Linde Floris
Study: MSc Nutrition and Health
Destination: Australia
Internship
In 2015 my lifelong dream will come true: I will be living in and traveling around Australia. Here I will keep you posted on the journey. You can also follow me (@lindemf) and other WURldexplorers on Instagram: search for #WURldexplorers.
I hope you will enjoy the stories!
Getting started
I arrived in Melbourne a week before my internship started to settle down, fight the jet lag and organize everything that needed to be organized. I am really glad I took this time; it was needed! Telephone number, bike, public transport access, bank account, sports club and most important of all: housing. When I arrived I stayed in a hostel, but as you would expect from a hostel, most people are there to travel around and leave within a few days. Which made me feel a bit lonely from time to time.
The internship
Many of you have been wondering what it is that I do exactly. So I will tell you something about my internship; what I have been doing the past months, what it was like to meet the people I e-mailed so much with, but had never seen them and what my first weeks on the job were like.
Tassie, Tassie, Tassie!
Two weeks ago I made my first trip within Australia. Destination: Tasmania! It was one of the best trips I have ever made. I'll tell you a little bit about it. I had booked a tour for 3.5 days to the West Coast of Tasmania. This part of the island is known for its cold climate rainforest and untouched wilderness.
Warrnambool
I try to plan as much weekend trips as possible to make the most out of my time here. Some time ago I went to Warrnambool for the weekend. What a great weekend!
Everyday life: Bey Dance
Bey Dance is a dancing school in Australia. They offer 8 week courses in which you learn the choreography to one of Beyoncé's songs. The girls at my internship invited me to join them in learning 'Run the world'.
Goodbye MCRI
My internship at MCRI went by so fast. After data collection for the Child Health CheckPoint I was back in the office. I spent my final weeks on data analysis and writing my report. And then, last week, it was time to say goodbye.
Perth
About three years ago I went to a surf camp in Bali. There I met Adam, the funniest Englishman who moved to Perth. When I came back from Bali, I decided to go to Australia to live there (temporarily). I thought that country was going to have everything that I missed in the Netherlands: the laid back culture, friendly people, warm weather and surfing.
Culture differences all around
Getting to know a different culture – for me it was one of the reasons to go abroad. It was a great experience; insightful and frustrating (sometimes) at the same time. I learned about a different culture, my own culture and how to work and live in a new culture. I will tell you a bit about the differences that I experienced and my views on Dutch and Australian culture.
Homesickness
Let’s be honest. It wasn’t all fun and games here. There was no escaping of that what I feared most: homesickness. I think most of us will get it to some extend when going away. And it also got me a few times.