Arrived Down Under
Finally, after 25 long hours I arrived in Australia.
Whoever has watched Border Security Australia, knows how strict the protection is. If you ever travel to Australia I can advise you to bring something that needs to be declared, like cookies, because the waiting time is much shorter and the security is less strict than when you say you have nothing to declare.
The day after my arrival, I went to find the University of the Sunshine coast. The busses and roads signs here are similar to the Netherlands, only on the left side of the road. The University is very beautiful, the structure can be compared with Wageningen, although the buildings here are somewhat closer together. The buildings are designed very open, there are almost no doors, this gives the whole complex a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. The biggest advantage of this University is that they have KANGAROOS on campus! In between buildings there are places to drink coffee and sit in the grass and there are kangaroos just jumping between students and relaxing in shadow.
The teachers, students and other employees of the University are very nice, everybody is prepared to help you or to show you around. One thing that caught my attention is the fact that in Australia they are not familiar with the concept of master students that are doing research. Over here, it is more common to do your master (without research) and if you want to do research you do a PhD.
Australia is really beautiful and there are a lot of international people here. The campus is also very international and has many facilities. If you ever consider to go to Australia I can advise you to save a lot of money, because everything is really expensive. Rooms cost around 500 euro a month and a cucumber costs around 3,20 euro.
In the weekends all the Australian people move towards the beach. They do not use bikes as transport to go to school as much as in the Netherlands, however in the weekends they become active. Everybody goes surfing, kite surfing, paddle surfing, rowing, fishing, crossing with a jet ski, sailing, cruising with a boat (for example a catamaran). The beaches here are provided with very good facilities (signs, showers, toilets) and also security. The coast guards, life guards and helicopters are patrolling the coast to secure swimmers and surfers, but also to spot sharks.
Although I have experienced that in Australia, the danger is not always coming from the ground or the water. During my tour along the coast I was attacked by birds, they attack your head, not once or twice but several times in a row. This was the first time I was so glad I was waring this ridicules bike helmed!