Internship: Don't forget...
My name is Myrte (17) and I am a Dutch high school student graduating next year. I do bilingual education which means that I have had a lot of English. Every year we go on a trip in addition to our education and this year everybody had to arrange their own international work experience. So everybody had to find a host family and a company they could work for in a foreign country. When I started looking for an internship in November I wasn’t at all considering that I could get out of Europe, but then the opportunity came along to go to Australia and I was immediately exited. I could have my work experience working for this website while staying with Bert and Katrina. Everything was arranged so quickly that it didn’t really get the chance to get used to the idea and it really only hit me a couple of weeks before I left. There were so many things that needed to be bought and thought about in so little time but unfortunately I made it though.
Arrival
So finished with a busy couple of weeks, carrying a suitcase that was exactly 20 kilograms and a huge backpack I went to Schiphol. After the check-in a rather emotional goodbye from my parents I finally set off on my own. This was the first time that I actually went away all by myself and even though it was quite scary at the start I really loved it. The flight, that would take 23 hours and 40 minutes with a 4 hour break in Kuala Lumpur, seemed to be never-ending and very exhausting. When I finally arrived at Melbourne airport I was prepared for the worst. I knew that the border security in Australia was very tough and I also knew that there was a possibility that all of my stuff would be checked, but I was lucky. My bag was one of the first to come of the airplane and I could walk straight through all of the security gates. I walked into the arrival hall I was welcomed by Bert whom I would be staying with for the next three weeks.
After a quick drink and a shower I finally went to bed and fell asleep immediately with the idea that there were a lot of adventures ahead of me.
Weather not always great
The next day I rested for a little bit and explored the surrounding with my hostess and her children.
I was told that the weather is always good in Melbourne so I was very optimistically dressed during my first day. With my flip-flops and only a very thin vest I left home, but only after 30 minutes of walking the wind turned and the rain started to fall. We went with the tram to Melbourne city centre but after being almost washed away we immediately headed back home.
During the next couple of days I went into Melbourne city alone which I found very exiting. It is such a beautiful city. When you look from a far distance the skyline looks just like New York, but when you walk through the city it is very lovely and cozy.
Yesterday I went to Swinburne university to do a small survey amongst the international students about living in Melbourne (see other article). I really enjoyed questioning them and getting to know more about the student life in Australia. After that I followed a couple of his classes which gave me a better idea of what the university was like.
Amazing
The following 1,5 week are going to be amazing. I hope to be able to see more of Melbourne and go to the university again. We are also going to drive a part of the great ocean road after a short trip to Sorrento. I just heard that there will probably be koalas and kangaroos so I can’t wait. That is after all why I came to Australia ;).
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