Minister pays tribute to Australian missionaries in China
Posts Tagged ‘Faculty of Arts and Theology’
Pioneering embrace
Wednesday, September 25, 2013God’s grace at the Great Wall
Wednesday, September 18, 2013Avondale Lecture Series to look at women and work of church in China
Here’s looking at you
Wednesday, August 14, 2013Lecturer to launch on-campus PhD exhibition
Help yourself
Wednesday, August 14, 2013What I learned from my development studies placement
Chelsea Mitchell
Bachelor of Arts student
Avondale College of Higher Education
Development is contagious. This is the lesson I learn during my visit to Mok Mai, a district in northern-central Laos. I also learn about the wet season. If you’re going to drive up a mountain, you’re going to get stuck, literally, in the mud.
I visit the remote villages of Ban Tham Ioy, home to 49 families living in 41 houses. With the help of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, toilets have been built and water systems installed. The villagers are now building a school.
A “cow bank” provides income—a cow is lent to a family who, when the cow gives birth, give the calf to another family. The bank has grown from five to seven cows.
The head of the village smiles. “Before ADRA, we didn’t have toilets, hospital, water system. Now because of the project, we have.”
After lunch (soup with a turkey’s foot), the primary purpose of the visit begins. The 2012-13 yearly report meeting brings ADRA staff, government officials and village leaders together. They discuss the activities of the past year, the 11 villages and what can be improved, and most importantly, how to improve according to the need, skill and interest of each village. They emphasise the importance of teaching people how to use the water system and toilets, rather than simply having them installed.
The 47 people in the four-hour meeting are an inspiration. They come from different places, employment situations and backgrounds, but they come with a shared purpose—to help people help themselves.
Chelsea travelled to Laos as part of her placement in international poverty and development studies.
French lesson
Thursday, November 8, 2012History tour helps students learn about themselves
Jemma Galindo
Bachelor of Arts student
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
The Avondale students who travelled to France to better understand history have returned with a better understanding of themselves and their classmates.
The Modern History Tour unit sees students studying modern history in first semester and then touring the sites of that history in second semester.
This year’s tour began in Paris, but the students found the Somme Valley, site of the Western Front in World War I, most affective. Marketing major Matthew Robinson reflects on the “chilling reality that hits you when you imagine what it would have been like back in the day.” Bianka Costigan says the experience will help her teach with more integrity. “I feel more authentic.”
Tour leader and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Theology Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud speaks highly of how the students “engaged with both the history and the culture of where we’ve been.” Bringing history to life, particularly history that has been the subject of your study, “makes it all so real and easy to comprehend,” says English major Kyria Mansfield.
The tour also taught the students about travelling. The most highly rated tip: pack lightly. Teaching student Cherie Stocker: “Bring a boyfriend if you want to go shopping and put all the stuff in his bags.” Tip two. Il faut apprendre autant que possible sur la langue et la culture avant que vous alliez. Translation: learn the language. However, it is hard to top James Dawson’s tip: “Get on the plane when it leaves. That generally gets you to the places you want to go.”
Liselle Pullen, program manager at Academy Travel, accompanied the staff members and students on the tour. Their enthusiasm and sense of unity impressed her. “You’ve got a brilliant community going,” she says. “You’re all very supportive.” “I’ve had classes with some students for years but didn’t really speak to them,” says modern history major Amelia Qiosese. “Now I feel they’re lifelong friends.”