Eudes goes sailing this Christmas

I am a DL Level 3 student and I come from Venezuela in South America. I enjoy my classes with my teacher John because I work full time and I don’t have time to go to regular classes. We do various activities ranging from grammar, role plays, pronunciation corrections, (the “j” in Spanish is a hard one) and discuss many topics.

Before I came to Australia, I did some research about where to live and decided on the Gold Coast, Queensland because it has a great climate. It was the correct decision.

A few months ago my friend and I decided to invest in a sailing boat. We enrolled in a sailing class and obtained our sailing licences. I've been sailing for 6 months here on the Gold Coast. It is a great place to learn because there are a lot canals where you can sail in calm water and many beautiful small islands which vary in character. Some have crystal clear water with lots of animals.

I used to spend Christmas with my family back home but because I don't have family here I decided to do something different for Christmas and go sailing to Moreton Island. This will be our second time to sail there so my friend and I have a bit more experience but we can't be overconfident because this is a long and quite dangerous route with one stretch of water where many boats have gone down.

Our 24 ft sailing boat is equipped with solar panels, a small stove, a big 100 litre water tank and beds for 5 people.  It has just the basic things so we will take a big esky full of food, ice and some beers. Hopefully we won't use the engine if the wind is good and we'll catch some big fish.

Thanks Eudes for sharing your story. We wish you a safe and fabulous adventure.  

• How are you spending Christmas this year?
• Have you changed any of your traditions because you're now living in a different country?
• What were the highlights of 2016 for you?

This is our last blog story this year. From all of us in the Navitas DL team, we thank you for joining the program in 2016 and we wish you a very happy Christmas and a safe holiday until we return again on 3rd January 2017.

Anita finishes AMEP on a high

Anita and Teacher Erika

My name is Anita and I come from Ecuador, South America.  I live in Newcastle, NSW.  When I came to Australia I spoke very little English.  I couldn't do anything by myself and I needed help. So in March, 2015 I met my AMEP Distance Learning teacher, Erika, for the first time.  A few days later I also met my Home Tutor.

Since then, both of them have been my inspiration to succeed. They have encouraged me a lot and had enormous patience.  I am about to complete my 510 hours.  During the last 18 moths I have learnt to rely on myself, go to the shops and interact with other people. My husband thinks that I have now become good at spending money because I can go out and do the shopping by myself.

I had a strong desire to learn English and having a bilingual DL teacher who can speak Spanish helped me understand the language and the culture better.

A few weeks ago my family and I travelled to Sydney to see the "Cirque du Soleil" show.  It was a good opportunity to finally meet my teacher Erika face to face.  We met at the hotel where I was staying and had lunch together.  It was wonderful to see her in person after all our Skype lessons.

This week I'll have my last AMEP lesson but I know that Erika and I will always remain in touch. I feel more confident now and I hope that one day I will be able to do a beautician course and start my own make-up business.

Congratulations Anita and well done for finishing your hours and improving your English.  Our best wishes for the next step.

• What would you like to do more independently as your English improves?
• Where do you get your inspiration to keep on learning?
• How many AMEP hours do you have remaining? What would you like to see yourself achieving in this time?
• If you had the chance to visit Sydney what are 3 things you would like to do or see?

Why not add a comment to support Anita or an answer to one of the questions below!

Life and Study in the National Park

My name is Karen and I come from Japan.  I met my husband in Western Australia 6 years ago.  We got married and we have been living here for about 3 years.

My husband has a tourist business in Karijini National Park, which is 1500 km away from Perth.  There are a lot of beautiful gorges and natural pools there. It is a spiritual environment with spectacular views.

We live in the National Park 7 months a year during the tourist peak season. I love watching the beautiful sunrise and sunset and the star-filled sky at night.  I enjoy listening to the different birds, swimming and walking in gorges. Sometimes however living in this remote place makes me frustrated because I miss the dynamics of the city life, the concerts, the festivals, dining out, catching up with people, but I try to treasure all the unique experiences here. I have a job too in the National Park.  I work as a Yoga instructor and a massage therapist.  

I enrolled in the DL program to study English in 2014.  My English has been improving dramatically with teacher Bernadette.  Studying online is the perfect study style for me because of the flexibility.

I have also been studying the Interior Design Diploma course online for the last 6 months which is very exciting. I have learnt how to make scale models to represent the characteristics of different architectural styles. In the picture you can see me with the Gothic style miniature interior design.

I am so happy that living in a remote place could not stop me from taking up new challenges, learning, improving and working hard towards my future goals.  Now I have finished my AMEP course and I am proud to have achieved Certificate 3.

Congratulations Karen on completing the CSWE course and thank you for sharing your unique experiences.  We wish you all the best for your future.

• What do you like the most about your lifestyle in Australia?  What do you miss?
• If you had to live in a national park, how would you feel and what would you do?     
• What courses would you like to do in the future?
• What are the pros and cons of studying online?

Why not leave a message for Karen or write an answer to one of the questions below!

For information on DL Holiday Programs for WA students click here.