I would like to single out and describe a nice day that I have had at GV, however, it is quite difficult because I have had lots of them. Anyway, I’m going to summarize how interesting this experience had been for me.

I remember my first day here, when I could not understand , write or speak a word of English and I thought it would be the worst day and I would feel uncomfortable; but guess what? It was completely different! From the very first moment, everyone was friendly and helpful, teachers and classmates helped me a lot to adapt.

My class is fun with everyone trying to practise speaking English and joking around. In my opinion it is the best way to learn. We have three sessions a day. In the first session in the morning, we revise and practise the subjects and topics we did the day before. After the first break we go through the lessons in the book which introduce useful grammar points and vocabulary useful for every day life. During the third session we have different activities that range from listening, reading, writing and even the occasional cooking class in English.

After school finishes, students get together and organize parties, trips or games for the day.

In a few days I’ll be going back to Brazil and I would like to thank everyone who has lived with me. I’ll never forget the wonderful friends that I’ve met here and I wish you all the best.
Gustavo.

Some  brave students took up the challenge and had a go at the ski ‘n’ skurf activity yesterday. Cindy told me that Os entertained everyone because he held on for dear life and refused to let go of the line. He didn’t want to fall in and get wet!

This is my last week in Global Village. I still remember the the day I came to Australia for the first time. It was about four months ago whenI arrived in Brisbane and then Caloundra with the objective to learn English because it is important for my profession. The journey was very long; I left Barranquilla (Colombia) and arrived in Bogota, from there I flew to Chile followed by New Zealand, Sydney and finally to Brisbane. The trip was very long and very boring and I had a problem because I missed my flight from Sydney to Brisbane. Eventually I got to Brisbane and then I caught a bus  to Caloundra. Thank God in the end everything went well and I got to my destination.

During these months I have learned many things and I met many friends from different countries. More importantly, I had the opportunity to meet a great person who helped me and I love very much. He is Julio, my boyfriend. Now I hope everything will go well and that one day we will see each other again in Colombia.

Thanks to my teachers Jenny, Matt, Yvonne, Michelle, Louise, Mark , Gwen and especially Patty who helped me, taught me and believed in me.

Thanks Global Village for opening doors to me. I am happy because I have fulfilled my dream and I learned so much, especially because I am learning to learn more about myself.

I hope to return some dayand continue to learn about this beautiful country, Australia.

Karen Sugey Gutierrez Restrepo

I’ve been here for 6 months and I feel happy with this school. I really enjoy my class. The class goes from 9am to 2.30pm and we have a half hour break for morning tea (coffee and tea is free for students). We have an hour lunch break too. This is enough time to eat and to talk to my overseas friends. After lunch we have class again and we usually learn speaking and writing skills through an intersting topic and songs.

When I first came here I was a bit nrevous, but in my Elementary class we played plenty of games and talked to each other and I felt better. After that, I was in the Pre-Intermediate class; I learned more grammar, vocabulary and speaking. When I spoke English, my teacher always corrected me so I learned where my mistakes were and I spoke more carefully. Now, I’m in the Intermediate class and I can feel my that my English skills are improving because I do practical study in class. I’ll be moving to the Upper Intermediate class soon so I’ll have new challenges.

There are different kinds of students and friendly teachers here, lots of interesting activities and wonderful weather and beaches. I love GV Caloundra!

There was a lot to celebrate last week: Stefanie’s birthday, ex-students returning to Caloundra and some farewells, Matheus, Yvonne, Corrine, Dominik, Frederic and Esther. So happy belated birthday Stefanie, welcome back Michele and Sariana and farewell to the others. I’m not sure about Dominik and Fred’s plans but Yvonne and Corrine are going to Darwin and Alice Springs for a month, while, Esther is going to study at GV Byron Bay for a month after she gets back from Sydney. Best wishes to you all. Enjoy the photos because it looks like you really enjoyed the night!

When Os first joined us in June he only knew a few random words in English  but that didn’t stop Os from trying to get to know every one on campus. As his English improved so did his confidence and by the end of his first month at GV he knew every one and every one knew him! This is what Os has to say about studying English at our school.

Everyday I go to school with pleasure with my friend. On the way to school we talk and tell and jokes. I was really lucky when I got here because my Brazilian and Colombian friends adopted me and made me feel welcome.

As Patty said above, when I first came to Australia I didn’t know how to speak English but my English has become better than it was when I first arrived.

In class we do different activities that aren’t always in our text book. I like these activities.

In Australia I have met many friends who have come from different countries. The students at school are friendly and at lunch time everyone sits and eats together. During my breaks I play a game of Play station or play pool. Most days the students have get togethers at the beach where they have BBQs at night but I join them on the weekend.

During the week and sometimes on the weekend I go to the beach and occasionally have a coffee with friends. I have managed to go to the Gold Coast with my friends, twice, which was a lot of fun and I have been to Brisbane several times too.

I have a lot of things to enjoy in Australia!

To ensure that you can always remember our different web addresses we’ve made it simple for you.

They can now be accessed through www.gvenglish.com by simply typing the site that you would like, followed by the campus. For example: /facebook/caloundra

For our selection of Caloundra high-resolution photos on Flickr.com, please visit: www.gvenglish.com/flickr/caloundra

To access our facebook community page, please visit: www.gvenglish.com/facebook/caloundra

To see the latest GV Caloundra videos on Youtube, please visit: www.gvenglish.com/youtube/noosa

Looks like some nice weather on the weekend!  Time to wax the board and head down to the beach?

Check out this great surf information page before you go:

King’s Beach – http://magicseaweed.com/Caloundra-Kings-Beach-Surf-Report/547/

Moffat’s Beach – http://magicseaweed.com/Caloundra-Moffats-Beach-Surf-Report/1008/

Do you know other online resources?? Let us know!

When Christain Nadler finished his four week English and Surf course he was a little sad because he had a fantastic time and it ended. He said the best thing about his course was that he was able to do both things successfully, learn English and learn to surf. Everything was well planned and organised. His teachers and surf Instructor gave him exactly what he needed. He really liked Graeme his surf instructor and said that the instructions and method of teaching were clear and easy. He highly recommends the course.  The only negative thing Christain had to say was that perhaps he socialized  “too much” and “drunk too much” which may have got in the way of studying harder. Don’t worry Christain, it’s all good!

This week Student Night will be held at Club 240V.  The first 21 students who ask Patty for a ticket on Thursday get to go for free. One pass per student to ask! Places are limited – so be quick!

Write a cover letter and introduce your self to KAYTONE Engineering Group. They are a local recruiting agency who will keep your details on file and contact you if there is work available in your field of interest or expertise. There is no fee involved! They place people in long and short term positions, so give it a try and you may be lucky.

If you need assistance with writing a cover letter or a  resume attend GIL and ask Nathalie to help you.

Send your details to: www.kaytoneengineering.com

It reads:

“Hello Together!

We Hope that you’re fine!

Michele and me are at the moment in Airlie Beach and we went sailing to Whitsunday. It was absolutely amazing! Until now we’ve seen a lot of nice places. We are very well and we enjoy every minute. We wish you all a nice time!

Greetings Sarina + Michele

P.S. We miss you”

A group of six students from Oman studied with us a couple of months ago in order to improve their English and meet CASA requirements and I’m proud to say that the improvement was tremendous.  Saud, Fatma, Yousuf, Sultan, Hamid and Mohammed  are all aspiring pilots and are currently in the middle of their flying exams. So, on behalf of every one at GV Caloundra I would like to wish them the best of luck – I’m sure they will come through with flying colours.Thanks for the pics boys.

Every day I go to school with pleasure because I learn with great teachers and in the sunshine.

I learn English through playing games and not just by writing and doing grammar exercises. So, it is good for me to learn English in Australia because I can speak and practise my English. In France I didn’t. I did a lot of writing instead.

At lunch, all the students eat together and it’s important to mix with all the different nationalities.

In general, on Friday afternoons all the teachers organise different activites, for example a couple of  Fridays ago, all the students went on a treasure hunt in Caloundra. It was very funny.

After college I go to the beach and I sunbathe, or I go shopping. On the weekend, I go to parties at night clubs or at the beach.

Australian people are very friendly and they are always present to help you. Sometimes, I have a problem communicating with Australians because some of them have strong accents and they use slang. For example, I say “see you” and they say  “see ya.”

Caloundra is a small city with beautiful beaches. I have been here for one month and I have discovered a lot of things and each day I am very happy to be here!

One of the best things about studying at GV must be the all the different students. Esther Buehrer has joined us recently and has adjusted to a student’s life quickly. She has a wonderful outlook on life and makes the best of things. This is what Esther has to say about her experience.

I have always had an interest in languages so when I retired after working for 50 years I decided to travel and to study English at the same time. It has been one of the best things I have done. Many of my friends and acquaintances back home were surprised with my decision to travel alone but it is the best way to do something new!

It’s great here and my host family is wonderful. I feel young again being a student and even accompany the other students on outings. I went to The Australia Zoo with them which was interesting.

One of my highlights here was when I realised that my grammar is improving!

In the future I hope to do something similar again, perhaps I will go to South America next.

The Rumba Resort on The Esplanade in Caloundra is looking for cooks, waiters,  dishwashers, etc.

So, if your interested send your resume to: penefathings@ozemail.com.au  Thanks for the tip, Julio.

When most students pack their suitcases and bags to come to Australia to study English, they don’t normally pack a racing bicycle, but that is exactly what Moreno did!

Moreno has been racing since he was eight years old and is a member of the Swiss National Team.  The racing club he belongs to is VMC Muhen and he is part of the GS Rufalex cycling team, competing in the Road Elite category. He has had a great year so far with two victories in the time trials.

Once Moreno finishes his studies  he will begin his training program.  A part of his training schedule involves  training on his own as well as training with local riders in the Caloundra area.  He hopes to train for 20 – 28 hours a week.        Best of luck Moreno.

Four new students joined us today. Samuel and Sabrina are in the Intermediate class, while Camilo and Myriam have joined the Upper Intermediate class. Please say hello!

Have you ever seen a beautiful beach with perfect waves and dolphins like a movie or a picture? So, welcome to paradise. It is very difficult to explain the energy that I felt in this place. So many families at the beach learning to surf together, and ‘no worries’ if wanted information all you had to do was ask the locals because they were so helpful.

The festival started on Friday the 30th of October featuring great Reggae music. The first day was incredible for me. I felt alone at the beginning but after a few minutes I had so many new Australian friends around me. Gustavo and Thiago joined me on the Island on Saturday and I met them at the beach because they were lost. At night we went to the festival and met our friend Orion selling indigenous jewellery at his stall there. The four of us enjoyed the festival from start to finish. As I said, it is something I will always remember, so if you have time you should go to this festival next year. See you there!

Guilherme Bitelli Pereira Novo – Upper Intermediate Class

They say that “it’s the race that stops the nation” and it is true! Staff and students left their classrooms to watch the race, but not without a few technical difficulties- poor Nathalie had to keep the antenna still.  In true cup spirit, spectators cheered and willed their horses on.  It was nice to see every one participate and have fun. The Elementary students went to a lot of trouble and dressed up for the occasion and were rewarded with champagne for their efforts.  First prize went to Ritsuko for the ‘Best Dressed’ and Chisa won the ‘Best Hat’ competition.  As for the sweep, Melissa got first place, Gwen second and Carlos third.

3rd – Melbourne Cup Day – Fashion Parade / Hat Competition (Best outfit and hat wins a prize!)

5th – *Club 240V Student Night at Mooloolaba

6th – Cooking afternoon

7th – Underwater World

11th – *Ski ‘n’ Skurf’

13th – Superstition Quiz

15th – Hinterland Trip: Montville, View of the Glass House Mountains, Maleny

19th – *The Sands Tavern – Student Night

20th – Perform your ‘Mind Your Language’ Skit.

28th – *Eumundi Market

(* 21 students are needed for these activities )