Mariela Andrea Martinez Fuentealba
October 2008
Update
This month has gone by very fast because I have
been very busy. First of all, we started to work in order to raise
money for women in Afghanistan; we did salsa lessons in our
university. We did four classes and the last one was on Thursday
23rd. The funniest thing was that I did not know
how to dance salsa and I taught it. For me, I was quite difficult
because the steps were very fast and I had to make a lot of turns.
My feet are destroyed. I had never had them as awful as now. At
least, we achieves our purpose.
Three weeks ago, I began to help in some
Spanish lessons. It has been a great experience because I am
learning how Spanish is taught. Also, I love helping students in
class. There, I have had a lot of fun because I have to speak very
slowly and it is so fictitious. Moreover, I enjoy too much when
they speak Spanish because of their pronunciation, it is so nice.
Besides, we have to speak in English most of the time so it
is a good opportunity to practice it.
One Sunday, I went to Yeppoon because there was
a festival on the beach. It was called “Pineapple Festival”. It was
awesome to go there as I could see parades and some shows. Also,
people were delivering free pineapples and I got five so they were
my dessert for several days. The day was so hot and the sea was
warm. I wanted to swim but I couldn’t. Besides, I am quite afraid
because of the jellyfish and sharks that can appear.
My life has been good at the university. I like
my classmates and teachers. However, a classmate finished her
classes last week. I am so sad because I had a lot of fun with her.
Now the class is so quiet without her. We miss her as she was
always laughing. Last Friday, we ate pizza in order to share a
little bit in the Language Centre, we had a very good time.
Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to go to a
school (St. Mary School). It was a great experience because I could
know how students learnt and I can say that it is very different
from Chile. First of all, there are not too many students per
classroom and they learn in a dynamic way. For instance, through
games, songs, movements, sounds and so on. The students were so
lovely and they were very interested about Chile. I taught them
some numbers in Spanish.
During this month, I have gone out a lot with
my friends. We have had a lot of fun together. Since I love
dancing, we have gone clubbing. I enjoy how Australian people
dance, they are so funny. I want to enjoy as much as I can my last
weeks here. I want to experience some places where I have not been
and I do not have too much time. I want to have the best memories
from here.
September 2008 Update
In general, this month has been very nice. More
or less three weeks ago I went with my classmates to the beach in
Yeppoon. We went in two cars. The day was great, very sunny and
hot. The water was very warm; I felt that I was in the heaven. I
swam a little bit. However, I was very aware because of the
jellyfish that there is in the sea. At lunch time, we shared our
food so each one could eat what the other cooked. It was very good
since everyone could taste something from another country. During
the afternoon, we went to another beach. It was so huge and there
was nobody there, just us.
I have has various parties with my classmates
so I have had a lot of fun. One Friday, we went clubbing all
together because we were celebrating Lucia’s last days in
Rockhampton. We danced the whole night; I was so tired at the end.
Anyway, I enjoyed a lot that night. The next day, we had a barbecue
in Lucia’s homestay parents home. We talked about several things
and we laughed very much. However, the last day with Lucia was very
sad. We cried together because we were good friends. The worst
thing is that I know that I am not going to be with her
anymore.
Last week, Oscar and I celebrated Chile
National Day with our classmates. While Oscar was cooking Chilean
typical food, I was talking about our culture and national dance.
My classmates fell in love with our “empanadas” and “sopaipillas”.
Also, we drank Chilean wine that a classmate bought here. We
had a lot of fun that day. Although I missed to be in Chile with my
family as we have a big party in my home.
The university has been very relaxed. It is not
hard for me. I feel very comfortable there. During this month, some
new classmates have arrived, others have gone. For me is quite
difficult to say good bye because feel affection for my classmates
and then, they come back to their countries.
During this week, Oscar, Manuel and I have been
thinking about what we are going to do for the scholarship. We have
some ideas but we have not decided which one is the best. If we
have luck, we are going to do something very soon. I hope that.
August 2008
Update
During this month, I have done a lot of thinks.
Do you remember that I told that I was going to Cooberry Park.
Well, I went. It was amazing. I saw live kangaroos which I could
feed and caress. Also, I saw different kinds of birds and one of
them said to me “hello” and then “bye bye”. Moreover, I had the
chance to hold a snake and when I had it around my neck, I was very
nervous because it slid over my body, it was so scared. Besides, I
hugged a Koala and I had to pay in order to do that. It was very
soft and cute. I took several pictures.
Two weeks ago, I went to Airlie Beach. I stayed
two days there. It was simply great. The weather was very good, the
landscapes were awesome, everything was wonderful. I could swim in
a warm artificial lagoon next to the beach. Moreover, I could get
tan there so I have a tanned skin now. At night, I went to a club
where a danced with some Australians. The next day, I bought a lot
of souvenirs for my family so I spent a big amount of money there.
But it was not important as I felt that I was in the paradise.
At the university, I had a barbecue because
some of my Korean classmates came back to Korea. Also, we had a
kind of concert in which I sang and danced. I laughed very much.
However, I was so sad because I was going to miss them. I had a lot
of fun with them. One of them cried when he said good bye. I almost
cried too as I was very sensitive.
One Sunday, I went to have dinner in a
university teacher’s home. She is Brazilian and her sister is my
classmate. I ate a lot because the dinner was delicious. I did not
feel hungry for three days as I was full up.
This is the summary of the things that I have
done during this month. The best was to go to Airlie Beach. I
recommend it to you. It is the paradise as I said before.
July 2008 Update
July has been a month with a lot of things.
During the second week, I stayed in Sidney with the Peace
Scholarship group. I had a lot of fun because I knew beautiful
places and I shared with different people from different countries.
It was very interesting to exchange cultures and experiences. My
time in Sidney was fabulous.
After that, I arrived in Rockhampton. It was on
July 9th. Here everything changed. I was a little bit
depressed because I missed my family, my home, my country. But now,
I am better. I began my classes on July 14th at the CQU.
They are very good; I love my teacher and my classmates. Also, I
have learnt a lot.
On July 18th, I went to Capricorn
Caves. It was awesome, the place is wonderful. I was in a tour
which consisted in going through some labyrinths. My knees were
very injured. Then, I went to a rodeo. I was quite scared because
the bulls and horses made a lot of noise. However, the show was
great, I saw how the cowboys tried to keep over the bulls and
horses and most of them could not.
This is which I have done in general. Next
Friday, I am going to go to see the koalas and other animals so the
next month I am going to write about that.
