Study in Australia & new apartment (30.07. - 12.08.)

(written by: Aaron, 12.08.18, Newcastle)

Hello friends,

It's been a while since you last heard from us, so we wanted to bring you up to date.

The past two weeks have been mainly determined by our studies. We have a total of 3 courses with 10 hours of attendance per week, including 5 hours of lectures on Mondays, 3 hours on Wednesdays, and 2 hours of laboratory or exercises on Thursdays. 

It's quite relaxed so far, but on Mondays we have to commute twice between different campuses (about 25 minutes by bus) and the lectures are spread between 8am and 6pm, so Mondays are quite long. Fortunately, the lecture at 8am is recorded as a video, so in the future we will probably watch the recording instead of attending in person. 

So far, we are coping well both academically and linguistically. However, one of the lectures is given by a lecturer with a very strong African accent, so it requires a lot of concentration to follow him. 

In addition to attendance, the courses require quite a lot of continuous independent work, at least compared to our studies in Germany. In preparation for the laboratories, we usually have to read a longer text and complete one or more tasks, which then build on each other. In addition, we have several graded assignments and partial achievements in each course, which will be included in the final assessment together with the exam. So we have to give our best right from the start to keep up and not fall behind.

In addition to our academic activities, we have recently been busy with our living situation. Last week, we visited several apartments and eventually applied for one. Despite receiving a quick acceptance, we still had to bridge one more week, but fortunately, we were able to extend our temporary Airbnb accommodation until the 13th of August.

Today we finally moved into our new apartment, now everyone has their own bedroom. Although we really liked the Airbnb studio and got along well there, it was quite cramped, so we are now looking forward to having a bit more space and privacy. 

We really like the apartment, it has been recently renovated and is clean. Additionally, we have fairly spacious furnished rooms, although we had to buy bedding ourselves. We share the apartment with another roommate, a young Korean named Lee, who will start his studies next year. He seems to be quiet and uncomplicated, so we are confident that we will get along well without any major problems.

Unfortunately, the location is not as good as before, we are a bit further out on a relatively noisy street and the buses are less frequent. But you can't have everything, our alternative apartments were significantly better in terms of location, but they were very run-down, not clean, and only slightly cheaper.

Due to the many activities at the beginning of our stay and the new daily routine, we have all been a bit exhausted in the past few days, so during our free time, we have mostly rested and slept a bit longer. That's why there are currently fewer exciting activities to report. Additionally, Britta has caught a cold, which she has to deal with these days.

Last week, there was a pub tour organized by UNESN. We went to several bars in Newcastle with a larger group of international students, there were many interesting conversations, free finger food, and discounts on various drinks.

We have explored the city further on some walks. Among other things, we visited the Cathedral of Newcastle and explored the small peninsula of Nobbys Head, which extends into the sea off the coast of Newcastle and is a landmark of Newcastle with its lighthouse and picturesque beach.

During a visit to the Newcastle Museum, we learned some interesting things about the city's development, special events, and especially about its unique history as an industrial and working-class city. 

Last Friday, there was a big festival on the main campus of the university called Autonomy Day. On this day, the University of Newcastle celebrates its independence from the University of New South Wales in 1965. There was live music, dance floors, and a wide range of food and entertainment options. The various clubs in which students can organize themselves according to their interests dressed up and offered their own activities.