Study Sunshine Coast 2019 Student Ambassador, Cristina Ayllon Llamas is a qualified pharmacist from Spain and has chosen to live and study on the Sunshine Coast while she completes the prestigious Cambridge English Advanced (CAE) course at Lexis English in Maroochydore.
Cristina says she could have done her studies in the UK or Ireland but chose Australia because the quality of life is so good.
“I wanted to live by the sea and the Sunshine Coast is perfect because it’s not as crowded as some of the other cities,” says Cristina.
“In Spain I go to the beach and out for coffee. There’s much more nature on the Sunshine Coast. Everything here is so wild – there are unique Australian animals like possums and kangaroos and spiders everywhere! I love it. I especially enjoy the hiking and national parks.”
CAE is an Upper Intermediate level exam designed to assess a number of areas including a student’s ability to follow an academic course at university level and to communicate effectively in a managerial and professional environment. It also prepares students so that they will be able to carry out complex and challenging research and express themselves with a high level of fluency. The course also covers how to react appropriately in different cultural and social situations.
The Cambridge English certificate is recognised as one of the most valuable English qualifications in the world. Coming to the Sunshine Coast to study English is very popular because of the stunning beaches and living environment. Lexis English have two campuses in the region in Noosa and Maroochydore. With a great nationality mix from over 85 different countries, you make friends from all over the world.
Cristina really enjoys her profession and likes working with people and being able to help them. “I would love to find pharmacy work in Australia and extend my visa if possible,” she says. “It would be great to get a better understanding of how pharmacy is practiced in another country.”
Cristina has friends from Spain arriving on the Sunshine Coast soon. She is keen to show them the incredible lifestyle here. They plan on going to the beach and exploring some of the beautiful hinterland walking trails. Hopefully they will also get to see some of the beautiful Australian animals.
“We might even try sky diving!” says Cristina. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Cristina says that being a student ambassador has been a great experience. It’s a great way to meet people and she is delighted to be telling others what a fabulous place the Sunshine Coast is to study and live .