Chapter 6 - Nostalgia

One month.

It hit me today.

Only 31 short days left until Uni ends and I leave Melbourne. I have a trip to Ayers Rock coming up, maybe Tasmania, two exams, a ton of essays, and a lot of very sad goodbyes ahead of me, before I fly to Sydney and start my travels from there.
But, let's try to stay positive and not have the post-Erasmus stress take over just yet. So, here is a song that made me feel better.

Mellow Mark - Reise (Journey)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MURpr12Uaw4&feature=related

Nimm Abschied

und dann geh auf die Reise

denn das Leben ist weise

und die Welt zeigt dir leise

das Geheimnis ihrer Seele

nimm dein Herz und dann wähle

wähl deine Wege

lass los und dann lebe!

Say your farewells

and then start your journey

because life is wise

and the world shows you quietly

the secret of its soul

take your heart and then choose

choose your paths

let go and then live!

Chapter 5 - Chasing Nemo

Dear Mama and Papa,

this blog entry is dedicated to you - my two most loyal readers. You wanted me to write more about what I do at University. All I can say is that I am writing a lot of essays and am currently preparing a presentation. Not much different than what I do at UvT, except I am still taking the distance course from Tilburg, which is truly taking up a lot more time than anything I have to do for any course here. I had to watch a movie called "The Crying Game" which is about a transvestite and is a bit disturbing on different levels (but reminded me of the ladyboys in Bangkok). I got back an essay today that I had to write for Sociology of Culture about "Heart of Darkness" and Nietzsche and I got a B on it. I am really happy with the result, especially because this is probably the most challenging course that I am taking (also because the lecture is scheduled Monday mornings at 10am, and you know I do not enjoy waking up before noon).

So, no worries your daughter is still going to University and studies next to going out and travelling. But before I return to the homeland I still have a lot of travelling to do and let's be honest, Mama, it is just way more interesting to talk about where I am going next :)

Miss you a lot and give kisses to Baby,
Yours truly
Jasmin

P.S. Attached you will find some pictures of my trip to Cairns, the Great Barrier Reef & surrounding area.

Curtain Fig Tree

home on four wheels

Ellis beach

Josephine Falls

Millaa Millaa Falls and Pelican in Rainforest Habituary, Port Douglas

unbelievable beauty

that is me snorkelling and chasing some fish

Chapter 4 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY

First of all, I am sorry for not writing for so long, I guess I blame the feeling of routine. But, that does not mean that I have been bored to death with going to Uni and partying.

So, here are the happenings of the last month!

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

That's right it was my birthday :) I was sad that I wasn't going to be with my family, but everybody here surprised me big time and contributed to a super awesome day! Lekker gezellig! It was my first birthday in winter and the first one that I had classes. I skipped one tutorial (you know to complete the experience, I hear its what people do on their birthdays) and went to one class for which I was way too excited for. Our college had a so called Tower Parade, where each Tower had a different theme and performed to it. There were themes such as Avatar, Cabaret, When I was 11, Retirement Home, and my tower was Around the World.

But, that is not all, because on the 30th of August Melbourne celebrated its 175th birthday! It has been 175 years since the city's founding - 175 years since the day the first European settlers landed on the north bank of the Yarra River from the schooner Enterprize in 1835. Due to this special occasion, some special events have been taking place, such as the FASHION WEEK.

FASHION WEEK

So, a lot of people have judged me for this, but I am not ashamed of my guilty pleasure. Ever since Project Runway and America's Next Top Model I have wanted to go to Fashion Week. And trust you me, I have tried to go on multiple occasions, but whether in Shanghai or Berlin you need an official invitation and fashion week is not open for the normal fan like me. BUT, here in Melbourne it only got started and thus is not such a big deal yet and for the amazing price of 20$ I was able to go and watch some models strut their stuff! Got a gift bag too and of course collected the left over gift bags to get in the money again. Oh Holland you have taught me well!

AUSSI RULES FOOTBALL

Or in short: Footy. Went to some kind of final game with St. KFC (aka Saints) vs. Geelong (aka Cats). It has been great fun, I learned the rules (thanks Tomas!), which are pretty simple. But, what I enjoyed the most were the happenings around the game: For every point the Supporter had huge pom-poms they would shake, there was some strange bird mascot, the referees do a weird sprint, there are these messenger dudes who keep running back and forth and tell players messages from their coach. I didn't root for a team, I felt like this was the better way to go, because I could cheer nonstop :) But, perhaps I did slightly like the Saints a bit more, because you won't guess their team song: "Oh when the Saints go marching in, oh when the Saints go marching in..." Took me a few days to get that out of my head again.

I could bore you with what is going on at Uni, but really not much. I have to do a presentation about Conflict Resolution and Management about Jersey Shore. Don't you just love being a Liberal Artsie?

And besides that I am finally planning my trips, in two weeks I will be heading north to Cairns, so stay tuned, because it is about to get hot!

Chapter 3 - living the Oz life

I think it is time for a new update!

I arrived in Melbourne exactly one month ago. Time is just flying by and I have already been at Uni for almost three weeks. It has been going well... At least once I could find all my classrooms. The only problem I am having is how best to describe my minor when people ask. I usually say "I study Liberal Arts with a Major in Social Sciences and a Minor in Management and Culture" :) Taking two Management classes, one called Sociology of Culture and one Linguistics course. I am liking it so far, also because Australian Professors are just unbelievably relaxed. It is not rare to hear things like "Oh well I don't really feel like correcting your tut slips, so let's not do that".

That brings me to the new vocabulary I am acquiring. Part of the Oz lifestyle is a new slang. Words such as tut slips, goon, slab, Crac Rep, and Rec Room are becoming part of my daily life. Here follows a short translation:

tut slips = tutorial assignments

goon = super cheap wine in a bag (!)

slab = 24 beers (there are no crades here)

Crac Rep = still not sure, but refers to the students that are somehow in charge of what is going on in the colleges where we live

Rec Room = Recreation Room

I have also been on my first trip. I went to Philip Island with a student organization called S@lt and learned surfing. After two lessons I still suck, but I can stand up which is an unbelievable feeling and makes up for being wiped out by the waves. Oh yes, had some good wipe outs that were applauded by the witnesses. It was definitely great fun, besides the obvious lack of organization, but nonetheless we managed to see Koalas, Wallabees (little Kangaroos), and Penguins!

Oi oi oi for Australia!

Chapter 2 - how to use the toilet

University hasn't started yet, but I am learning so much already!

Chapter 1 - Where am I?

Flight.

Left at 23:55pm (local time) on the 8th July in Frankfurt and arrived at 08:45am (local time) in Melbourne. So, I was travelling for about 24hours. The flight was not as boring as I had thought. In Qantas everybody has their own screen, so I watched a few movies and series and also slept for a while. What was the most confusing was the eating. I had dinner, breakfast, dinner, breakfast, breakfast, and upon arrival breakfast again. Then I slept through lunch and had dinner again. My jetlag is getting better after 4 days, but I am still tired most of the time.

Moving in.

I have on campus accommodation at a complex or college called Chisholm. The room is quite small, but it's good, I don't need much for the next six months.What is a bit strange is that we get bracelets which work as keys and there are absolutely no doorbells, so it is impossible to meet a friend without previous notice. Reminds you a bit of a prison, except you have the key to escape ;)

The campus on the other hand is absolutely beautiful. There are trees, rivers, ducks, little parrots and all kinds of birds around. I have a eucalyptus tree right outside my window. But, the campus is really big and I am quite confused about where to go. And the fact that all buildings are somehow connected by these bridges does not make it any easier.

O-week.

This is what the Aussies call our orientation week. It started wednesday with some kind of general introduction and today we had a city treasure hunt where I could explore Melbourne for the first time. But, we had free lunch and the Dutch in me took full advantage of that. Also, we have chances to win travel vouchers at the end of the O-week which of course we are all extremely excited about. This is probably also due to the fact that most of us (except the Scandinavians) calculated in that food and drinks would be so expensive here. But, I saw an Aldi, so I might go check that out.

Talk to ya later mates!

Once upon a time...

1 day.

So, how do I feel 24 hours before my flight?

Well, I have no idea, it is total chaos in my head. I am sad about the end of the German summer fairy tale, but at the same time I am excited about leaving tomorrow. Then I am sad about saying good bye to my family and my dog, but excited to see my friends in Melbourne. I am nervous that something might go wrong, but sure that I have thought of everything, even a book, music, and sleeping pills for the flight.

It was a tragic last evening. What a dramatic ending. I hope the winter fairy tale I am about to begin will end with a happily ever after...