Queensland Short Breaks and Holidays

Posts Tagged ‘city’

Queensland is one of the most popular destinations for international students wanting to study and homestay in Australia. Everyone has heard of Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Cairns. But there are also many other lesser-known areas international students can come to learn English. The question is, which is better – city, or country??

There are some clear benefits to studying in the cities. Convenience is one of the most important things. You can easily access shopping centers, malls, entertainment areas, tourist attractions etc. via public transport. There are lots of things to do, so you’ll never be bored. The cities are also very multicultural – Brisbane in particular (Gold Coast and Cairns have a lot of Japanese tourists, but many different nationalities live in Brisbane), so you will find a lot more acceptance of your own culture / beliefs etc, and will most likely meet a lot of people from your own country, who will be able to help you get settled in / give you support when you need it.

But this can also be the downside to studying or homestaying in the big cities. Because there are so many other students / migrants who are the same nationality as you, you’ll find it will be very easy to make friends with them, and start speaking together in your own native language, because it makes you feel comfortable. But this way, you won’t speak or learn much English, and you won’t be able to make Australian friends. Living in Brisbane or the Gold Coast may be comfortable and fun, but it doesn’t motivate you to challenge yourself, and make effort to adapt to Queensland culture and life.

Doing a homestay in rural Queensland, on the other hand, will be a totally new experience. The typical country Queenslander is relaxed, friendly, and very talkative. While city people are often busy, hard-working, and not very talkative, country Queenslanders often spend more of their day chatting rather than working. The pace of life in Queensland is the slowest in Australia – maybe it’s because there’s so much sun and great weather – people are rarely stressed there. The nature in rural Queensland is also incredibly beautiful – national parks, wildlife, tropical rainforest, coral reefs… most of the world-famous natural attractions are in Queensland!

The difficulty with staying in rural Queensland is that there are not many foreigners there. So, you’ll find the locals don’t know much about foreign culture, and aren’t used to speaking to people whose first language isn’t English. For this reason, international students have trouble trying to understand local people, because they don’t realize they have to slow down when speaking, to be understood. At first, everyone will seem to be talking too quickly, and there will not be many other international students like yourself, so you’ll find you have to deal with issues like culture shock, settling in, and getting used to Queensland culture, with less help from others.

Coming to rural Queensland will be a much bigger challenge than studying and doing a homestay in Brisbane. But if you make effort, and challenge yourself to study English hard and make local friends, you’ll find the benefits after a few months will be much greater. Your English will improve very quickly (because there’s no-one to speak your native language with), you’ll experience “true” Australian country life and culture (relax, no worries, take it easy, slow down, enjoy!), and you’ll meet some of the most genuine, friendly, and warm people in Australia!

If you want to study and homestay Queensland Australia, take the challenge, avoid the big cities, and come and experience rural Queensland – friendly people, world-class nature, perfect weather, and the best opportunity to improve your English!
http://www.homestayqueensland.net.au/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Claydon-Platt
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