Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 25
students receive the full
Adelaide experience
The University’s new Experience Adelaide program is proving extremely
popular among international students as alumni turn on the hospitality
and provide a warm welcome to Adelaide.
S
ince the program began in March,
261 overseas students have been
helped to adapt to life in Adelaide
with the support of 223 alumni, University
staff and their families.
It’s an opportunity for new arrivals
to experience Australian culture by
participating in various activities, sharing
a meal and seeing some of our beautiful
natural and historic treasures.
Vice-Chancellor and President
Professor Warren Bebbington knows
from personal experience the importance
of such a welcome.
“Many years ago when I was a
young Fulbright Fellow in New York City,
I was paired with a local family who
invited me into their home to experience
America,” he said.
“Those occasional visits to their family
home for a cup of tea and a Thanksgiving
dinner connected me to the US and left
lasting ties I maintain today.”
For local alumni and their families, the
program is an opportunity to learn about
other cultures and engage in a genuine
cross-cultural dialogue.
David Purton and his wife Tamra
became involved in the inaugural round
of the Experience Adelaide program,
welcoming two students from Malaysia
and another from Swaziland.
“I’ve had a long-term interest in other
cultures and learning how people from
around the world think,” said David, who
graduated from Adelaide with a Bachelor
of Engineering (Chemical) degree in 2000.
“But more significantly, through my work
with international students over the last
few years, I’ve seen that many students
have a difficult time when they travel
overseas to study.
“When I heard about the Experience
Adelaide program, I thought it seemed like
a great initiative to help students in some
of the areas that make moving to a new
country difficult.
“My wife has travelled extensively
for work and holidays. She has also
been an exchange student to Japan
and can empathise with the challenges
international students face.”
David and Tamra met with Kholiwe
Mdluli, a Master of Engineering (Civil
and Environment) student from
Swaziland, inviting her to share a family
meal at their home, and for coffee at
their favourite city café. They have also
kept in touch via email.
Kholiwe says the thought of having a
family in Australia she can connect with
makes her life feel balanced emotionally.
“The impact the program had on me
was tremendous because when I met the
Purton family and their children for the first
time it felt like they filled the gap of my two
daughters back home who I miss a lot,”
Kholiwe said.
“I have been privileged to meet David
and Tamra and the little time we have
spent together has been invaluable. The
Purtons will always be my family and I
will always remain attached to Australia
because they are here.”
If you are interested in participating
in the Experience Adelaide program,
please email Annette Wheatley at
annette.wheatley@adelaide.edu.au
or phone +61 8 313 2284.
Left: David and Tamra Purton with
their children Leah and Hannah and
international student Kholiwe Mdluli
(photo by Michael Mullan)
We were encouraged
to see that Kholiwe was
much more relaxed when
we caught up with her at the
beginning of semester two
than she was throughout the
first semester. It was good
to be able to include her in
our family, especially as she
really misses her own children
and husband who are back
in Swaziland.
David Purton
For further information visit www.international.adelaide.edu.au/life/connecting/experience/families/
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 23
