Oscar Campos

October 2008 Update

October was one of the most excited months here in Australia.  I took part in different kinds of activities for both the scholarship and the university. In the first one, we gave salsa lessons in order to raise money for the UNIFEM.  And in the second, we have been helping in Spanish classes in the university. 

When Manuel Silva (a scholar) arrived in Rockhampton, we talked about which activity would be suitable for raising money. We agreed to give salsa lessons. We did not know anything about salsa but as a choreographer in the group, I researched information to create a whole choreography for this month. We were allowed to use a classroom every Thursday during October in the language Centre. Mariela and Manuel were the dancers, they did it wonderful. And the most important is that we collect a good amount of money.

Two months ago, I knew that a Spanish lesson would be given since October. So I asked for taking part in that class as a helper, especially in the conversation part. Dora Dixon, who is a Colombian teacher, is so glad with our participation in the classroom because she has noticed that the students are really motivated. In the classroom, we help the students with their pronunciation, writing and homework, etc.

In the Spanish beginner class, there is a nice couple who are teachers in Rockhampton. When they heard that Mariela and I are studying English Teaching in Chile, they invited us to take part in First Year class at Saint Mary Catholic School. It was a great opportunity to see an English teaching method and teacher-student interaction. The children were not spoiled at all and we had fun with them. Jennifer, the teacher, gave us the opportunity to help the students in the activities and we taught them the Spanish numbers form one to ten.

There is no doubt that October was a really busy month for me and my classmates. It was not just academic activities; I also had fun in this lovely town.

September 2008 Update

Last month was full changes, since several of our classmates came back to their countries and in the university we began to use a new book in classes which is more difficult than the previous one. In my city, Rockhampton, the weather has been getting hotter, so we are getting used to the new climate.

The new book is called “Cutting edge”. The modules in this book are longer and the topics are more interesting than the first book. Now we have a workbook which is to do it at home and everyday we must do one or two sections. It is not difficult, at least for me, but the language and Australian slang is completely different to the words I was used to. We are taught lots of Australian and English expressions.

As I said before, there are 4 classmates how came back to their countries. In the university every Friday we have an assembly, in which the teacher staff say goodbye to each student who is leaving Australia. In this opportunity I said goodbye to one of my closest friends. It was really sad, but that’s life. The good part of this situation is that we have lots of parties and barbecues.

In Chile we don’t have this kind of weather. Here in Rocky is too extreme sometimes for me. The temperature is always above 28 degrees since three weeks ago. There are some days in which we don’t want to move any muscle, it is really strange the way in which the body respond. In the university teachers say that we must get used to it, because next month it will be worst.  The good part of this is that we have visited beautiful beaches and enjoyed the ocean swimming a lot.

August 2008 Update

Since the last report I have been doing several different activities. In the English centre in my university there are some “goodbye parties” in order to say goodbye the students who finishes their studies. The idea is that each class has to do a performance as a class that day. This time we sing a famous children song (if your happy and you know it) but in our own language. It was really funny, because I learned some words and expressions in different languages such us Japanese, Korean, Brazilian and Philippine. The main purpose is to have fun with the students who are living Australia.

Academically speaking, I have improved my speaking and listening a lot. When you are 24/7 surrounded by native English speakers it is impossible not to learn and improve your skills. It means that I have learned at the university, but also in everyday life. When you go to the supermarket, a shop or just in the bus you hear a variety of accents and expressions that you do not hear in the classroom, so it is a good exercise for your skills and your personality as well.

In Rockhampton people is really nice, so I have met several Australian people. For me this is important because I can learn about their life style and culture. Their life is completely different to my life in Chile. For example we do not eat our national animals, but here one of the strangest things that I did not know was that Australian people eat kangaroo, I thought it was illegal. So I tried once at would say that it is really good, though I felt a little bit sad because they are so wonderful creatures.

Although this is not a big city it has so many extraordinary places to visit. One of them is “Airlie Beach”, which is located at the north of Rockhampton between Mackay and Townsville. It is a lovely place, not too big but with lots of things to do and many places to visit.  I am stayed there for 3 days; it was a paradise for me. In my country there is no place like that. I think I choose a good country to visit.

Another extraordinary experience was when I went to “Cooberrie Park”. It is a beautiful mini zoo where you can feed kangaroos, hold up Koalas and take pictures with a snake around your neck. It was wonderful for me since we do not have those kind of animals

July 2008 Update