of free time to explore and grab some lunch. We all parted ways, and some of us headed back to the chocolate shops! The chocolates were very tasty! We also stopped into the Tin Tin shop, and realised that some of our group obviously missed out in their childhood by not knowing the adventures of Tin Tin and Snowy!

We had lunch in an Ethiopian resturant where we enjoyed a range of meat and vegetable dishes which we wrapped up in pieces of pancake and ate with our fingers! With full stomachs, we left Brussels and bussed to Gent where we had a quick stop to walk up the Belfry tower which gave us a wonderful view. We then drove to Bruges, our final destination for the weekend.

Sunday morning we had a historical tour of Bruges. Bruge is a small town of about 20 000 people who live there permanently and then 2-3 million tourists who come every year. It is a quaint little place, with beautiful original and restored buildings, horse and cart taxis, lovely little cobbled streets, and very cold weather!! I think Sunday was the coldest day (or definitely very close) that we’ve had during our trip! Other than the beautiful buildings and atmosphere, the highlight of Bruges for me was definitely the brewery visit to Halve Maan brewery! The guide we had was just fantastic, and really made the experience memorable with her amount of knowledge and her great sense of humour! A couple of interesting things that I learnt:

For tax purposes, beer is classed as a food, while wine is a drink. This means that drinks such as Port are very cheap and popular, while beer is comparatively more expensive despite the lower alcohol content.
When they used horse and carriage to transport the beer, the drivers were given 7 beers a day. They would then normally get a beer or two at every place they stopped, and so would often end up drinking a carton of beer a day! When the company started moving towards trucks, these drivers were very against it because they couldn’t drink this much, fall asleep and trust the horse to take them home. Sometimes if the drivers were inside drinking too much at a stop, the horses would get frustrated and go home without them. For this reason they had to change the routes every couple of weeks!
Hops is related to the nettle, and so the pickers would get very irritated skin from it. It also apprently increases female hormones and raises labido! A pillow filled with hops is also supposed to help with sleeplessness. In the words of our guide, this all led to the picking women having ‘huge balconies and lots of children’.

Altogether it was an amazing weekend and I had an absolute ball. Despite our itinery being great in itself, the people there made it even better. Everyone in our program gets on well with everyone else and all are happy to give a helping hand, share some knowlegde, the cooking, have a few drinks, and speed walk to uni together in the mornings when we are running late!

Tip of the week
You can’t get tap water in resturants in Belgium!! Though unlike a number of countries that can’t drink tap water, buying still water is very expensive. Frustrating.

Fun fact of the week
The highest point in the Netherlands is 323 metres high and is therefore called a ‘mountain’.

Sophie Ootes is participating in our January 2012 International Relations and Politics in the EU program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Sophie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Combined Bachelor of Arts/Laws degree at the University of Adelaide.

Week 1 update - International Business and Advertising blog with Savannah Lorenzin

2012-01-23T11:04:00.005+11:00

Group photo while on our guided tour

Hello again everyone!

What a crazy first week it has been! It has felt like there has been a bit of everything jammed into just one week: arriving to a new and exciting city, meeting so many amazing people, learning French, ‘corridor’ parties, going to class in a whole new university, discovering the awesomely gigantic Carrefour, French cooking classes, the night life of Tours and so much more!

I’ll start from the beginning when I first arrived to Tours; my first impression of this beautiful town was just that: beautiful! It is a town that mixes old worldly charm with modern architecture in a truly captivating way. On our second day in Tours we were taken on a guided tour of the city and discovering the old historic buildings and cobbled stone roads was just incredible!

We all had a survival French class on Monday which was interesting, where we learnt things like the alphabet, numbers and phrases such as je suis etudiante (I am a student). Our teacher for that class could barely speak English, yet she was such an incredible teacher and managed to convey what she wanted to say perfectly!

Our first week of class at ECSEM University has been great so far, we have a group assignment and an exam this Wednesday but it has all been really interesting stuff so hopefully it won’t be too bad! Our teacher Michael Yorke has been fantastic and has even given some students nick-names (mine is Tinnie in reference to the few beers I had on our welcome dinner! Haha)

One thing I did find interesting was how long we get to have for lunch. I have been told it is a part of French culture to take long, leisurely lunches which is very different to how it is done back home. And everyone at the Uni have been lovely and are more than happy to help if you somehow get lost, although sometimes it takes a lot of sign language and patience to do so!

As I mentioned before, we have all been allocated into groups made up of Australian and French students to complete our assignments which has been keeping us busy over the weekend (some while also nursing a very sore head- myself included.) But we are all so lucky to have come over with an incredible group of people, and can easily work together and help each other out!

So the first week it has been a little challenging in regard to the work we have been given, but that is quickly forgotten by the loads of fun that has been had!!

Au revoir til next time!
Savannah xxx

Beautiful fountain in town

A church in Tours

Cathedral of Tours

Thao, Julia, Yuki, Koki and Krystal in our cooking class

Awesome night out!

Koki, Sarah and myself studying up a storm

The best buskers you will ever see and hear!

Savannah Lorenzin is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Savannah is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Management Marketing degree at the University of South Australia

Or as we say in the Netherlands… - International Relations and Politics in the EU Blog by Nathan Johnston

2012-01-23T10:47:00.005+11:00

[We are all] like tea bag[s]. [We] only know [our] strength when put into hot water. - Nancy Regan.

It seems that I’ve developed a habit for starting each post with a quotation, and in the end they are but snappy summaries of my week…but as we say in the Netherlands Al regende het varkens, je krijgt er geen borstel van, literally meaning Even a rain of pigs doesn't give you a brush and figuratively meaning, that me using someone else’s words doesn’t really count as a blog now does it? So here we go…

Last time I left you we had all arrived back at our own little palace, the UniMaa Guesthouse, a day before we would start the whole course. A quick word about the Guesthouse to anyone thinking of coming on this course in the future, we think it’s an old mental institute, that might be because all of us here are a bit batty ourselves, or maybe it’s the ghosts we’ve seen walking around, either way the rooms are actually really spacious and equipped and it’s fun to try to scare your roommates with a few mental stories here and there! I guess that’s what that first week was for though, getting the vibe of the place, becoming realmates with your roommates (just a shout out to my corridor, GroundControl!) and getting a sense of friendship in the group…because little did we know we’d need it when the course put us through our paces.

The only challenge on that first Monday morning though was getting used to waking up at a respectable hour. It seems we’d all been lulled into a false sense of security by our Australian holiday season and the lifestyle of your standard dirty backpacker. To shake the sleep from our eyes however: a day of touring the beautiful little historic hub that is Maastricht. What a town. Middle aged walls half buried, a striking red church clock tower adjacent a 13th century cathedral, the secret to why we toast drinks ‘to our health’ or buy our mates ‘a round’, a sea of Roman aged tunnels leading all the way to the Belgian border, the elegant Apostelhoeve winery and of course our beloved Vrijthof, or as we say in the Netherlands…oh wait it’s just Vrijthof. But as I said, this was all just the calm before the storm…

The electric Professor Matt Heckman is a force to be reckoned with. For those at home thinking of coming over, I don’t mean to scare you but the dynamic speed and content of this course mesmerised me on the first the day. He manages to bring together law, economic, international relations and politics in a homogenous program that while I have found challenging (let’s face it I could just be a bit more simple than the other students) I have equally found rewarding. On Wednesday, after our jaws had been scooped up off of Tuesday’s floor, we were keeping pace without any chance of being bored, but as Nancy Regan has said, how do we know ourselves until we’re placed in some hot water?

Luckily, we had some student guides to help us cool off. Our traditional Dutch ‘Pancake Night’…or as we say in the Netherlands Pannenkoeken Avond…soon turned into an indoctrination into the culture of the Netherlands that was not only joyfully taken, but proactively craved. Despite our Aussie Masterchef team of myself and Sophie outshining the Dutch students in the realm of whipping up a pannenkoeken feast, the night lead to something else traditionally Dutch…a spot of drinking! We struggled to learn to count from five backwards in Dutch in order to play a certain party game, but now that the night is over, I struggle to count up from one. Veive, Veer, Dree, Drei, Eine! We were also introduced to the Highlander, one of our most beloved institutions in the whole of the Netherlands, a night some of us will never forget and a select few will never remember!

So after the week that was, we find ourselves sitting in Brussels on a group weekend trip, post the hectic week of learning. But don’t think that Brussels is an exception to the week’s rule, just as much learning has occurred here at the European Parliament and European Commission as has occurred in our familiar little multi-coloured lecture hall. After visiting the world-voted best and biggest bar in the world with the world’s largest selection of beers, it was a necessity to visit the adjacent bar that conveniently contained the world’s largest array of Absinth. This cosy little corner contained Absinthe ranging from a mere 30% alcohol content l to a colossal 92%. With the sole pure intention of blog investigation, I thought it necessary to join some friends who were sampling said 92% absinthe shot. Suffice to say my sinuses are now clear.

With an historical tour of this amazing city to get to, and another day of bathing in history and information to enjoy I guess it’s time I said goodbye for this week…or as we say in the Netherlands, HOI HOI!

Nathan Johnston is participating in our January 2012 International Relations and Politics in the EU program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Nathan is about to enter into his 2nd year of a Combined Bachelor of Laws/International Studies degree at the University Wollongong.

Week 2: Teotihuacan and a little more! - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

2012-01-19T10:38:00.005+11:00

View from Temple of Moon

What a week the first week was! The highlight for me was the visit to Teotihuacan and climbing the Temple of the Moon. Many people have seen images of this incredible place, which was initially built by the Olmecs and then 400 years later was re-discovered by the Aztecs (see Arnoldo, I was listening ha). Although the ruins are filled with people, you are still filled with a sense of the might and power this sacred place once wielded. It is very mysterious, with the enormous Temples of the Sun, Moon and the Basilica perfectly aligned to reflect the 3 stars that make up Orion's belt, this is the same alignment of the 3 major pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. The steps are steep, but it's not only the climb that takes your breath away once you reach the top of the pyramids. I can only strongly recommend to everyone to visit this place if you get the chance.

After Teotihuacan, we visited the Basilica De Guadalupe. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most important religious image in Mexico. The Basilica was filled with thousands of Mexican people making pilgrimage from all over the country and despite the rain, the sense of hope and love that filled the building was incredible. All in all it was quite moving and humbling to be in the presence of such faith.

Virgin of Guadalupe

This week, so far we have started our Spanish classes and today we're off to Coyoacan to see the Frida Kahlo Museum...update to follow :)

Aussie pride on top of the Temple of the Sun

Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Burning up Brno! (Well freezing actually...) - International Law and Human Rights Blog with Lauren Howes

2012-01-19T10:14:00.005+11:00

Updated photo of me

After more than thirty hours of travelling, including two planes, a bus, a train and a cab, I've arrived in Brno, Czech Republic! Coming from all over Australia to study International Law and Human Rights, we have a big couple of days adjusting to freezing temperatures, jet lag and significant language barriers.

Sunday night was our first opportunity to all meet each other, our program coordinator and our lecturers. Heading out in minus two degree weather and watching the snow fall all around us, we caught the very efficient public transport system to a traditional restaurant in downtown Brno. We were glad to get out of the cold, Most of us struggling to adjust to the freezing temperatures! With giant beers all round (these things are huge!!!), we settled in for a night of introductions, traditional Czech food and plenty of laughs.

We headed home to our accommodation, a university residence really close to the law faculty. 'Druzba' is a 12 storey building housing Masaryk University students. Most of the Australian's on the program are sharing a room with a local student, which has been a great cultural experience. For every two rooms, there is shared bathroom and toilet. Everyone lives in very close quarters, so you get to know the quirks of your other ‘housemates’ pretty quickly!

Monday morning dawned (a little later than expected at around 7:30am) and with it came a white landscape and the beginning of our official educational program. Our program coordinator Martin gave an introductory lecture, took us round the campus on a little tour and gave a very quick Czech language lesson. The 'Czech survival' lesson was very important for me - I am really struggling with all the consonants in the Czech language. Most difficult is the fact that the word for 'yes' in Czech is actually 'no'!

We headed downstairs for lunch, a cafeteria on campus. Struggling a little with the English translations, I ordered the 'chicken with cheese batter'! It was battered chicken, with the batter comprised of cheese! It was actually quite tasty and something a little different.

Monday afternoon and the jet lag really kicked in. Unfortunately, this was at the same time as our first real lecture on human rights! Our lecturer Pavel did so well, keeping a very sleepy audience interested in the topic. After such a big day, we all had an easy night, enjoying some pizza from the pizza bar on the first floor of our residence and having an early night.

After our morning class on Tuesday, the whole group headed out on a walking tour of Brno. This was definitely the highlight of my program so far. Martin showed us all the key landmarks of the city, giving us a much better understanding of the city we live in. At the end of the tour we climbed the tower of Saints Peter and Paul. After hundreds of stairs, we reached the top and got an absolutely spectacular view of the whole city. We headed down the scary spiral staircase and finally got a chance to warm up with a hot chocolate or hot wine.

Culturally, the Czech Republic is very different to Australia. Here are some of the things I've experienced in the last few days:

- At a set of lights, there is no button for pedestrians to push to cross the road. You just wait for them to change!
- There are no 'fitted sheets' on beds, just normal sheets, and a light doona is used as the top sheet!
- The main meal of the day is eaten at lunch time, and dinner is only a light supper.

And so the adventure begins. Only more exciting times to come!

The size of a beer here! comparing a beer to an iPhone

The beautiful Masaryk University

The view from my bedroom window at the residence

Overlooking Brno from the top of the tower

Climbing down the stairs of the tower

Lauren Howes is participating in our January 2012 International Law and Human Rights program at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Lauren is about to start her 5th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Medical Science degree at the University of Wollongong.

Hospital visits, art appreciation and a visit to the Aztec ruins: just another day in Mexico! - Public Health in Mexico Blog with Kahlia Hickey

2012-01-17T14:43:00.015+11:00

Hola!

It’s been a few days since i’ve posted a blog, & since then we have done ALOT!

On Friday 13^th of January we had the opportunity to visit Casa Para Ancianos Arturo Mundet, an Elderly Healthcare Centre which is made up of high-care, low-care & daily visits for consultations, as well as Physiotherapy. The visit was an amazing experience, we had the pleasure of joining in with some of the residents for their exercise routine with the physio team.

Below: Getting ready to get our exercise on!

It’s incredibly important for us to acknowledge just how incredible these residents are. The vast majority of the residents has more flexibility then most of us students! For example, 2 residents were over the age of 100yrs old!

From Left: 100yr old resident, Nikki Callander, 101yr old resident, Tegan Monttinen & Kahlia Hickey (Bottom)

All in all, the visit was fantastic! The next day we went along with the Spanish group to Historic Downtown, which included National Palace/Diego Rivera murals, a cathedral & found Aztec temples. To get downtown we took a double decker bus! On occasions you would have to duck to avoid a whack in the face from a branch!

From Left: Tegan Monttinen, Emma Bailey, Kahlia Hickey & Nikki Callander

When we arrived at the National Palace, I think it’s fair to say we were all in awe of the beautiful site! We made our inside to the palace (after many security stops) & viewed the amazing work, that are the murals illustrated by Diego Rivera (or commonly known as Frida Kahlo’s husband)

Below: The National Palace

Below: Diego Rivera mural (one of many!)

Our wonderful & brilliant history guide, Arnaldo, gave us insight & much history into every mural Diego painted & the reasoning behind each. Every painting is not only a work of true art, but also a significant piece of knowledge, history & political action. We then visited a cathedral which was packed! The cathedral is across from the palace & is a common gathering site for Mexicans to come together in prayer & hope.

Below: The cathedral

By this point in the day, we all began to hear our tummies rumbling & made the decision to head to lunch! Lunch was at The Holiday Inn on top of a building!

Below: The view from lunch

From here, we headed to found Aztec temples where we viewed the ruins & the findings.

Below: The ruins & temples

This completed the end of our journey, so a few of us decided to head to Mexico City’s Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Was great fun, got caught in the rain, but was worth it!

Below: Ripley’s!

The next day was a big one! The Aztec Pyramids & Basilica of Guadelupe! We arrived at a little shop which sold Mexican merchandise. We had a lecture from a gentlemen who knew a lot of history about the pyramids & general Mexican culture. We were then offered 2 shots of Tequila before the climb!

Below: Nikki Callandar & Alonso taking their shots!

We then began the climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun!

Below: Pyramid of the Sun & Healthcare Jan Group

Below: From the top!

The climb was tough & steep, though rewarding & beautiful! We then made our made to the Basilica of Guadelupe, we were unfortunate enough to get caught in the rain, though this added excitement & a different scenery! Notice that the church is leaning heavily, this is due to non-solid ground; engineers have been working for years to stop the building from leaning however it continues to lean.

Below: Basilica of Guadelupe

Today we visited ABC Hospital, a private hospital that is quite new & still expanding! We viewed many clinics, including BRIMEX, the Cancer Centre & were lucky enough to sit-in on some post-op consultations with plastic surgeons. We also received a lecture on obesity.

Looking forward to updating everything in the next few days!!

Adios!!

Kahlia Hickey is participating in our January 2012 Public Health in Mexico Program at La Salle University, Mexico. Kahlia is going into her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree at Victoria University.

Week 1 (Part 2) - Positive Psychology Blog with Amy Swindon

2012-01-16T10:47:00.002+11:00

We visited the Maastricht caves - an entire network of 80+km of man made tunnels from the Netherlands to Belgium! There were some amazing stories! I particularly liked the man who made his own stalactites to attract tourists. Our guide was lovely and knowledgable and clearly loved her country.

Afterwards we went to Ijnggaard Apostelhoeve winery for a tour and then tasting. Wishing now I could have brought some of the white home for dad but as I’ve still got a month of travel after this I’m always worrying about luggage. Sigh. Some people have made some fantastic purchases of coats and boots in Maastricht but I’m trying to restrain myself. We’ll see how long this self-discipline lasts...

Amy Swindon is participating in our January 2012 Positive Psychology program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Amy is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne.

Week 1 (Part 1) - Positive Psychology Blog with Amy Swindon

2012-01-16T10:19:00.006+11:00

Wow how time flies. As day 4 draws to an end, I’ve realised this trip is going to be over before I know it. The group has gelled pretty well considering the diversity of experiences. I’ve spent most time with the psych kids which I must say are all personality plus. Hopefully I’ll have more to do with the other groups over the coming weeks. It’ll be interesting to see whether 3 weeks is long enough to see everyone open up.

A quick overview of my favourite experiences:

-Moving in with my *rad* roomie, Chelsea

-Italian restaurant with the group

-Ice-skating

-Exploring the city at night with Mark, Kate and Danny while some of the others went salsa-ing

-getting lost in the beautiful streets of Maastricht

-the AMAZING beer

-the Highlander. 1 euro Jagers. But most importantly, Allen!

-Eating frits met frittessause (fries with mayo?)

-Another messy night at the Highlander.

Amy Swindon is participating in our January 2012 Positive Psychology program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Amy is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne.

Aussie Teacher Ed students in the US press again!

2012-01-13T15:05:00.003+11:00

They've done it again! Our AIM Overseas students currently in North Carolina on the Teacher Education and Practice program are once again featured in the local US paper:

http://www.salisburypost.com/News/011212-edu-Australian-students-visit-WW-qcd

Photo by Louise Kimpton

"UNCC Welcomes You" - Teacher Education Blog with Louise Kimpton

2012-01-13T14:49:00.005+11:00

Wow, I’m not sure whose idea it was to get a bus from New York to Charlotte, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to anyone! 13 hours over night with a bunch of loud people, loud music and not much space! Oh well, we are here now, safe and sound. We easily found Chris and Gerald waving our ‘UNCC Welcomes You’ sign in the air and they drove us straight to the Hampton Inn.

Walking into the Hampton Inn was a fun experience. Brianna and I were greeted cheerfully by Shanika, who is the friendliest, funniest person that I have come across in North Carolina. She loves Australians and was so welcoming. She was so excited to meet everyone. Her energy is very contagious! The only problem with check in was that nobody could find our reservation! After a 15 hour bus ride, all we wanted was a bed!

Eventually Shanika sorted it out and handed us the key to a room. Brianna and I dragged our gigantic suitcases up to the lift to level three and let ourselves in a room. We were greeted with the smell of cigarettes and an occupied bed. I don’t think either of us had moved so fast before! We got out quick! We made the trek back downstairs and Shanika was so disappointed she’d let us down even though we assured her she hadn’t. We eventually got keys to a vacant room and settled down quickly.

Soon after we’d settled in we heard a knock at our door. In bursts Emily Herbert, followed by Kelly Williams, the only male on the program with us. He’s doing a great at being one of the girls though! We spent the rest of the day walking around Charlotte, trying to find shops and places to eat. We walked to Walmart, which was an amazing experience! There is just so much to see. We got ourselves a trolley for all the goodies we wanted to purchase. The four of us each got a pack of water bottles, some lollies and some other snacks without thinking about how we were going to get it all back to the hotel… Thank goodness we discovered the shuttle service or I think we would have been dragging it back to the hotel!

Brianna, Emily, Kelly and I ran into Jade and Rachel and we all went out to dinner together. We ended up at a bikini bar but the food was really good and so was the service! It was a good night. Late Saturday night, Tyla and Simone arrived. I noticed a Facebook update saying they were at the Hampton Inn. The rest of us were all in Emily and Kelly’s room, eating snacks we’d bought from Walmart (our first pudding party), so I sent them a message on Facebook to come down. They joined the party for a little while and everyone got along instantly.

On Sunday we met Lauren who joined us for the second pudding party (I think these are going to become regular events!). We also had our first Sunday night ‘family dinner’ at the local Thai restaurant. As a group, we have decided each Sunday will be ‘family dinner night’ and we’ll try a different cuisine each time.

Monday was our first day at UNCC. We met all the program coordinators and had a brief introduction to the US education system. I am looking forward to learning much more about it. It was raining so we could do the campus tour, but it’s so big I think it would take a few days to get around! I think one of their buildings is about the size of our campus at Newcastle University, Central Coast. Crazy! We had lunch in their big dining hall. Its $8 for all you can eat/drink anything! They have just about any food you can think of. It definitely beats the cafeteria at my university.

We visited two elementary schools this week. They were both so welcoming! The staff and students were both excited to have us there. The students had prepared questions for each of us to answer and enjoyed learning about the differences between Australian and American schools. I think they mostly just enjoy listening to our accents! We managed to convince one of the principals to try Vegemite! It wasn't very well received. So far we have only had one positive Vegemite response from an American but I'm determined to find more!

The university organised to take us to a local country bar as part of learning about culture in North Carolina, which is in the south of America. Most of the group bought flanno shirts to get in the country spirit. When we arrived at the bar we weren't expected a large number of people to be waiting out the front on a Wednesday night, but there were quite a few. When the bar opened the people made a beeline straight to the dance floor and got into lines. Then the line dancing started. I have never seen anything like it. The dance floor was full within minutes of people line dancing! When the dance floor was full people just started dancing up by the bar! There were line dancing lessons so we had a go, but it is a bit more advanced then the Nut Bush so most of us gave up! It was definitely an entertaining evening.

So far we are all having such a good time. It's crazy how quickly you can bond with people you don't know. 3 days feels like 3 years. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks I get to spend with my new friends learning about the American education system.

Louise Kimpton is participating in our January 2012 Teacher Education and Practice Program at UNCC, North Carolina. Louise is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary)/Arts degree at the University of Newcastle.

Learning From Traveling - International Relations and Politics in the EU Blog by Jingjing Zhang

2012-01-13T14:18:00.004+11:00

I am doing International Relations and Politics at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. The course is focused on the history, structure and politics in the European Union.

I came to Europe on 17th December, 2011, twenty days before the class. I was traveling in the twenty days and have been to Berlin, Koln, Milan, Venice, Rome, Geneva, Paris, Madrid, Toledo,Valencia, Barcelona and Eindhoven all by myself. I feel excited as this is my first time to Europe and this was the longest solo travel I had done so far. This trip is a preparation for my study, which not only let me get to used to the weather in Europe, but get to know different people and cultures.

Berlin is an important city for temporary international relationship after World War Two. I felt shocked when I visited the Berlin Wall Museum. Back during the Cold War, relatives and friends were separated by man-made barriers. Many young students and parents wanted to escape from one side of the Berlin Wall and reunite with their family on the other side, but unfortunately some of them were shot. The youngest victim was a three-month-old boy. The memory of war is just one part of Berlin. As same as other cities in Europe, Berlin has been rebuilt on the ruins.

Rome is the origin of Western Europe culture and the center during the Renaissance. Walking in the city, I was always surprised when a palace or a fountain suddenly appeared around the next corner.

I was in Paris on New Year Eve. I will never forget that thousands of people squeezed in the Champs-Elysees, waiting for the new year countdown at night. Standing besides were six thousand armed policemen.

Spain is warmer than other places in Europe at the moment. Valencia is in its spring and I love the orange juice! One hour drive to the south of Madrid is Toledo, a city with Crusades castle on the top of the mountain. Christian, Jewish and Muslim cultures coexisted here.

Europe has a long history. The establishment of European Union will definitely be part of it. Will be really interesting to know how European contries came up with this idea to prevent war, to preserve its cultures and promote the economic development.

Jingjing Zhang is participating in our January 2012 International Relations and Politics in the EU program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Jingjing is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at Edith Cowan University.

Or as we say in the Netherlands… - International Relations and Politics in the EU Blog by Nathan Johnston

2012-01-13T13:23:00.007+11:00

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain.

If you try googling ‘travel quotes’ you’ll soon come across a robust list of snappy one-liners, clichés, word tapestries and thought provokers. I could have easily chosen twenty to kick-start this blog with, however if I have gained any impression of Maastricht, CES, AIM, The Netherlands and the new friends that I’m currently sitting around the dinner table with, it is one of broad-mindedness.

Hello, or as we say in the Netherlands, Dag!

We arrived exactly a week ago now. Some of us were bright eyed and bushy tailed, some were hungover from their one night stop over in Amsterdam and then there were those that you could just tell had been backpacking for weeks prior (they’re usually the unshaven ones with a slight odour). However we arrived in Maastricht, we were here as a single broadminded group, united in common purposes; discover the world and discover ourselves. But our goals mean more than it appears, they mean discovering the world beyond studying International Relations just as they mean discovering ourselves beyond our Positive Psychology. We are here to live and learn, and after some introductory sessions with the lovely Aude and Dario and the CES crew, we got right to it.

So what exactly do Aussie students get up to when they’re thrown together in the pulsing heart of Europe? It seems that despite the helpful Student Assistants’ introduction to Dutch supermarkets, the first night had pub dinners on everyone’s menu. A great get to know you. Roommates were met, the seeds of friendships were planted and even a few nicknames found their origins. It seems that we all found our beds a lot earlier than usual that night, psyching up for a day of orientation and getting to know this gem of a city.

The next day lived up to our expectations and more as some of us dared to try the very romantic national dish of The Netherlands, hot chips and mayo…or as we say in the Netherlands fritz met fritzsauce (little did I know this would later be one of the only Dutch phrases I can pronounce well).

As friendships were forged under the good vibes of CES and fritz, a free weekend soon opened up a whole world of imagination to us. Suddenly the penny dropped and we realised that we were in Europe…we were actually in Europe…it sounds stupid now but who knew we had been flung smack bang in the middle of a whole stack of countries accessible by a short train trip!

Imaginations ran wild as a million and one different plans were made and remade. While some journeyed to dubstep parties and cathedral climbing in Cologne, others were tempted by the home of chocolate itself; Belgium. Some day-tripped to the close by Aachen for some real German character, while a few friends and I embarked on a classic Australian pseudo-pilgrimage to Ieper (Ypres). Drenched in history and solemness, this incredibly friendly Belgian town taught us so much about our own country, despite being on the other side of the world. Seeing my own great uncle’s name on the walls of the Menin Gate will truly be an experience I won’t forget.

That’s the crazy thing about travelling though, just how much you learn about yourself, your home and other people and by adding studying to the equation you create an explosive package. It seems I’ve been too ambitious by setting out to write about a whole week, so I’ll spare your eyes and write another post soon about our first week of actual class.

Until then, as we say in the Netherlands, HOI HOI!

Nathan Johnston is participating in our January 2012 International Relations and Politics in the EU program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Nathan is about to enter into his 2nd year of a Combined Bachelor of Laws/International Studies degree at the University Wollongong.

Week one - International Relations and Politics in the EU Blog by Sophie Ootes

2012-01-13T11:38:00.010+11:00

Week One

There’s always that night of excitement just before you embark on something new, a mixture of excitement, nervousness and curiosity. I arrived in Maastricht having been travelling around Europe since mid November, and spent this night of excitement in Breda (a small town between Amsterdam and Maastricht). The train in the morning took just under 2 hours, and the bus to the guesthouse another 20 minutes and a quick walk. It was an easy journey following the directions we’d been given, with the only problem being that it seemed to lead me to a hospital!

After a little confusion, I realised that our accommodation was in fact an old mental hospital, part of which was now used as the university guesthouse. I had decided to share a room as it was the cheaper option, and it seemed like a fantastic opportunity to meet more people.

I had been expecting a tiny excuse for a room – we were in the Netherlands after all – however our room turned out to be absolutely massive. We have a nice set up, with a bed, cupboard, desk, shelving and a comfy arm chair each, plus a sink, and then about an acre of space in the middle. Our corridor then has a shared kitchen and bathroom.

The next day and also on Monday (the weekend was free and many people travelled to Germany or Belgium) we were given tours of the beautiful city of Maastricht, and given a whole load of practical information. We also visited some interesting places such as the Sint Pieter Caves and a winery. Here’s my attempt at sharing some of the most interesting things with you:

‘Maastricht’ means crossing the river Maas. It was taken over many times by different countries as it had one of the main bridges across the river, and so having possession of the city meant that you could move on and take more land.

The city stands on lots of rubbish – this fact stunned me a little as it kills the romance of the city a little, but apparently everyone used to dump their rubbish in the streets and no one cleaned and so over time areas of the city were raised. Parts of the city walls still stand, but over time they have become shorter and shorter as the rubbish piled up. Our guide told us that this created the small hills in the town.

When the city was being attacked, the gates would be closed (obviously) and everyone would have to rely on what was inside. They had to make sure they had at least 6 months worth of food – beans etc, to make it through these times. They stored this food up in the rooves of their houses, and made little holes just big enough for small owls to fit into so that they could catch the mice, and also to make sure the food didn’t get to hot and catch alight during the hotter months. Also, when they were under attack, they would have to rely on the city water. This water was heavily polluted – many of the toilets dropped straight into the river, and often the attackers would deliberately pollute the water. Due to this, everyone was made to use wine and beer in their cooking and to drink instead of water. Apparently this is why when we raise our glasses before a meal we say ‘to your health’.

People used to be taxed for their houses by the number of window pane they had, so you can spot the rich houses according to this!

Our visit to the caves was amazing. There are around 200km of these tunnels under Maastricht, and having visited the Catacombes in Paris (which I highly recommend), I was expecting something similar. I was very surprised at their sheer size – wide enough for a horses and carts, and as high as a small building. They began to cut out the stone blocks in the 13th century, and continued for many many years. The caves have been used for lots of things over the years, including in no particular order:

The removed stones were used for buildings
The caves were used for growing mushrooms
To protect people from wars and invasions – there was even a bakery set up down there, wells, places for worship, advertisements painted on the walls, beautiful artwork on the walls.
To smuggle people over (under!) the border into Belgium

Anyway, enough about Maastricht for now, I should say something about the whole reason we are here – the course! Our first information session was held in a beautiful lecture theatre. I won’t describe it, but I’ve included a picture!

For much of our time we are integrated with the students here for Psychology which is great because we all seem to get on well together, and the more the merrier! Our lectures have been interesting so far, with the course based around EU law, economics and politics. So far in my studies I have not learnt about these specific aspects of Europe, so I’m finding that I learn a lot each day – even though the lectures are 2 hours long without a break, so sometimes I find myself drifting off!!

This weekend we are travelling to Brussels and Bruges which is very exciting! We will be visiting a few places relevant to our course (because as with everything in Europe, they are literally just down the road), and also doing some sightseeing!

Tips of the week:

1. Make sure you always have cash and a credit card on you, preferably with a chip. Many of the supermarkets don’t take our credit cards, and the university charges you 25% extra if you pay with cash for things like food, printing etc. SO FRUSTRATING!

2. Also, the supermarkets make you pay extra for bags, which is great, unless you didn’t know and have to attempt to carry a 600kg bag of shopping home while it is breaking at the seams!

3. Look left AND right at roads. You will never remember which way they are actually going to come at you from!

Fun fact of the week:
The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, averaging 1.81cm for men and 1.68cm for women! The minimum required height for doors in new buildings is 2.32m.

Sophie Ootes is participating in our January 2012 International Relations and Politics in the EU program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Sophie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Combined Bachelor of Arts/Laws degree at the University of Adelaide.

Update from Mexico! - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Rebecca Honey

2012-01-13T10:41:00.004+11:00

First update from Mexico!

I'm so excited to be in Mexico, can't believe I am finally here! Brooke and I arrived in Mexico City on Sunday after two long flights to Los Angeles on the 4th. I don't recommend flying with China Southern Airlines, at least not go to Mexico! It was the cheapest flight we could book at the time. The airline itself is okay, but the stopover at Goungzhou airport in China was awful. It is the strangest airport I've ever been in! It was freezing there was no heating and all of our warm clothes were in our checked baggage. It was such a relief to finally arrive in Los Angeles, where we spent 3 days recovering from the flights and seeing as much as we could.

We said goodbye to LA in the early hours of Sunday morning and buenas dias to Cuidad de Mexico. Brooke and I were warmly welcomed by our host mother Mari, who thankfully knows some English as our skills are very very basic . With a mix of the two languages we can communicate okay. Mari's apartment is above a restaurant that she owns and she cooks the most delicious food! She has a very friendly and energetic puppy named Luna, Mari her two daughters who come and we talk to them as best we can with our very limited Spanish.

Monday was our first day at La Salle. We met the other Spanish students and Health Care students and everyone is friendly and we all get along very well. I love the campus too it's so beautiful. So far we've learnt about about cross-cultural communication with Ana Christina and Mexican History with Arnoldo, who really knows his stuff!

Yesterday we visited the Chapultepec Castle and the Museum of Anthropology. Before this course I knew virtually nothing about the history of Mexico. It's been a lot to take in but very fascinating learning about great civilisations of the Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs.

Today we are placed in our Spanish classes according to what level we are at. I'm really looking forward to the classes I'm keen to learn as much Spanish as I can!

Rebecca Honey is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Rebecca is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor Social Work degree at the University of Newcastle.

Visit to Chapultepect Castle and the Museum of Anthropology - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

2012-01-12T15:03:00.007+11:00

Today we went to Chapultepec Castle and the Museum of Anthropology.

The castle had some incredible interiors and very moving stories, for example the young cadet who saw that the French invaders were in the castle and about to seize the flag, so he took the flag from the tower, wrapped it around himself and leapt to his death. The French never did get their hands on the flag and there is now a mural of the young boy's heroic leap on the ceiling as you enter the castle (pictured below).

The architecture was also beautiful (pictured above) and the grounds were full of poinsettias, which are everywhere in Mexico - they are named after the first US ambassador - Poinset (pictured below)

The museum was incredible. It would take about two days to see everything so we focused on the Pre-Colombian people and customs. There were countless statues and architecture, all of which had to be seen to be believed. Having had a bit of an obsession with the Pre-Colombian culture for some years, I was like a kid in a candy shop! Even if you didn't know much, it was like being in an Indiana Jones movie.

Our guide/teacher is Professor Arnoldo (pictured above) and he is incredibly passionate about his country and his culture, weaving stories around the individual pieces, taking us down to the Underworld and then raising us up to the Gods! Amazing. (pictured below)

If this is an indicator of what else is in store for us then I can't wait for the rest of it.

Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Bonjour from Paris - International Business and Advertising blog with Savannah Lorenzin

2012-01-12T10:47:00.005+11:00

Bonjour everyone!

I write this blog post from the comfort of my cushy apartment room looking out to the Eiffel Tower in Paris! Yippee! I have come here a week early with a friend who is about to embark on a Contiki tour and so far it has been incredible. Well, to be honest it has all felt surreal being here as I thought this time would never come. So during these crisp days it feels as though I am living in a wonderful dream. Everything here is so beautiful, and I am almost thankful that I wasn’t born here because I would hate to take any of these buildings for granted. The buildings that line the streets are remarkable to say the least; you just don’t see this kind of intricate detailing and regal structures in Australia.

The weather too is not as bad as what I had thought- locals have even said that these are nice winter days. While the air has a definite nip to it, it has not rained or snowed yet (I don’t know if I am happy or sad about this, I have never seen snow before!) So exploring the windy streets of Paris all day is a breeze.

As far as organisation and packing goes, I was very relaxed about it. As long as you have your passport, flights and travel insurance booked - you’re fine. I did however pre-book a seat on the train from the Montparnasse station in Paris to the Tours station and that was easy enough to do on the website given to us in the AIM pre-departure package.

One thing I would have to say is not to pack too much clothes, especially girls! While I was packing the night before I had to leave, I just basically put all my winter jumpers and long-sleeve tops in my suit case with a few coats thinking that should get me though. It would have, yet I seemed to have forgotten I was going to be in the fashion capital and the shopping here is insane! So now I have an influx of clothes, and all I want to wear is my new stuff! So pack lightly, because it won’t be so light coming home!

Au revoir, see you all soon!
Savannah

Savannah Lorenzin is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Savannah is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Management Marketing degree at the University of South Australia

Ah Maastricht! - Positive Psychology update from Jazmin Squire

2012-01-12T10:13:00.003+11:00

Check out this awesome Facebook status update from Jazmin Squire, who's currently doing our Positive Psychology course in Maastricht, the Netherlands:

Each day here just keeps getting more awesome! Yesterday was too full and amazing to write about in much detail, let's just say that I enjoyed every minute!

It started with a 'mild' and interesting class on the history of Positive Psych and mediation, followed by a nice walk through the streets of Maastricht to a typical Dutch cafeteria at the student centre (this means brimming full of a large variety of fresh, healthy and delicious food at a VERY reasonable price!).

We then caught the bus up to Casino Slavante, a very quaint cafe on the hill of Sint-Pietersberg. This was so much fun! They had an old wooden merry-go-round there that we all had rides on. The views of Maastricht and the river Maas from here were wonderful! I need to come here in the summer sometime and sip wine at a table beneath the roses, outdoors overlooking the river! This is nearby the grand home Andre Rieu!

We then visited the ancient handmade limestone caves of Maastricht. The caves were spectacular and our female tour guide told us so many interesting tales of the history of the caves. Fascinating! And too many to share right here, they will be tales for when I get back home.

We then when on to Wijnggaard Apostelhoeve, one of only four wineries in the area that have been making their own white wines unique to this area, since the 1970's. The lovely Mathieu, owner of the vineyard, gave us an informative tour of the winery that ended with a wine tasting in his cosy little stone wine-tasting restaurant adjoining the beautiful, ancient stone farmhouse where his family live. Mathieu served the wine with delicious sandwiches of dark brown bread and succulent prosciutto. We sampled three of the wines at Apostlehoeve, A Muller-Thurgau, which was a lovely crisp, light wine perfect for aperitif and two Pinto-Gris, the distinction being that one had been aged in the cellar in a wooden barrel and the other had not. The wines were amazing, Kate and I may have gotten quite tipsy, but it made for a lot of laughter and fun times and we admit to buying a few bottles between us. I will definitely be seeking out this wine label. However, because they are such a small winery and have such good produce they sell out quite quickly!

As if that wasn't enough fun for one day, we ended what proved to be a perfect day with a meal of pancakes and beer at the home of one of our host dutch students Daisy. Daisy was good company and she and her friends cooked us a meal of pancakes with bacon, capsicum, onion, apple, cheese and maple syrup. A surprisingly tasty combo, and plied us with good dutch beer! We then bundled into our coats and walked slowly back to the Guesthouse in the dark, feeling satiated! Ah Maastricht! :)

Jazmin Squire is participating in our January 2012 Positive Psychology program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Jazmin is going into her 3rd year of a Bachelor of Psychology degree at Griffith University.

Life in Maastricht so far... - Positive Psychology travel snaps from Julie Morris

2012-01-11T11:28:00.011+11:00

Check out these photos from Julie Morris, who's currently in the wonderful city of Maastricht, the Netherlands doing our Positive Psychology program.

Maastricht is widely known as a student-friendly city full of history, culture and local folklore. Looks like Julie and the fellow AIM Overseasers are making the most of this unique city!

Pretty Maastricht

The traffic in Maastricht

The crew with our lovely tour guide, Stephanie

Shopping!

Pinkies waffles are the bomb!

Ice skating after dinner and drinks

On the road... the Dutch way

Arriving at uni

Our first Maastricht uni lecture

Group excursion - trekking to the caves

A charcoal drawing in the caves dating back over 100 years

Wine tasting at Apostelhoeve

Dinner with the Maastricht crew at an Italian restaurant owned by a Croatian

Panoramic view of my room

Dinner at home!

A parade that none of us know what for...

Funny sign

... and this is only week 1! We look forward to seeing more photos as your adventure unfolds, Julie!

Julie Morris is participating in our January 2012 Positive Psychology program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Julie is going into her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Newcastle.

Travel snaps - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

2012-01-10T16:27:00.005+11:00

Callie's just sent us some travel snaps from her time in Mexico so far:

The Spanish class chomping on our free lunch at the university

Enjoying a beer with some class mates

.... more to come!

Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Day one at La Salle University - Public Health in Mexico Blog with Kahlia Hickey

2012-01-10T15:56:00.008+11:00

Hola!

Today was day one at La Salle University! It was unbelievable & quite a surreal experience! Not only does it have an on campus Starbucks, it also has a Subway!

All the academics were wonderful & incredibly sweet! We went to our first lecture, Overview of Mexican History, and the view from the room was amazing! We were able to witness smoke coming from the volcano! The lecture was very insightful & introduced many new topics, such as different political & social dynamics in Mexican history.

This is a picture of La Salle Campus:

After our first lecture, we made our way to Casa Rosa (a bright pink building that has gorgeous gardens!) Here we had lunch, which tasted great! After hanging out for a while & relaxing in the bright, sunny weather we went & received our Student IDs! From here we were able to get a great view of the full uni! Then we went on a tour & saw the other campus, gym, & surrounding streets. It was incredible to witness the cars moving down these tight spaces!

This is a Mexican school bus:

We then went with Margo, our coordinator. We went to get sims for our phones, as well as view Condesa. We also went down to view the Metro. Our last lecture was with Dr. Ana Cristina: I’ve never had such a good lecture! She was clear, new the topic & involved the whole class in discussion. The lecture was on Intercultural Awareness & Communication.

Emma Bailey drawing her version of the world for Willy [one of the coordinators at La Salle University]:

After we finished class, Nikki, Kate & I headed home. It was dark, however it was less than a block. In Mexico you quickly realise they do not stop at red lights, it is more of a give way sign to them. Therefore it’s recommended you cross with Mexicans & you make a run for it! This is exactly what we did tonight! When we began to cross however, there was traffic coming from all directions, it was like dodgeball with cars! And there were 6 lanes! However we made it home okay & had a great dinner prepared for us by our homestay mother, Maria.

I’m honestly having an incredible time!

Tegan, Nikki & me:

Finally in Mexico City! - Public Health in Mexico Blog with Kahlia Hickey

2012-01-09T14:47:00.003+11:00

Hola!

I'm finally in Mexico City! After months of planning & organising, the time has finally arrived to begin studies at La Salle University, Mexico City!

I was lucky enough to meet up with a fellow student at LAX & we took on Hollywood together to kill time on our 17hr stopover! When we finally arrived in Mexico City, we loved how bright & lit it was!

I love my host family, my mother is called Maria & she speaks NO English. Me & the 2 other girls with me speak minimal Spanish, however we are lucky enough to have an Intensive Spanish student with us who assists us a lot with basic communication.

I'm very excited to start university tomorrow & finally experience it!

Adios!

Kahlia Hickey is participating in our January 2012 Public Health in Mexico Program at La Salle University, Mexico. Kahlia is going into her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree at Victoria University.

Meeting the family - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

2012-01-09T12:21:00.002+11:00

It's the day before the course and we have all met our families and settled into what will be home for the next month.

Having arrived on Saturday, and due to the wonder that is Facebook, I've spent the last 2 days with a couple of people from the course - Martin and Cass. We all stayed at the same hostel and had a ball negotiating our way around Downtown Mexico City. From the markets, to the Zocalo, buying mobile phones and coffee...getting to practice our Spanish and personally realising that I've got a long way to go before I'm fully comfortable doing anything more than the most basic of interactions. I am very keen to see how different it feels in 30 days!

My house mother, Maria, is very lovely. She doesn't speak a word of English and the other 3 girls don't speak a word of Spanish, my Spanish is patchy, but it's working. The house is great, with a little pup and in a lovely street.

Can't wait for tomorrow x

Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Trois, Deux, Une … Tours! - International Business and Advertising blog with Molly Wooderson

2012-01-09T09:20:00.010+11:00

With less than a week to go, nerves are really now starting to set in. I'm leaving the comfort of the VU Law Library behind and embarking on a new adventure. That's right! Goodbye perfectly heated library, warm Melbourne summers and home cooked meals (cooked by someone else). Hello ...freezing snow and fending for myself. Hmm, now this could be interesting.

It's been a pretty busy few weeks with summer school, Christmas, and writing memorandums (apologies to anyone I yelled at incoherently while sleep deprived). All of which hasn't really left a lot of time to stress about or plan an overseas trip. I'm definitely feeling like a deserve a holiday, but I get the distinct feeling this won't be one.

I've received my itinerary and browsed my travel guide and it's looking like we'll be kept pretty busy over the next month with both classes and the all-important sight seeing. There's so much to fit-in in such a condensed space of time.

Now, organisation is not my strong point, I've got my passport, booked my flights and organised my insurance, but as yet, that's about it. I haven't started packing, in fact, I haven't even thought about what I'll need to take. I'm probably only halfway through the process of enabling all the communication routes and ensuring that just about every person I've ever met can get daily updates on where I am and what I'm doing. Not quite, but that's what it feels like. Oh, and my best buddies at the bank do need to know everything about what I'm doing so they don't think account has been hijacked by an international banking scam. Although, I have discovered that the account fee I'm now paying for there to be no international transaction fees is lower than paying the international transaction fees caused by my online shopping addiction.

I did, however, begin my preparatory shopping in October. I tend to get excited about shopping, and an excuse like this has been really quite terrible for my bank balance. Some purchases have turned out not to be suitable for the cold climate, like the clogs I bought on the basis that they would be “really cute”. Cute, maybe, but certainly not warm enough for traipsing to uni through snow and sludge. Then came the Sorel boots. Warm, fluffy and waterproof – the cosy traveller's trifecta! AND a slightly more sensible choice.

Au Revoir! And Happy Travels x

Molly is participating in our January 2012 International Business and Advertising program at ESCEM, France. Molly is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business (International Trade) degree at Victoria University

Czech it out - International Law and Human Rights Blog with Jamesina McLeod

2012-01-03T12:08:00.009+11:00

Happy 2012 AIM readers!

Exactly a week out from bidding loved ones adieu and jetting off to Europa and feelings are mixed.

Elation at the thought of my long-awaited European adventure finally coming true and continuing consternation at my lack of packing are the main two.

It's not pretty... yet

That and a small but unshakeable feeling that I’m going to stuff things up. That sometime during the six weeks I’m abroad I will:

- miss a connection and be delayed for hours

- offend a foreigner in either their language or mine

- pull a ‘Little Match Girl’ stunt a la Hans Christian Anderson and die freezing and delusional in the snow.

- or, alternatively, not see any snow. *

[*Note: If a continent insists on having below zero winters year in and year out, the least it could do is accompany its general greyness and misery with some sprinkles of frosty fun, no? My only alternative will be to cry in the open and see if my tears make snowflakes. I accept they’ll probably just freeze painfully to my face.]

The idea of doing Europe ‘wrong’ is a silly but inevitable one when you’ve hyped a trip up as much in your head as I have. The fact that I’m travelling alone for most of my trip compounds the fear because I’ll lack someone to bounce ideas against for the best-looking routes from Vienna to Paris and the best-looking foreigners from Vlatna to Pierre.

That said, staying with family for the first few days in England before skipping over to the Czech Republic where I’ll spend three weeks with the same 25 people should chase my misanthropish misgivings away pretty quickly.

To distract me in the meantime, I’ve been keeping myself busy by not packing, downloading Skype so I can keep in touch with the fambam, leafing through my increasingly impressive collection of Lonely Planet guides and attempting to learn the unreadable and unpronounceable Czech language with the help of an infuriatingly smug voice that comes out of an iPhone app.

Thanks to the Aim Overseas gang for my oh-so-pretty guide to Prague!

So, na shledanou for now.

I promise not to upload pictures of clouds taken from my plane window if you promise to Czech back next time.

x Jam

Jamesina is participating in our January 2012 International Law and Human Rights program at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Jamesina is going into her 4th year of a Combined Bachelor of Media & Communications (Journalism)/Law at the University of Technology Sydney.

The Adventure Begins - International Law and Human Rights Blog with Lauren Howes

2012-01-03T11:58:00.008+11:00

The Adventure Begins – Brno, Czech Republic here I come (with winter woollies dragging behind me)!

Christmas has been and gone and my trip is fast approaching! Amongst the craziness of the holiday season, time has definitely sped up and I am finding it very difficult to believe that I will be on a plane heading to Brno in just two weeks' time.

Whilst summer has been a little slow in coming in Sydney, I am still trying to prepare for the big temperature difference between Australia and the Czech Republic. Its currently snowing and one degree in our host city! For someone who doesn’t like the cold very much, this is going to be a big adjustment.

Obviously, the only way to solve any issue is to go shopping, and heading overseas and dealing with the cold is no different! Several hours of research, a few in-depth excursions and an aching credit card and I’m done! New wet-weather hiking boots, waterproof down jacket, thermals, wool socks and some gloves and I think I’m ready!

I am absolutely passionate about Human Rights law. Getting to go overseas, to a beautiful country like the Czech Republic, to study this field is an absolute dream come true. While I’m nervous about leaving my husband at home (and the state my house will be in when I return!) I am excited about the possibilities. I am really looking forward to experiencing a different culture and getting to live with other students from Masaryk University. I love food and can’t wait to try out all the different dishes on offer!

While all of this is very exciting, there is still packing to be done, last minute arrangements to be made and a few more days of work to attend. Most importantly, there is a very daunting 25 hour flight ahead of me! (Can you tell I am absolutely thrilled about that?!?!?!)

The adventure begins! See you in a few weeks...

Lauren Howes is participating in our January 2012 International Law and Human Rights program at Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Lauren is about to start her 5th year of a Bachelor of Laws/Medical Science degree at the University of Wollongong.

¿Dónde están los baños? - Spanish in Mexico Blog by Callie Barrett

2012-01-03T11:35:00.005+11:00

Pre-Departure...

I'm currently in England visiting my family for Christmas for the first time in 7 years and they are loud! This visit is basically my honeymoon as I got married 3 weeks ago and as neither my husband or I have family in Australia, it's all a bit of a shock to the system...in a nice way. Between visiting my 40 or so aunties, uncles and cousins, as well as meeting my various nieces and nephews for the first time, not to mention playing tour guide to my new hubby, I've not really had chance to think very much about the upcoming course.

My decision to do the course was very sudden. Walking into my first Spanish tutorial for the second semester of second year uni, I was with people who had lived or studied in Spanish-speaking countries and I quickly realised that I wasn't going to keep up without a similar experience. Although I have previously travelled around Latin America, it was as an English speaker with a few phrases of Spanish, namely those that involved asking for beer, coffee and saying no onion with my food! So, after class I went to the international office at uni and asked what options there were for studying Spanish overseas, the AIM course popped up and I pretty much decided there and then - I've never been one for delay!

I now have about 10 days to plan everything and it's a bit more challenging when you're not at home surrounded by your creature comforts, so I'm just going to fall back on my tried and tested method - if I forget to take something I can buy it there - it pretty much applies to everything except for passport and cash, oh and husbands lol.

Trying to work out what the weather is going to be seems to be the trickiest, I'm currently experiencing a cold and wet English winter, so I've got lots of bulky items I'm just not going to take to Mexico. While we're talking about what to pack, my biggest piece of advice to anyone who is interested is this: if you've gone and bought yourself a massive pack - you know, when you walk into Kathmandu or Mountain designs and look for anything over 60 litres - seriously, take it back and swap it for something no bigger than 40 litres. You won't need anything bigger than that and you will LOVE not carting it around, plus you will feel quietly smug every time you see people lugging their extreme packs on and off public transport, or up and down hostel stairs. Check out this link for more info, it's the best travel site I've ever found: www.travelindependent.info/.

So the packing is sort of organised, lots of layers and I'm planning on buying a poncho when I get there - the loudest one I can find. I've got my travel money card (www.cashpassport.com), my old iPhone is unlocked, I've got my passport in triplicate and on my email, I've printed and emailed my flight e-tickets, I've updated my couchsurfing profile and sent off a few requests for the couple of days I am there early (www.couchsurfing.org), vaccinations are done (www.travel-bug.com), I've registered with smarttraveller (www.smartraveller.gov.au) and I've got my US waiver as my return flight stops in Dallas for a few hours (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov). All that remains is to figure out how on earth I'm going to get from the airport to the city as airport taxis in Latino countries are notoriously dodgy, but I reckon I'll ask my couchsurfing friends and see what they suggest.

I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone. I'm a little apprehensive about how bad my Spanish is going to be as I haven't spoken any for a while, but if anyone needs a beer I'm your gal. I can't wait for the weekly salsa classes and I'm hoping there are Zumba classes at the uni, or if not maybe they'll let me teach some. Plus I have an ongoing obsession with Mexican history and I am really excited about the cultural trips so it's going to be fab.

I'm going to miss Lauchy (the husband), but after the course he is going to join me and we'll spend another 2 months in Mexico and Cuba, with lots of focus on dance!

See you all soon. ¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Callie Barrett is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Callie is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts (double degree in Spanish and English) at Flinders University.

Hola Amigos! - Intensive Spanish Blog with Rebecca Honey

2012-01-03T09:45:00.009+11:00

Hola Amigos!

It’s hard to believe that in just over 2 weeks I’ll be arriving in Mexico City! I’ve been waiting for this adventure all year, and I’m sure my fellow participants are equally excited! It’s always been a dream of mine to study a language. What better language than Spanish! Not only is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, its also one of the most widely spoken.

As usual I’m being quite last minute with my packing and preparations! I’m making up a to-do list of everything I need to do before I leave, chances are most of it will be ticked off on the 3rd January. I leave on the 4th with my friend Brooke, who is also doing the program. We will be spending 4 nights in Los Angeles before traveling to Mexico.

I have been preparing myself over the last few months by taking a beginner’s Spanish course at my local community college and attempting to study in my own time around full-time uni and work. I’m not sure I was too successful with this as my brain could not retain all that extra information and learning another language doesn’t come naturally for me. I’ve also been dragging my fiancé to latin and salsa dancing classes and even had a Mexican themed birthday party.

I don’t expect at my beginner level to walk away speaking very fluent Spanish. What I would most like to gain from this program to absorb the culture and I’m most looking forward to meeting my host family and doing life the Mexican way. I’ve done a fair amount of traveling and the best experiences have always been just hanging with the locals. I love learning about their culture, customs, what makes them tick and resorting to charades in attempts to communicate. I’m hoping by the end of this trip that I might be able to communicate using a few words as well!

¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero año nuevo!
.....and to my fellow participants..see you in Mexico!

Rebecca Honey is participating in our January 2012 Intensive Spanish program at La Salle University, Mexico. Rebecca is about to enter into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of Newcastle. Rebecca likes to travel whenever she has the opportunity and also enjoys writing and playing music. This is the first time Rebecca has ever posted in a blog.

North Carolina here we come! Teacher Education Blog with Louise Kimpton

2011-12-23T10:01:00.006+11:00

This is going to be Louise's uni for 3 weeks

Saturday 17 Dec. 11
Today is the day. The two-week countdown begins, as does the realisation of how much I need to organise and the apprehension of sitting on an aeroplane for around 18 hours. Oh yeah, and the panic that I am not going to get enough money together!

It’s difficult being a uni student. There never seems to be enough time to fit in enough work between studying to afford a holiday. For the last four weeks I have been away on a compulsory out of area professional experience, which means five weeks without pay. Ouch! I’ve just gotten back and am working around 15 hours a day between two jobs to try and save as much money as I can.

Somewhere between working and sleeping, I have been trying to find enough time to organise everything I need! At the moment I have about eight Word documents opening, each waiting to be copied so I can take with me. They have been on my desktop for about a week now. I’m sure I’ll get around to it before I go. At least I know where my passport is…

I am really looking forward to spending Australia Day in the USA. Some of us going on the trip have been talking about how we may celebrate the day, and I think it may involve Vegemite and lots of Australian temporary tattoos. I hope the Americans are ready to be branded!

Anyway, it’s taken me about a week to write this blog since I am so busy at the moment, so now it’s actually at the one-week count down until I leave and I can’t wait! I just have to get through Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years and it will be time to go.

North Carolina, here we come!

Louise Kimpton is participating in our January 2012 Teacher Education and Practice Program at UNCC, North Carolina. Louise is going into her 4th year of a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary)/Arts degree at the University of Newcastle.

Let the Netherventure commence! International Environmental Law Blog with Michael Goh

2011-12-22T16:00:00.005+11:00

We hope that Michael has a clogtastic Netherventure!

On the 26th of January 2012, a flock of Australian university students will be descending on the quaint cultural-melting pot of a city known as Maastricht, which is located in the far south of the Netherlands.

The main reason for this academic pilgrimage is to study International Environmental Law at the University of Maastricht under the tutelage of Dr Marjan Peeters.

After studying at university for 5 years (3 years of science and 2 of law), it is time for a much deserved overseas trip ,and why not apply to receive credit at the same time. Two birds with one stone.

Preparation for the trip has been a long and tedious process involving repetitive paperwork and careful organisation. I've also made time to liaise with the other 2 South Australians who are attending the course. Also, there will be the shock of going from a cruel Australian summer, which will be a wet, humid and floody affair due to the La Niña effect, to a cold maritime winter where the average temperature fluctuate between -9 and 11 degrees Celsius. Bring your boots because we will be knee deep in frostiness.

I am awfully excited that we will be staying in a hostel for the period of the course. I had my first hostel experience only a few days ago, and it was an amazing and deeply interesting experience. You really do meet some very fascinating people resulting in cultural enlightenment. NB: Be especially careful with Aussie humour and crude jokes. I found that some people, particularly North Americans, simply do not get them and may become hurt and offended by its unfettered use.

It is clear that this trip will be a life-changing experience, and I wish the best of luck to the other attendees in your preparations. Maastricht isn't going to know what hit them.

Cheers!

Michael Goh is participating in our January 2012 International Environmental Law Program at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Michael is going into his 3rd year of a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice degree at Flinders University. He is also an avid enthusiast photographer and some of his captures can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/serapheus/sets/

Global Leadership Program in Panama: interview with returned student Lachlan John

2011-12-22T09:19:00.013+11:00

Lachlan John [pictured above, right] is a Civil Engineering student from the University of Technology Sydney. Earlier this year, Lachlan left our shores and travelled all the way to Central America to participate in the Global Leadership Program in Panama. Lachlan was such an awesome participant that he has been invited back again next year as a Student Coordinator, which is a real honour! Lachlan tells us about his experiences below:

Hi Lachlan! Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi! I'm Lachlan John and I'm currently studying Civil Engineering at UTS

Why did you choose the GLP Panama program?
I chose the Panama program because I wanted to visit a completely new area of the world and experience what life is like there, and Panama seemed to be a good first step, a safe introduction to Latin America shall we say!

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
I was a little worried about the workload as it sounded extreme, but it turned out to be quite manageable, to the point where I was able to hone my teaching and tutoring skills by helping the others do theirs. Being a native English speaker was definitely an advantage.

Tell me about a typical day during the program
Up at 7:30ish, shower and skip breakfast to get on the bus by 8.
Arrive at the Uni around 8:30/9.
Have first class till 12 then break for lunch.
Have second class from 12:30/1 to 3:30/4 then head home on the bus.
Arrive home around 5ish, make plans for that evening/hang out with other program members.
Do homework till anywhere from 12-3am then sleep.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
Definitely the friends I made. I now have 15 or so friends from Mexico, one from Venezuela, a few from Columbia, a few from Panama, a couple from the States and one from the Czech Republic. Other than this, the whole travel experience in general was great.

Did you gain any interesting insights into the Panamanian culture/Panamanian people?
Panama is really a country between western progression and old world traditions. While Panama city and a couple of other places are really riding on a wave of development, the vast majority of the country is almost virgin forest or countryside with quite poor residents, including a number of indigenous tribes, some of whom still live by their traditional means. This makes for very interesting cultural identity issues when not everyone within the one country can identify with the same patriotic ideal or mantra. Plus it can be quite confronting going from the relative affluence of some parts of the city to dirt floor huts in the country.

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
If you are willing to put in the hours and perhaps go without some sleep here and there, the study should be no problem. Being a native English speaker, you will have a huge advantage and may just find a lot of the work at least easier, if not easy.

I had originally planned to fly through Buenos Aires, Santiago and Bogota to get to Panama before the volcano erupted in Chile. I did have friends who were able to do this and I would highly recommend this option if you are going to be in the region anyway. This would be best before the program, as you will have time between your exams finishing and the program starting, whereas you won’t have any between the program finishing and the next semester starting.

Must-do activities are San Blas island weekend, hopefully we will be able to organise this again in 2012; a visit to Casco Viejo (old town part of Panama, with lots of history and some good restaurants and clubs) as well as Panama Viejo (original Panama ruins).

There are a few good clubs, with some new ones opening as we were leaving, all within a short distance of each other, however I cannot remember where.

How has this program impacted you?
This program has impacted me in my love for travel, I now cannot wait till I’m on my next adventure; and my ability to lead in alien situations with cultural sensitivity.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
I would say definitely go for it! It is an experience you’ll never forget and you’ll be on Skype for the next 2 or 3 months talking to all your new friends you grew so close to over the month.

2 weeks til Mexico - Public Health in Mexico Blog with Kahlia Hickey

2011-12-21T17:31:00.010+11:00

Kahlia's off to Mexico!

In 2 weeks' time, I will be heading on one of the biggest adventures of my life, to study for 4 intensive weeks at La Salle University in Mexico City! I feel both excited & nervous!

With only a short amount of time left til departure, I feel organised, though I don't want to forget anything! My suitcase is bright orange so I won't lose it (made my mum feel better knowing it was fluro!).

On the trip there is so much to look forward to! Including our visit to the Aztec Pyramids, Basilica of Guadelupe, Puebla, Coyoacan, Xochimilco & so, SO much more! The cultural aspect is also intriguing, therefore staying with a traditional Mexican family will be unlike any other!

Being a student at La Salle is something I can't wait for! From the lectures to the site visits at medical institutions, it is all so wonderful!

With the evident excitement in my words, it's easy to say I can't wait! In 2 weeks' time, you guys can see photos & hear all about my adventures in wonderful Mexico!

Chau!

Kahlia Hickey is participating in our January 2012 Public Health in Mexico Program at La Salle University, Mexico. Kahlia is going into her 2nd year of a Bachelor of Nursing degree at Victoria University.

Countdown til Maastricht! - International Environmental Law Blog with Marissa Parry

2011-12-21T11:00:00.009+11:00

The beautiful city of Maastricht!

In just over a month’s time I will be leaving behind the warmth of the Australian summer sun (although, in light of recent weather events we have all been left wondering if summer is ever going to arrive!) for the magic of the Dutch winter!

Since I applied for the International Environmental Law program in late September 2011, time has just flown by; and in considering that (let’s be honest here) I always leave everything to the last minute, I feel that my preparations for my first trip overseas have been going really well.

For me, one of the most important (and daunting) aspects of preparing my trip has been organising my flights to Amsterdam. This is because the longest flight I have ever been on had a total duration of three hours (and that was long enough for me!). I do get a little claustrophobic and I have coeliac disease (which means that I need to have gluten-free meals on the plane).

So to make this experience easier for me I have organised with the airline to have gluten-free meals, paid a little extra to ensure that I receive a seat on the aisle (just so I don’t pass out!) and brought some intellectually stimulating and life inspiring novels (such as Russell’s Brand My Booky Wook ;)) to distract me from the frightening fact that I will suspended in the air for over 24 hours…eeeekkkk! However, after talking to several of my friends who have done long haul flights before, I think it will be fine :).

In addition, after watching Rob’s video on how to manage our money overseas, I have also organised a travel money card, ordered a small sum of Pounds (as I am going to London for a while before I commence the program) and Euros to take over with me through my local bank branch and even drawn up a draft budget of how much I might spend (or should spend) each day. For a last minute girl, I am certainly impressed by my high level of organisation thus far ;)

However, amongst all this planning, the thing I have struggled with the most is deciding (and purchasing) the types of clothes I should take with me. I have never been to the snow before or anywhere even remotely cold, so to determine what I should take I have mainly been seeking advice from friends and work colleagues that have experienced the cold of a European winter!

If I have learnt anything from these conversations, it is that the key to staying warm is to dress in LAYERS! So, I have spent the last couple of weeks asking shop assistants of several outdoor adventure stores, "So, if I wear this thermal and then this long-sleeve top over this thermal and then this vest over this long-sleeve top and then this wool jumper over this vest and then this long coat over this jumper – then will I be warm enough outside?!"

I know this does sound a little ridiculous, but to be honest I have no idea how cold a European winter is going to be – so, I hope I have brought the right clothes to keep me nice and warm! I also hope that it won’t be so cold outside that it is just unbearable and that I can’t spend some time exploring the Dutch landscape. This is probably one of the things that I am most looking forward to – just experiencing and been immersed in the Dutch culture and seeing the amazing sites that Maastricht has to offer (and, of course, studying International Environmental Law!).

The next time I write, I will be in Maastricht (exciting!!!). So, here’s to hoping that I survive the flight and, of course, have the trip of a lifetime :).

Marissa Parry is participating in our January 2012 International Environmental Law Program at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Marissa is going into her 5th year of a Bachelor of Science/Laws degree at the University of Newcastle.

Follow our Official Program Bloggers!

2011-12-21T09:24:00.004+11:00

We can't believe it's already December! Not only are we nearly at the end of the year, but it's also almost time for all January 2012 program participants to go off on their study and travel adventure of a lifetime!

This time around, we've appointed Official Program Bloggers for our programs. Armed with a Lonely Planet book and a wicked sense of adventure, each of our Bloggers will report to us during their program from whichever corner of the earth they happen to be on: whether it be the Netherlands, France, Mexico or the US!

To follow our Official Program Bloggers, join us on Facebook, or simply search "Blogger" on this blog, or "Blogger" + "[Country]" or "[Program]" if you know exactly which country/program you want to follow.

Wishing our students a happy and safe trip!

Getting to know Cambridge - Acacia tells us about studying Science in one of the world's oldest universities

2011-12-20T09:43:00.013+11:00

Acacia Burns [pictured above, looking very much at home at the University of Cambridge] is a recent Science/Law graduate from Griffith Uni. Acacia is one our superstar students: in 2010, she attended our Global Leadership Program in Prague. We were so impressed with Acacia that she was then selected to be the AIM Overseas Campus Coordinator at Griffith Uni, acting as our representative on campus. Then in July this year, Acacia got the study/travel bug again and hopped on a plane to the UK to participate in the Cambridge Science program. Read about her experiences below...

Hi Acacia! Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Acacia and I have just graduated from a Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Science (Environment) degree at Griffith University in Brisbane. I studied at Cambridge University in July 2011, as part of the Science Summer School course.

Why did you choose this AIM Overseas course?
I choose this course because it was my last chance to study overseas during my undergraduate degree. I wanted to use this opportunity to experience a life that very few people are privy to, and to better understand and appreciate my own university experience here in Australia.

The course theme for 2011 was Impact and Responsibility, so it suited my degree well, and, being an AIM Overseas Campus Coordinator, I knew what lengths the AIM Overseas team go to to ensure their programs are not only unique, but also of the highest academic quality, and provide a good balance between study and fun. Cambridge University has quite restricted public access and there are very few universities in Australia that have exchange partnerships with Cambridge, so making the decision to do this course was easy.

The gardens at Trinity Hall

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
I was quite concerned about the pace of lectures and the assessment. I thought that it would be too hard, and was questioning whether I would pass. I soon found out that there was nothing to worry about. The program director, lecturers and other support staff were all very friendly and approachable, and encouraged us to ask questions as much as possible. Every college also has a resident “tutor”, a local student who is on call throughout the program if you have any problems (scholarly or otherwise) and you don’t feel comfortable approaching a lecturer. I thought that the assessment was very fair- not too easy, but not too hard either- and it still gave me time to explore and get to know other students.

Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
A typical day at Cambridge would consist of getting up around 7am, walking through the beautiful Clare College gardens to the “Buttery” (the English term for cafeteria) for breakfast just after 8am, morning lectures from 9am to around 12pm, a break for lunch and then afternoon lectures from 1pm to around 3.30-4pm. Dinner was served in the candle lit dinning room in Clare College Old Court at 6.30pm, after which there would usually be an evening lecture scheduled, or some free time to wander around the town or see a Shakespeare play in the college gardens as part of the Summer Shakespeare Festival.

Acacia on Clare Bridge - the oldest bridge in Cambridge - overlooking the Kings College Chapel next door to Clare

How has this program affected you?
Being a part of this program really made me realise how important it is take the opportunities that come your way whenever you can. Studying at Cambridge was a once in a lifetime experience that I never would have had if it weren’t for AIM Overseas. In a professional sense, studying overseas has become a major talking point during job interviews and it has definitely enhanced my employment prospects.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The incredible history! In a place as old as Cambridge there is a story behind everything you see and I just loved taking time out to stroll through the college grounds (and as you are technically a student while you are there, a simple flash of your student card and the porters will waiver the admission fee) contemplating the enormity of the place just as countless others have before me. From the Bridge of Sighs at St Johns College, the beautiful gardens of Clare College and Trinity Hall, and of course the famous Kings College Chapel that marks the centre of town, there is something to see around every corner.

The Fellows Garden at Clare College

I especially enjoyed the evening lectures about the history of Cambridge architecture, the colleges, and the university traditions of academic dress and graduation, some of which we still see today (the evening lectures are also helpful in finding out where the towns hidden treasures are!). Becoming immersed in such a rich history, it is easy to forget that the modern university of the 21st century is directly descended from places like Cambridge.

The picturesque town and punts on the river Cam

Did you do some extra travel before/after/during the program?
I stopped over in London for a week before the program started. It was a great way for me to catch up with friends, get over the jet lag, and do some sightseeing (of course!).

Do you have any advice for students thinking about doing this course?

(1) If you have the option, do the assessment
It isn’t easy, but having something marked and graded by an academic of Cambridge University (including good and comprehensive feedback) was truly satisfying. I felt more like a student, rather than a tourist, and receiving an academic transcript with Cambridge University on the header was well worth the late night cramming. It allows you to really engage with the subject matter of your course and is also a good excuse to visit the main university library, the grandness of which has to be seen to be believed.

(2) Get to know your resident tutor
The resident tutors are your first point of call in an emergency, or if some other problem arises while you are staying on college, so it’s a good idea to keep their number handy. The same can be said for the college “porters”, who are always on hand if you need help with directions, finding the laundry room, or you simply want to find nice place to eat. Also keep in mind that some of the colleges close there gates at night, so if you’re planning on coming back late (from all that late night study in the library no doubt!) it’s a good idea to check in with the porters first.

(3) Stay open-minded
One of the best things about a program like this is that it attracts a diverse range of students from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds and varying ages. Take this opportunity to get to know people you wouldn't normally talk to. My neighbour at Clare College was 80 years old and had been coming to Cambridge every summer for the last 12 years! Talking to her was like reading a book she was just so full of knowledge. My advice: stay open minded because you never know who you might meet.

(4) Make the most of your stay
Lastly, book a few extra days in Cambridge before or after your trip so that you can really make the most of your stay.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
Go for it! How many people can say that they actually studied at one of the most prestigious universities in the world and rubbed shoulders with academic greats? You have everything to gain and nothing to lose, so just do it!

Group shot of Acacia and fellow AIM Overseasers at Cambridge

Thanks Acacia, great advice!

Read another article by Acacia on the Global Leadership Program and the benefits of studying overseas.

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Le culte du vrai macaron - article (in French!) by past participant Mia Timpano

2011-12-16T14:47:00.009+11:00

An assortment of macarons from La Belle Miette (photo reproduced with permission from Mia Timpano)

Mia Timpano, a past participant of AIM Overseas' Intensive French Language Program, has recently had one of her articles published in Le Petit Journal, a publication made specifically for French-speakers living outside of France. This is no mean feat, considering the entire article is in French! This is Mia's first French article, the first of many more to come, we're certain!

Now if only someone would translate it for us...

Read Mia's article here: Le culte du vrai macaron
Read Mia's blog about studying French: fille australienne et tout qu'elle aime
Find out more about AIM Overseas' Intensive French Language program

Joséphine Acker Tuil, the founder of Macarons by Joséphine, with her assistants cooking up a storm! Read Mia's article on Australia's fascination with maracons here (photo reproduced with permission from Mia Timpano)

Victoria's Hong Kong Adventure - Victoria Shipp tells us about how studying in Hong Kong has opened up her eyes to exciting new opportunities

2011-12-16T12:09:00.009+11:00

Victoria Shipp [pictured above, at The Peak in Hong Kong], a Griffith University student currently completing a Bachelor of Asian Business, travelled to the exciting city of Hong Kong earlier this year to participate in our International Trade Finance program. The experience has opened up her eyes to the huge range of careers opportunities available to her, helped her make up her mind that she was doing the right degree and has inspired her to explore more of Asia. Read more...

Hi Victoria! Where are you currently studying?
I am studying a Bachelor of Asian Business at Griffith University.

Why did you choose our International Trade Finance program?
While I may not be studying banking or finance or economics at university, I chose AIM Overseas' International Trade Finance Program because it taught me all about the Asian finance system from their perspective and not a Western perspective. As a student hoping to live and work in Hong Kong for either an Australian company or a Chinese company, I felt this was vital to my learning.

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
I had a load of fears. As this was the first time that the course was being offered, I had no-one to ask about their experience and what it was like living in Hong Kong for a month. My biggest fear was not being able to communicate with the locals and not fitting in well with the other university students also joining me. My fear of not being able to communicate with the locals was overcome once I spoke to Jooliet about how well the locals speak English. As for the fitting in part, I didn’t really overcome that until I met the other university students.

Victoria and friends posing in the hotel lobby in Hong Kong, about to head off to the races

Tell me about a typical day at Hong Kong PolyU
A typical day at PolyU involved a lecture from 9am to 12pm. The lectures were taken by two different lecturers who had the most amazing knowledge of the Asian Finance sector so I knew that we were in good hands. They were great teachers who used real life examples in their lectures to help get the lesson across.

At 12pm we broke for lunch until 2.30pm where we would head back to the university for a field trip. Field trips included trips to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Monetary Fund (Hong Kong’s version of the Reserve Bank of Australia), Bloomberg and Austrade.

At 4.30pm, we were given the option of being taken back to the hotel or staying in the city to do some shopping. Nine times out of ten we stayed and went shopping of exploring until late at night. Bedtime usually came around 11pm each night as there was always so much to do and see!

Fridays were our days off where we took part in full day tours of Hong Kong. The full day tours were amazing and the tour guides were so friendly and down to earth. Lunch on the full day tours consisted of a traditional dim sum lunch and was always highly anticipated. The food in Hong Kong is AMAZING!

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The highlight of the program for me was going to Bloomberg and Austrade. As someone who wishes to work for Austrade once I graduate, it was great to meet a fellow Australian who was achieving her dream of working around the world. She was such an inspiration!

Another highlight would definitely be the trip over to Macau some of us did. I along with four friends went bungy jumping off Macau tower, which happens to be the world’s highest bungy jump at 233 meters! It was the most amazing experience of my life and showed me what I was capable of achieving anything (I gave my Grandma a mini-heart-attack when she saw the video but my Dad is STILL watching it!).

Victoria and fellow AIM Overseas participants at the world's highest bungy jump at Macau Tower, Macau

3... 2... 1... JUMP!

Do you have any interesting facts about Hong Kong culture or Hong Kong people?
The nightlife in Hong Kong is off the hook! We attended beer festivals, and multiple bars from all around the world. There is a wicked nightlife every single night of the week and no matter what night you go out drinking, there are always locals eager to serve you and make you feel completely at home.

The locals are the friendliest and down to earth people I have ever met. They are always willing to drop everything to help an Aussie out when we got lost (which was often!). They will also do anything to make a sale. The markets hidden in alleyways are the best places to get the best deals on everything from shoes, to handbags, to watches. You can find a bargain everywhere in Hong Kong! As for ‘lost in translation’ moments, nearly everyone in Hong Kong speaks great English so I found it really easy to communicate when I was by myself and asking for directions or bargaining for a deal.

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
Some tips for someone who wishes to do this course would be to attend every lecture (you will learn invaluable information and they aren’t recorded like they are in many Australian universities) and definitely attend the field trips. By attending the field trips, you meet people in the field you are studying and you never know, you could be working for them one day!

The best nightlife I experienced was in Lan Kwai Fong or Wan Chai. Lan Kwai Fong has bars from all around the world and the people there are so friendly are welcoming. We even attended a beer festival in Lan Kwai Fong one night!

Pack a lot of cool clothes as the weather over in Hong Kong in July is hot, sticky and VERY muggy! I lived in shorts and singlets every day as it was too hot to wear anything else. Also, pack an umbrella as it is the rainy season in Hong Kong in July. It rained for one, maybe two weeks while I was there and the umbrella became a lifesaver many times.

And remember, whenever in doubt, just ask Jooliet as she is from Hong Kong and can help you with any questions you may have (and trust me, you’ll have loads and Jooliet is always more than happy to answer them).

How has this program impacted you?
Professionally, this program was a dream come true. It helped me make up my mind that I was definitely happy doing the degree I was doing. It also steered me in the right direction while showing me what jobs were available to me once I completed my degree. Before I left for the program, I couldn’t answer families and friends questions when asking me the type of company I would work for once I completed university. I came back from the program telling family and friends that I was hoping to work for Austrade once I finished university. The International Trade Finance Program opened my eyes to the huge range of jobs that were actually available to me.

This program impacted me on a personal level because it helped me grow up and make decisions about the future. I learnt to stand on my own two feet and make my own decisions. I was bitten by the travelling bug after returning from Hong Kong and now can’t wait to explore Asia more!

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
To anyone thinking of doing this program, go for it. You will have the experience of a lifetime and make life-long friends. What you learn is invaluable, the people you meet are incredible and the memories you make while participating in the program will stay with you forever. You will not be sorry by choosing to participate in this once in a lifetime experience.

Taken at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a must-see tourist attraction in Hong Kong that has been visited by Queen Elizabeth II, John Wayne, Tom Cruise and now the participants of AIM Overseas' 2011 International Trade Finance Program! :D

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us, Victoria! We hope you get to visit Asia again some time soon!

"You won't regret what you did, but what you didn't do!" - Karandeep Narula on why you should study overseas

2011-12-16T10:11:00.016+11:00

Karandeep Narula [pictured above, in Paris], an international student who has grown up in India and Thailand, is currently pursuing his penultimate year of studies in a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Canberra. In July this year, Karandeep participated in our European Management and Marketing program held in the beautiful city of Tours, France. The experience has had a profound impact on Karandeep and he's got some great advice on why you should study overseas (as well as a hilarious story on how Karandeep's attempts at the notoriously difficult French language led him to accidentally hit on a supermarket cashier). Read on to find out more...

Why did you choose AIM Overseas' European Management and Marketing program?
Was it just fate or destiny?

I saw the AIM Overseas info session advertisement on the University of Canberra's Moodle account and it caught my eyes as, at the time, I had been thinking about doing an exchange program. I noted down the day and time of the info session but somehow it just slipped from my mind.

Then one day, after I had finished tutoring a class, a girl walked into the classroom and asked me, “AIM Overseas??” and I said “Nope! We just finished a business stats class”. I then started having a conversation with her and found out that there were actually two AIM Overseas information sessions running on that particular day. Once I came to know that another session was about to begin, I thought to myself that maybe I should take a seat.

I then received a piece of paper with a list of programs, and the European Management and Marketing program in France caught my attention because advertising and business studies have always been my forte. I also felt that this trip would add to my exposure in terms of making me open up and learn and experience other cultures and traditions. I have always wanted to study and travel at the same time and through AIM Overseas I was able to do that. Moreover, the course would add to my personal and professional growth.

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
Oh yes! I faced so many problems preparing to go overseas that at one point I thought that I wouldn't even be able to go, but Jooliet from AIM Overseas made sure my documentation was in order.

Another fear I started to have was that I would be travelling all alone to Europe and didn’t even know their language. It’s not like I haven't travelled alone before but this was that first time I had organised everything, whereas in the past my parents had organised everything for me. My trip to Australia was arranged by my parents for me but France has been my independent effort.

Tell me about a typical day at ESCEM
Every day was a different day! Why wouldn’t it be when you're in Europe?

We’d wake up in the morning and receive croissants, a baguette, butter, cheese and fruits etc. for breakfast. We then had to catch a bus which I would usually end up running for as I would (most of the time) be late I had not woken up in time, even after several of my friends had tried knocking on my door for ages. This is how we would head off to ESCEM for classes which started at 9:30 or 10:00am.

Karandeep and fellow AIM Overseas participants take a happy snap during their Welcome Dinner

The class would continue until 12:30pm and then lunch would be served at the school. During the lunch break, we were free to do what we wanted; some of us went to the markets next to the ESCEM while others usually hung out in the student commons playing pool, Foosball or the Ps3. After lunch, classes resumed until 5 pm after which we were free to do anything we wanted. Some days we had cooking or French language classes after 5pm.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
Those chilli shots!! All of us decided to go to the square (La Plamerau) to celebrate our last day at Tours. We rocked up at a bar where all the French students in our class hung out and we just started ordering vodka and tequila shots as they were only 2 EUROS!

We kept on having shots until the bartender made chilli vodka shots for all of us. Everyone turned red with smoke blowing out of their ears and tears streaming down their faces!! Everyone asked for water but the bartender never gave it to us!

The infamous chilli shots (we can't believe you guys actually drank that!!)

In terms of the course, I feel that the organisation and fluidity of the experience was the highlight. It never felt like a classroom environment because the basis of the course was practical and hands-on. Being part of this creative environment, I came to appreciate business and advertising in a different light. I am pretty sure that the course introduced me to advertising and business information which I would have never gotten to learn.

Do you gain any interesting insights on French people and culture?
Well, it was very strange to see how French people separated their professional lives from their personal lives. Every single day, once work hours were over, you would see them enjoying their lives to the max. They would call up all their friends, grab some snacks, cheese and a bottle of wine and just sit underneath the Eiffel tower for hours till midnight. Wherever you went, the city would be up until 2 or 3am in the morning. Even students went out a lot; they would study during the school hours, get back home to read their notes for an hour or two, grab dinner then head out to hang out with their friends in bars and clubs. If felt as if they were celebrating every day!

Before heading to France, a couple of my friends had told me that French people were very rude and they didn't speak English well and that I'd have to speak to them in French otherwise they wouldn't respond. I found this to be completely wrong! French people were very helpful and if you did show that you were trying to speak their language, they would start having a conversation with you - in English!

Saint Gatien's Cathedral, which Karandeep visited on one of the program-organised cultural trips

Did you have any funny 'lost in translation' moments?
Yes! I do remember one… Once at the supermarket, my friends and I said to the lady at the cashier, “Merci beau cul,” and she smiled. Later, one of our French friends told us that instead of saying "Merci beaucoup," which means "Thank you very much," we had said "Thank you nice a**!" We couldn’t stop laughing.

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
• Go 2 weeks before your course starts or stay 2 weeks more after your course so you can take the opportunity to travel to other European countries. I arrived in France on the day of the course and had 2 extra weeks after the course during which I explored France, Spain, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Karandeep in front of the impressive Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

• Make sure you do all the readings required of you before attending class. Prepare all the notes during the class and review them once before you head out and party.
• The bar right beside La Loire River is the best place to chill and hang out as they have got different music being performed everyday such as rock, tap dance etc. If this is not your thing, then head off to La Plamerau which we called “The Square”.
• Pack light and shop more because once you are in Europe, you will definitely turn into a shopaholic because of the fashionable clothes and the massive sale prices.

La Plamerau [“The Square”]

How has this program impacted you?
This program has made me more mature and confident and I have started seeing things in a different and positive way. This experience has made me more practical, so much so that even those around me have noticed it. In terms of the impact this has made on my professional life, it will surely be the highlight of my resume when I start applying for jobs and will be able to share my experience during the interview.

The major impacts I have felt have been from interacting with people from another culture, seeing some of the overseas destinations that some may never see first-hand and learning a new language, French, which is one of the most popular languages after English.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
I have no regrets because I got exactly what I wanted: a program which was a fun learning experience. You get to travel to France and other European countries as well. So don’t think! You are just wasting your time! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and when opportunity knocks on your door, just grab it because you won't regret what you did, but what you didn't do. I am sure that given the chance no one would pass on this course. The trip alone is worth it!

I thought way too much about whether or not I should go, even after getting accepted for the program; but my dad pushed me and said, “You should go! It’s an experience you will never forget which no one can take away from you!” I am now passing on this advice to you, because by doing an overseas study program, you will study, travel, learn about a new culture and see yourself becoming more mature and confident.

Great advice! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us Karandeep - merci beaucoup! ;)

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Handy Smartphone Apps for the Well-Prepared Traveller

2011-12-15T13:44:00.006+11:00

It seems like one can't go anywhere these days without hearing the familiar ring of an iPhone...!

For those of you with a Smartphone (and this includes everyone in the AIM Overseas office!), there are some awesome apps out there that can help simplify your study overseas experience. Here's a great list of handy Smartphone apps from BootsnAll (article by Greg Banecker).

http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/11-12/50-of-the-best-apps-for-indie-travelers.html

Happy travelling!

Photo taken by one of our Intensive Spain in Spain participants whilst travelling in Barcelona

Pace yourself - Michael Warrender talks about studying History at Cambridge University

2011-12-15T13:19:00.008+11:00

Photo courtesy of Laura Galea

Michael Warrender, a 3rd year Bachelor of Arts/International Studies student from the University of Adelaide, talks to us about his experience doing the Cambridge History Summer School program. Read on to find out more...

Hi Michael! Could you please introduce yourself? I am Michael Warrender a now 3rd year Bachelor of Arts/International studies student at Adelaide University.

Why did you choose this AIM Overseas course? I chose this course largely because it provided me with the opportunity to study at Cambridge University, something which I have always wanted to do. I also selected this course because it seemed academically excellent. The topics on offer were of interest to me.

Did you have any fears/concerns before doing the program? And if so, were you able to overcome these fears?
This trip was so well organised by AIM Overseas that I had no real fears or concerns before doing this program. This is even considering that I had not been overseas for several years and had never left the country on my own before.

Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
A typical day at Cambridge involved a smorgasbord breakfast at one’s college. This was followed by the morning plenary lecture, which this year focused on the theme of war and peace. After this came a short break before another lesson, this time of one of the electives. Lunch succeeded the class and there was the opportunity to eat wherever one wanted. The final elective lesson then took place. This was the end of the academic day.

Apart from dinner, which was supplied by the college, students then had the evening to themselves. Occasionally there were evening lectures or social activities. Otherwise, one could explore the city at one’s leisure.

If the choice of completing an essay was taken, some evenings/lunch breaks had to be set aside for research and writing.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The highlight was definitely the opportunity to study at such a prestigious location. Cambridge is a place where one can easily get lost. For several hours in my case! To be treated like a Cambridge student was excellent.

Also, meeting people from all over the world made this experience worthwhile.

Do you have any insider tips for someone who's going on this course?
If one plans to do the essays, pace oneself. It sounds obvious, but doing a bit each day is far more profitable than losing a whole day that could be spent seeing the sites.

There are so many pubs that it is difficult to recommend. The college bars are great as they are designed for students and are rather cheap.

The food provided by the colleges was not brilliant but not that bad. The only meal one has to worry about each day, therefore, is lunch. There are plenty of places to get some cheap food.

Hire a bike! It makes it so much easier to see the whole of Cambridge.

The weekends are a good time to go to London. It is only a 40-50 minute train trip from Cambridge. However, the station can be crowded.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Shields

How has this program impacted you? I now know that I can participate actively at a different university of a very high standard.

I also have the experience of travelling and studying by myself.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
Go for it! It is an excellent experience!

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Michael!

Photo courtesy of Daniel Shields

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Oxford Blog with Chloé - Chloé Truehl talks about studying the Oxford History, Politics and Society program

2011-12-14T09:28:00.008+11:00

Day one in Oxford, Exeter College. Just picked up my induction pack!

Chloé Truehl, a recent Bachelor of Communication, Media & Culture graduate from the University of South Australia, travelled all the way to the University of Oxford in July this year to study the Oxford History, Politics and Society program. Read on to find out more about Chloé's experiences:

Hi Chloé! Could you please introduce yourself?
I am Chloé Truehl. I have just completed a Bachelor of Communication, Media & Culture at the University of South Australia in 2011. At Oxford University, I chose to study Globalisation and Contemporary Middle East as part of the School of History Politics and Society.

Why did you choose to do this program?
I chose this AIM Overseas course to strengthen my degree and give me an international edge. It also gave me a different and challenging way of gaining credit that wasn't in the standard university realm.

Did you have any fears or concerns about the program?
The fears I had about the course were mainly the study content, but I set my mind to it, spent most my days in the library and achieved more than I thought I could have. I was incredibly rewarding. I made sure I kept weekends free to explore the UK with other international students.

Tell me about a typical day at Oxford for you.
A typical day at Oxford involved getting up to the smell of my local coffee shop, before wandering over there for a flat white on my stroll to class. I stayed 15mins from campus with locals as I wanted to experience more of the British life. I found my flat mates on Couchsurfing!

A picturesque day in Bath. I felt like I was in Pride and Prejudice!

Do you have any insider tips for someone who's about to do this course?
What I did find out about Oxford is that although it is full of academic geniuses, they certainly know how to drink beer. The pubs are located just above an underground library of 7 million books, where I spent a lot of time!

Final day, just graduated. Photo in front of the Bodlean Library, which has only has 7 million books

Some tips:
* Study during weekdays, so you can make the most of weekends.
* Respect the culture of the University as it upholds tradition and respect.
* Pack light, and buy stuff to bring home!
* I would definitely recommend staying before or after to do some travelling, I didn't do enough around the UK.

What would you say to someone considering doing the program?
If someone was considering doing the program, I would tell them to consider what benefits they believe they will get out of it, then times that by 5,000! There were a lot of little things to learn along the way that I will keep for life, like: how to debate and how to walk
on cobblestone streets with heels.

How has doing this program impacted you?
The course primarily impacted me professionally, as since then, I have had many future employers impressed at my studies abroad and my drive to do something so challenging (even though it was still all fun!).

Thanks Chloé!

Getting up to sing with a blues band from NYC! At my local Bullingdon bar

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Annie's Oxford Adventures - Annie Caligari talks about studying Human Rights Law at Oxford

2011-12-13T11:46:00.009+11:00

Annie and friends punting on the Thames

Annie Caligari, currently completing a Law/Commerce degree at the University of Canberra, travelled all the way to the University of Oxford earlier this year to study the prestigious Oxford International Human Rights Law program. Annie talks about what it was like studying under some of the world's leading thinkers at the oldest English-speaking university in the world. Read on to find out more...

Hi Annie! Could you please introduce yourself?
Hi! I am just finishing my third year of a five year double degree. I am studying a Bachelor of Law/Commerce (International Business) at the University of Canberra.

Why did you choose to study the Oxford International Human Rights Law program?
Ever since my first lecture at university when an AIM Overseas rep came and spoke to us about all of these amazing opportunities, I knew that before I would graduate I would be one of those students.

As for International Human Rights Law at Oxford University – honestly, when I saw this I was simply blown away. To be giving the opportunity to study at the second oldest university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world was amazing in itself, but also to study a subject that I was so interested in was definitely the icing on the cake. I was off to be a real life Law Student at Oxford University!

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
The only fear I had before doing the program as “will I be able to KEEP UP?” This was Oxford and I would be studying Law with much older students; furthermore, many countries don’t offer Law as an undergraduate degree and I was 19 when I flew over (had my 20th Birthday while away). I also knew of a few other Aussies who were going over and they were all in their fifth and final year of study, whereas I had only done 2 years, so it was very daunting at the beginning.

However, once I arrived and met everyone, it didn’t feel so scary anymore – plus I began to look at it as if I was the lucky one to be surrounded by the most amazing professors and students who were all wildly passionate about Human Rights Law. I never thought I would be able to learn so much in only 4 short weeks!

Annie and friends posing under the Bridge of Sighs

Tell me about a typical day at Oxford.
First of all, let me just say I am a big Harry Potter fan. Every single day at Oxford I woke up and walked over to the dinner hall that was the ‘substitute’ dinner hall from the Harry Potter films (Christchurch was the main one but New College was only slightly smaller so when film crew couldn’t access Christchurch they used my College dining hall) and it was exactly like being in the movie - minus the moving pictures on the wall and floating candles. We even had the four rows of house tables and a head table at the end; I usually ate breakfast on the Slytherin table and Lunch on the Gryffindor table.

Every day was jam packed with classes, and by 3pm we were all ready for a mental break so we’d ride our ‘second-hand’ old English bikes down to high street and have a spot of tea before heading back to college to get our reading done for another day. We made time for the occasional pub drink before bed and in summer the sun was out until about 10pm so it never felt that late.

Friday nights consisted of the Formal Dinner in the Grand Hall and always a big night to follow. Weekends were full of pub crawls and picnics in the meadows. Riding though town and lunch at Jamie Oliver’s (delicious!).

What was the highlight of the program for you? Honestly, I would be doing an injustice to the experience if I could pinpoint one exact highlight. Every single thing about it was amazing. From punting on the Thames, bonfire nights even watching the Shakespearean ‘A Comedy of Errors’ in Wadham College Courtyard at twilight – I can truly say I would not trade my time in Oxford for the world. I have made so many amazing friends from all around the world and met some of the most interesting professors that were heavily involved in the Human Rights stratosphere, one of my professors was even on the CEDAW committee (discrimination against women), and you can definitely guess what that class focused on.

Jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
On my last weekend in Oxford, I rode my bike on a sunny Sunday morning down to the train station and got on a bus out to Blenheim Palace, where there was a Jousting Tournament on. It was the only travel and sightseeing I did on my own for the entire time I was in Oxford so I was a nice relaxing day away.

Surprisingly, the tournament was full of English families and hardly any tourists – lots of little kids all dressed up in their jousting uniforms. I went over to the Archery Tent before the tournament began and lined up to have a go at the long bow.

When my turn came around I was too proud to ask for help and took my first shot at the bullseye. Needless to say, I didn’t even make the board and I had a biggest bruise on my arm from holding it incorrectly. What made it worse was that the little boy next to me was constantly getting right outside the bulls-eye!

No one laughed at my complete lack of skill and the gentlemen running the show came over to me and asked if I wanted some help. This time I had no option but to accept. He showed me the correct way of holding the long bow and I took another shot – this time hitting the edge of the board – better! Then I took another shot once he’d walked off to help another young boy and I hit the BULLSEYE!!!

I was so excited it took me a minute to realise everyone around me was laughing… they had been watching the whole time and thought it was hilarious that I’d gone from not even being able to hold the long bow properly to hitting the bulls-eye. The bruise was definitely worth it!

Riding to afternoon tea after class (so English - we love it!)

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
Be prepared – I was shocked when I saw the amount of textbooks I had to collect upon arrival – and this is coming from a law student!
Be friendly – Don’t be scared to meet new people. Just put on a happy face and people will be drawn to you. One of my friends was very quiet and it took a while to get to know her but once we did she was a lot of fun to be around. So just ignore your shy side and have fun!
The Kings Arms – best pub in Oxford (and trust me, we’d had our fair share by the end).
Research – Google the place you’re going to by studying at and make a list of the key things that you want to do! Because you don’t get that much free time, so you definitely need to take advantage of every opportunity when if comes your way.

How has this program impacted you?
It has made me grow as a person from all the new and amazing experiences and new friends I made while at Oxford University. Plus, it’s something that is special to me because I know that deep down it makes me stand out amongst the crowd. That is definitely a professional benefit as well, it looks great on a resume and it gives you a talking point in interviews – I mean, who doesn’t want to hear about life as a student at Oxford University?!

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
Don’t even think twice! It is a priceless experience that every university student should have. Start booking now – what are you waiting for!?

Thanks Annie, sounds like you had an amazing time!

Picnic in the college gardens

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

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La vida española - Melissa Gillies gives us the low-down on studying Spanish in Spain

2011-12-13T10:28:00.009+11:00

Melissa Gillies [pictured above, at one of Madrid's biggest street parties], a recent International Studies graduate from the University of Canberra, reflects on her time abroad living and studying amongst the Spanish on our Intensive Spanish course in Alcalá, Spain. Read on to find out more...

Hola Melissa! Why did you choose our Intensive Spanish in Spain program?
I really wanted to improve my Spanish and immersion’s the best way to achieve this. The program at Alcalá ticked all the boxes: an intensive language and cultural program with a homestay option in a centuries-old heritage listed town that lies 30 minutes from Madrid. It’s an ideal place to study Spanish!

I had been studying Spanish for two years at university and had done some travel in Spanish speaking countries but found that I still lacked the confidence to maintain day-to-day chit-chat with locals and my grammar wasn’t up to scratch. I jumped at the chance to study abroad over the winter here in Canberra so I could enjoy the summer program in Alcalá and improve my Spanish!

The streets of Malasana, Madrid

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
None whatsoever... apart from concerns about not wanting to come home after the course!

Tell me about a typical day at Alcalá
For me, a typical day at Alcalá in a nutshell:

- 8am: breakfast and the daily news with my host family
- 9-11am: grammar class: the toughest of the classes but at least it’s over first up!
- 11-11:30am: snack and coffee with fellow students at the local cafe behind the uni – we got to know the owner and his family because we had tortilla de patatas and coffee there every day we had class! The tortilla de patatas is legendary.
- 11:30am-1:30pm: language/conversation class: an interactive class where you discuss pretty much everything and anything – it was in this class that I learnt the most about Spanish culture, history and life outside of my homestay.
- 1:45-2:45pm: culture classes such as art, film and Spanish history: a fun class where we learnt Spanish slang and more specific things about Spanish culture and so on.
- 3-4pm: lunch with my host family – my host mum cooked the most amazing meals – I was there for a month and only ate the same meal twice in that time. She had an endless list of recipes and multi-course meals. Incredible!
- **4-6pm: siesta – whether it’s watching the TV, reading in bed or taking a nap, at least an hour long siesta is required.
- 6-8pm: study session time
- 8-9pm: internet catch-up/study/chilling out with host family
- 10pm: Tapas and drinks around Alcalá (or Madrid)
- 11pm: Dinner in Alcalá (or Madrid)
- 12:30am: Dancing, more tapas or live music........ the clubs/discotecas are open til the sun comes up!

**A variation to the typical afternoon above was going into Madrid after lunch and skipping siesta to check out its world class galleries and museums, to shop around town, to sample Madrid’s amazing food options - tapas in Lavapiés is a must, or to just paseo around town.

View from Alcalingua (language institute at the Universidad de Alcalá where Melissa's classes were held) towards Plaza de Cervantes

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The homestay option was fabulous – I clicked with my host family and I learnt so much from my host mum about the language, culture, food and history – all things that I adore. Living with a Spanish family gives you insight into la vida española and the Spanish outlook on life (in particular family, religion, politics and their concept of time!).

The intensive course was also a highlight – I learnt so much it was overwhelming. Another highlight was the opportunity to travel every weekend, I was able to explore different corners of the country from Madrid to Barcelona to San Sebastián to Valencia.

What was it like living with a host family?
The best of the best. I would recommend to anyone taking the course to select the homestay option. Not only do you get to experience life as a local but you are often situated much closer to the university campus, as the residences are a 40 min bus ride away.

Plaza de Cervantes (main square in Alcalá)

Do you have any quirky facts about Spanish culture?
Spaniards don’t eat dinner til at least 11pm, don’t use the polite/formal/textbook Spanish that we learn in class in Australia and are so generous and welcoming. One of the funniest things I experienced was while I was shopping I had asked to try something on politely (using textbook/formal Spanish, something like may/could I try this on) and the shop assistant said "I know exactly what you mean but you want to try on that dress so just say so! Stop with the niceties, we don’t do that here!" It was really funny.

Do you have some insider tips for someone who's going on this course?

Be prepared to study; but
Make sure you make the time to explore Alcalá and its surrounds – I found on my last day I was rushing around still trying to do a whole bunch of things I said I would do when I first arrived. A month disappears way too quickly.
Avoid the Media Pinta, it’s a gringo pub in the centre of town and heaps of international students go there. Go anywhere else and you will meet locals. And even better, they’ll often shout you a drink and give you the chance to practice your Spanish!
The earliest bus bound for Alcalá leaves Madrid (from Avenida de las Americas) at 6 or 630am, which gives you just enough time to shower and to enjoy breakfast with your host family before heading to class after a night out in Madrid.
Best places to go for tapas/dancing in Madrid: Lavapiés (especially along Calle Cava Baja), Chueca (anywhere near the main Plaza de Chueca – this is also a fantastic place for shopping), Malasaña (delicious food along Calle de Manuela Malasaña, heaps of watering holes)
If you’re keen on checking out the galleries and museums they have free entry after 6pm on some weeknights so check their websites or Lonely Planet (etc) guides to check when it’s free to visit

Tapas!

How has doing this program impacted you?
It has given me even more enthusiasm to travel and to improve my Spanish. Also, by completing an intensive program in another country, my undergraduate degree has extra edge that will hopefully jump out when applying for jobs and postgraduate study programs.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing this program?
Just do it and make the most of everything! How often do you get the chance to study abroad to explore another country’s language, culture and history and gain credits for it? Plus you get to escape winter!

Muchas gracias, Melissa!

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

‘Si krásna’ & ‘Dal bych si tři piva, prosím': Matt Shirley gives us some tips on studying International Security in the Czech Republic

2011-12-12T14:50:00.015+11:00

Matt Shirley [pictured above, drinking some kind of fruit juice, I'm sure...], a Bachelor of Arts student at La Trobe University in Melbourne, participated in our International Security in the Modern World program at Masaryk University. Matt tells us about what it was like studying in the awesome town of Brno in the Czech Republic and the importance of the phrases: ‘Si krásna’ and ‘Dal bych si tři piva, prosím.' Read on to find out more...

Hi Matt! Why did you choose AIM Overseas' International Security in the Modern World program?
The thing that appealed to me most was the location. So many people go to Europe and just visit Paris, Madrid, London, Amsterdam....and miss out on all the fun that can be had in the less touristy parts of the world!

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
Absolutely! It was my very first time overseas, so I was freaking out about EVERYTHING! My biggest concerns came from the organisation of funding, but Jooliet from AIM Overseas was always there to help me!

Tell me about a typical day at Masaryk University
I don’t think anything about our time at Masaryk was typical!!! Usually we’d wake up (just) before class and grab some breakfast on the way to campus. Classes were always entertaining and we became quite close with our lecturers, often heading out for lunch (or more frequently beautiful Czech beer!!!) after class.

Then the afternoons were largely free, but our program director Martin would always have loose plans or ideas for amazing places to visit. Somedays we’d find ourselves visiting battlefields from the Napoleonic Wars, or heading out for an afternoon on Lake Brno to visit a castle, or maybe we’d just end playing football against our Czech & Slovak friends. After a quick disco nap, we’d all grab some dinner and then head out to experience the Czech nightlife! If we were lucky, we’d be back before the sun came up, ready to start all over again!!!!

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The Czech beer costing less than a dollar for half a litre! Hahaha, seriously though, as cheesy and staged as it sounds, the people. Not only did everyone get along so well right off the bat, but we made such amazing local connections. We all became such a tight knit group, it just made for the three most consistently awesome weeks of my life!

Matt with the awesome friends he made from the course, who ended up being the highlight of the program for him. All together now: "AWWWWWWWW!" :)

Do you have some tips for someone who’s going on this course? If you find yourself in Brno, I have two words for you: Two-Faces. This club was like something out of a 90s music video! There’s a spa inside the club, foam that shoots from the roof and looks like snow, strobe lights, people dancing on podiums, and everyone just having a great time!

The Czech Republic is so cheap that we would catch a cab into town, spend a whole night ordering litre beers, rounds of shots for the whole table, dinner, and catch a cab home....and have spent about AUD$30-40 for the whole night. It was absolutely amazing.

Some sage words of advice from Matt: "Drink Responsibly! Or I should say, it is your responsibility to drink!" Thanks Matt!

How has this program impacted you?
This program was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to travel overseas for the first time ever (with government OS HELP funding no less!), make some amazing friends from all over Australia and Europe, and really experience life in a culture different to my own. I could tell you about all the amazing places and cities we visited, but the best memories came from just wandering around with friends, and just spending time in such a beautiful country.

What would you say to someone who is thinking of doing the program?
Why are you still reading this? APPLY APPLY APPLY!!!!!! It was without a doubt the greatest experience I’ve had.

My final advice if you do decide to do it? I’d say the most important thing to make sure you take advantage of your surroundings. Some of the optional trips organised by the uni that I went on turned out to be some of the best moments our group had together. Those of us who travelled and experienced all that Central Europe had to offer still managed to get excellent marks. These courses are as much a cultural experience as they are an academic one, and I’d really implore you to devote enough time to both aspects.

Also, write these phrases down, they helped us immensely: ‘si krásna’ & ‘Dal bych si tři piva, prosím'. That’s Czech for “You’re Beautiful“ & “Three Beers Please“.

Hmm... you'll have to tell us the stories connected to these phrases some other time then, Matt!

A gorgeous view of the Czech Republic, where Matt lived and studied for three glorious weeks

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Oxford Literature Program: insider's guide with Nicole Shipley

2011-12-12T13:21:00.009+11:00

Nicole went prepared with her own Vegemite!

Nicole Shipley [pictured above] has recently finished her final semester of a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Newcastle. Earlier this year, she travelled all the way to the University of Oxford to do a our Oxford Literature course. Read on to find out more about Nicole's experiences...

Hi Nicole! Tell me about why you chose t0 d0 AIM Overseas' Oxford Literature course?
I was studying English at university as part of my BA and thought it would be an amazing experience, to be able to broaden my understanding of the language at one of the greatest English universities.

Did you have any fears/concerns before doing the program?
Just generally being alone overseas; away from my family and friends. I was definitely able to overcome this fear, just by making new friends and enjoying the experience.

Tell me about a typical day at Oxford.
Well, I would get up pretty early in the morning (the bells do that to you!), shower before anyone else could, then wander down to the courtyard to wait for breakfast. We’d head to the plenary lecture after breakfast, which ran every week day for the three weeks. Then if I had class, I’d go to class; otherwise I’d wander around the city, exploring, and shopping.

Then we'd have lunch, then an afternoon class if I had one, then I had the afternoon and evening to myself.

The beautiful gardens at Christ Church College

What was the highlight of the program for you?
Just being able to learn about the English language and how it has been used throughout history, from amazing teachers like the ones I had at Exeter was the highlight of the program for me. It really gave me a deeper understanding of literature and English, and being able to study at one of the greatest universities in England was just mind-blowing. It was an experience I’ve recommended to everyone who will listen.

At the Roman baths, in Bath

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
When I arrived at Heathrow, I had to get to the domestic terminals, as I was then flying to Newcastle, to meet up with some of my family over there. Of course, I had no idea where to go, and was lugging around three bags – my suitcase, my laptop case, and my handbag, so I was puffed, rushed, and jet-lagged. Not the best first impression on the locals, who, I can imagine, would have been wondering what this crazy, clueless Aussie girl was doing running around the airport!

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
Pack as lightly as you can, especially if you’re heading to Exeter College! The staircases are tiny, and winding, and not built for heavy suitcases! Otherwise, pack a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage so you get a bit refreshed after each flight (22 hours is too long!). Buy an e-book reader to avoid lugging around multiple books, and don’t forget adaptors for all your electronics.

Most of all, just take every opportunity that is presented to you, because you won’t
regret it.

The London Eye

How has this program impacted you?
I think the program has definitely broadened my understanding of literature, which helped in my final semester of uni. Personally, it’s just made me so much more aware of how big the world is, and how much there is to see and do, and how little Australia is in comparison.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program? Do it! Find the money, make the time, because it will make your life so much better.

Thanks Nicole, this certainly makes me want to hop on a plane to Oxford!

Playing Quidditch! At Christ Church College, where Quidditch was filmed in the Harry Potter movies

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

More about the Cambridge History Summer School: Shannon Bishop tells us what it's like

2011-12-09T16:39:00.022+11:00

Shannon Bishop [front left], a Bachelor of Arts student from the University of Newcastle, participated in our Cambridge History Summer School program in July this year. Shannon recently took some time out to tell us more about what it was like studying this intensive course at this prestigious university.

Hi Shannon! Could you please introduce yourself?
I am currently finishing off my Bachelor of Arts (History and Ancient History) at the University of Newcastle. I'll be proceeding onto my Honours (History) this year.

Why did you choose AIM Overseas' Cambridge History summer school course?
I chose the History Summer School because A: its Cambridge! Who wouldn't want to study there if they had the opportunity? And B: I thought it would be a good experience for me, experiencing a different university in a different country, and it would also stand out on my transcript that I took a course at Cambridge; and, of course, I have a love of history - it was a great opportunity to study at such an old and prestigious University.

The glorious gates of the University of Cambridge

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
No I didn't have any real fears... well I suppose the only one would be the amount of work that needed to be done. I wanted to get credit for the course, so I chose to complete an essay for evaluation. I found out that if you did the essay for one of your courses in the second week, it wasn't due until the week after (which meant I would be back at home) - so I found it easier to do that, so that I would have time to explore Cambridge, as opposed to being stuck in my room, doing my essay.

The pain of being stuck in your room writing essays must surely be softened when you're surrounded by scenes like this...

Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
I was staying at St Catharine's College, which is right smack bang in the middle of Cambridge, a few metres down from the illustrious Kings College and the centre of town. My day would begin with breakfast at around 7.45am; we got a buffet type breakfast, so we were able to fill up, and have some energy for what seemed like long days (although they weren't). I would often meet up with my fellow classmates, as well as students from the science and literature programs, which was always interesting.

Us history students were then off to the first lecture of the day - the plenary lecture. The subject for this year was War and Peace. This encompassed many different eras, from Stuart Britain right up until the Cold War. This lecture was mandatory, so we always had to make sure we arrived at class at least 5 mins early. These lectures went for 1.5 hours, then we had a half hour break, before the first of our special subject lectures started at 11am.

My chosen morning special subject was Revolutions in Latin America - something that wasn't studied at my uni, but interested me (it was made all the more interesting with the lecturer always taking his sandals off and walking around the room barefoot!). In week two I studied Making and breaking the Soviet Union.

We would then break for lunch at 12.30pm for an hour and a half. During this time, I met up with some friends that I had made (from various parts of the world), and we would go off into town to find some lunch.

After lunch we would start our afternoon lectures - this was always hard, starting at 2pm after a long lunch, after what had already seemed like a long day. I was taking Disasters in the Roman World, which I had thought was going to be very interesting, though it ended up being my least favourite lecture series! In week 2 I studied Heroes and Villains: the Victorians and History.

Shannon and friends take a happy snap on campus

With classes completed by 3pm, we had time from then until dinner to do what we pleased, with most afternoons spent walking around Cambridge, and looking at the different colleges, and trying to get a head start on the essay.

Dinner was always a fun catch up for the day. The first time I walked into the dining hall, I thought I was on the set of a movie - it reminded me of Harry Potter! Dinner was a three course menu and often quite interesting! We would use the time at dinner to catch up with our fellow college mates, and discuss the day and how we were feeling about our classes, and talked about our lives outside of Cambridge.

After dinner there were a bunch of lecture series running - sometimes they were particular to which summer school you were studying, and some were joint ones between all of the summer schools (these were optional - if you didn't want to go, you went into town/pub/worked on essay). With these lectures finishing around 9pm, I'm glad it was daylight savings so that there was still light as we walked back to the college from the teaching sites.

What was the highlight of the program for you?
There were a couple of highlights for me. Meeting new people from around the world was excellent and I still talk to most of them now via Facebook, which is great!

Shannon and her new-found Cambridge friends from all around the world: luckily there's Facebook to keep in touch!

Another highlight were two evening lectures - one given by the official historian of MI5, and one given by Dr James Grimes on understanding codes and the Enigma Machine. Dr James Grimes is best described as the doppelganger of Mr. Bean - not in looks but in actions. The fact he was cracking jokes every few minutes made the hour go very fast, and no one wanted his lectures to end!

Another highlight at this lecture was that we were able to get up close and personal with an Enigma machine which had been captured by an American GI in France during WW2 - Dr Grimes showed us how it worked - it still worked after all this time!

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
On the second last day at Cambridge, after dinner, I was headed back to my room for the night as there were no evening lectures. I got to my room, popped my bag down, and headed off to see a neighbour. After a few minutes, I returned to my room - well, I tried to, anyway... I put the key in the door lock, and the key just kept turning around and around... I thought to myself, "Hang on, that's not right," and I gave it another go - but the same thing happened again!

So I trotted off down three flights of stairs to the porters office to see if he could get me into my room. Both of us trotted back up, and he decided he would try his master key - but oh no, that didn't work either! So back down to the porters office we went so he could log a job with the locksmith at the college.

He told me that he would have to put me in another room for the night, as the locksmith wouldn't be coming tonight (it was only 8pm - I didn't understand why they didn't have a locksmith on call 24/7!). He gave me my key and said for me to come back down in the morning after breakfast and they'd send the locksmith up to get me back in. Mind you, all this time I had nothing with me except the clothes on my back and I was glad it was summer as I just had a t-shirt and shorts on.

So what was I to do for the rest of the evening with no iPod or kindle or laptop? I found the TV room, and watched TV for awhile, went to the computer room and played on Facebook, then toddled off to find my new room for the night - luckily it was next door to one of my new friends!

Finally, the next morning arrived, and I rushed off to breakfast - relaying this story to my breakfast pals - then raced up to my room, to find the locksmith there (yay!) using a crowbar to open the door! Finally, I was able to get in, get changed and grab my stuff for class! He was going to fix the lock so it would be ready by the time I returned in the afternoon. Oh well, it all made for a fun story anyway!

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
I guess just do some reading on the subjects you are taking before you go, it helps to have a bit of a background knowledge so that you don't feel like you're lost and confused in class.

The Anchor is the best pub we found to go to - good food and service at a good price, plus it was right near the teaching site so we didn't have to go to far and have to race back for afternoon class.

When packing: you need to pack for all seasons. Since it was summer, the weather wasn't especially cold and a light jacket sufficed. Also, pack an umbrella or rain coat (or both). I was lucky and it only rained on one day!

Also - if you show your International School student card (mine was green, I think it depends on what college you are staying at) you can walk through Clare College and its gardens - it's beautiful!

How has this program impacted you?
Personally, I think it has instilled an awesome sense of pride in me - I know that I have gone to Cambridge, studied and passed with a decent mark - and it makes me proud to say I went there! Professionally - well we'll see, but I am sure it will have a good impact!

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program? Do it!

Thanks Shannon, we hope you're not missing Cambridge too much!

What are you waiting for? Cambridge beckons...

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Let's talk about Cambridge! - Laura Galea tells us about studying the Cambridge Literature Summer School program

2011-12-09T10:27:00.015+11:00

Laura Galea [pictured above], currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at Victoria University, embarked on the trip of a lifetime earlier this year when she participated in our our Cambridge Literature Summer School program. Laura's AIM Overseas experience was so life-changing that she came back and transferred degrees as a result. Read on to find out more...

Why did you choose to study our Cambridge Literature Summer School program? I love the written word! Cambridge is a place where writers are kings, knowledge is currency, and inspiration is the air that we breathe in. Did I mention that I also love travelling?

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
My main concern was preparing myself academically; this meant doing all the preliminary reading and getting my hands on all the books that were needed to write ‘that’ essay. Other than that, I had only feelings of excitement and wonderment! I had so many questions: ‘How big were the classes going to be?' 'What kind of food would I be eating?' (and the most important question of all) 'Will there be enough time to party?!’

Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
I would wake up at 7am. Get ready, go to the dining hall (yes, it is as fancy as it sounds!) and eat breakfast. Class started at 9am and finished at 3:30pm. These classes included reading and discussing the classics and the greats of both English and Greek literature. I studied the Trouble with Keats, Making Sense of Poetry, and Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad.
Dinner was then served at 6:30pm. Cambridge are wonderful at doing all they can to distract you. There were poetry readings, Shakespeare plays, even the Alberni string quartet!
It was summertime. And you’re studying with people from all over the world – so I’m not going to lie to you and say there were no outings to the pub. Plus, we were in England!

Like a dream...

What was the highlight of the program for you?
The whole experience feels like a dream now, and sometimes I go back and read the emails that I sent out to family and friends and still get flutterbies. One of the many, many, many highlights was studying literature at a place where writing lives and has lived for hundreds and hundreds of years! Many of the writers that are taught at Cambridge (at some point or another) went to school and studied there, or taught there themselves. There is great pleasure in that. And knowing I was a part of that, even for just a little while, still makes me smile.

It's mind-boggling to think of how many of the world's literary greats have walked through these gates...

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
Plenty! Most of them involve the Boston kids, copious amounts of bottles of Pimms, and going for (correction: trying to) punt.

There was a funny incident that actually happened before I arrived at Cambridge. I decided to plan a few days in London beforehand, to shop, shop, shop (what else?!) But as I got off the plane, I realised my phone had not been properly unlocked, and the new overseas sim that I had bought could not be activated, and therefore made me unreachable. This is a serious problem when you have your parents eagerly waiting by the phone to hear that you have arrived safely at your destination. Once I reached my hotel, the man behind the desk told me that there was a problem and that I had been moved to another hotel. It started pouring down rain, (of course!) and I had to walk to the next hotel which was twenty minutes away. By the time I reached the hotel, I looked like a drowned rat and the lady behind the desk asked, “Are you Laura Galea?”
“Yes.” I replied.
“Your mother called!”

Do you have some tips for someone who's going on this course?
1. Organise your sim card BEFORE you leave the country!
2. There are so many beautiful restaurants, cafes, and bars in Cambridge. Try not to limit yourself to eating in the dining hall. It’s such a gorgeous city!
3. Buy a bottle of Pimms, call your friends and go punting.

The real reason why our students love studying in the UK so much... PIMMS!

How has this program impacted you (either personally and/or professionally)? Before I left for Cambridge, I was in my second year studying a Bachelor of Education at Victoria University. Since coming back, I have transferred into a Bachelor of Arts – majoring in Literary Studies. I have changed my course around so that I can focus wholly on Literature, and hopefully do an Honours year after that. Teaching is very much still an option, but I’d like to explore this one first.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?

Don’t worry about money. Your university is there to help you. There are numerous scholarships you can look into, OS-HELP loans, etc.

Don’t worry about the workload. It is crazy and intense! But how often can you say you have travelled to the other side of the world to study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world?!

Don’t worry about being nervous. This is going to be one of the most AMAZING experiences of your life!!!!

Are you on the plane yet?

Cambridge awaits!

Laura even sent us in the office some little pressies before she left - thanks Laura! (Current/future AIM Overseas students take note: we really really really love candy!)

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Great travel advice from World Nomads

2011-12-06T16:12:00.006+11:00

Hey AIM Overseasers, check out this awesome article from World Nomads on 9 Tips for Soaking up Culture on the Road: http://journals.worldnomads.com/travel-tips/story/81339/Worldwide/9-Tips-for-Soaking-up-Culture-on-the-Road

We can't wait to hear about your travel adventures!

This photo, taken on the European Marketing and Management Program in France, was a finalist in our Facebook photo tag competition earlier this year.

"It was like a dream!" - Judy Cheng on studying at the University of Cambridge

2011-12-06T10:10:00.025+11:00

Judy Cheng [pictured above, centre] is currently completing a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Technology in Sydney. She's also a HUGE Harry Potter fan (this is relevant). In July this year, Judy embarked on the trip of a lifetime and set off to the University of Cambridge to study our Cambridge Science Program. Judy has kindly taken the time to tell us more about her summer of learning and travelling and the huge impact this experience has had on her. Read on...

Hi Judy! Could you please introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Judy and I am an international student from Hong Kong. I am currently studying Bachelor of Biomedical Science at University of Technology Sydney (UTS). I will be finishing this degree in the middle of next year. This year in July, I have completed the Cambridge Science Summer Program term 1 [2 week long course] at the University of Cambridge.

Why did you choose this AIM Overseas course?
I chose this course because Cambridge is well-known for its science program and I am interested in Science. Charles Darwin, who is one of history’s greatest scientists, was a Cambridge student. Also, I have never been to Cambridge and hence I thought this would be an opportunity to explore the unique British culture. In addition, I had an unspecific elective (6 credit point) at UTS and so I applied for concurrent study and I got it!

Did you have any fears or concerns before doing the program?
Of course I had some! I was concerned about the safety as I was going to the other side of the world by myself. I was scared of bullies and robberies as I was a foreigner in their country. I was also afraid that I would not be able to meet anyone during the summer school program since English is not my first language.

How has doing this program affected you?
I met people from all over the world and if in the future they want to come to Sydney, I can show them around and be their tour guide! Also, I have become more confident in myself since I have shown myself that I am able to take care of myself on the other side of the world.

As for my English, I had to complete a 2000-word essay and received feedback from the lecturer – needless to say, my written English has improved a lot and so has my spoken English.

This program will be a great addition to my resume. I have shown that I am interested in international culture and am willing to adapt to a new environment. From an employee’s perspective, this would be a bonus compared to the other candidates.

Tell me about a typical day at Cambridge.
I lived in Gonville & Caius College right in the center of the town. Breakfast was served as buffet from around 7.45am to 9am. My favorites were coffee, eggs and sausages. Of course, you can have cereals, bread or yogurt. You can choose anything you want. During this time, I met a lot of people from different courses such as Shakespeare, History and Art summer schools.

My first and second lectures were ‘Impact and Responsibility’ which were in the morning. We had new content every day such as physics or biology. One day it would be about the light and the next it would be infection and autoimmunity. Even though my field of interest is Biomedical Science, my knowledge increased significantly during these lectures. You could also download some of the lecture slides on the intranet.

After this lecture, there was a 1.5-hour break. Hence I went out to have lunch with my new friends and we would walk around. My third lectures started at 2pm and this was a special subject course. When you applied for the Summer school in Cambridge, you needed to choose a special subject course from the list and I chose ‘From Atoms to Galaxies: the Astronomer’s View’. This topic was interesting and the lecturer, Robin Catchpole, was so nice. Even though we had a small class, around 8 people, he did not mind spending his time explaining everything to us and he was glad to repeat or further explain concepts for us.

When this class was finished, we had a few hours to ourselves. Some people did some sightseeing, but I needed to complete my essay since I had registered for the evaluation of the essay. Hence, I went to the library of my college (which was one of the most beautiful places at Cambridge!).

Gonville & Caius College Library. How can you not be inspired to do great things when you're studying in a place like this?!

Dinner was around 6.30 pm and it was a 3-meal course. Here’s an example of the meal.

Tuesday 12th July 2011

- Spiced Butternut Squash Soup or Aubergine Pate with Pitta Bread
- Homemade Shepherd’s Pie with Red Onion Gravy, Carrots, garden peas
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Coffee

Sounds good, right?

Evening lectures started at 8pm and finished at 9.30pm. Different topics were included not only from the Sciences but also from Art or Literature (such as the plays of Shakespeare etc.). It was a bit difficult for me since I did not have any knowledge of Shakespeare, but these lectures were interesting.

Here’s a short version of my daily schedule.

Breakfast - 7.45am-9.00am
1st Lecture - 9.15am-10.30am
2nd Lecture - 11am-12.30pm
Lunch - 12.30pm – 2.00pm
3rd lecture - 2.00pm-3.30pm
Free time - 3.30pm – 8.00pm
Dinner - 6.30pm – 7.45pm
4th lecture - 8.00pm-9.30pm

What was the highlight of the program for you?
That would be the travelling. My friends and I went to places such as Oxford. I was so excited since I could go to the place where Harry Potter was filmed. It was a shame that I didn’t have a lot of time and couldn’t stay longer; still, I was so glad I got to go there and took lots of photos!

Another trip which was so inspiring was the additional trip with the lecturer. As I mentioned before, Robin Catchpole was my lecturer of the special course, astronomy. We were so interested in this area that we even asked him if he would show us around the institute of Astronomy in the University of Cambridge. He agreed and afterwards he had planned the whole trip. At the beginning he led us to the library and one of his colleagues told us about the history of astronomy. Then Robin showed us around the institute and explained everything. It was one of the most amazing times I have ever had!

Did you do some extra travel before/after/during the program?
Yes. Before the program, I went to Reading to attend my friend’s graduation. We also went to Bath and Scotland for several days. It was like a dream, travelling with your friends in a foreign country. Seriously, if I did not apply for this program, I would not have been able to meet my friend and hang out with him in England.

After the program, I stayed in London for a few days by myself and did some shopping. Sometimes the best way to truly understand the culture is to stay at one place for a while, soon you will notice the difference and you will start to enjoy it.

Do you have any funny travel stories you’d like to share?
During the weekend, I went to the optional weekend excursion which was London city cruise. While we were in London, the weather was so funny. It was raining heavily for 10 minutes and it was sunny for another 10 minutes and then it was raining again. The weather kept changing for at least an hour. I still remember people around me kept complaining. As for me, I enjoyed it. It was something different!

Do you have any advice for students thinking about doing this course?
I would suggest you to read all the information regarding the special subject courses.

You also need to consider that if you are hoping to register for the elevation of the essay, the course will be more intense since you need to complete a 2000-3000 word essay in a week. However, it’s worth it!

As for international students studying in Australia, you need to provide your IELTS result or attend a Cambridge language Centre diagnostic assessment before the University of Cambridge considers your application.

What would you say to somebody who’s thinking of doing the program?
I would highly recommend this course. When you are back from Cambridge, you will have more friends than before and start to realise the cultural differences. You will also gain additional knowledge from the learning. The optional weekend excursion is good for meeting people as you and your new friends can explore the place together.

As for international students who are studying in an Australian university, if you can study in Australia, I believe you have the ability to study in Cambridge. There is a similarity between Australia and Cambridge and that is - ENGLISH is the spoken language.

And most importantly, Cambridge is only 3 hours away from Oxford - you might be able to see the place where Harry Potter was filmed!

Thanks Judy, sounds like you had a fabulous time!

Judy and her new friends at the Farewell Dinner. Parting is such sweet sorrow!

Judy and friends on the London city cruise. What a summer!

This program runs every year in the July uni holidays. To find out more about this program or to apply, please go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Global Leadership Program: applications now open for July 2012

2011-12-05T10:04:00.013+11:00

Now in its 13th year, the Global Leadership Program in Prague is an intensive academic program with participants from all around the world taking part.

Open to students from all discipline backgrounds, this prestigious program includes academic classes (Philosophies of Leadership, Global Business, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship and Media, Democracy and Development), as well as cultural activities, field trips and community work.

Workshops give you an opportunity to learn practical skills such public speaking, writing a business plan and how to implement a project in your home community. Limited places offered to participants from around the world so apply early to avoid missing out.
Read more

"This was a life changing experience! I never thought that I'd have the chance to spend the summer in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I now have a different view on leadership and life and also many new life long friends!"
Marcus Raty [pictured left], Griffith University, 2011 participant. Read full interview

Credit and funding

*This program may be able to count for credit towards your degree. More info

*Over $5800 in Government funding may be available for eligible students. More info on the OS-HELP website.

Limited places, apply early!
Early-bird discounts available

Photos from past participants:

We are currently accepting applications for this program for July 2012.
*To find out more about this program, go to our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au or email us on info@aimoverseas.com.au
*To apply, fill out this application form

Places for this program are strictly limited, so apply early to avoid missing out.

Join us on Facebook for more photos, travel tips and updates: www.facebook.com/aimoverseas

Passport to hassle-free transactions: Sydney Morning Herald article by John Kavanagh

2011-12-01T09:27:00.008+11:00

Published in the Sydney Morning Herald on November 30, 2011
Article by John Kavanagh
Access original page here: http://www.smh.com.au/money/passport-to-hasslefree-transactions-20111129-1o3sb.html

Unclouded … buying foreign currency, travellers cheques or a travel card locks in your exchange rate. Photo: Louie Douvis

Should you take credit cards, debit cards, travel cards or travellers' cheques? John Kavanagh does the homework for you.

Australians are flocking overseas in record numbers thanks to a strong Australian dollar. The growing trend has prompted banks and financial institutions to upgrade their travel money services and offer more competitively priced products. It's not surprising given Australians are the biggest travel spenders worldwide.

Each month the Australian Bureau of Statistics calculates what it calls short-term movement resident departures; that's us going overseas for holidays and business trips.

More than 600,000 people a month have hopped on a plane or a boat so far this year. The number was 665,100 in September. That number has been rising steadily over the years. In 2007, a year when people were feeling very prosperous, about 450,000 a month were going overseas. A decade ago the number was about 290,000 a month.
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Australians spent an average of $US3636 during their last overseas trip, making them the biggest travel spenders worldwide, according to a Visa survey published in September.

Australian respondents to the Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey say they are planning an average of three international trips in the next two years, spending an average of 16 nights on their next holiday.

In the financial world, the providers of specialist travel money products are competing hard to capture a share of that fast-growing market.

It has lowered the costs of buying foreign currency and making transactions abroad.

Specialist travel money products and services are also finding their way into everyday transaction and credit card accounts, giving consumers the option of setting up a permanent banking facility that will also cover travel needs.

AMEX BOOTHS

American Express, which has a long-standing agency arrangement with Australia Post for the sale for foreign currency, travellers cheques and travel cards, is now putting its own staff into Australia Post outlets to operate stand-alone Amex service counters.

The first of the new Amex booths opened in the Brisbane GPO this week and the company plans to open 200 of them over the next two years.

Last year Amex launched its GlobalTravel Card, a rival to the Travelex Cash Passport and similar cards offered by banks. Its card has no expiry date and no inactivity fee. There is no commission charge if it is bought at a post office.

Commonwealth Bank has upgraded its Travel Money Card to allow travellers to load multiple currencies on one card.

At the same time, a number of banks have incorporated a wider range of travel and foreign exchange services into everyday transaction and credit card accounts, with the aim of allowing customers to use those accounts when they travel overseas.

EXTRA SWEETENERS

In October, Citibank removed fees for overseas ATM withdrawals, overseas point-of-sale transactions and overseas funds transfers (to other Citibank accounts) from its Citibank Plus Transaction Account.

Citibank launched a new credit card, Signature, which includes international and domestic travel insurance and two airport lounge passes each year.

The card's rewards program includes four points for each dollar spent overseas, compared with 1.5 points for each dollar spent in Australia.

HSBC Bank Australia has launched a 24-hour foreign exchange trading service with live pricing. The service, Get Rate, is for retail and small-business customers. HSBC is claiming its 24-hour live pricing service is a first in the retail and small- and medium-enterprise markets. Available via mobile and online banking platforms, Get Rate offers access to 19 currencies.

In August HSBC launched a Platinum Qantas Visa Card, offering two points for each dollar spent overseas (compared with one point for local purchases), complimentary passes to the Qantas Club, travel insurance and purchase-protection insurance.

The question for travellers is whether they should shop for travel money products or find an everyday transaction account and credit card that will also meet their travel needs.

MIXED WALLET

The head of transaction services at Citibank, Sarah Black, says: "We have a transaction account that you can use anywhere. The proposition we would put to customers is that you don't need other products for travel."

The head of foreign exchange services at American Express, Nick Dinopoulos, says: "When considering a choice of bank transaction account and credit card versus travel money products, a big issue is certainty.''

When you buy foreign currency, travellers cheques or a travel card you have locked in your exchange rate.

"Having the foreign currency locked in allows you to budget and gives you peace of mind,'' Dinopoulos says.

"We recommend a mix. We are the largest wholesaler of banknotes in the Australian market and we can report that cash is king for travellers.

People like it for acceptance and liquidity. And it is cheap - once you have the cash there are no transaction fees.

"Our card product is growing share of wallet. Cheques are declining but are still a powerful product."

One of the significant changes that will result from Amex's move to have its own staff operating sales booths in post offices is that customers will get "instant fulfilment". Under the current agency arrangement, customers order their travel money product and come back a few days later to pick it up.

Now they will get their currency, cheques or card without any delay.

"Customers feel inconvenienced if they have to come back to pick up their travel money," Dinopoulos says.

There is no commission when any of those products are purchased through post offices and that aspect will continue under the new Amex arrangement.

COSTS

The head of retail banking and wealth management at HSBC Australia, Graham Heunis, says he understands that some travellers want the security of knowing exactly how much spending money they will have when they travel.

"For some people, having certainty and the ability to budget is a valid issue,'' Heunis says. ''But others prefer to be able to use their own transaction account and credit card wherever they are. That gives them a lot of flexibility and convenience.

"When I travel, I take a little cash, my debit card and my credit card. We see a growing number of our customers doing it that way."

The head of savings and investments at HSBC, Michael Danby, says customers use the service as part of their travel planning and overseas shopping.

"Customers like the fact that it is the same type of account as their Australian dollar account, with the same online access. You can use it to send foreign currency wherever you like," he says.

Comparison site RateCity says another important issue to consider when choosing from among the various travel money options is the cost of the service.

For travel card users, costs can include a purchase price of as much as $15, reload charges, ATM fees and inactivity fees.

For users of debit cards, costs include currency-conversion fees of as much as 3 per cent (ANZ and Commonwealth Bank) and ATM withdrawal fees of as much as $5.

Users of credit cards also pay currency-conversion fees and ATM fees. However not all card issuers apply these charges.

Travel money tips

❏ Notify your bank before you go.

❏ Some countries have moved to chip technology that requires a PIN, not signatures, for transactions.

❏ Keep a copy of the customer service numbers of your service providers.

❏ Check for daily withdrawal restrictions in your destination.

❏ Do not keep all cash, cards and cheques in one place.

❏ Ensure if you are robbed or lose your wallet you don't lose all your travel money.

❏ Keep a copy of all receipts to check against your statements.

Different countries require different approaches

University student David O'Brian, 22, made his first trip overseas two years ago, when he travelled to England and Europe. Last summer he visited South America and this summer he will be holidaying in Thailand and Cambodia.

For his first trip, O'Brian used a Travel Money Card from the Commonwealth Bank. When he left Sydney he had pounds for his short stay in England and euros for his stay on the Continent.

He found he could use the card everywhere without problems.

For his trip to South America he took US dollars and a travel card. But he took a lot more cash on this occasion because he had been advised that ATMs might be hard to find.

He is still considering how he will organise his money for his trip to Asia. He will visit rural areas in both Thailand and Cambodia and expects that he will need a fair bit of cash.

"I have read some guides that say it is best to have a combination of US dollars and Thai baht,'' he says. ''I'm worried that Asia could be an iffy place as far as security goes, so I don't want to carry a lot of cash.''

But he's not sure about taking a travel card. ''In Europe I probably spent close to $100 on transaction fees,'' he says. ''Unless I'm taking a lot, I don't know if I want to go through the hassle and the expense of a card. I forgot my PIN code a couple of times in Europe.''

O'Brian does not have a credit card. He doesn't like the idea of spending borrowed money. In any case, travelling with friends means if he runs short, one of them can help out.

Different options: fees and features

❏ American Express Global Travel Card. Three currencies available. Costs up to $15 to buy and up to $10 to reload. ATM fees are $US2, €2.20 and £1.25. A distinctive feature of the card is that it does not expire and there are no inactivity fees. Emergency card replacement and cash are available worldwide for peace of mind.

❏ Travelex Cash Passport. Five currencies available. Costs up to 1.1 per cent to buy and 1 per cent to reload. ATM fees are $US2.25, €2.20 and £1.50. Funds may be forfeited if the card expires and there may be monthly inactivity fees. A distinctive feature is the card can be reloaded via SMS. Emergency assistance is available.

❏ ANZ Travel Card. Six currencies available. Costs $11 to buy and 1.1 per cent to reload. ATM fees are $US2.20, €2.10 and £1.25. Funds will be retained by ANZ 12 months after card expiry and there are inactivity fees. Limits apply for daily spending. A replacement card is available at a cost of $35 but there is no other emergency assistance.

❏ Commonwealth Bank Travel Money Card. Nine currencies available. Costs $15 to buy and 1 per cent to reload. There is a $60 card-replacement fee. ATM fees are $2.50, €2.20 and £2. Funds may be forfeited if the card expires and there are inactivity fees. But there are no fees for closure. There are ATM balance inquiry fees and SMS alert fees. Emergency assistance is limited. A feature of the card is that it can load multiple currencies.

SOME GOOD DEALS

❏ The Citibank Plus transaction account has no fees for overseas ATM or point-of-sale transactions.

❏ Other debit cards with no overseas ATM or currency conversion fees include NAB's Gold Banking account, Hume Building Society's All Purpose account and ECU Australia's Access Plus account.

❏ The GE Money 28 Degrees MasterCard credit card has no ATM charges or currency conversion fees.

❏ ING Direct's Orange Everyday transaction account, which is fee-free for local banking, has a low $2.50 charge for international ATMs.

❏ ANZ is developing foreign exchange ATMs that will issue US dollars, New Zealand dollars, pounds and euros.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/money/passport-to-hasslefree-transactions-20111129-1o3sb.html#ixzz1fELjd0LQ