Susana Elizabeth Marquez Renteria
November 2008
Update
Definitely, the weather
is always topic of good conversation in Melbourne. What a hot day,
what a rainy, what a windy…always seems like a sort of complaint
but it is just a simply conversation of everyday. And the funny
thing, the answer of the people to these changes of temperature is
always: “It´s Melbourne mate”. The local saying goes “If
you don´t like the weather, wait ten minutes…”
In other issues, the
stress in the city is growing a little bit. Christmas is coming and
the New Year is just one month away from now. But it is interesting
for me, I have always had cold Christmas, feeling good in my cosy
little place in Guadalajara in Mexico or sometimes in the cold L.A.
But I´ve no complaints. On the contrary, I cannot wait for
Christmas in a warm weather where everybody, at least here in
Melbourne, has a good dinner and plays cricket.
The work at the
International Office is going excellently. It is incredible to know
how the whole process of exchange happens within the University.
Over the last month I have learnt many things about the education
in other countries, because basically, that is what I do there; I
help the team who works with students from Europe and the Americas.
Now that work is getting busier I have helped the other teams, as
well, to get a wider knowledge of the education of other parts of
the world as Middle East and North Asia.
Now I know how the
people in the Office feel when the students are accepted because
you feel that you are doing a very good job when all those students
come to you to say thank you for helping them during the process of
enrolment.
A very interesting fact
is that La Trobe University is the first university in the English
World to offer a program in Islamic Finance, which shows great
dynamism within the system of education in Australia, demonstrating
as well the expansion of the most important service export of the
country: education.
I am very happy that
now I am helping students from overseas, because I am one of them,
and I know how it feels to have the opportunity to study abroad and
being part of a different culture which promotes tolerance and
understanding of cultural practices from different parts of the
world.
October 2008
Update
October has been an interesting month in
Melbourne. I finished my course at the Language Centre with
satisfactory grades, and started my internship as part of the
`Program Certificate Skills of English'.
This program has two aims. First, support and
encourage international students in Australia in getting a job or
volunteer work. This work may be related to students' prospective
major units of study, as the experience gives confidence to
students who want to improve their prospects for a career in
English-speaking countries. Second, as part of the program at the
Language Centre, the Certificate shows one has been practicing
English skills doing different tasks in volunteer work.
The place where I am doing my volunteer work is
at the International Office at La Trobe University. The work there
is a new to me. The objective of this office is to help students
from overseas who want to study at La Trobe. With this aim, the
International Office promotes the diversity of culture and the
tolerance at the university, by providing support services to La
Trobe's large international student population. The team in which I
work takes care of students from three areas of the world: North
America, Latin America and Europe.
Part of my work in the Office is to assess
applications from these areas. The process of assessment is very
useful, at least for me, as an student of International Relations.
During the process of assessment I have to compare the level of
education within these countries in order to validate their studies
in Australia and propose the best options for students who want to
come here. Through this method we certify that the student can be
enrolled at the University.
As well, as a Latin-American, I have proposed
suggestions and strategies of marketing. Latin America is a new
area in the International Office due to the increasing number of
students from Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela who come to study at
La Trobe. I am suited to this task because I have cultural
knowledge of the region, and can promote strategies that are
suitable to people from within this market.
As well, through my work I promote the social
understanding of the needing of a culture where the peace and
tolerance are basic components of a society.
September 2008
Update
The nice weather in Melbourne is coming soon.
All the festivals have started and many activities around the city
are held in order to provide some entertainment with the
participation of the interesting people that Melbourne has. The
last Sunday the Festival in High Street promote some musicians and
talented people from the neighbourhood. As well, in San Kilda
Beach, from now, latino events are held in front of the beach. Most
of these events are organised by the council of the city or even by
some group of musicians.
Regarding to the fundraising, as expected, the
event organised by the Melbourne group was very successful. The
team achieved the aim of selling more than 100 tickets for the
Latin Party, collecting more than $800.00 AUDS. This money has been
donated to the Afghanistan initiative, which helps women from
Afghanistan in order to be enrolled in Australian Universities to
get better opportunities. The event had more guests than expected;
with all the shows and the performances presented during the party,
the people were very happy about helping and having fun at the same
time. So the next step, is to organised something successful
again.
For me, these are the last two weeks in the
school due to the intensive internship that I am going to start.
During the next two months I am going to work in an NGO that my
advisor, at La Trobe University, is going to contact. Actually I do
not really know where I am going to work because depends on the
availability of places and the skills you want to develop. In my
case, it would be something about International Development or some
research at the University. But, as I mentioned, depends of the
number of places. There are some offices that I have gone like
OXFAM and World Vision, but at the moment I am just waiting for
some answer of these organisations.
The week of holidays I am going to go to the
countryside as an activity offered by an NGO called Rotary. During
the week I am going to live with a family and help them to the
routine in the farm. This is an interesting experience because it
provides the possibility of getting involved in different
activities in order to know the kind of life around Australia.
August 2008
Update
Melbourne, could be said that is the capital of
the Australian restaurants and coffee shops. Being around the city
is an experience everyday.
Actually, I live in Brunswick East. A very nice
suburb that is just 20 minutes from the city. Near to my place
there are a lot of coffee shops and little restaurants that I
always visit. In my house, we are four beautiful people, Hannes
(German), Serch (Cameroon), the lovely Luisa (Colombia) and me. I
have had a lot of fun with these guys. Two weeks ago, it was my
birthday and we went to celebrate it in a famous bar in Melbourne
called “Workshop”.
In other things, La Trobe, my university, it is
an enormous campus that is located in the north part of the city. I
have met many interesting people who works there, teachers,
students and people who works in the cafeteria at Agora (Agora is
the meeting point in La Trobe). The classes are motivating because
all the teachers know about the topics very well and most of the
all very accessible teachers.
About the commitment activities, the group of
Melbourne, we are part of the Afghanistan fundraising staff. We are
organizing a Brazilian party which is the main event of the
fundraising; it is going to take place in a beautiful club called
Copacabana. As well, the group of people who are at La Trobe
University, we want to organise a walk for UNIFEM, which going to
be in mid-September.
Additionally, there are a lot of activities
that have been held in the city that are interesting. Like the
chocolate festival, fashion design, architecture design festival
and the international film festival. Those events are accessible
for students and you can also learn from them and meet people who
are involved in the organisation of such a beautiful kind of
art.
Ciao!!
Susana
July 2008
Update
Have almost been three weeks since I arrived in
Australia and the experience has been amazing except for those days
I was sick.
The first days in Sydney I got sick, just a
little, because of something I ate in the street but I went to the
doctor and he gave me medication, so I got well very soon.
When I was in Sydney I was in the house of my
boyfriend, Benjamin, who was in Mexico two years ago. I spent 3
days in his house, living like a real Australian. After that, the
twelfth of July I took my flight to Melbourne, the city I am going
to living in for one year.
I found the city involved in a dark wave of
colours in the clothes of people, a wind very cold and European
style of architecture in the whole city but, even though, I found
the kindest citizens ever.
When I was in Mexico I made some friends from
Melbourne and before coming to Australia they invited me to stay in
their homes while I find a place to live. Therefore, the day of my
arrival Nick picked me up from the airport and took me to his
place, where his parents were waiting with a big dinner on my
behalf.
The same week I went to the campus of Bundoora
to know the place and being familiar.
On Thursday, I had my English test of
placement. I got the fifth level of English and fortunately that is
the level of English I need to go to university but I would like to
do the sixth level course because it is very useful for people who
is going to do a Master.
The members of the family are very interesting
people, the father of my friend is an author (I think he is a
little bit famous in his field) and the mother is a teacher of
media. His brother owns a store if vegetable so we have fresh food
everyday.
These two weeks I have been living in the house
of my friend however next Sunday I have an appointment to see the
house I would like to live. The house is very near to the city, in
there, three Australians are going to live (plus me). So I hope I
have luck because the people who is living there are delightful
musicians and I know because I had the chance to meet them at the
university when they were playing their instruments.
The life here is going fast, so it means is
going good.
