Today marked the start of Melbourne University's second semester. Winter break is officially over and all students are back in class and the library, including me! As many of you already know, I did not just pick Melbourne as my destination because it is an awesome city, but also because of the specific subjects offered at the best university of Australia. As I want to follow up my Bachelor's degree in psychology with a Master's degree in forensic psychology, I really wanted to take criminology-related courses that also touch upon psychological theories and ideas, and Melbourne University offered me just that! Currently I am enrolled in 4 subjects, the maximum amount, two of which are criminology subject (Order, Disorder, Crime and Deviance, and Punishment and Social Control), one sociology subject (Law, Justice and Social Change) and one law subject (Public Trials). And despite the short summer (or in Australian weather terms, winter) break, I can't wait for all the interesting information!

Yesterday Ana, Victoria and me already did a tour around campus so we would know where to go, because the campus is huge and there are so many different buildings that it is easy to get lost. There is even a 'Lost on Campus' app available for students who can't find their way out of the maze called Melbourne Uni.

Luckily though, I did not have to use the app today, as I could quite easily find both classrooms. Today consisted of both the lecture and tutorial (or workgroup) for the class Punishment and Social Control, and eventhough it had some overlap with a summer course I took at home, it was also evident that this was just a general introduction and that the coming weeks will definitely bring a lot of new information, for example on indigenous people in prisons. The tutorial was interesting with a lot of debates around the legitimacy of imprisonment, but I will not bore you all too much with the specifics. All in all, it actually quite resembles Leiden University, which makes me feel quite at home and at ease with the system, so hopefully everything goes smoothly!

So that was my first student-experience of Melbourne and to stay in real student mode, I am now off to watch the second episode of Game of Thrones to avoid having to read for tomorrow...
(And on a totally different note: it is just 7 days until my birthday, and exactly 6 months until I am flying back to Amsterdam: I am so excited to explore so much more of this beautiful country and to meet many more interesting and friendly people!)

WiFi, finally! 1,5 weeks later and so much has happened since then. This is a short recap on how I am doing and what I have been up to, but I will definitely post more on Melbourne and all the amazing things to do here soon.

So the first couple of days here in Melbourne were extremely full. Not only did I get to meet a lot of new people, but I also set up an Australian bank account, I got a tax file number and found a job! Right now I am fundraising for the National Cancer Foundation, which is both very interesting to do and for a good cause, a perfect combination for now. The only downside is the weather, because it is an outdoors job and it is still only around 12-15 degrees Celsius here. I have had two shifts so far and am doing quite good with raising money so I will definitely keep this going for a while.

Last Monday was also our first official Melbourne University day, a day full of information and fun stuff. The campus is huge and the buildings are so diverse, from very old to the newest designs. There is definitely a spot for everyone to study here! I also signed up for the 'Melbourne University Student Exchange Society', a sort of university-wide study association that organizes a bunch of social activities including dinners, bar tours and a surfing camp. There was also a market with stands of all lot of organizations active within the university, where we got loads of free food, drinks and notebooks. Excited to explore more of the campus and Melbourne!

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, but I'm all settled in Melbourne right now! However, the only thing missing in our apartment is internet, hence the quietness here. I might try and find a café or place at uni soon to write an update, but I just wanted to let you know there's no need to worry :)

On the 8th of July me and a friend I made in my hostel, Silke, set off quite early in the morning to catch our transfer to Hillary's Boat Harbour, north of Perth to take the ferry to for me one of the biggest highlights of Western Australia: Rottnest Island. This island is located about 18 km from Perth and has a rich Dutch history. The name Rottnest is derived from the Dutch "Rotte nest" or "rat nest" given by Willem de Vlamingh who mistook the islands' currently most beloved inhabitants, the quokka's, for giant rats.

Way before the Dutch arrived, however, Aboriginals inhabited the island when it was still connected to the mainland. Artefacts have been found that date back to more than 50,000 years ago, possibly even 70,000 years. However, some 7,000 years ago the sea level rose and Wadjemup (the Aboriginal name for the island) was separated from the mainland. Now that the climate is changing again there is even the chance for the island splitting up into two at a point called 'Narrow Neck'.

The island is known for its beautiful beaches and many people go snorkling and diving there in summer. Unfortunately for Silke and me the water was too cold for us despite it being a beautiful winter day, but we most defitinely enjoyed ourselves by taking a 22 km bike tour around the island to explore all its beauties. We had lunch at our private beach, where the only disturbance was a very annoying raven that tried to steal our food while at the same time making the aweful noises that Australian ravens are apparently known for. If you are sick and tired of the pigeons waking you up in the morning, just listen to this and know how much we want to shoot these birds down.

Apart from the beautiful nature, the biggest reason to go to Rottnest Island are the quokka's, which are marsupials looking like smaller kangaroos or wallibis, about the size of a cat, with a rat-like tail, and are known as the World's happiest animal! They are famous for posting in selfies and are very keen on humans. However, to protect them, you are not allowed to touch them or feed them (though the former one is difficult as they literally chase you and jump on you...). I am in love!!!

After 5 hours on the island the ferry dropped us back on the mainland, which also meant that it was time to say goodbye to Silke as she is going to travel north to Broome. But despite that it was a really awesome day that I will definitely not forget!

 

A lot going on the past few days! On Wednesday I visited King's Park and the Botanic Gardens, which are a bit to the west of Perth's CBD. The view from there is awesome, but the gardens themselves are definitely worth it as well (and free!). I walked almost 14 kilometers that day, most of it in these beautiful gardens. There is a glass bridge that looks out over the city, and a DNA tower which gives you a view across Western Australia and also to Rottnest Island (more on that later). Plants and flowers are shown from all across Australia, including some very cool boab trees. The weather worked with me and there was a clear blue sky all morning long!

After the botanic gardens, I set off to the complete opposite of town, to Heirisson Island in East Perth. This island is located in the Swan river and with a nice stroll you can walk around the island, enjoy the view on Perth's CBD and the kangaroos that hopp around freely on the island. Though it became a bit colder when the sun hid herself behind the clouds, it was worth the walk.

That evening I returned to the hostel quite early to make myself some pasta and to enjoy a movie with some new friends. I really like it here!

On Thursday I started the day by buying an Australian sim-card, so if you want my new number just send me a Whatsapp or Facebook message (my Whatsapp number is still the same). At the recommendation of the Vodafone store guy, I went to the Blue Shed, a famous house in the water where a lot of wedding pictures are taken. It was nice to see, and with the sunset the colors were beautiful, but it was not really worth the 30 minute line. Though the line was not long, some people took so long to take their perfect 'Instagram' picture that it was rather annoying at some point... But well, by that time I was already in the line so just waited for my turn :) When the sun had set I walked back through the botanic gardens with a view on the night lights of Perth, a really good day!

A bit later than expected due to internet issues, but it is here nonetheless: my first update on life in Perth. Tuesday, after I arrived, I immediately went into the city after a quick shower and it was very impressive. The atmosphere is very European, but the size of the city is more American, making it a perfect combination as everything is right there but without the noise or shimmering lights of for example New York. Another big plus for this city: free public transport around the CBD (which includes the area where my hostel is located)!

From the bridge near Elizabeth Quay you had a very beautiful view on the skyline of Perth, it is really amazing! I also visited the Bell Tower, an icon for Perth, which takes on beautiful colors at night, and I just strolled around the city to take in the first impressions of the most isolated city in the world!

On Wednesday the day started full of rain, this despite Perth being not only the most isolated city in the world, but also the sunniest... However, it quickly turned around again and I set off to the Perth Zoo with the ferry. Again, from the south side of the Swan river you have an amazing view on Perth, but the zoo itself was very impressive as well. Of course the usual elephants, monkeys and tigers were present, but what made this visit so unique was the Australian part where kangaroos and wallabi's are free to wander around between the visitors, very cute! And I think I fell in love with this koala, he was the cutest thing ever!

More pictures coming soon (hopefully the internet is fixed tomorrow!)

Yesterday morning at around 7 o'clock I started my journey to Schiphol, where I had to say goodbye to my parents and little sisters. Tough, but also a new start on the other side! At Schiphol I boarded a plane to Singapore, an almost 13 hour flight. The food was delicious (there was even chocolate ice cream), but because it was served at really weird times (dinner at 3 in the afternoon and breakfast at 4:30 in the morning, sleep was not on my list unfortunately. Luckily there were really good movies, like Moana and Belle and the Beast, and the latest season of Broadchurch, so I had enough to fill my time with. So really 3 movies, 8 episodes and 2 minutes of sleep summed up my first flight of this trip...

Due to a delay, I only had one hour to make my transit at Singapore Airport, but luckily this airport has a very convenient metro that takes you anywhere you want. Unfortunately though, I couldn't see much of this supposedly great airport. At Singapore I boarded my 4-hour flight to Perth, and luckily for me the plane was so empty that I had a whole row of seats to myself!! I even slept for 2-3 hours, which is a miracle for me as I have never slept on an airplane before :)

I arrived in Perth at around 13:00 local time, so that means it was around 7 o'clock in Holland, making my travel here over 24 hours. Though I was a little scared of customs, mainly due to border security, it wasn't close to what we see on TV and everything went smoothly! Even finding the hostel wasn't too hard and luckily the bus stop was pretty close so I did not have to carry my 12 kilo backpack too long. The hostel people are really friendly and I hope I am really going to have a great week here! Tomorrow I'll write about my first experiences in Perth, but for now, I'm off to bed to shake off the jetlag!