Mt Gravatt Campus

This May there are a number of events happening at Griffith’s Mt Gravatt campus:

Tuesday 19 May is market day. Join the festivities and experience a host of interesting stores as well as music and other entertainment.

Tuesday 26 May is Chill Out Day; a chance to take away your stress and relax. There will be cheap, healthy food and drinks and live music. There will even be free 5 minute massages to help de-stress you before final exams.

Buddha’s Birthday

Vesak is an annual holiday observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in many Asian countries. Sometimes informally called “Buddha’s Birthday,” it actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha. On Vesak day, devout Buddhists and followers alike are expected and requested to assemble in their various temples before dawn for the ceremonial hoisting of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, The Dharma (his teachings), and The Sangha (his disciples).

Devotees may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-sticks to lay at the feet of their teacher. These symbolic offerings are to remind followers that just as the beautiful flowers would wither away after a short while and the candles and joss-sticks would soon burn out, so too is life subject to decay and destruction. Devotees are enjoined to make a special effort to refrain from killing of any kind. They are encouraged to partake of vegetarian food for the day.

Brisbane celebrates this event with the largest annual Buddha Birthday Festival in the world. South Bank Parklands is the home to the festivities with over 300 performers in 200 events on two performance stages.

Celebrations start midday Friday 1 May and conclude in a fireworks spectacular on Sunday 3 May at 9pm.  

Tips on finding a job

Looking for a job can sometimes be stressful and difficult to do if you don’t know where to look or what to do. Here are some useful tips to help you get started:

WRITE A RESUME First write a resume outlining your qualifications, previous working experience and contact details. Sample resumes can be found on the internet at www.seek.com.au

WHAT TYPE OF JOB Think about what type of job you would be prepared to do and when you are available to work for example kitchen hand, waitperson.

CHOOSE A LOCATION Choose an area or place that you wish to work in which is easy for you to get to. This could be Garden City or South Bank. Start by dropping in to talk to every place you are interested in working at and leave your Resume. You never know you might just be in the right place at the right time.

JOB SEARCHES Look at job websites such as www.careerone.com.au or other job sites on the internet. It is also a good idea to contact job agencies which can be found in the white or yellow pages under the heading Job agencies. It can also help to ask your friends and other classmates about any jobs they might know of. Most casual and part-time jobs are not advertised. Door knocking with your Resume is the most effective way to gain employment. Student Services at Griffith University also offers employment services call and make an appointment on ph: 3735 7470.

GETTING AN INTERVIEW If all this is successful and you get an interview for a job always dress appropriately for the interview. Try to dress up or dress smart casual. This will give an employer a good first impression of you. In the interview be friendly and confident and try to convince them why they should hire you. Good luck job hunting!

If you have any problems finding employment or just want your resume checked come and see us. We are always happy to help you. Remember to be confident in your own ability and don’t give up.

Don’t forget that immigration requires that you only participate in a maximum 20 hours per week in semester. This can increase in holiday periods.

Chris Hannigan
Welfare Advisor

 QIBT Tennis Competition

QIBT students and staff are invited to show interest in the QIBT tennis competition. The details of the competition are as follows:

When: Wednesday 27th May 2009_5.00 – 8.00pm

Who: QIBT and GELI Students and Staff

What: Mix doubles only (male and female)

Register and Cost: $5.00 per person to be paid to Chris Hannigan on level 5 by Friday 15th May 3pm

Prizes: Tennis Classic Champions and Best Dressed, tennis raquets can be hired from the Tennis Centre

Random By Aaron Ruutz

May is the month of cultural festivals. Joining Buddha’s Birthday celebrations is the Paniyiri Greek festival . This is an annual event from May 18 to 24 and includes all things Greek: food, movies, fireworks and of course Zorba dancing. The event is held at Musgrave Park and the Greek Club in South Brisbane.

The newly opened Cloudland is definitely the place to ‘be seen’ in the month of May. This bar/restaurant/ meeting place is truly extravagant in every sense of the word and offers a new alternative to the typical Valley bars and nightclubs. For clubbers this month The Met is the place to be with their 2nd birthday celebrations 1 – 3 May (Labour Day holiday) featuring sets from TV Rock and Stafford Brothers. The second big birthday event sees The Potbelleez visit on Friday May 22. The Potbelleez (a truly international dance music act – 2 Irish and 2 Australian members) have been achieving international recognition for their self-titled debut album and have been receiving rave reviews for their amazing live performances across the country.

On the Oz live music front the Valley Jazz Festival  is back for 2009 from 12 -17 of May in the Fortitude Valley. The event will have approximately 250 artists including over 50 bands from across Australia at various venues. This festival has grown to become one of Australia’s largest jazz festivals and is well worth checking out.

For art and social issue enthusiasts the KNOWMORE (House of Commons) visual installation exhibition closes on Sunday the 24 of May at the Queensland State Library, Southbank.

This installation delves into the issues of the current global climate change crisis and is truly interactive with viewers able to manipulate the exhibition simply by moving around it. Blending art, media and technology the exhibition offers an opportunity to think deeply about the future of climate change on our planet. 

My experiences at QIBT and Griffith Gold Coast Campus

This is the first time that I have studied abroad. When I came to Brisbane, I felt a little nervous about the new environment. I thought that it would be difficult to make friends with local students because of cultural differences. However, when I arrived at QIBT, I found that there were lots of international students - especially from Asia. It made me feel that I had many compatriots here and that I was not alone. This helped me feel more comfortable and stopped the nervousness.

The teachers and students at QIBT are friendly. I was impressed with so many people smiling and saying hello to each even though they did not know each other. I could not see this in China. Maybe that is the culture in Australia. I also learned a lot in QIBT: such as how to write essays and reports and how to deal with case studies and how to write references. As my major is Hotel Management, we also learned the courses of Food & Beverage and Food Production. I really really like these two courses. They were so interesting and made me realize how important team work is. I also got lots of experience which I have never had before. All of the skills and experiences will be useful for my career and life at Griffith and also my future.

Actually, I like the GC Campus more than the Mt Gravatt Campus. It is such a big campus. The facilities for students’ studying are good and I also like the study atmosphere. I really like the library. There are a lot of books, a quiet environment, and also some sections for students to discuss questions and relax. The university supplies students with lots of different workshops to help us to get used to the university environment. I attended the orientation and that helped me a lot and we also had a yummy BBQ lunch.

I think GC Campus students study harder than MG students. I’m not sure whether it’s because we are real undergraduates here and not diploma students in QIBT any more. I can also feel more pressure here – I did not have much pressure at QIBT. Griffith organises many activities for students. However, I have not attended any until now. Sometimes I play basketball with my friends, but I found the playground for playing basketball is not as good as QIBT. I hope I can get used to the Gold Coast soon. I also will study hard, try to make more friends and also find a part-time job.

Wen Xin Zhao (Candy) 
Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management), China

Graduation Speech, Jay Park (Korea)

Like many of you here today, I came to Australia from another country about two and a half years ago. Before I decided to come to Australia, all I knew about this country was that it had beautiful beaches and the opposite weather to Korea. One of my friends who had been here told me I could see Santa ladies wearing bikinis on Christmas day. I have spent two Christmases here, and I can tell you it was a lie.

While studying at QIBT, I made friends from 49 different countries. QIBT has given me the greatest opportunity to embrace different cultures and to open my mind and heart towards them. This understanding gives us the ability to cope well within a cross cultural environment. And I believe this ability will help us to be global leaders. There is another wonderful thing that I didn’t expect at QIBT. It was the devoted teachers who supported us to be here today. Studying in a non native language is never easy. However, it is the QIBT teachers who make it possible.

For example, like many of you, whenever I had an assignment, I went to see Lyn Tracy. She always gave me invaluable advice and support. And Tommy Soesmanto, “are you with me?” changed one of the most difficult and boring subjects, statistics, into one of my favourites. Also, Michael Browne, who always asked us for “Big Fat Juicy answers” and graded us fairly to Australian Standards. And I think because of them, we will be able to study successfully at Griffith University.

While writing this speech, I thought about the sacrifices made by my mother, who had to be convinced by her only child that the move from Korea would be worth it.Like me and my family, I’m sure each of you had to make tough choices. But our graduation here today is strong evidence that all of us have made the right decision.My Mother told me that during my lifetime, there would be many challenges and obstacles and no matter how tough they are, I have to learn to overcome these difficulties by myself. She always tells me “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”.

For me, studying at QIBT was the turning point of my life. It taught me not only to catch fish but also how to adapt to a foreign environment. QIBT has led me to study actively, which I had never done before, and has given me special experiences like today’s speech. Most importantly, it has given me great confidence. I am currently undertaking an accelerated Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting, at the Logan campus. Thanks to my past experience at QIBT, I have been able to work and collaborate with my peers on team projects. I’m confident that I’ll achieve my goals for the rest of this year. Again, thank you to the entire QIBT community and to everybody here for helping us find the tools we need to begin each of our unique, individual journeys.

Jay Park
Accelerated Bachelor of Commerce, Korea

Graduation

QIBT would again like to congratulate all graduates for 2008. The graduation ceremony, at the conservatorium of music auditorium, was a fantastic celebration of academic achievement. The graduation is a formal event that celebrates significant academic achievement by QIBT students. Graduates are attired in full academic dress.

On the night the students received their awards (Diploma, Certificate) from Professor Sally Borbasi, (Chair of Griffith University Programs Committee; Deputy Chair of Griffith University Academic Committee; faculty member of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in the Griffith University Health Group) a Griffith University representative. Also, special awards went to dux of each program and academic excellence. Insightful and well received speeches were made by Professor Sally Borbasi and Jay Park (the student speaker).

A group of dancers, representing a mixture of ethnic Indian and bollywood dance, performed to rousting applause from the audience. The night concluded with celebratory food and drinks – a great chance to take photographs of graduates, family and friends. QIBT looks forward to every graduation to share in this significant achievement of students.

Editor’s Note

Thank you to Candy and Jay for your interesting and informative stories. If you would like to contribute to the next newsletter, please attend the editing group meeting held in 4.02 every Tuesday at 12.30. It is a very casual meeting and any student can attend.

I hope that you continue to have a successful semester and study hard for your mid-semester exams.

Christopher Rayner
Student Advisor