Changing the university game.

We here at Antipodeans have known about the benefits of travel for years. Its ability to develop resilience, perspective, gratitude and empathy. To change you intrinsically as a person. To us, incorporating travel in your formative years is a vital part of becoming a globally aware citizen.

This belief is a big part of why we’re thrilled to support the Global Game Changers Program, a degree that shares our vision for the future.

Ducere Global Business School, the University of Canberra and Antipodeans have teamed up to offer a truly unique online undergraduate degree program, designed for Australia’s next wave of business innovators, startup creators and social entrepreneurs. The Global Game Changers program combines a Bachelor degree in Applied Entrepreneurship or Applied Entrepreneurship (Social Entrepreneurship) with unprecedented learning and leadership opportunities overseas.

That’s where we come in. The Game Changers degree includes Antipodeans style Expeditions throughout South East Asia and China, as well as entrepreneurial training in California’s Silicon Valley – all completed in under two years.

This isn’t your standard University course, and Antipodeans doesn’t run your usual overseas trip – which is why the opportunity to work together is one we couldn’t pass up.

With over 25 years experience in student-based developing-world travel, Antipodeans empowers young people to take ownership and embrace a world beyond their own borders, through leadership style Expeditions, Schoolies Unearthed trips and University Placements.

Our rewarding, hands-on community projects are a central focus of every overseas program. Part of our expertise is to ensure these projects are sustainable, safe, provide local employment and are created in consultation with local communities. Through our international tours and venture-building workshops with Global Game Changers, students will gain firsthand exposure to the world’s fastest-growing economies, and develop foundational skills in entrepreneurship, leadership, resilience and mindfulness.

With our big bold vision of shaping the future generation, we couldn’t be prouder to support this degree of the future.

Game Changers & Antipodeans Year 1:

Students travel through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China on a 5-week, horizon-building expedition. Through rewarding community project work, students will discover leadership, resilience and mindfulness – the keys to social innovation in the 21st century.

Game Changers & Antipodeans Year 2:

From Google and Facebook HQ to the latest game-changing app, California’s Silicon Valley is a global centre for tech innovation. Over 3 weeks, students discover how innovators and investors are succeeding in the digital age, and will pitch their own ventures to a panel of experts and entrepreneurs.

We strive to shape the future and Game Changers is a degree that does just that.

Global Game Changers Program Fast Facts

• Unique undergraduate degree designed for Australia’s next wave of business innovators,start-up creators and social entrepreneurs. 
• Includes Antipodeans style Expeditions to China, South East Asia and Silicon Valley USA. 
• Combines a Bachelor degree in Applied Entrepreneurship or Applied Entrepreneurship(Social Entrepreneurship). 
• Students can build their own venture as part of their degree. 
• Fast-tracked 2-year degree full time. 
• Entry requirements - 60 ATAR or equivalent, tertiary qualification or 2+ years employment experience. 
• Payment options - Commonwealth Supported Places, HECS-HELP and OS-HELP available 
• Classes start Monday 6 February 2017.  
   

Apply today.

Antipodeans run challenging overseas adventures for students that truly shape who they become.
If you’re a high school or university interested in working with us, please get in touch.

antipodeans.com.au
T: +61 2 9413 1522
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Final Bittersweet days in Cambodia

After a fantastic break in Siem Reap, everyone returned to Phnom Penh ready to complete the last week of clinic to the best of their ability. With only two days remaining at the PIO school and with many students feeling unwell or run down, we really had to come together as a team to complete as many students as possible in our short time. At the completion of our week at PIO, we had seen over 280 students.

It was incredible to see the fantastic effects of SDF (silver fluoride) during this time, with the students who were in year 3 or above, having minimal caries and evident areas of arrested caries as a result of their six monthly fluoride applications and regular screening. It was so encouraging to see that the efforts of the One2One charitable trust and Dr. Bethy’s PhD research was really benefiting the children in this area and those attending PIO.

To complete our placement at the school, each child was provided with a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a bar of soap. As we handed these out through several classes, the children were overjoyed to be receiving something that they could call their own. It was a sad goodbye on this day, as we had all began really enjoying visiting the beautiful children who attended PIO.

The following day we began our three-day rural placement. Once again the Phnom Penh traffic was a huge shock to us, as it took 2 hours to travel just 40kms to ‘Le Refuge’ in Oudong. 

The bus arrived at a beautiful garden, where children were playing on the grass or on the playground. We were greeted by Dr Saram, the founder of ‘Le Refuge’, who gave us a tour and explained to us how the place began. Dr Saram lost his wife and children during the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 80’s, he was shot in the neck as he made his escape to the Thailand border. He miraculously survived and migrated to France, where he studied to become a heart surgeon. After living in France for some time, Dr Saram returned to his home nation to give back to his people. He moved to Phnom Penh and started working in a hospital, before noticing that many of his patients were from the region of Oudong. This motivated him to open an out-patient clinic in Oudong, so his patients did not have to stay in Phnom Penh far away from their families and homes during their recovery time.

With funding from his friends and colleagues in France, he continued expanding ‘Le Refuge’ to house up to 25 children who did not have parents or whose parents had moved for work. He provides these children with shelter, clothing, education and food. He also provides every child in Oudong lunch three times a week. 

Through the ten years of ‘Le Refuge’ it had expanded to also include a dental clinic and optometry clinic. As dentists from Phnom Penh only regularly visit on weekends to volunteer at ‘Le Refuge’ the children were rarely seen, as they would be working or helping their parents. Dr Saram’s story was truly inspirational, and we all felt motivated to see the children of Oudong as they had no access to dental care.

The next three days we screened 80 children at ‘Le Refuge’, providing fluoride applications and fissure sealants. It was quite challenging, with so many children to see in only three days, we really had to come together as a team to practice efficiently in this fast paced clinic with minimal supplies. 

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Days were long, having 11 hour days from the time we would leave the hotel to the time we would return home, and our energy levels were running low, however our motivation was high. Knowing these children’s access to care was rare, we all came together to help each other and work harder when students were unwell. It did become overwhelming at stages, when we couldn’t address the child’s immediate needs, such as pain. With the healing process being delayed due to the humidity, deciduous teeth would not be extracted unless it was necessary. While also focusing on long term preventive treatment, it did not provide us with that immediate reward. However, having applied over 200 fissure sealants and fluoride applications at Oudong, it was reassuring to know that we potentially saved 100’s of permanent teeth for the children in this area. 

After our final day at Oudong on Friday, we travelled to our Farewell dinner at FCC, a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers. We shared a three course meal with three of the dental students that helped us throughout our Antipodeans placement and with our in-country partner Linda. We all exchanged gifts during our meals and exchanged stories of our experiences throughout the two and a half weeks together. It was a fantastic evening and a bittersweet end to an amazing trip.

We were all excited to head home to our families and friends but we were also very upset that the amazing experience was coming to an end. It was reassuring to know that we accomplished so much in our time in Cambodia and made a difference to almost 400 children’s lives. 18 days had flown past so quickly but it was incredible how many experiences we squeezed into our short time in Cambodia.
   

Welcome to Cambodia! Oral health placement

Walking out of the Phnom Penh International Airport at 6:30pm, a gush of 29°C heat and humidity swept over us! ‘Welcome to Cambodia’ our tour guide said as we climbed on the bus.

As we began our slow journey, the incredible amount of vehicles, scooters and tuk-tuks on the roads was overwhelming. There are so many vehicles on Phnom Penh roads that a 10km trip from the airport to our hotel took us an hour! During this trip, our tour guide explained the culture and surroundings of Phnom Penh, she explained just how poor so many Cambodians are, with the average person surviving on only $1 a day. As we arrived to our home for the next 18 days and most of us were feeling quite miserable about the circumstances of the people here, feeling as though there wasn’t much hope. 

  

The following morning, we visited ‘Friends International’ a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) that is involved in keeping children safe and encouraging education and business within Cambodia, and preventing young and old from being involved in begging, drugs, sex trafficking and homelessness. It also supports businesses that hire marginalized youth and encourage education and employment within this sub-population. 

They provided us with an educational seminar on the ‘Child Safe Movement’ and how to prevent tourism that encourages the abuse of children. We then visited the public and private dental universities of Phnom Penh. It was incredible to see how similar both universities were to home! It was impressive to see how thorough the courses are in Cambodia. Both private and public universities had a dental clinic where the public could come receive dental treatment pricing from $1. The students also have the option to provide free treatment to individuals who seem incredibly poor and require treatment.

We all felt a lot more hope after this day, seeing how many NGO’s and individuals are motivated to encourage healthy safe environments for children and to encourage safe work for everyone within the community. The Universities provided hope, seeing how dedicated and motivated students were to make a change in their community and provide incredible, vital care in their home town. 

 The third day we had tours of the Palace, the genocide museum and the killing fields. This day was emotionally draining for everyone on the trip. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how much the people of Cambodia have faced with throughout the past 50 years, and how difficult it has been to rebuild from this. With so many fundamental issues still not having been resolved within the community, it seems difficult to address dental concerns.

Access to electricity, access to clean water, basic personal hygiene, rubbish collection and public bins are still not available throughout the whole of Cambodia. Issues such as water fluoridation and tooth brushing cannot be solved when basic human needs have not been met for everyone. On our tuk-tuk home, a few of us were waving to a child who was in the car next to us. When the cute boy broke into laughter, all his upper front teeth had decay.

This was quite a shock to us at the time as this would be a rare sight in Australia. However for a child in Cambodia, by the age of 6 the average DMFT score is 9. This means that on average, by the age of 6 a child will have 9 decayed, missing or filled teeth, being almost half the teeth that they would have by this age. 

We spent the next four days at PIO (People Improvement Organisation) School that was built along a rubbish dump to support families and educate children in this area, who had turned to picking rubbish out of the dump to support themselves. In conjunction with One2One Charitable Trust, we were providing silver diamond fluoride (SDF) to the deep pits and fissures of every child within the school, while also providing ART restorations and fissure seals to high risk patients.

There are 500 children within the school that require their 6 monthly SDF application, and we are trying to get through as many as we can within our 6 days at this clinic. Having four make-shift dental chairs, using tables and chairs to create our own clinic, it was quite demanding. With no triplex, suction, light or access to all our usual equipment or materials, working within these conditions really encourages team work and being versatile.

Making our own cotton pellets from cotton balls, creating our own autoclave with a pressure cooker for sterilising, manually writing down computer notes before entering them into the computer as quick as we can with the slow Wi-Fi access, working in teams of three with one person holding the flash-light and using bins for spit buckets are only a few of the changes to our usual luxurious dental clinics. Being within these clinics really makes you appreciate just how privileged we are, and after day one we were all wishing we had our dental chairs with suction and the triplex back!  

The children, however, make every hot day rewarding, and their beautiful personalities motivated us to complete each day. By the end of the week we were all ready for our three day trip to Siem Reap to explore more of Cambodia’s history.

The end of an amazing experience...

Following an exciting and interesting first week at the hospital, the group looked forward to a weekend of leisure in Vinh Long. The Saturday saw the group take a tour along the Mekong Delta to the floating markets. We stopped at several sites to see the local people making traditional rice paper, snake wine and performed theatrical Vietnamese songs. The group disembarked onto smaller wooden row boats with a single woman paddling standing up. We sat in groups of four and travelled seamlessly through smaller channels. We saw beautiful greenery and witnessed local Mekong Delta residents going about their usual day. The Sunday was a time of relaxation and immersion into the local Vinh Long atmosphere.

Our final week at the hospital went past quickly. Our Vietnamese language skills had developed and basic communication with the local women and families was possible; even if they did find our pronunciation hilarious. The professional relationships between the staff and students further grew. This allowed for open transfer of practices, culture and knowledge. We gained valuable insight into the Vietnamese way, particularly their great family involvement from pregnancy to the postnatal period. We provided information on Australian obstetric practices which that staff found very interesting.

As the week neared the end, our group was humbled to be invited to share meals with the local staff. A generous invitation for a few of us to attend an Anniversary of Death at a doctor’s home was humbling and beyond expected. On attendance a lush spread of local food was presented before us. This had obviously taken several days to prepare and tasted divine. Another generous invitation to attend a local restaurant for pancakes arrived from another doctor. On our final day at the hospital, we dined together with several doctors and midwives and enjoyed the Vietnamese pancakes. We returned to the hospital and said our goodbyes. It was a bittersweet moment to part with the wonderful staff and families as we began our trip home to our own families. 

We travelled back to Ho Chi Minh City on the final Friday, ready to depart for Adelaide on the Saturday evening. We were fortunate enough to have some more leisure time. On the Friday evening we enjoyed a delicious farewell dinner and saw the views from the highest building in Ho Chi Minh City on the 52 nd floor. On Saturday morning most of the group went to the Cu Chi tunnels to learn of the Vietnamese War and its impact. Finally, we scattered to quickly buy gifts and bargains from the local markets before departure. 

Now back in Australia to our creature comforts, I reflect on the most amazing experience I have had as a student midwife. Words cannot describe these experiences well enough, especially those shared with the women, families, local practitioners and as a group. We thank Antipodeans for arranging this placement and extend a special thank you to Michelle, Chi and Tam.

A Day in the Life

I wake up to the sound of prayer chants and music. The same familiar song plays over and over as I sip on a Nepali tea and gulp down balep korkun and fried eggs. An ever eventful bus ride sees me on my way to school where a flood of warm Namastes, Hellos and Good Mornings from parents, students, teachers and even people on the street, greet me at the entrance.

We all assemble in an outdoor courtyard, with the children completing a number of rounds of different prayers and chants. All the children know every word, even the smallest Montessori students. They finish up on a handful of English nursery rhymes and songs, which I get to lead today, playing ukulele and doing the actions out the front with the rest of the teachers.

 I teach them a few new songs and games, with their favourite being the Hokey Pokey. It has us all in stitches as the students and teachers try not to tumble over in the dirt as we run into the middle for the WOAH HOKEY POKEY. I sing some Australian folk songs to them before wrapping assembly up, after over an hour of fun and games! It’s off to class, where I teach a foundation (3-4yrs old) class of 20 students. We sing songs and play instruments with a focus on mathematics and literacy, counting and chanting the alphabet.

The children understand only a little English, but that is the beauty of teaching using music; we all find a way to understand one another. We finish up with an art activity that is chaotic, but results in some very beautiful artworks. Lunch is a short break, filled with cheap, delicious momos at the City Market. When I get back to school I receive an invitation to a wedding on the weekend! I’m beyond excited as the teachers tell me they will find me a beautiful Sari to wear. I skip off to hold a teacher training session. I hold a seminar for the primary teachers at the school, focusing on a few different areas. We discuss how to integrate creative arts, with a focus on music, into their curriculum and ideas related to behavioural and classroom management, mostly concerning discipline. It’s amazing how interested the teachers are in our methods of education and I feel incredibly encouraged by their willingness to participate, ask questions and take on board the information. We all leave with big smiles on our faces, after playing egg shakers, drums and singing together for hours.

I catch the bus home, grab a little treat for the kids in my host family and go inside to talk to my host mum about the amazing day I’ve had. I spend a little time inside before I duck out to take a shower. There is nothing better than the feeling of tipping that cold bucket of water over your head each night in some attempt to feel something other than sweaty in this amazingly humid climate. Dinner is delicious, and the evening is spent chatting about all kinds of things until we all have nothing left to say. I go to bed knowing tomorrow will be equally as amazing, but nothing will be as I expect. There is nothing typical about a day in Nepal.

What I got out of my Antipodeans' Unibreak

An appreciation for my life 
I always knew we had it good in Australia, but coming back from Cambodia made me reflect on exactly how good we do have it. We are so lucky to have a government that supports health and education. Having an education is something that is truly valuable and can never be taken away from you. I realised just how fortunate we are to have access to education and have a government that supports this. I came back a more peaceful, grateful and tolerant person.

Having a government and system that upholds the rule of law is something most Australians would definitely take for granted. Having been exposed to Cambodians who have had their land taken from them and their houses bulldozed by the government with little to no compensation is devastating and a reality we will likely never face in Australia. Practicing as a lawyer in Australia is much easier and much more supported by resources, education and without the uphill battle against a corrupt system. Working in the legal system in Cambodia taught me to appreciate the Australian legal system and the value of foreign aid. 

The confidence to travel 
This trip has given me the confidence to travel the world, even on my own. Traveling overseas, somewhere you have never been with a group of people you have never met was a new and overwhelming experience. It taught me that I am much more capable on my own than I realised and that the world is my oyster! I am more eager than ever to experience the world and even go to places I previously never would have considered.

You only get out of life what you put in 
Yes, this is a cliché quote you would see on a fridge magnet or bumper sticker. And yes, this was stressed to us before we left, but I didn’t really think about it until I was almost finished my first week of placement. I noticed that those of us who enjoyed the experience the most were the ones who put everything in, who asked questions, who engaged with locals and who were optimistic and open- minded. Those who arrived with preconceptions or expectations were quickly disappointed and this tended to leave a bad taste for the rest of their trip. Going into any experience, particularly one that involved work, travel or both, it is so important not to have any expectations before hand and to just dive in! I would much rather leave exhausted than with regrets of what I should have done or said. I have always been a fairly optimistic and open-minded person but this trip showed me why this is so important to take things as they come and embrace every opportunity life throws your way.

Top 5 Must-Do’s in Pokhara!

In Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city and home of some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the country there is so much to see and do – here are our top five from the group! 

1. Paragliding  

Pokhara is home to the glorious Annapurna mountain range as well as the beautiful Phewa Tal Lake and the most exciting way to see the scenery is Paragliding. So on a sunny Saturday morning Tahlee, Emma and I were all set to go! 

We all hopped in a four-wheel drive with our instructors and endured the very bumpy and sometimes scary ride up to Sarangot. With Nepali rock music blaring and the mountains coming into view – we were all very excited! We all got strapped into our harnesses and said goodbye to each other one by one as we each ran off the mountain into mid air. The rush of adrenaline that you feel once your feet suddenly aren’t touching the ground and you are floating in the sky is like nothing else. Seeing Pokhara from a bird’s eye view is an incredible experience. Author's note: Prepare for the unexpected motion sickness. 

2. Exploring Lakeside 

Lakeside is Pokhara’s central tourist hub situated right in the middle of Phewa Tal Lake. It’s buzzing with restaurants, bars and shops and is a favorite spot for weekends and afternoons. Most weekends we like to wind down with a drink at Busy Bee Café the local tourist bar and enjoy some delicious middle-eastern food at our favorite spot OR2K. The days are spent exploring the many shops trying to grab a bargain on some clothing, jewelry or handicrafts. And if we’re lucky one of us might indulge in a spa afternoon for a mere $30AUD!  

3. Enjoying local food 

The local Nepali and Tibetan food is something everyone must try! It’s on offer all over Pokhara but we’re lucky enough to enjoy traditional home made Tibetan meals every day at our homestays. We’ve tried many local delicacies such as Dhal Bhat, Chow Mien and our favourite, MoMos Tibetan Style dumplings. We even tried making these much to our host mum’s amusment… she hasn’t asked for our help since! 

4. World Peace Pagoda 

The World Peace Pagoda is another great experience that we’ve enjoyed whilst in Pokhara. The World Heritage Listed Buddhist temple sits atop of a mountain and looks over all of Pokhara city and the Annapurna mountain range. Tahlee and I made the journey over to the mountain by boat over the Phewa Tal Lake. We then enjoyed the one-hour hike through the forest, passing local wildlife and traditional houses. Waiting for us at the spectacular white temple amongst the beautiful flower garden overlooking all of Pokhara. We enjoyed the serenity of this sacred place. 

5. Sarangot  

Sarangot is one of the biggest Must-Do’s whilst in Pokhara. It offers the best view in Pokhara to see the Annapurna mountain range and, if seen at sunrise or sunset, is said to turn the White Mountains caps into a celestial gold. We’ve all had the chance to see Sarangot in different ways. With some of us Paragliding from the top, and others undertaking the 4-5 hour trek. Any way that you see Sarangot is an amazing experience and one that can’t be missed.

A Pal-umporium of Experiences!

So before we get into the ins and outs of placement in week 2, we have to describe the incredible first weekend we had in McLeod Ganj, home of none other than the Dalai Lama himself. While we were not able to visit him personally we got to see the temple and were both amazed and deeply moved by the enlightening Tibetan museum.

Our favourite meal was exquisite Mo Mos (like dumplings) at the Tibetan Kitchen. Matty wanted Ti-bet who could eat the most Mo Mos. Justin won that competition hands down, as he just ate Mo and Mo! We also got to do an overnight trek to Triund and the snowline in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges. The hiking was truly world class and the views were so expansive and clear that Jack wanted to Tri-and spot Palampur! Unfortunately it was a bit of a rainy day with an abundance of clouds and fog – nonetheless we train our best to push on through the ter-rain! After 20km of climbs and descents each day, we were quite tired by the end. Charlotte said she was so exhausted she sore stars. It was a truly hard work out for the collective squad-riceps.

This week, the physios have been split between 3 clinics. We are really starting to get really involved in patients’ treatments, and have been given freedom to assess, treat, develop treatment plans and prescribe exercises. The patients and staff have been incredibly friendly and open to us. We have enjoyed chai breaks, learning body parts and counting in Hindi. One patient was being a bit lazy so Cassie told him to chai harder. In all seriousness, we have really enjoyed being in a tea-m environment. Jen had a patient with a rare hip concern. The symptoms were exacerbated with the cold. Thus her primary hip-othesis was that the patient was suffering from brrrrrrrr-sitis. 

Sophie has been treating one lady with knee osteoarthritis. It was clear that the patient knee-ded to strengthen their thigh muscles. Eric has been at a clinic next to the police training centre. One patient had shoulder pain. Eric thought it was due to overuse of the rotator ‘cuff’s, and advised the patient to take ‘arrest’. The health sciences students have been shadowing a local GP, seeing lots of patients with kidney stones, gallstones and diabetes. Justin was so concerned when he saw a young child in pain, he said ‘this kid-ney’ds urgent treatment!’  

Eloise’s favourite part of this week has been the daal-ightful food back at the house. Alison has been at a school with younger children and enjoyed the triumphs and challenges that inevitably come with corralling younger humans. They’ve enjoyed counting to ten, although one or two have been a bit ten-tative. Although she’s always been ‘four’ their learning, once in a while the kids have been in a silly st-eight. We have all come to discover that Palampur really does have a ‘number’ of interesting areas with an a-pun-dance of invaluable experience to be gained.

An Incredible Indian Adventure!

India – a place that so far seems totally manic. In the two weeks leading up to our placement a few of us were lucky enough to explore the northern half of the country. A week into the trip we all had mixed feelings, one of a vibrant and bustling culture and the other of a chaos but colour. The physical experience was taxing, personified by the omnipresent sweaty stench of faeces as dogs, cows, goats and people urinate and defecate in public space (reconsider?). After a long week of scorching heat, constant symphony of traffic horns and being stared at, it was time to escape the hustle of the city.

Manali became our home for the second week, a backpackers paradise with an abundance of adventure activities, cheap restaurants and bars, friendly locals going about their daily business all nestled on a tiny road engulfed by majestic mountains. It was a treat to sit at a street side café drinking chai tea as the local Nepalese women carried hay baskets up hill for their cattle, and the men herding Yaks back down towards the aqua stream below. After the two roller coaster weeks we were Palampur bound!

We arrived late afternoon after a scenic drive through the North Indian mountains, a scene like out of Jurassic park as gigantic mountains towered either side, waterfalls speckled throughout. The drive lived up to the world famous hype, it was nothing short of spectacular. Having nestled into our accommodation and meeting our in country partners and the other students we were feeling reassured and excited to begin the first day of the next 4 weeks.

At first, it was a bit daunting to discover that each and every meal at the house would be Indian vegetarian. But we soon found out, every meal was made fresh, full of flavour and accompanied by home grown organic vegetables. Almost one week in and each meal continues to satisfy both the stomach and the soul. We are completely hooked on foods like dahl, chapati and paneer (look it up). We are embarrassed that we once enjoyed a sausage roll or meat pie from the servo.

Making our way to placement each day is an adventure. We catch the local bus and get off at the local market which is just beginning to show signs of the hustle and bustle that will inevitably characterise the streets during the day. Catching a second bus, we wind our way towards placement. The manic driver takes violent turns at lightning pace, it's important to hold on tight!

The placement so far has been an eye opener, there are so many differences in physiotherapy between Australia and India it's overwhelming. At this stage we are just observing and although we see things that we consider to be different, we are learning the role of cultural and social influence on treatment in order to achieve greater patient outcomes.

The stroll back through the market at the end of the day is highly anticipated. A plethora of amazing fresh sweet and savoury delights, hot steamed momo’s, cool butterscotch ice cream and a big grocery bag full of afternoon snacks for a mere $2AUD. We are currently planning our weekend which will consist of exploring Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj, with hiking and culinary experiences high on the to do list.

Our Exciting First Week of midwifery in Vietnam!

After check in and a team photo we were finally boarding. The long, overnight haul had finally begun after weeks of planning, preparation and excitement. Two stopovers and rough nights' ‘sleep’ saw us to Ho Chi Minh City where we had the afternoon to settle in, a welcome dinner of local cuisine, and an early night. Monday morning was here, time to pack up, board the bus and move onto Vinh Long. 

We dumped our bags at the hotel, were fed an enormous lunch that could quite easily have fed us for days and made our way to the hospital for a tour. Waiting at the steps of hospital were the beaming smiles of staff and translators. As we made our way through the corridors, locals stared, waved, giggled and followed us. It was clear we were going to be welcomed, it was also clear this was not a place that foreigners frequented.

The staff proudly walked us through their hospital and sat us down in the meeting room for an official welcoming. If you’re a health professional student you know this kind of welcoming doesn’t happen at home (well it certainly doesn’t in Australia). We felt like royalty and were all thrilled to finally be here.

We later left the hospital and made our way through the local supermarket collecting some basic supplies. Once again the locals looked on intrigued that white Aussies were wandering through their supermarket. Tuesday was here, day 1 of placement! It was very different to home, there was no patient hand over, we had no idea of the daily routine and yet we all drifted off into our own areas and began to immerse ourselves in the women, babies and families. It was difficult, we looked at babies, smiled and felt unsure exactly where to begin. This didn’t last long... as we were collected and off on ward rounds, showering babies, hands deeps in welcoming new arrivals or practicing our ultrasound skills. 

Ward rounds were not like home, for one patient’s don’t get privacy like we are used to. Woman sharing birth rooms, or being examined surrounded by others was something we were just not used to but here in Vietnam it was completely the norm, they know no other way, and it was time we got used to it. The other thing we had to get used to was working through interpreters or communicating without one if they were busy in other room. I think we all left our first day feeling relieved, exhausted and excited for day 2 of placement. As the week went on we moved throughout the various areas of the maternity/obstetrics unit. We all faced different challenges and were given new opportunities that we know we wouldn’t get at home. 

 We had all collected donations of new and pre loved baby goodies to which we made into packs for the women. Their faces were often blank when we handed these out. In shock that they were given something and unsure of exactly what was inside. If you walked back to the room a half an hour later the baby was often dressed in your clothes and snuggly wrapped in the blanket you had gifted. A warm smile was exchanged and it was clear they were appreciative. After all these women were not used to receiving things from the hospital in fact it’s quite the opposite. The women themselves provide everything they need to birth at the hospital from disposable mess mats to food, so they hardly expect to be handed a collection of brightly coloured baby goods. 

As the week draws to a close I think we can all proudly say we all survived week one! Mainly because we all came with no expectations, embraced opportunities and, importantly, supported each other through challenges big and small, personal and professional. I feel like next week with be filled with new challenges as some have been overcome and new ones arise. We are all craving a home cooked meal (or at the very least vegemite on toast) and missing loved ones (both two and four legged)!

A Day in The Life of a Law Student in Cambodia

COUNTRY: Cambodia
PROGRAM: Faculty Placement
PROJECT: Law
WRITTEN BY: Lauren Cutuli

A typical working day starts around 7am with breakfast at your hotel, followed by the bus, which takes students to their designated legal NGO for the day. We would usually spend the morning in court, either the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), the Trial Court or the Appeals Court. At the ECCC the court provides headphones that translate Khmer to English, however in the Trials, Supreme and Appeals Court you will need a translator who is usually the staff member with the best English. 

Lunch breaks are quite long in Cambodia, around 2-3 hours! During this time some staff members will have a siesta in the office, but we would use this time to have a walk around the streets and explore. We are provided with a packed lunch but can opt to eat out which we did do several days. 

After lunch we would either have a briefing about the court and justice system in Cambodia or attend a meeting with a prosecutor, NGO or community group that provides support to clients. We were very lucky that these meetings were arranged for us to be able to ask questions and we were surprised with the honesty of their answers. Many lawyers and professionals are interested in the Australian legal system so we would also share the differences between our systems and even voice our concerns for the Cambodian legal industry.

A days work will finish somewhere between 4pm and 5:30pm, at which time our driver returns us to our hotel where we would meet with the other students on our trip to discuss our days and our plans for the evening. Depending on how early we have to be awake the next day we will all have a drink at the rooftop bar at our hotel and head out to dinner. Dinner is usually a traditional rice, noodle, soup or curry dish and, if we can fit it in, deep-fried ice cream or Nutella crepes! 

Weekends are ours to plan as we please, but we will usually always fit in a trip to one of the local markets, a tourist attraction and a big night out!

What you should know before your Antips trip!

Expect to be challenged 
For many who have never been to Southeast Asia, this trip was an eye-opener. So expect a bustling, busy city with many things to do and see, but also poverty. This may be confronting for some, but use it as a reflection to realise how lucky we are in Australia. Despite the conditions here, the locals are very friendly and happy and if you wave and smile, they will return the gesture with the biggest smile you have ever seen- especially the children.

Expect to get sick 
I am not saying it is inevitable, but expect to. That way there is no disappointment when you are and you have come prepared. Pack paracetamol, stomach flu medications, any vitamins to keep you going (I brought zinc!) and if you need to, any antihistamines or cold and flu medication you usually reach for. Within the first 4 days here in Phnom Penh, 9 out of 11 of us fell ill with stomach bugs. For those affected it was not ideal so definitely be aware of this when eating out and drinking. In saying that, the food is amazing and there are plenty of restaurants to eat at so don’t hold back. Just be careful to only drink bottled water and plenty of it!

Expect to make friends 
I was so preoccupied with the trip and working abroad that I forgot I was going to be experiencing this with a group of likeminded students. The friends I have made have definitely been one of my favourite parts of this experience so far. Remember, you are not alone and if you are feeling homesick, uneasy, or anxious it is likely that so are some of your fellow travellers so support each other. If you don’t know anyone going on your trip, don’t worry. I only knew of one other person before going and by the second day I had private jokes with everyone! You are in a group of likeminded, adventurous people so making friends is easy and will make your experience even better.

Top tips: 

• The environment here is very different to Australia so make sure you pack accordingly. Dress conservatively but also bring some casual clothes to wear on weekends away or out to dinner with the group. One of the things I regret most was packing too conservatively and being very hot. While it is recommended to respect the culture and wear clothes that sit below the knee and cover the shoulders, it is fine to wear shorts or skirts that are at the knee or just above.
• Bring USD. There is no need to bring Cambodia Riel as Cambodians prefer USD. I would recommend bringing several hundred USD and then taking more out at an ATM if needed. You will most likely have a safe box in your hotel room to store your cash but check beforehand.
   
• Bring a small bag that is secure. Be aware that pickpocketing is rife here in Cambodia so keep your belongings secure when walking the streets and do not bring your passport or large amounts of cash with you unless it is required.

Adeus Dili, Hello Australia!

As we sit in Darwin airport, we finally have the time to reflect on the past 4 weeks of non-stop therapy and activities. After a fast-paced last week, it is hard to believe this placement and inter-cultural experience has come to an end. All teams were up late into most nights creating resources and presentations in Tetun – it was a long process to brainstorm, gather materials, construct, type in English, and translate. We then had many laughs with the CNR staff while they generously helped us check our Tetun translations!

This was also a nostalgic week, as we knew that each day would be our final time in the Speech room, the Physio room, the OT room, and with the Community Based Rehab team. Each session reflected the culmination of all our experiences, combining our inter-professional ways of thinking with the CNR staff to deliver therapy together. Throughout this placement, the process of sharing our health and cultural perspectives has provided everyone, both students and staff, with more ideas to expand our practices. In Australia, we will always remember how our friends at CNR are able to deliver effective therapy with limited resources and we hope that the resources and ideas that we have shared stay with the CNR staff.

One such occasion was when we travelled just outside Dili to Hera on Wednesday morning. There, our whole team joined in the weekly gathering of people of all ages and abilities to participate in group therapy and to promote inclusive communities. This was the fourth week UQ students had been involved in running activities. A highlight was seeing the local volunteering university students continue similar activities after we had finished our program.

It was hard to believe Thursday afternoon was all of our teams’ final therapy session and we were reluctant to leave. However, we were excited to attend the Australian Ambassador’s reception, representing UQ as invited guests. This was a great chance celebrate the New Colombo Plan, to meet other professionals working in Health in Timor-Leste, and enjoy many delicious canapés. We put work out of our minds for the night but this was short-lived as we needed finalise our presentations when we arrived home. All the effort was worth it on Friday when each group presented their topic to the CNR staff and the whole room was full of lively discussion. One of the staff members thanked our IP team for ‘a great presentation’ in the morning tea afterwards.

Our final night was celebrated by Paulo and his family inviting us to dinner in a beautiful beach-front restaurant. In this good company, with many memories and experiences to take home, we watched the sun set on our time in Timor-Leste.

Day in the life of a teacher

7:30am
BRING BRRRIIIIIIIIININGGGGG BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
The alarm staggers me awake so I groggily emerge out from under my 5-layer-alpaca-blanket cocoon. After dressing up with my eyes half closed, I run up the stairs to the usual Peruvian breakfast: bread with avocado and cheese, orange or papaya juice, quinoa porridge and of course, mate de coca.

My roommates and I meet up with the rest of our amigos to catch our Rapidos bus. After a therapeutic 20-minute bus ride, we snuggle into a dusty but cosy taxi, legally and logistically fitting 5 people in the boot, to drive up into the breathtaking mountainous terrain where our school is located.

10:00am HUMMM CLUCK HUMMM CLUCK
I simultaneously listen to the three alpacas mowing around outside whilst cutting up a fruit salad. They always reject our advances but we feel them warming to us day by day. After our culinary efforts, we get ready to teach our classes of either: English, sport or art- I am teaching sport with three of my amigos.

Kindergarten is the first class of the day.
“AMIGA! AMIGA!” As soon as I sit on the floor there are at least 10 kids trying to make a pyramid on top of me. If they aren’t teaming up to squash you, they want to be carried. Their dislike for the ground and strong will to fly is really very motivating. Their enthusiasm really lights up my day!
We warm them up with a game of the classic bullrush, then duck duck goose, then several rugby relays and drills. Following our class, we finish with our normal routine of high-5s, and “CIAO AMIGOS!” salutations. Our energising morning class is followed by recess, a year 2 class and then a year 4 class.

2:00pm We return home with massive smiles on our faces from the kids’ boundless energy.
A warm 2 course meal of sopa de pollo and carne con papa y verduras awaits us at home. That is, along with a hot shower and much needed time for casual banter.

4:00pm Time for Spanish class! Our teacher goes through various grammatical rules and verbs in an intimate three-person class, with the occasional chuckle of funny translations and mispronunciations. It’s amazing how fast your language skills progress through living in a Spanish speaking country.

6:00pm Our class is finished and we have the rest of the night to chill.

 Some of us head into the beautiful Cusco ciudad for some Chifa (Peruvian chinese cuisine), bagging a decent feed for just 12 soles (less than 5 Aussie dollars).

 Some of us head to the local music bar, Quilla, to drink and chill with some live music including both Spanish and English hits, some of us head to the local skate park to practice some tricks’n’flips and the rest of us head back home for an early night to rest up after a long day.
So… this is what happens when it’s not a "day in the life of a construction worker/ gardener/ greenhouse builder/cement carrier (yes, it's exactly what you think, we have many qualifications and job descriptions)."

 Interested in what the life of a construction worker is like? Well why not come to Peru to find out?!
There is never time to be bored in Cusco.

Namaste in India, thanks

No one can believe the trip is over already. We've had the most amazing experience - from meeting new people at the different placement sites to teaching others and learning so much ourselves and weekend getaways that don't always go to plan. All the things we've learnt along the way will undoubtedly help us in our future physio careers and in our lives. So I thought I'd finish off this blog by telling you some Do's and Don'ts we've learnt in India

Don't say yes to being in a photo with one Indian. This one Indian will soon become 100 Indians and instead of the Taj Mahal being the attraction, it will be you. We're still not quite sure what they do with all the photos of us but everyone seems to need one with the tallest whitest, blondest haired people in the group - special thanks to Swedish Giants Jack and Elise for taking the bullet most times on this front.

Don't get Om tattooed on your foot. The foot is a negative place and you'll end up offending your yoga teacher and have to be pulled aside from the class to have a "talking to." This chat will also cause you to be late to the only meat meal of the week.

Don't always believe your trekking tour guide's weather forecast. Although they dress and act like they're "one with the earth" and have done this hike over 1000 times, even if they say it won't rain, it might definitely rain... And hail... And be windy as anything. Your tent might collapse and they might not get out of their cosy tent to help you fix it or cook you a warm dinner. You might have to wait out a 7-hour storm while propping up your tent with your head. So yeah, just trust me, don't always trust them!

Don't try to understand the Indian head nod. It might mean yes, it might mean no, it might mean that they have no idea of what you've just said and it's the Indian equivalent of smiling politely because that usually suffices as an appropriate response to any question. Either way we never could quite work it out and generally assumed it was whichever response we wanted it to be!



Now on the flip side

Do take up the offer to visit a 150 year old tea plantation. We were lucky enough that our host dad's family owned a 100-hectare tea plantation just a 15-minute walk from our house. His father, the most passionate tea maker I've ever met, showed us around the expansive property full of bright green tea hedges while explaining the difference between the techniques of preparing green and black tea. We learnt about the sorting, packaging and exporting of this tea to many countries around the world. It was such a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.

Do try extreme sports. The views while paragliding were incredible and we can now all say we've paraglided in the same spot the world championships were held. We also tried our hand at white water rafting, arguably the best activity we did on the weekends. We set off from Manali in two rubber rafts and followed each other down the Rapids. Our guides were excellent and ensured our safety while sending us straight for waves ensuring we were soaked with the biggest smiles on our faces by the end of the 14km trip. All for only $12!

Do try paneer. And any other meal you're served for that matter. We ate predominantly vegetarian the whole trip with the exception of chicken on a couple of meals we ate out and chicken or lamb once a week at the house. Our wonderful chef never disappointed, to the point some of us (previously "carnivores") weren't even craving meat.. For the first week anyway! Paneer is the most delicious cottage cheese often in a tomatoey sauce with peas or spinach sauce. We also had a mixture of Dahl, chickpeas in curry and beans in curry accompanied by a variety of breads; chapati, kulcha and naan.

Finally,
Do take up the opportunity to visit India! Whether it be for study, work or a holiday, it's a beautiful place to visit and the people aim to look after you, on the most part, and show you all that India has to offer. We've seen and learnt so much of the culture, their physiotherapy treatments and the attractions to see and unless someone is keeping really quiet about it, none of us regret coming here for our advanced physiotherapy practice placement. We're so thankful for the experience and now it's onto further travels around the world or home to rest, relax and enjoy our mid-year holiday!!

Dust, hail and sweat with some physiotherapy in between

We carried on this week at our respective placement sites in the morning and completing tutorials and case studies with our teacher, Julie, in the afternoons. One of Heidi's patients, a paraplegic post-surgery complication, is becoming more independent and we've ordered her a wheelchair that will fit her so she is able to get around more easily. One of Ryan's patients has progressed from not being able to sit for 10 minutes to now sitting for more than 6 hours with ease, which enables them to make the necessary travel requirements to see their family and friends.

Luci enabled one of her patients to get out of bed independently using a rope attached to his bed so his wife now won't have to drag him out of bed using her strength. Alexa, Alice and Elise continue to improve the motor skills of the children at the Rotary school so they are able to socialise with other children in the playground. The other students at the private practices continue to minimise the negative impact of the various injuries they've been presented with.

Dust and sweat 
Two weekends ago we travelled as a group to Amritsar, in the nearby state of Punjab. As the hours crept up on the bus ride so did the Celsius outside. 6 hours later we arrived at our hotel in 44-degree heat. It was a struggle to leave the comfort of our big fluffy beds and aircon to head out and drive to the India/Pakistan border. Our driver got us as close as he could then we were on our own. Outside and covered head to toe for cultural purposes, we squished in between the crowds of thousands who lined up to get through the first gate towards the border. Two gates further on, lots of sweat, plenty of selfies and we were sat down in the special "foreigners" section awaiting the spectacle. It was an hour wait in the sun once we had our seats but, definitely worth the wait!

Each country had an MC whose job was to hype up the crowd and dance along to the loud music blaring from the speakers. Then the guards from each side appeared and essentially had a dance off! Swinging guns around, jumping up and down and carrying out high kicks better than a cheerleading competition. The ceremony lasted for about 45 minutes with a confusing combination of the guards shaking hands to show friendship and threatening each other to show who's boss.

We followed the swarms out of the ceremony to meet our driver to head back to Amritsar and visit the beautiful golden temple. This Temple is open 24/7 and serves food for free but don't forget to walk through the water on your way in or you'll be smacked by the security guards with a stick, Alice learnt the hard way!

Hailstorms for hours
I'll start by saying we're all safe and alive! Just last weekend we set out for a blissful hike up the beautiful Himalayas to a well-known camping spot called Triund. We were prepared for spectacular views during the day and cool weather at night but that's not exactly what we got. The hike up was magnificent, with the view getting better and better at every turn. We shared the hiking path with donkeys and were greeted by thousands of cows and goats when we reached the campsite after the 9km trek.

We found our tents and the storm set in. Strong winds, hail and thunder had one tent collapsed within minutes and 12 of us bunking into 3 tents suitable for 7. We had a few laughs and made the most of the situation until even stronger winds, more hail and a broken zipper meant the second tent collapsed and 12 of us squished into 2 tents for the remaining few hours of the storm (7 in a 4-man tent and 5 in a 2-man tent). We held up the remaining 2 tents until the first storm passed. We ran to the closest market for snacks and drinks and feared worst. The second storm hit and we were bunked down in our overpacked tents once again!

We missed dinner and packed like sardines to attempt sleep and waited out the storm which ended up lasting from 3pm to 10pm. Wet and cold we exited the tents at 5am for sunrise and trekked back down the 9km path. A quick look at the markets, some lunch and a visit to the Dalai Llamas monastery and we were on the bus for the drive back home. It's safe to say we all enjoyed warm showers and sleeping in beds with fans more than ever before!

Almost time to say Adeus

COUNTRY: Timor Leste
PROGRAM: Faculty Placement
PROJECT: Health Science
WRITTEN BY: Nicola Brickness, Maathangi Karunaharan & Maddie Pan

Bondia!

So here we are at the end of our third week living in Dili, and we can’t believe how fast our time has gone! The CNR staff greet us everyday like old friends, and our relationships with our clients are growing. It’s sad knowing that we are going into our last week and will have to say goodbye soon.

Its been a busy week as each inter-professional team has been working hard on projects ranging from modified utensils to wheelchair arm supports. Additionally, we are each presenting educational workshops on our last day at CNR to handover valuable experience and information to all staff. A lot of preparation has been going into developing these workshops and creating resources that can be used by all departments within the centre. This also includes designing culturally appropriate handouts and posters that can be distributed to the rural communities and centres that the Community Based Rehabilitation team visits weekly. These resources can be used well into the future, even after our time here has finished!

It’s been an eye-opening experience getting the opportunity to work with an array of clients who present with such varying conditions. Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder and post-stroke patients are just a few of the common presentations we have been seeing. Having exposure to such a wide range of clinical and cultural experiences has definitely seen us develop both professionally and personally. We know we still have so much to learn as we come into our final week at CNR.

To finish the week, we visited a community medical clinic in Hera. It was here that we met the practicing doctor and traditional midwife who work to provide health promotion and community livelihood projects to the local people. We were so fortunate to have a tour of the centre and have our many questions answered. We learnt so much about how health care is provided and the cultural values that underpin these services.

As it was our final weekend in Timor-Leste, we made our way over to Atauro Island! We had a relaxing weekend of snorkeling on the coral reef, sleeping under the stars and swimming at sunrise. To top it off, the food was amazing! At 5:30pm, 3 giant Trevally’s were caught and by 7pm, were on our dinner plates, YUM! The group also travelled on tuk tuk’s to Hospideria Faca where we got to see the most amazing handiwork in the process of being sewn, stitched and woven by the local women’s cooperative. It’s safe to say that many bags and trinkets were purchased! While we fit a lot into our short time on Atauro Island, we left feeling refreshed and ready to head into our final week in Timor-Leste.

Adeus!

Helping Hands

COUNTRY: India
PROGRAM: Faculty Placement
PROJECT: Physiotherapy
WRITTEN BY: Ali Thomas

Karan hospital
Amanda and Ryan have been completing placement at Karan hospital physiotherapy clinic. In the morning, they look forward to a refreshing fruit box on arrival and greeting their Indian physiotherapy educator who is "Indian Fonz" says Ryan. There is no strict appointment schedule like we're used to in Australia and gradually, the waiting rooms fill up with patients. "Indian Fonz" does the translating and asks the patients what their main problems are (ranging from lower back pain to old fractures, paraplegia and tennis elbow) then Amanda and Ryan are able to practice manual techniques they've learnt at home to treat pain, stiffness or weakness. The techniques we use at home are quite different to India where they tend to use a lot of electro therapies. Amanda and Ryan have found it interesting to teach the Indian physiotherapist a few of the manual techniques we use in Australia and educate him about the evidence of their effect.

Goenka private physiotherapy clinic Heidi and Jack have been at Goenka physiotherapy clinic from the start of the placement and Kath and I have joined for the last 2 weeks. It has been an interesting experience with only a handful of the patients speaking English and no Indian physiotherapists around all the time to translate. One Indian physiotherapist wanders between the rooms to check in on patients and treatment techniques. The experience here is quite similar to the other private practice with the Indian physiotherapy course focusing on electro therapies and minimal manual techniques. Each patient receives their electrical modality from the Indian physiotherapists and then they are seen by the students from UniSA for manual therapies. At this private practice, there isn't an appointment schedule either and we filter through the patients throughout the morning. At both private practices, the students are able to practice their clinical reasoning for different patient presentations and practice a variety of manual techniques.

Rotary children's school Kath, Luci, Jacquie and I attended the Rotary school for the first half of placement and now Alice, Elise and Alexa are attending the school for the second half. The school has 20 boarding students and 20 who arrive by bus each morning. All the students are mentally and/or physically disabled, with the most common presentations being cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome. The morning is spent with select students who need a physiotherapy focus to improve their ball skills, fine motor skills and general function of everyday activities so they can interact more easily with other children. The children have already made so much progress in the first half and we all can't wait to see their overall progress at the end of placement. The last half an hour is spent dancing with all 40 of the students to traditional music. The children are so sweet and the pure joy on their faces while they jump around together is one of the most rewarding images. A photo of the girls with some of their students they've been working with can be seen above. 
Home visits Elise, Alice and Alexa attended the home visits for the first half of placement and now Jacquie and Luci are carrying on with the same patients for the second half. They attend three homes of patients who would find it too difficult to leave and make their way to a physiotherapy clinic. This placement site takes on a rehabilitation focus for patients who have had strokes, leg fractures and other long term physical issues. The families are all so lovely and welcome the girls into their homes with traditional tea, juice and snacks throughout each of the treatment sessions. The patients in these sessions have already made such great progress as well with one in particular being able to get down stairs for first time in 3 months and almost ready to return to work. A photo of the girls with some of their clients and families on home visits can be seen below.

All the sites have shown a completely different side of physiotherapy to each of the students and seeing something so varied to the hospitals and sites in Australia has been an experience we've all learnt so much from.

Working Life in Timor-Leste

COUNTRY: Timor Leste
PROGRAM: Faculty Placement
PROJECT: Health Science
WRITTEN BY: Conor Rock, Rebecca Parker and Jantje Lezius

Botardi! (Good Day!)

This week, UQ students further connected with CNR staff which resulted in joint plans for a weekend outing with one of our favourite staff members, Physiotherapist Tomas. We are also embracing the inter-professional nature of our teams, thus optimising client outcomes. Whilst still a challenge, the language barrier is slowly disintegrating with the help and support of CNR staff, as well as exploring creative ways to communicate, such as using Tetun songs and music to engage and motivate our clients. We spend one day a week in each department, Speech Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, and use our teamwork to holistically treat children and adults with a variety of conditions.

Every day, one team gets the opportunity to be a part of the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) team within CNR. Each team of students from Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy travel to a client’s home with an educator and members of the CBR team. There is no greater insight into a patient’s life than sitting in their home or on their front porch. Although sometimes the situation was somewhat confronting, our hearts were warmed by the friendliness, humility and grace shown by the clients and their families for our help, as simple as it sometimes seemed to us. It’s very rewarding to be able to try and improve the lives of those who may not be able to get to the CNR clinic.

We started the long weekend on Independence Day Friday by visiting the Santa Cruz cemetery which was made infamous by the massacre in 1991. After lunch, we sampled the local gelato and some of the group headed to the Taise Markets on the way home where we bought lots of bags and other items that featured traditional Timorese weaving and craftsmanship.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the sacred place where Timor-Leste’s independence was declared at a midnight mass on the 20 May 2002. Pope John Paul II congratulated Timor-Leste on joining the list of “the free nations of the earth” and urged the nation’s people to use their new freedom to build a just and peaceful society. As a result, a statue was constructed on top of a nearby mountain in order to pay respect to the Pope, which we climbed that afternoon and enjoyed scenic views over Dili.

On Saturday, our friendly CNR host for the day kindly took us to our first stop Liquica, a tourist beach. We enjoyed the day playing beach sports and swimming, which was complimented by a hearty picnic lunch of fish and local veggie sandwiches. In the afternoon, we went to Maubara, a local beach where we quickly made new friends: local children, who joined us in our beachside play. We showed them some English songs (e.g.,Hokey Pokey as well as Heads, shoulders, knees and toes) in exchange for some new Tetum songs which we all performed together. Children and students enjoyed playing grip ball, marbles, clapping and ball games as the afternoon seemed to fly by. We left them with gifts so the fun would not stop when we left. We had made our own community for the afternoon, then and there on the beach in Maubara.

It’s hard to believe that we are half way through our trip, but it is safe to say that we are continuously learning more about ourselves and Timor-Leste.

Welcome to Cusco

Day 1 - Sunday May 8th

Our first impression of Cusco was that it is immensely different to anything we have ever experienced before. The sheer number of mountains surrounding the city was a surprise. As soon as we landed, we were collected by our in-country partner and taken to our hostel which had an amazing of even more Peruvian mountains. From there, we got to know each other over our very first lunch together, prepared by our personal chef, who over the next week made us realise just how amazing Peruvian food is.

Day 2 - Monday May 9th
On the second day, we drove up to the local community of Pumamarca where we would be teaching and where ‘Peru’s Challenge,’ our in-country partner volunteer organisation, has been working for the past ten years. Our in-country partner explained to us the story behind the organisation which inspired us about the work we’re going to be doing during our placement. Next, we visited the community school where we will be teaching. There were around 100 children from kindergarten to Year 6. The school was very colourful, cheery and picturesque, and the best part was that they had three real alpacas as their school mascots!

Day 3 - Tuesday May 10th
On Tuesday we had a full-day tour of Cusco city to explore areas such as the Plaza de Armas and San Blas. We were absolutely stunned by the architecture and fascinated by the amalgamation of Inca and Spanish styles. After a long day getting to know the city we would be living in for the next two months, we went home to celebrate the birthday of one of our fellow volunteers. It was then and there that we first experienced an interesting Peruvian tradition - the birthday person is required to take a bite out of the cake first and have their face pressed into it. Needless to say, we all got a bit of a laugh out of it. At night, we went out to celebrate her birthday and discovered how breathtaking Cusco is by night.

Day 4 - Wednesday May 11
This was a relatively relaxing day. We split into three groups for teaching sport, art and English at Pumamarca School. We made lesson plans for the week ahead and enjoyed a calming day at home.

Day 5 - Thursday May 12
We left early in the morning on a bus called the ‘Batman’ for a six hour tour around the ruins in Cusco with our tour guide to the Temple of the Moon, Qe´nqo and Sacsayhuaman. It was a long walk with some difficult climbing involved but it was definitely worth the pain for all of the amazing views of the city and surrounding environment. At Sacsayhuaman, we went through a pitch black tunnel and had a lot of fun on the natural rock formations that were in the shape of slides. It was an exhausting day, but incredibly worth it.

Day 6 - Friday May 13

On Friday we had another day at the hostel in order to finalise our lesson plans. That night we also tried a very traditional Peruvian dish: guinea pig. It tasted gamey and not at all like chicken!

Day 7 - Saturday May 14
In the morning, we enjoyed our last breakfast together before heading out to our homestays. We all felt a little nervous to be meeting our families, having lunch together for the first time, trying to communicate in Spanish and seeing where we lived. However we were all really happy with our families and the houses are in an amazing place as we are all close to each other and near bus stops and shops! The families were all so welcoming and nice and made us feel at home straight away. I think it's safe to say we're all very excited for the weeks ahead.