GCIT Malaysia Study Tour

Thursday....

2009-12-18T00:31:00.002+11:00

Today was a very busy day for us. First of all it was Donna's B-day!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!!!
and of course our trip to Malacca.

The day started with us getting on the bus at 8 in the morning and arriving at Politeknik Malacca (2 hours later). We were then given a very warm welcome by the art and culture club who performed a traditional local dance called sapid. It was one of the best welcomes we have received yet. After all the introductions we sat down at 'Mock Restaurant' where we were again wined and dined with traditional Malay food. After everyone had eaten their fill the team sat in a boardroom and were presented a speech about the politeknik from the director himself Arshad Bin Kassim. Once all presentations had been done we were again whisked off to eat more traditional food. As we dined in 'Restaurant Crystal' we were further entertained by more traditional dancing called the Java dance as well as having a band play traditional music 'Dondang Sayang' (love song or dear song). Before long we had to move on to our next destination, Malacca city.

Once arriving in Malacca city we were welcomed by all things historical. 'Richman' showed us around the old dutch settlement (what was left of them any way) and tombstones. After we had enjoyed history at its greatest we were rewarded with a tricycle ride!!!!
(I have to admit that I did feel rather important)
After a good trike tour around Malacca we were dropped off infront of the oldest chinese temple in Malaysia. It was an absolutely spectacular sight!!
It was amazing watching the priest or monk pray and make music.

When everyone had finished looking at the magnificent temple, a chill out session was well due. Before long it was time for dinner, which was a fusion of chinese and malay (and very yummy..especially the cake)

So that pretty much wrapped up our day, just want to say thank you to Politeknik Malacca, Richman and HAPPY 19TH DONNA!!!!!

Home soon, missing you
Megan

LAST DAY OF WORK!

2009-12-16T15:29:00.000+11:00

Hello!!

I'm sure we all have mixed emotions about today! We have finished our training at the hotel! Today I worked in in Banquets, however the day was extremely quiet so I folded napkins. Don't feel too sorry for me, I got an early mark and finished at 12pm so Holiday mode ahead!

The last three weeks have definately been eventful, challanging, fun and educational. Id like to thank the associates for trying their best to keep us busy and teach us what they know.

My favourite department was conceierge as the people were extremely friendly and genuinely loved their job! I will take home an extended knowledge and no doubt a few new friends :)

My computer time is almost off! so i will end in saying thanks for the experience!

peace.

Photos from KL

2009-12-16T00:33:00.005+11:00

Tuesday By Di

2009-12-16T00:20:00.002+11:00

Hi All,

Today was our second last day of work experience at the Renaissance. I had the pleasure of spending the day in the HR department, the morning was spent with Ron learning the inns and outs of the Marriott training procedures, including the AMAZING website, all about passport to success and information on legislation and the Malaysian Gov schemes for training - companies in Malaysia are required to pay a percentage of their labour costs into a fund which they then can access to use for training and training equipment, what a great way to ensure the country has continuous training for its employed!
The afternoon consisted of a run down on the other HR departmental areas from Lim Chui Fung the KL Renaissance HR Manager, the required steps taken by Marriott when recruiting staff, industrial disputes, staff activities, team building events, annual leave and public holidays. I was impressed with learning more in depth about the activities going on in the HR department and thank the staff for sharing their knowledge and time (very busy people) with me.
Sommer and Donna participated in an official signing ceremony, and the other girls worked on concierge, club lounge, events and Temptations.
Tonight was spent by the girls, shopping (those of us who have any money left!!), fish foot spas and relaxing around the hotel.
Tomorrow is our last day working before we have a few days of tourist activities and then home to the Goldie. There are mixed emotions from the girls as most are missing home and loved ones - but at the same time its hard not to enjoy the hotel, activities, city of KL and all that comes with it!
Jumpa Lagi

Sunday Is Fun Day By Andy

2009-12-14T18:23:00.002+11:00

Still having technical problems with my account so using Lucy's once again.....

Sunday, 13th december 2009

After a much needed sleep in we started the morning off with a nice big breakfast in TEMPtationS restaurant with the girls. We than ventured out to do some more shopping, believe it or not, some of us still have it in us!.
Returning to the hotel at lunch time we all rested for a few hours until it was time to be picked up at 3pm.
It took us just over an hour to reach our first destination which saw us feeding silver haired monkeys by hand. After spending an hour with these cute, little creatures we were off again to dine by river side at a seafood restaurant where we saw the beautiful sun set as we feasted on a banquet fit for a queen!
Rolling our way to the bus we took another half hour bus ride to see the fire flies, putting our life jackets on as we saw them by boat, by boat we are talking about 1 poor man, paddling 4 of us ladies up and down the river, watching these amazing creatures that look like lights on a christmas tree. Did you know that there are only 3 places left in the world you can witness them, Here in KL,Brazil and not too far from home New Zealand.As it started to rain we made our way back to land and back to the bus for the long ride home. Exhausted, we all had a early night, ready for work today!

Can't wait to come back to aussie... see you all soon!

Andy
xxxx

Good times!

2009-12-14T17:50:00.002+11:00

Diana, Donna, Sommer and I worked in Temptations Buffet today, and as usual the staff were great. They are always polite and very willing to teach us anything we want to learn. We started at 7:30am this morning, which proved to be quite difficult to get out of bed. That 9:30am Aussie time, it's going to be hard to rise early again when I come back home.
Everybody is enjoying the sights, shopping, and food in KL. However we are all missing our families and friends. I can't wait to eat steak and chips when I get back.
Tomorrow will be the first day Diana, Megan and myself will be working in the Events department. We have been looking forward to this very much. It will be a great experience to see how the events come together before they are turned over to the Banquets department.

Saturday12th

2009-12-13T16:57:00.003+11:00

Today we all where off to the sky bridge. We all gathered in the lobby around 10am to walk to the patrona towers, once we got there we followed the signs to the where we would have had toline up for hours but thanks to tourism malaysia they had organised us all tickets for the days so wewere given straight access.

We sat through a 3D short video,explaining how malaysia and the towers were constructed. It was a very insightful video. We then forwarded into the large elevator and it took less than 45 seconds to get to the skybridge. Once there the views were amazing. We took numerous photos from either side of the deck. The park below was beautifully decorated with ponds, pools, play grounds and fountains. We didnt know how much was there until we saw it from a birds eye view.

After the sky bridge we all rested until work at 3pm. We were all given special working clothing that did not fit us at all,which was hilarious when the shoulder pads made us look like we were incredibly broad. We worked another wedding and a few of us were chosen to present the first course to the bridal table. It was so excited for us. After about 9pm we all were getting tired and found that there was nothing much else to do. But we powered on to 11pm and then had a Mcdonalds

fest in our rooms.

And then we went to bed and slept like rocks.

Donna :)

Friday 11th! only 4 more working days.

2009-12-12T15:42:00.000+11:00

hi all, this is bree.

this is a blog for yesterday.
so Friday was work placment day. the day went really quick for me, i was in the events department with andy and lucy. it was a bit quiet but we attended briefings with other associates (staff), and we folded some name cards, looked at some floor plans, i attended a meeting with a couple who will be having their wedding reception at the hotel in january. It was really interesting to see how small details come together. i enjoyed it, then after that i had to start fixing up the floor plan to suit the guests requirements which was a good experience. overall the day went really fast, but we have one more day in events on monday so im looking forward to that!

After work we all decided to go to 'Quatro' which is a bar that has 4 different sections, Winter, Summer, Spring and Autumn. there was rain inside, an ice bar, leaves flying around, wind, and lots of different thigs, it was great fun! we danced all night long and had a fantastic time! Would deffinantly reccomend it to you all.

not much else to tell from yesterday but im sure after 4 days time the posts will be very interesting as we are going to malacca, genting highlands and sunway lagoon! cant wait.

feel free to chat to us all on here at any time.

ok bye bye for now.

Bree Bree.

P.S Hi Mum and Dad!

Day number 12 - I can't believe there's only 10 days left

2009-12-10T17:59:00.006+11:00

Hi everyone - this is Justine

I can't believe we are past half way on our Study Tour in Malaysia having completed 12 days of our 22 day stay, and what an adventure we are having. Today I worked in Temptations restaurant, and for someone who has absolutely no experience at all in hospitality, I have learnt a few things. How to fold serviettes/napkins - I have never paid much attention to this detail previously but I am now intrigued by the different styles; setting up for breakfast/lunch; learning the art of serving customers; presenting cakes in the display cabinet; and presenting the restaurant and myself professionally paying attention to fine detail. The staff at the Renaissance Hotel are lovely and so helpful. I feel I can ask almost any question to the staff, and they are so willing to assistant and answer questions all the time - a huge thank you to the staff of Renaissance Hotel.

When working in Temptations Restaurant, we start at 7:30am local time instead of 9:00am for other departments. I must admit that have adjusted to the time difference very quickly, and was complaining about getting up at 6:00am (yes I am a sook) and then I realised it was 8:00am in Australia - how we will all cope when we get home!

Personally, I am enjoying my stay in Malaysia. The people are beautiful and welcoming, the city is intriguing, and the weather is humid but you get air-con everywhere. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I am attempting to make the most of it, even though I do miss home very much. I am the only married woman with children (3) on this study tour - and home is where my heart is. And even though I miss my family so very much, I will continue to enjoy my stay in Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps I should plan on bringing my family back here one day.

So my work day is done, now it's time to think about what to have for dinner...

Blessings to you all
Justine

PS - Just wanted to share with you my favourite photo from the hundreds I have taken. This one was taken at Putra Jaya from the balcony of a Chinese Restaurant which we took a small boat ride to get to. It was peaceful and beautiful, and we were blessed with a beautiful sunset.

Work Placement Day No. 4

2009-12-09T18:56:00.002+11:00

Hello There!

Well today was the 4th placement day of work in the Renaissance Hotel. Bec, Andy, Lucy and myself worked in the restaurant 'TEMPTations' and the Lobby Lounge today. Must be a pretty quiet day in the hotel today as both outlets weren't too busy. We cleared plates and reset tables and offered beverages to the guests. The other girls worked in the Events Dept, Conceirge and the Club Lounge.

Tonight we have free time so we are heading out to see some more of KL sights and its Ladies Night tonight.... :)

Till next time!

Teneale

Monday 7th December 2009

2009-12-08T20:12:00.002+11:00

Hey Guys..
Im couldnt do a blog yesterday the server was down =(
Monday was another day of work.. I was working in the Club Lounge on the 27th Level with Harley and Donna..I was doing Food and Beverage in the Lounge its was quite busy over breakfast then i helping out with getting all drinks and food for the Cocktail Hours (5:30pm-7:30pm), Harley was checking the rooms that the VIPs were staying making sure everything was in there and ready for when they check in..and Donna was on Front Desk watching how to check guests in and out and learning about the computer system.. That was our last day in the Club Lounge next up our group has events!!
Tonight we will be once again Shopping in China Town and the Central Market spending lots of money and bargining at every shop..which i must say is realllyyyy fun!!
Well thats all for today...
hope ur enjoying our blogs as much as we are enjoying being here =)
bye for now..
Sommer.x

Tuesday's Activities

2009-12-08T19:56:00.002+11:00

Hello from hot, beautiful, crazy Malaysia!

Today we were lucky enough to sleep in and after our buffet breakfast (yum) we walked over to the Convention Centre near the Pentronas Towers. There we were greeted by Suzie who showed us around the amazing Convention Centre, Gold Coast Convention Centre should take note! Datuk Peter Brokenshire a fellow aussie who also happenes to be GM of the Convention Centre gave us a up date of how the Convention Centre has come to be as fantastic as it is!
We were than greeted by Richmond Lim (head chef) who made time to come to speak to us as we were enjoying a buffet lunch. ( Note to self: hour on the treadmill tomorrow morning!)
After luch we had some free time before we made our way to boardroom to be given a presentation by Malaysia Tourism director about how wonderful Malaysia is, for us it was a little too late as we all agree it is one beautiful country!
Looking forward to lots more activities.... keep you posted.

Gotta run, lots more shopping to do!

Lucy
xx

Sunday a Day to Remember..

2009-12-07T00:14:00.004+11:00

Today was such an incredibly fun packed day which I believe no one will forget. Starting with the amazing race,running all over town, jumping in and out of taxis was exhausting and challenging yet amazing all at the one time. As everyone got ready, applying their team colour war paint to their faces we were excited to get moving to our first challenge.

Although my team did not come first, we enjoyed every moment of it. We embraced every challenge, every cultural experience and were truly happy with how we approached each challenge my working together easily as a team.

After lunch we heading to the pewter factory where we beated pewter into a bowl shape. That was an intersting experience, looking at all the workers at the factory, seeing what they have to do each day made me feel so glad I was just there on a tour pass.

As we all piled back into the bus exhausted from running all over town and beating the pewter till it was completly round and smooth, we prepared ourselves for our next amazing adventure. The Batu Caves, the trip I had been waiting for ever since I recieved our first drafted agendas for the trip. The amazing golden statue at the entrace, the 272 steps leading to an incredible cave where people gathered for prayer and worship. The whole experience was incredible. A bonus which everyone in our group know, for me, were the monkeys. As we walked up the 272 monkeys were running across the stairs,jumping onto poles and trees and were eating what ever they could find on the floor. As I loved these animals so much and havent exactly drawn breathe talking about the,I was extremely excited when I got a photo with one on the stairs.

Overall this day has been one of my favourites since we have arrived here and one I surely will not forget.

Dec 6th The Amazing Race

2009-12-06T23:29:00.002+11:00

With today being a day off we could not help but have fun and that is just what we did.

The amazing race began with all of us being divided into groups, equiped with cameras and some whits.
Team blue seemed to be a threat, filled with competitive girls, all team green and purple could only try their best.

Ready, Set... and they are off.
The rat race began with a quick photo snap and then we jumped into a taxi hoping to beat the others.

The sun was beaming down and the sweat was pouring even faster but no matter how many places we ran to or people we bumped into we were going to win.

The end of the race was a little confusing and directions became a mess. Both Green and Purple team burst through the door however by surprise team purple, although behind most of the time pulled through and won it all once points had been totaled.
Slow and Steady really does win the race (by the way I was in team purple).
I am sure everyone enjoyed the race and it really was a team building experience that tested our skills.

We also made our way to the Batu Caves, where we were greeted by a giant gold statue buddhah of some sort.
272 steps later or sins had vanished and even more steps were in front of us and some roasters, cats and monkeys as well as a funky smell or two.

Dinner was a wonderful end to the day (do not be a vegetarian overseas it's too hard) and an awesome fruit punch helped to cool us down.

I can't think of anything more but I am sure there is because we did have lunch today and shopped a little bit but as you should all know that is what we are good at (eating and spending money) so I really shouldn't have to inform you :p

Saturday......

2009-12-06T00:03:00.003+11:00

Hi everyone!!!

Today was a very interesting day, firstly we all had the morning off!!!!which most of us spent sleeping (me lol) but for others a morning shop was in order. Lucy has picked up a few traditional crafts which consisted of a couple of kites, a fan and lanterns. (poor Teneale had to deal with the repeat showcase of products to the team).

At 1pm we were all assigned to work in the Banquets Department of the hotel. Today the hotel Banquets team were busy preparing for a wedding. The team helped out by doing whatever they could, this included folding napkins, setting tables and wrapping fruit cake for the guests to take home with them. It was great for the team to witness the transformation of the Grand Ballroom from nearly empty to a beautifully decorated wedding dinner for approx 600 pax.

This dinner was set "Chinese style" and consisted of around 8 courses. Once all was set and ready for the guests to enter a select few of us were required to walk with the waiters on the Bridal table and and act as "models".

Before long, it was time to leave the Ballroom and leave the rest to the very capable Banquets team. The whole were exceptionally pleased about being apart of this special day for the happy couple and wish them the very best with a long and happy union. It will definitely be an experience not soon to be forgotten.

So an early night for all tonight, due to the EXTREMELY busy day tomorrow, which we are all very very very very excited and looking forward to. I'm not going to ruin the surprise, your just going to have to read the next BLOG ;)

Night Night, hope all is well and missing you a whole load

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

December 4th

2009-12-04T19:26:00.002+11:00

Hello Friends,

It's Bec here!

Today has been our second work placement day. I am currently in the Events Department helpping out behind the scenes with Teneale and Justine. We learnt how to make floor plans and organised wedding photos on the drive (the team really appreciated this as it took alot of time!) We also found out today that we will no longer be placed in the PR department, instead learning Conceirge and working in one of the Restaurants and Lobby Bar.

Tonight we will be hitting up China Town (again for those of us who couldn't wait) and having dinner and a show across the road at Saloma! We are all very excited!! TGIF!

We are looking forward to working our first wedding tomorrow with the Banquets Team!!

Until next time!!

Bec!!

Thursday 3rd December

2009-12-04T17:41:00.005+11:00

Hi All, its Di here!

Thought I would begin with some pics (I have finally mastered wifi @ the tourism centre and have some extra time and my trusty laptop!)

Bree with the famous ice cream hot dog- three scoops of ice cream with chocolate topping in a bread roll! (28.11.09).

Lunch at the precious China cafe (29.11.09)

Blue rice - coloured with morning glory flower! (29.11.09)

The whole gang (29.11.09)

Di and Donna and a very serious guard at the Royal Palace. (29.11.09)

A very devoted Gold Coast United fan will take her team spirit everywhere ;) (01.12.09)

'Aunty' Colette on the traditional boat trip. (01.12.09)

The girls enjoying square local ice creams. (01.12.09)

Lucy holding up the temples. (01.12.09)

The Petronis Towers at night. (30.11.09)

There are many more photos to come in future blogs, too many to add today!

Yesterday - Thursday 3rd December we began the day with a trip to Malaysia Hotels Association. A little hiccup on the way in the form of a car running into the back of our bus - luckily no one was hurt - we have been told this is a traditional Malaysian experience!

The presentation at MAH was given by Reginald the Chief Operating Official of MAHTEC (Malaysian Association of Hotels Training and Education Centre). Reginald first talked about tourism in Malaysia and then his co-worker Sophia talked about the three different hotel associations in Malaysia, their roles and the history of MAH. We were then treated to lunch and given a goody bag each with USB, keyrings, bag tags and calender.

As we had a few hours off a small group ventured to China Town for a spot of shopping - WOW, it was amazing, such bargains to be found with a bit of bartering going on. We are definitely looking forward to our next visit to China Town.

The evening activity was a Malaysian cooking class. The school called Lazat was in a house and run by Ana and about six helpers. The menu consisted of - entree of Otak-otak (marinated fish in banana leaves), Kari Ayam (chicken curry) served with Roti Jala (lacy pancake) and onde onde (palm sugar in glutenous ball) for dessert. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the food was delicious! Stay tuned for pics to be uploaded of the fun and games.

Tired and with the thought of an early start for work training in the morning we all crashed pretty much as soon as we got back to the hotel.

As each day passes we are learning more about Malaysian culture and having more and more fun.

Bye for now

Diana Wilson

Off the plane from Malaysia and....

2009-12-04T15:26:00.000+11:00

Rob from AIM Overseas here.

I'm just off the plane from Malaysia where I was lucky enough to be part of the beginning of this great program and what a great bunch of people to have spent some time with!

The first few days were really full: visits, tours, work, briefings, shopping, eating....woah! Full on!

A quick thank you to everyone: Colette, Sheri, Diana, Donna, Justine, Rebecca, Lucy, Sommer, Megan, Teneale, Bree, Andi and Harley for being good value to be around and a special thank you for the chocies (they are YUM) and the photo of the group, which I'll post here once I've gotten to the scanner in our office.

A huge thanks to the Renaissance folks, Ron, Paul, Lynne and everyone else, and the GCIT crew, Helen and Rebecca, for getting the program off the ground. From what I've seen it's a real winner.

Have a great time for the rest of the program girls!

Cheers
Rob

First day on the job.

2009-12-03T18:35:00.000+11:00

Sorry for the latenest of this blog, I'm not the most gifted when it comes to computer skills.
Yesterday was our first day working with the Renaissance Hotel. It was great! All the staff are exceptionally helpfull and are really opened to us asking many questions. They love to ask us questions too. Like where we are from?, what we are studying?, how we ended up in Malaysia?, and their favourite, how old we are? Everybody in the hotel knows who we are too.
Diana, Megan and myself, were assigned to the banquet department. We were divided up and each went to a different event. Diana was helping down stairs in the conference areas, Megan helped assist in a food tasting lunch, and I helped in the Ballroom's lunch. I loved it! It was the first time I had done anything like that, and I was suprize they let me clear tables and refill the guest's water glasses. I also got to breakdown the event at the end.
Hopefully each day will be just as informative as this one was.
Cheers from Sheri.

2009-12-01T23:25:00.002+11:00

Hi this is Andy,

Having a bit of a problem with my account so using Lucy's...
Malaysia so far is amazing and hot. Had the best day so far today. Started off with a visit to the Australian Embasy where we had a presentaion and a yummy Thai Lunch.
After lunch we were lucky to have a few hours to our self which was spent catching up on sleep by most ( seems like somthing we cant get enough of). Our afternoon was spent with 'Richman' on a tour to Purat Jaya (Might have spelling wrong), which was spent mostly on a bus due to the rain. We saw the beautiful sights of the local Mosque and met some local Muslim kids and shared some square popsicles that were delicious. (Strawberry was the best!!!) after a little wander past the Mosque we headed down to the river to wait for our private chartered ride to our water front dinner reservations at a Asian Seafood Restaurant. We were split into 3 groups to board our vessels, (the boats reminded me of something you would see in Venice) our boat driver was the best had us laughing the whole way, telling Sherri he wanted to make her his 4th wife and he could go and live in his big house. We ate a delicious banquet whilst watching the sunset over the lake. All Very tired must get some sleep as tomorrow we start our first day of work... Wish us luck!

Good Night Australia
xx

Monday 30th December

2009-12-01T00:35:00.002+11:00

Today we began our first work experience with Renaissance KL. The whole team participated in a full day intensive induction program. Ron the Renaissance training manager conducted an interesting, insightful and informative eight plus hours of the company - Marriott and hotel - Renaissance KL vision, ethics, procedures and policies. We learnt in one day the basics and shortened version of the hotels three day orientation program and what we will need to know for our upcoming work experience.
During the program we also meet the Hotels General Manager, Resident Manager (formally of Gold Coast Marriott Resort and Spa) and the Food and Beverage Director who is also the Executive Chef.
The day ended with a tour of the Hotel and facilities - a beautiful building with excellent facilities. Thank you Ron for an excellent beginning to our work experience at Renaissance KL.
Following induction we all had the evening off to relax and have free time before bed - a good night sleep is sure to be had by all so we are refreshed for our trip tomorrow to the High Commissioner.
Night from hot and humid KL :)

day 1

2009-11-29T20:19:00.003+11:00

hi everyone!
so day one has been and almost gone already.
Today we had lunch at old precious china which was very yummy and traditional, we ate with our fingers!
We then went on a tour of KL (Kuala Lumpur) which included going to the Malaysia museum, seeing the kings of malaysia palace, pertranus towers, and the national mosque.
It is very very hot and muggy here!
We are all having a great time. Our rooms are great and the hotel is amazing! lots of fun activities are still to come including tonight when we are going to the Buk Bintang night markets where we are all very excited to do lots of shopping!!!!! yes that means presents for you all.
some intersesting things we saw/did today were:
-a little pussy cat on the side walk, he was sick but cute!
-we decided to get group photo's and during the process other tourists wanted to get photo's of us. but we also found ourselves getting filmed by randoms all over the place.
- we ate blue rice, papaya, yellow watermelon, dragon fruit and we ate our lunch with our hands!
some of the more daring/experimental people, like me, ventured out and tried an icecream hotdog! and a chrisanthemum drink, yummy yummy.
ok so all is going well and lots of fun things to look forward to.

please write back to us if you feel like it.

will be posting something new every day!

bye for now, but not forever.

Bree.

A safe arrival and the program begins!

2009-11-29T11:26:00.000+11:00

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (otherwise known by the massive acronym KLIA-LCCT). It was humid getting off the plane but fortunately not too hot.

The immigration arrival area of the LCCT is a bit like a giant shed...and it was pretty packed! We had to wait about 20-30 minutes in the line for our turn, but happily everyone got through immigration okay :)

The good thing about waiting a long time at immigration is that you don't have to wait a long time for your bags, and all of ours were through pretty quickly. There were a few nervous moments when we thought Colette's may have been lost, but in the end it was there too - phew!

Rithzuan, from Asian Overland Travel, was waiting outside past customs for us. He's a funny, jolly fellow who used to be a chef and seemed really pleased to be telling us about Malaysian food, as well as all the info about this part of Malaysia. The driver, Mr Mizi, took us the 1 hour drive from the airport to the Renaissance Hotel and there was even a solid downpour to welcome us to KL.

Checked in to the Renaissance and, after a shower and change of clothes, headed out for the short walk to the Petronas Towers and the Suria KLCC shopping centre food court for dinner.

Tomorrow we have our first tour of KL city!

Contact numbers

2009-11-27T01:42:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

Here are each person's contact numbers in Malaysia. If someone wants to call from Australia they need to dial +6(016-655.......)

Within Malaysia you can contact each other by just dialling the number (016-655.....)
Teneale - 016-6553762
Lucy - 016-6553676
Sommer - 016-6553745
Harley - 016-6552834
Megan - 016-6553128
Rebecca - 016-6551954
Diana - 016-6552079
Sheri - 016-6552279
Andrea - 016-6552286
Donna - 016-6553648
Brianna - 016-6553210
Justine - 016-6553281
Colette - 014-9975441

You will receive you sim card at the airport in KL.

Departure just moments away! A few last tips.

2009-11-26T21:19:00.004+11:00

Well, your flight is just days away. Time to get packing and get really excited about what’s to come!

A few last tips from me.

Firstly, the final schedule for you is now available in an earlier post on this blog. Read it, print it, get excited. This is amazing! It is going to be a very busy, very full, extremely rewarding 3 weeks!

Now, packing.

It is going to be an average of 24-34 degrees C in KL during your stay, and it can be quite humid. In the afternoons and evenings you can expect the odd downpour. Pack accordingly (bring a small umbrella or raincoat :), bearing in mind that much of each day you will be spending indoors where everything is air-conditioned and where it can get chilly.

You will definitely need a jumper for the trip to Genting Highlands which, at 2000m elevation, can get down to 10 degrees.

As part of your working time at the Renaissance you’ll need to bring a white blouse, knee length black skirt and closed black work shoes. Or two pairs of each :D

During your work placement you will be treated like any other Associate (employee) of the hotel, meaning you have the same rights (staff meal whilst on duty) and responsibilities (proper behaviour, not allowed to use the pool etc) as other Associates.

You are going to be rotated between 4 different stations: banquet, events, PR (Marketing/Communications) and the Club Lounge (executive level club). Shift times will vary and you may be working either an early or a late shift. You'll be advised of this on Monday. You will be doing some shadowing work and need to bear in mind that space may be limited in the area in which you will be working, so your patience is appreciated.

You’ll also need to bring along your mobile phone, minus your Australian sim card. When you arrive in KL I will be providing you with a Malaysian simcard and phone number. You’ll also get an adaptor and monorail ticket upon arrival.

For the plane, I recommend you get hold of some earplugs and eye drops. Planes can be noisy and extremely dehydrating. As you’re on AirAsiaX you should also bring some snacks along to supplement to service they provide. The flight isn't so long (7 hours or so).

Also bring an empty water bottle that you can carry through security (empty) and then fill up on the other side before you get on the plane. You might also want to bring a small pillow or something with you on the plane and be sure to wear loose clothing – both of these are for comfort. The space available to stretch out on the plane is limited, so make sure you take the time to get up and walk around and stretch.

Remember some sunscreen and a good pair of comfy shoes for the tours you’ll be doing. Your Lonely Planet book will also give you some good tips for your trip to Malaysia so make sure you’ve had a squiz at it!

With regards to documents, please make sure you bring a copy of your travel insurance policy document and leave a photocopy of both your passport and any credit cards that you are carrying with your parents. On the off chance that these get lost whilst you are abroad it will make things much easier to have them replaced.

That’s about it from me – I’m looking forward to seeing you all in KL in a couple of days!

Study Overseas AIM Overseas

Change to working arrangement in KL

2009-11-26T21:16:00.000+11:00

Previously we had been talking about everyone undertaking a working period at the KL Convention Centre. Unfortunately that has fallen through due to visa reasons :(
so instead everyone will be undertaking their full working period at the Renaissance Hotel :)

The schedule looks amazing - spending time working in 4 separate departments and getting a taste of what it's like to work in a large Asian 5-star hotel. It's going to be great.

The program will still pay a visit to the KL Convention Centre on December 8th, so we'll still get a look at all the going-ons of one of Asia's finest convention spaces.

2 More Sleeps!!!

2009-11-26T12:04:00.001+11:00

How exciting! Not long now till the Aussies chicks hit the Malaysian shores!!!

Final Study Tour Schedule

2009-11-25T08:03:00.002+11:00

Hi and welcome to the final schedule for the Study Tour!

This is it team! The final schedule for the GCIT study tour to Malaysia.

Over the 3 weeks you will rotate through 4 departments at the Renaissance Hotel, getting to experience Banquets, Events, the Club Lounge and PR (Marketing/Communications). You'll receive the final details about these rotations on Monday at the Renaissance.

So now, on to the schedule.

Working Periods are noted in GREEN.
Cultural activities are noted in BLUE
Professional visits are noted in PURPLE

Saturday November 28th
0600 Meet group at Coolangatta International Airport
0615 Check-in for AirAsiaX flight D7 2703 to Kuala Lumpur
20kg baggage (absolute maximum) and a meal will be provided on the plane
0910 AirAsiaX flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1525 Arrive Kuala Lumpur Low-Cost Carrier Terminal
Pass customs and immigration, collect luggage and transfer to accommodation (Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur)

Sunday November 29th

- Country, city and accommodation orientation (transport, pharmacy, laundry, health and safety etc)

- Lunch at Precious Old China Café

- Discovering KL City Tour

Monday November 30th

- Renaissance Hotel work placement briefing: 1 day intensive training

Tuesday December 1st

- 11am: Australian High Commission visit and briefing ALL PARTICIPANTS WILL NEED TO BRING ALONG THEIR PASSPORT TO THIS VISIT

- Evening: Putra Jaya and Agricultural Heritage Park tour

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Wednesday December 2nd
- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Thursday December 3rd

- 9:30am Visit to the Malaysian Association of Hotels

- Evening cultural activity: Learning to cook the Malaysia way

Friday December 4th

- Renaissance work placement

- KL by Night Tour, Cultural Performance and Dinner

Saturday December 5th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Sunday December 6th

- Morning: KL ‘Amazing Race’

- Lunch at Old China Café

- Afternoon/Evening: Tour to Batu Caves and Royal Selangor Pewter company

Monday December 7th

- Tour to the Genting Highlands

Tuesday December 8th Morning

- Visit to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre including lunch

10:30 Arrival at the Main Entrance lobby of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre where will be met by an HR Executive

10:45 Video presentation Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

Visit briefing (Sales and Marketing)

Visit briefing (Event Coordination)

11:00 Tour of the Centre

12:00 Lunch at Ten on Call

- 3pm Tourism Malaysia briefing at Renaissance Hotel

Wednesday December 9th

- Renaissance work placement

- 10am: Visit to the Renaissance Hotel by Senator the Hon. Brett Mason including morning tea with students

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Thursday December 10th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Friday December 11th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Saturday December 12th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Sunday December 13th

- Fireflies and Kuala Selangor Tour

Monday December 14th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Tuesday December 15th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Wednesday December 16th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Thursday December 17th

- Visit to a tourism/hospitality Polytechnic Institute in Malacca: arranged by the Malaysia Ministry of Education

- Tour of Malacca historical city

Friday December 18th

- Renaissance work placement

- Evening: wrap up session and journal time

Saturday December 19th

- Morning wrap-up session and debrief

- Work on reports, packing and free time

Sunday December 20th
0630 Meet in Renaissance lobby for check-out
0645 Transfer to Kuala Lumpur Low-Cost Carrier Terminal
0745 Check-in for AirAsiaX D7 2702
20kg baggage (absolute maximum) and a meal will be provided on the plane
1020 AirAsiaX flight to Coolangatta (Gold Coast)
2030 Arrive Coolangatta (Gold Coast) Airport

Senator the Hon. Brett Mason to visit GCIT Program

2009-11-24T10:50:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone,

Some very exciting news today from Malaysia - the program is going to be visited by Senator the Hon. Brett Mason. Senator Mason is the shadow parliamentary secretary for education in the Commonwealth Parliament, and he will visit the program on Wednesday December 9th.

As part of his visit, he'll be meeting with students and staff on the program and observing a bit of the work you are doing. At this stage it also seems like you'll have an opportunity to have morning tea with him. Very exciting stuff and a great profiling exercise for the GCIT. You guys will do us proud!

greetings

2009-11-16T16:14:00.002+11:00

Hello everyone just trying to do my first ever blog Colette

The Gold Coast Institute of TAFE Tourism and Hospitality study tour to Malaysia

2009-11-15T10:54:00.000+11:00

On November 28th a group of students from the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE will jump into the arms of an AirAsiaX flight from Coolangatta to Kuala Lumpur for the experience of a lifetime! The group will spend 3 weeks living and working at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, whilst also visiting business and organisations related to tourism, hospitality and event management, and undertaking plenty of cultural activities.

The Study Tour is being generously supported and managed by the Australian Government's VET Student Mobility grants, AirAsiaX (who are offering sponsored flights), the Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur, the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE and AIM Overseas.

Over the course of the Study Tour, students from the group will share their thoughts and experiences on this blog so stay posted or sign up for updates!