Graduation Celebration!

End of term celebrations at Lexis Byron – we said our sad goodbyes, we shared a big Aussie BBQ, we drank, we laughed … and then we went home to study for our Cambridge exams!

Max cracks everyone up with his end of CAE speech
Cris, Vinny, Nathan, Aron & Natany chill out at the BBQ
Our Fafa says goodbye to Michelle, Nico & Carlos on their last day
Valentina & Yuliana hug it out
Michelle & Camille keeping an eye on the drinks

Students Spring into the Farmers Market

Intermediate students hit the Byron farmers market this morning to enjoy the first sunny day of spring. Students had a great time checking out the local produce as well as practising their English in a real context - interviewing local shoppers and finding out from growers about their different products….and doing some shopping!

Say Hello …

…to the Aussie Wildlife at our local Macadamia Castle….

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Some of our Teen Activity Program students having a great time with teacher, Carla …

OZZIE WILDLIFE AFTERNOON

Today we had the Wild Rangers come and show us some amazing native Ozzie animals including a snake, saltwater crocodile, frogs, lizards and a Tawny Frog Mouth bird. We all learnt a lot about the creatures and found the Squirrel Gliders just gorgeous. The next Wild Rangers show will be on the 15th  August. Make sure you bring your camera!

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Hatsuhiba go surfing!

Yesterday we had a great time in the waves surfing. The Hatsuhiba study tour from Japan were surfing for hours. Even the teachers had a go! Take a look at the pictures.

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Meeting locals at the Byron farmers’ market

On chilly winter mornings, everone is keen to get out in the sunshine, and we don’t always have to be in a classroom to speak English. Every Thursday there are farmers’ markets in Byron Bay, and many local farmers bring in their freshest, most delicious food. There’s also plenty of music to keep people entertained, and snack food and coffee if you just want to relax.

This week, two classes took advantage of the chance to practice their English by chatting to native speakers at the markets: the Upper-Intermediate students and the Pre-Intermediate students.

Students were interviewed for a documentary about Byron Bay...Are you guys ready to be famous?

You're supposed to be looking at the other camera!

Ready to ask the difficult questions...

Are you ready to ROCK?! No? Me, neither. Let's just chill out to these guys...

One of the 'fruit' stalls. Very flat, very colourful, and very chewy fruit.

WHALE OF A TIME!

Today with the beautiful weather Kate and the Global Village students decided to go for a beach stroll and do a bit of Whale watching.

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Happy TAPS on English & Surfing Holidays …

The first of our Teen Activity Program students are in Byron this week – and loving it!

“Byron Bay, and Australia are so far away its like a dream. Its the perfect place to spend my holidays. I am improving my English and my surfing!”

Miyako from Japan, Jessica from Switzerland and Tibot & Coco from Paris are enjoying morning English lessons and afternoon surfing fun!

Skateboarders take the streets for Japan

Taking a break from surfing...

This weekend students and Byron locals were treated to freestyle displays of skateboarders showing off their tricks to raise money for Japan’s earthquake survivors.  A street next to the beach was blocked off to cars, a DJ started pumping out some dance beats, and everyone showed up to enjoy the sunny weather. Our FCE teacher, Andrew, was there with his camera to capture the action…

Byron Bay pride

Working for the camera...

Speeding down the street

Ready to roll...


They start rolling young in this town

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SOCCER !!!!

Hey Everyone!!

We are going to run soccer matches every Thursday evening from now on. Get down to the Byron Fields at 5:30pm on Thursdays and come and play with some local Byron soccer stars! 

This is a great chance to meet new people, practise your English and of course become soccer superstars!

Meet at the Byron fields at 5:30. Bring shoes and a smile!

Fun things to do in Byron!

We’ve had a couple of rainy days here and a few students have been asking what to do instead of lying on the beautiful beaches. Here are some ideas!

Shop Til You Drop

Jonson Street is Byron Bay’s main thoroughfare, and it’s brimming with boutiques, home wares, jewellery, antiques and galleries offering the handiwork of local artists. Have a walk around some of the side streets and you might discover some other shopping gems.

Escape with a Movie

If you’ve been swimming, walking and keeping active for days, there’s no better change of scene than a good movie. The Byron Lounge Cinema is housed in the Old Piggery building, and features a choice of upright or fully reclined seating. There are several sessions a day, and a varied program of recent releases and art house classics. If you come into the office we can give you special GV Byron Bay tickets!

Learn Something New

Several venues in the Bryon region offer short courses (days or hours) in yoga, massage and painting. What better place to get in touch with your arty side or discover your inner Picasso, than in the creative, alternative lifestyle embracing Byron Bay.

Get Pampered

Why not indulge with a relaxing, rejuvenating body treatment? There’s the choice of small local masseuse or resort day spa. Treat your face, body, hands and feet with any of a myriad of wonderful treatments on offer.

Dine Decadently

With casual beach cafes, pub bistros, fine dining restaurants and eclectic eateries on the menu, there’s no better place than Byron Bay to become a food critic for a day. Why not devote some time to getting to know the best spots for a sumptuous breakfast, leisurely lunch or delicious three course dinner! There are plenty of international cuisines and vegetarian options available, so there’s sure to be something you’ll rave about.

And finally, Byron Bay is all about anything goes, and that includes doing nothing at all. If you’ve been seeing the sights, or been swimming your days away and dancing till dawn, then take a day to lay about with a good book. Just look up now and again for those beautiful Byron views.

Camera, lights … ACTION!!

Hi Guys….

If anyone is looking to perfect their camera skills check this out!

PASSPORT. CHECK. AIRLINE TICKET. CHECK. GLOBAL VILLAGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL STUDY ITINERARY. CHECK. CAMERA. CHECK.

Capture your enviable Byron Bay living and learning experience with a short course in Photography here.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY 1 – Commences 27 April and 2 May
5 Week short course, one am or pm class offered per week.

byronbay.saeshortcourses.com

and.. a little more info about the Bluesfest!

Here it is folks, the final artist announcement for Bluesfest 2011. If you are interested in any of the people playing or the schedule just click on the blue words! 

As you can see, they’ve  definitely saved some of the best till last with these stellar talented musicians, so if you weren’t excited before, you will be now! Tickets for Thursday 21 April and Tuesday 26 April are still available – dont miss out, the clock is ticking and it’s only a week until Bluesfest finally kicks off!

The whole lineup has become picture perfectly clear with the COMPLETE official downloadable Bluesfest Playing Schedule is now online. That means you can now make all those big decisions and plan your final Bluesfest itinerary.

Check it out for all artist times and stages – download it, print it out, circle your options – get set to make sure your Bluesfest 2011 experience is all set to go in glorious fashion! Please note that on Tuesday April 26 Bluesfest will open its doors at 11am, music starts at 2pm and finishes at 10pm, allowing everyone to get home in plenty of time for school the next day.

Grab your tickets now for Thursday 21 and Tuesday April 26.

The FINAL Bluesfest announcement for 2011 includes:

Warren Haynes, Clare Bowditch, Dale Watson & His Lonestars, Frank Yamma, Neil Murray, Shane Nicholson, Buddy Knox, Lisa Miller,
Louis King and the Liars Klub, Hat Fitz & Cara Robinson,Grace Barbe Afro Kreol, Ajak Kwai, The Blackwater Fever, Bobby Long, Secret Sisters, Nga Tae, Collard Greens and Gravy, Old Spice Boys, Victor Valdes & the Marin Brothers, Raghu Dixit, Jackson Firebird,Hank Green’s Blues, Joewah, A French Butler Called Smith, U Blues Band, Microwave Jenny, Kingfisha, Mojo Bluesmen, Bob Abbot & the Fabulous Green Machine, Transvaal Diamond Syndicate PLUS The Incredible Sky Pilots Plasticiens Volants

BLUESFEST!!!! WooHoOO!!!

Woohoo!! It’s that time of the year again. The Bluesfest!! Yay!! With Bob Dylan and countless other internationally renowned and amazing musicians! Calling all students.. if you have a fixed address in Byron when you go to the ticket office show that you are a resident here and you will be delighted to see that you can get some very good discounts on tickets. If you have any questions just come and ask Justin or Kate in the office .

I highly recommend that you go along to at least one of the days.. it’s a great day, wonderful music, and a peaceful wonderful atmosphere. Remember, six GV students will be working at the festival, so when you go don’t forget to wave and smile! See you all there…

Mr Proudfoot.

A fantastic today was had today! We all the had the wonderful experience of being part of Lucas Proudfoot’s world famous show. Lots of the guys got to learn the didge and the girls kept the rhythm. Lucas really did us proud, explaining the history of Byron and of the aboriginal instruments. Followed by “kangabanga’s” (kangaroo burgers) and a couple of cold beers.. the day couldn’t have been more perfect.

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Pancakes with Bec!

Our resident chef Bec got into the swing of things with the students this afternoon and made a batch of delicious pancakes!

Delicious! Thanks Bec’s!!

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Run away with the circus at GV Byron!!!!

On Friday we did our monthly fantastic circus class. This is a one in a lifetime opportunity! Nicole had this to say about it .. “

“This has to be one of the greatest ideas of all time. I  REALLY loved learning the trapeze and becoming even closer with the students and my friends. I’m amazed that we have such wonderful opportunities here at GV Byron Bay. Everyone was really nice and the acrobatics were fantastic! Thanks GV!”

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Happy Birthday Andrew

Today is a very special day for one of our very special teachers. In true GV style we had to have cake which of course made Andrew’s class very happy. Happy Birthday Andrew, all the best from the GV crew!

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This weeks Jobs in Byron~!

Check out this weeks jobs in Byron!

Munch Juice Bar: Requires a front of house person with drivers licence, duties incluse coffee making, juices, smoothies, cash handling. Please come in with resume.

Au Pair: Long term, live-in fem required, 25- 30hpw, full accom and meals in a lovely home Suffolk Park, to help with newborn, 3yo boy & housework. To apply email details to: info@massagegear.com.au

Kinoko Japanese Restaurant: Experienced and qualified chef for full time work Email asadleibo@gmail.com

Shop assistant: Required part time for retail shop:  Call 0432 332 127

Gardener: with excellent gardening knowledge. Mature age person, email details: rmcewen@ozemail.com.au

Full time chef: Start now in organic cafe in Mullum. Exp in wholefood vego cooking a must. Reliable, committed, long term. All resumes to: Mullum Santos Juice Bar

Au Pair: Long term, live-in fem required, 25- 30hpw, full accom and meals in a lovely home Suffolk Park, to help with newborn, 3yo boy & housework. To apply email details to: info@massagegear.com.au

Looking for work?!

Don’t forget to come to the job workshop this week on Wednesday at 2pm in room 3. Andrew will take you through all the necessary skills that you will need to have to get the job you want!

We will teach you how to write a good CV, a great cover letter and give you real practise of how to do a perfect interview~!

See you there!

GV Cooking Options Class!

Last week our Pre-Intermediate class had a lot of fun presenting their national dishes in a presentation to each other. At the end of the week the winners of the “presentations” had to make their dish.. which was the traditional Koran Bulgogi (a great hit around the school!)

As part of this class the students had to teach the CAE class, using imperatives, how to prepare the course! This was a great success as can be seen in the below photos! Well done guys and thanks for the delicious meal!

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Surfing in Paradise

We have had such amazing weather recently and .. with amazing weather what can be better than to learn to surf!

Check out these amazing photos of the perfect Byron day!

Next surfing trip is at the end of April. Book in early to go!

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The one and only BRUNO!

Today I caught up with Bruno.. This is what he had to say about his time with us at GV Byron.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from…

My name is Bruno and I’m from the south of Brazil, a place called Blumanau which is a biggish city, kind of the same size as the Gold Coast.

What did you do back at home and what made you decide to come to Australia?

In Brazil I worked a technical assistant for Hyundai and studied at University doing a degree in Business Administration. I decided to come to Australia because when I was in Brazil people told me that there weren’t so many Brazilians in Byron. I also wanted to come to a smaller size city to enjoy the life and natural beauty that being in a small city offers.

How long have you been at GV Byron and what are you studying?

I am currently in the Upper Intermediate class! I started in the pre-intermediate class with almost no English and now I’ve got pretty amazing English!
I like this school. The people here are always happy and very kind. The teacher’s work very hard and really prepare their lessons  well. They really take the time to consider my needs and to help me with the ideas that I struggle with. There is a great downstairs area, there is a place for lunch, games, relax, study , the internet and even a Wii console!!. Really… it’s nice.

I have enjoyed it so much here because of all these reasons that I have told a good friend of mine to come to GV Byron Bay and not to go to any other school because this is such a wonderful place. Everything for me is PERFECT! … and even better, I know my English is getting better.

What do you plan to do when you have completed your studies with us?

When I finish here I will go around Australia for a month and then maybe I will go to Indonesia.

What has been the single best moment that you have experienced since you joined GV Byron?

Wow. This is such a hard question as there have been so many good moments. Actually, there really isn’t specific moment.  Meeting the teachers, Justin and Kate has been great fun. I really like the student house because I have a lot of friends that visit me there; we can practice English as the rule is to speak English when we are in the house. It’s a nice house, close to the beach and the bottle shop.

Is there anything you’d like to add??

I would like to tell everyone to enjoy your time in Byron it’s an unforgettable time!!

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Three legends of the music industry, Bob Dylan, BB King and Elvis Costello have been pre-announced as the headliners for the  Byron Bay Bluesfest in April this year. This year several GV Byron Bay students will be working at the festival (thanks to teacher Andrew’s inside knowledge!) and we highly recommend that you all go and check it out!

There will be absolutely stellar performances by hundreds of world-famous acts. For more information on how to go, or even how to volunteer to work at the fest check out http://www.bluesfest.com.au/news/

Byron Bay at its best!

Today is gorgeous!! Stunning sunshine, crystal clear blue waters and a beautiful sea breeze! A perfect day for a tour of Byron Bays historic lighthouse! Check out the photos below..

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Gv Byron Bay and the final frontier!

Last night GV Byron Bay students came out to explore strange new worlds,  seek out new life, and new civilizations and  To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before!!! (as they say in Star trek!)

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Lots of us came down to look at the great southern sky with the amazing telescope. It was a beautiful warm night and Phil taught us a lot about the great southern sky. Since this is such a popular activity we will be holding this every month!

Chocolate Crackles…mmmmmm

A lot of fun was had in the student lounge today with chocolate crackles being the flavour of the day!  Kate makes these chocolate crackles for her son and his friends often. Now you can try them too! :-)

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4 Cups rice puffs

1 cup icing sugar

4 tablespoons Coco powder

250 grams Copha

1 cup desiccated coconut

 

Method: Mix all dry ingredients together…..melt Copha slowly……mix all of these together……place in Patty pans and put in them in the fridge for  15 Mins. THAT’S IT!! :-) Enjoy!

Snorkeling @ Julian Rocks!

We all had a beautiful day snorkeling with Turtles, loads of different types of fish and a few friendly Leopard sharks!

Check out the photos below!

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GV Weekend

I was speaking to some of the students this morning who are going on a trip up to Frazer island on the weekend. This is a beautiful place with pristine white beaches and crystal clear waters await at the world’s largest sand island. You may not be able to swim in the sea at Fraser Island, but there are many inviting fresh water lakes and creeks surrounded by white sandy beaches and desert. It’s an amazing place and well worth a weekend away.

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If you are interested in going we need a minimum of five people (one of whom has to have a licence) Come and ask at the office!

 

Rock on with GV and SAE

On Friday night this week SAE is holding a party with DJ’s and a live band and GV is invited!! This should be a good fun evening where you will be able to meet lots of people and other students from Byron and around the world.

The party will be held at:

The Byron Entertainment Centre (where we go for the circus)
17 Centennial Circuit
Arts and Industry Park

It’s  FREE ENTRY!!!

Drinks can be bought from the bar (NOT BYO)

7pm to 1am

See you there!

GV Juniors Go Surfing~!

We had a really nice visit from Masa from Nexis Japan who came down to Byron to see how his students were. Much to all of our delight Ehito and Anju braved the waves and went surfing! By all accounts they had a great time. Check out the photos below!

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Tiramisu Delight

For some reason Italy seems to be the flavour of the week! Our lovely teacher Carla volunteered to show everyone how to make a delicious Tiramisu which was enjoyed by all of us! THANK YOU CARLA and your team of hardworking GV students

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In case you want to recreate this at home, here is how you do it!

Ingredients (serves 8)

  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 250g mascarpone cheese
  • 1/3 cup coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)
  • 200ml thickened cream
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 28 sponge finger biscuits (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method

  1. Using an   hand mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Gently fold in mascarpone and liqueur. Wash and dry beaters. Whip cream to firm peaks. Fold into mascarpone mixture.
  2. Wash and dry beaters. Beat eggwhites until stiff peaks form. Fold into mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Combine coffee and warm water in a shallow dish, stirring until coffee dissolves. Using half the biscuits, dip biscuits 1 at a time in coffee, turning to coat. Place, in a single layer, over the base of a 6cm-deep, 18cm x 28cm (base) baking dish.
  4. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over biscuits to cover. Repeat layers with remaining biscuits, coffee and mascarpone mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
  5. Dust top with cocoa powder and serve.

 

Leaping into the Great Unknown with GV Bryon Bay

On Friday night, Phil, our beloved bicycle man very kindly donated his time and telescope to show the students the great southern hemisphere and the associated stars and planets. This is always a great event and very interesting and Phil is incredibly knowledgable.

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As this was such a great event we will be running this monthly, so don’t forget to check it out on your activities schedule for next month~!

International Soccer Match

Next Friday, the 18th of February we are going to have a inter-school soccer match.

This will be a great chance to meet and mix with students from SAE and also to show off your skills. We need at least 11 students to play, so please come and put your name on the list if you would like to play.

Happy Birthday Lenny!

We had a very special day yesterday with it being Lenny’s Birthday. As you can see.. he was a happy guy!

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All the best from the team at GV. Happy Birthday!

 

Kate’s Ozzie Cook-up!

Kate proved all the sceptics wrong today when she made the most beautiful traditional Australian piklets. Served with Jam and fresh cream they were amazing!

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Beautiful Byron Bay

With such stunning weather hitting our shores this week we had to go up to the lighthouse.. Sadly, we couldn’t see too many dolphins, but the wide array of blues in the sea was perfect!

If you’d like to go on one of these tours just sign up in the office!

Beach Soccer!!

It’s a beautiful day guys!! Come on down to Clarkes beach as we are having a beach soccer tournament!

Always a great time and with beautiful days like this, nothing could be more perfect!