Australian Discovery! ~Andre's

Day-1: 7/6/10 (Monday)

Sunshine in Aussie!!! WOOTS!

7 hours of flying and here we are, touching down on a land that promises endless excitement and enchantment… its Australia… !

 Setting my first footprint on Australian soil and not letting go of my first maiden shot .. I looked ‘exhaustedly excited’, didn’t I…?

From Brisbane International Airport, we were ushered to a waiting tour bus that took us for a short sightseeing tour of Gold Coast. A splendid city Gold Coast is indeed, fascinating landscapes comprehending a host of skyscrapers, historical buildings and unique local icons & attractions. Gold Coast City is known for its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, waterways and canal systems, a skyline dominated by high-rise impressively designed apartment buildings, rich rainforest hinterland in the west of the city, bountiful nightlife, shopping paradise and its endless lifestyle and entertainment attractions.

Passing through one of the beautiful river… the blue river and the clear sky almost blends in harmony.  At the background, a familiar icon found in most big cities around the world.. the EYE!

An impressive colonial building, giving you a British flavour..?

Day-2: 8/6/10 (Tuesday)

ALCOL & Shopping at Southport

After breakfast, my foster dad sent me and my roommate-Shim to Australia International College of Language (ALCOL) for our first session of English class.  

Class photo.. picture perfect.  

From back-right: Andre(me), Chelsea,Teacher-Janice,Tharishini, Michael

From front-right: Wenyi, Iman, Victoria

In our first class assignment, we were told to do an open-response essay entitled:-

‘While some of the reasons for poor mental health are genetic, a lot has to do with the effects of the modern lifestyle. Discuss.’

Later in the afternoon, we were taken for a stroll on the streets, walk ways, parks and exploring the beauties of Southport area and its vicinity.

We were later brought to the Australia Fair for free and easy shopping. Well, being a non-shopaholic, I don’t really indulged with shopping much. Spent most of my allotted shopping time relaxing at a bench under the maples, nimbling my favourite chocolates as I watch life & people in Australia passing by. A wonderful experience, relaxing in cool nice weather and enjoying time like never before…!

Day-3: 9/6/10 (Wednesday)

More AICOL and of course, SURFERS PARADISE!

Janice gave us an assignment on Business English and we were supposed to answer the listed questions and putting our entrepreneurial thoughts into play. We spent 2 hours on the class assignment and happily handed up our worksheet on time.

By 1pm, we were huddled into our bus and headed straight for Surfers Paradise!!!

  

Welcome arch at the Surfers’ Paradise

  

No swimming, no surfing BUT yes for ‘jump-shooting’. Hey, that was my choreographic shot, directed my Andre Ng Incorporated. Saw the camera still in my hands..?

Day-4: 10/6/10 (Thursday)

Meet the Kangaroos and Koalas

Our day-4 outing In the afternoon was the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  It is where two of OZ most prominent icons, the K&K (kangaroos and koalas) is breeded and showcased.  All of us are very excited and were looking forward to meet and experience.

Koala bears! Aren’t they cute?

         Kangaroos have got strong legs,fatal enough to kill.  I go for this little ‘boy ’to be safe.  It doesn’t seem very friendly…

This Currumbin experience is definitely one of my best as I finally get to see the koala bears, kangaroos an other wildlife that I don’t get to see back in Malaysia. We even had the opportunity to make close contacts with those lovely animals.  Being an animal lover, it is an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for many years.

Day-5: 11/6/10 (Friday)

Bye AICOL.. sob..sobs!

The last lesson was a rather interesting and thought-provoking one. We were told to give thoughts on newspaper articles, given by Janice. Everyone grabbed the opportunity to speak their mind on things they feel strongly about. I did a newspaper article on the recent Gaza Flotilla blockade and the whole class erupted into a heated discussion and fierce debates ensued. Interestingly to note that, despite the hectic and busy life styles we all engaged daily, people still do show care and concern about current affairs that is happening all around  us.

Certificate Presentation & Farewell Party

Me holding the certificate presented by Viviana, Director of Studies of AICOL

A group photo for the album..

35 participants of ‘Australia Discovery’ Group Batch 6

Organised by Hiroshima International Club

6^th to 14^th June 2010

  

Day-6: 12/6/10 (Saturday)

DREAMWORLD!.. the pinnacle of FUN!

The moment that we have been waiting for… yeah,Yeah,YEAH..!

 Dream-DREAM WORLD…! Here we come!!!  Photo with Isaac, my fellow schoolmate in SSI… Cheers!

Dreamworld is an undisputedly the world’s renowned theme park situated at the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is currently Australia's largest theme park with over 27 rides including 4 roller coasters. The park is made up of several themed lands: Ocean Parade, Nick Central, Wiggles World, Gold Rush Country, Rocky Hollow, Tiger Island and the Australian Wildlife Experience. These lands feature a collection of rides, animal exhibits, shows, food outlets and merchandise shops.

Day-7: 13/6/10 (Sunday)

Au revoir Australia and hello again, Malaysia

Final day in Australia with my home stay adopted family, couldn’t bear to leave them. On one hand, I am feeling sad as I was about to leave Aussie, a country where I enjoyed a host of fun in the learning process; on the other, being able to return to home-sweet-home Malaysia is a wonderful feeling.

Presenting to you my Host Family.. The Rafael Family !!

Mr Rafael and family, thank you so much for the wonderful reception, generous care & support, above all your warm hospitality rendered to me during my stay in Australia.  It was a great, valuable and memorable experience

Appreciated it really a lot. Love and missed you all!

BIG THANKS!