Patricia Mueller from Hochschule Koblenz in Germany – 3 Places to Stay on the Sunshine Coast during your Studies

My post

When I was working as an USCi Brand Ambassador last semester part of my work was creating a post for the Blog of USC international. 

Blog of USC international

Yesterday USC international postet my post about three possible ways three ways you can stay as a student on the Sunshine Coast. 

Enjoy reading the article and even more about topics other students are posting.

COVID-19 how is Australia going?

Short Answer:

petty good so far- my feeling.

Some restrictions apply  already but differ to the regions in Australia. And it changes almost every day.
People are crazy about toilet paper, nappies and tins but that's a global Faszination I think.

Limitations on taking…

...toilet paper at coles...

...sugar at coles...

...empty paper towels...

Crowded beach in Mooloolaba

normal breaky morning 

Yaaaay Friday night week is over and still work next week

I'm in Queensland and we are acting quit normal:

I'm studying, most parents are working, students go to school, shopping centre are open,...

Some changes:

- Flights are almost all not going

- the borders to other regions are closed

- From Monday bars and restaurants are closed- only take aways are open

- some international students had to go home, but non of my friends

- university is paused for one week and the rest of the semester will be online

- family dinner is still happening but one person serves for everyone

- I'll create an alternative to the webinar for RAC students

- I might spend Easter not on Lady Elliot Island

news about restriction for Queensland

I will keep you updated about major changes.

Here's a link for the live stream of abc news.

Fingers crossed that we all stay healthy!

JOBS JOBS JOBS

Australia is different. Being happy, showing clear emotions, and being nice but also honest are some characters that I experienced. 

Care about your Health and especially mental health is present everywhere. 

The school and the university do have an extra department for health & safety or health and mental being. These are not just departments that they are existing- no they are represented and active so everyone knows about them and what they're doing.

But what about earning money and having fun the same time?

Good question but easy answer!

DO what is fun for you! Have fun at work, so that it doesn't really feel like work. 

Basically do something where you're not thinking something negative about your work or looking at the time and thinking "when is time over to go home?"

It's sometimes easy to say and in the mind of us Germans it's even harder to understand that this is possible.

BUT it is!! And work is much more enjoyable if you're having fun!

I already reported that I'm taking a course where I'm going to work instead of going to class and it was the best decision ever! 

This is the way to get practise in your study at USC. It's up to you. Same as in Germany. 
In Germany we do have to do an internship or go overseas for one semester.

I'll give an insight about how to graduate at USC later in the semester.

Cultural exchange

Not only at work and at home also my friends are from different cultures.

This weekend: 

JAPAN

I met my friends Mirin and Nanoka. They are both from Japan studying here on the sunshine coast Bachelor of Animal Ecology and courses in Accounting (also exchange student).

We once said that we want to make an event for an cultural exchange. So we started to plan this event.
Naaaa [No] not really planning.
I said to her "... Should we catch up with Seina after the long holiday in two weeks?"
She replied: "Yes sure I'll ask our friend Seina."

Great we had the day fix.
One week later Mirin texted me: "Seina forgot about our catch up but we can have Japanese food. I'll cook for you!"

I thought: I'm reaaaaaly excited, WOOOW. BUT ohhh noooo to bad, but okay let's do it together and catch up with Seina another time. 

I was so excited!!

Mirin, Nanoka and me

Mango juince, "make your own" sushi, rise and cream stew 

YUMMMMMM these meals were fabulous. Just amaaaaaazing. Really!! Mirin is such an amazing chef.

That's gonna [going to be] a real challenge for me to to serve such a delicious german meal!! WOOOOW 

I learned two japanese words today:

- Itadakimasu= (before eating) thank you for the food and have a nice meal
- gotchisousama= (after eating) thank you

In the afternoon went for a short walk and played Twister. Soooo fun. I loved that day!!!!


And surprise surprise for dinner back at home we had japanese night- Ramen - YUMM

(No photo, sorry. I don't want to take photos of food all the time- classic tourist)

Cultural differences

Maybe in the end it's a lot about communication. 

Once I heard someone from Australia who was in Germany saying "No one was asking me how I am when saying hello".

Yes Germans sound mean or not as much looking after each other than Australians. 

But that doesn't mean that we don't care about our fellows. 

Australia: When giving feedback you would never say what you really mean you would decorate this fact. So it doesn't sound negative.

Germany: You will give the honest feedback using "nice" words and mention something positive in the end. So the positive fact stays in your mind.

Let's see what else I'll experience in this internship! I'll let you know!

Sunny weather but still fun studying!! How is that possible?

One BIG BIG Goal of life in Australia is:

HAVING FUN

"Did you do something fun today?"

I get the question almost every day from one of the family members I'm staying with when I'm in my room a lot on a day.

In the beginning I often had to say "probably not really." That's a bit sad if I think back. When I changed my lifestyle (not even really on purpose) I began wake up early because of the rooster and the happy birds in the early morning (5 am). But that's too early for breakfast. So let's do some exercise.

For example: Yoga session at 7am or hiking Mt. Coolum at 6:30am

After doing something fun in the sun going to classes or work?!

Yes my work is super fun. I can show my skills I learned or improved in my previous work and I can apply my knowledge I gained at the different universities. But I also challenge myself with tasks and simple things such as working in a different culture and using an English key board. Sounds funny, sometimes it really is but after looking for a special character for aaaages I get frustrated.

So why did I chose this course?

I was a bit bored last semester or I had other expectations but there wasn't only one reason:

1. I wanted to experience something different and new for me in Australia. I want to get out the most of this year abroad.

I want to finish my study successfully but also gain more experiences for my personality and employability internationally.

So working in a different culture is a real challenge even though that I know in which direction that culture is different.

I'll talk about my interview at the school and my first day at work in a couple of days time.

2. I had the feeling that working is missing in my life. The last semesters in Germany I was working at University and after that I did my internship (full-time). In my first semester in Australia I was working/ volunteering as an USCi Brand Ambassador. But this wasn't all I wanted in my study. I had the feeling I need to do more in my life a s a student overseas.

3. As a student with an international Degree in June this year I will apply for a job in an international company which means it's probably a company that is relatively big. 

Which means more applicants. 

So I was asking myself what makes me employable.

I came up with my skills I gained in the international office at Uni and the experience in the Human Resource Management department during the internship-all In Germany.

To sum up- are these really special things in Germany in my CV? -Nowadays not really. A lot of students are working during studying so I need a plan to stand out of the crowd.

And I want to have fun and also challenging myself. So here we go - now I have to find time to see my friends.

JOBS- JOBS-JOBS

Most impressive National Park I've been to in Australia

Daintree National Park 

- where two world Heritage areas come together

• rainforest located in far North Queensland and part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland
• Mossman Gorge (56.5 ha) begins 80 km north of Cairns and Cape Tribulation (17 ha) begins 110 km north of Cairns respectively 
• 120 hectare
• Traditional owners are the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people
• comprised of two sections: Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation
• oldest  continously surviving tropical rainforest in the word (165 million years old)
• longest rainforest in Australia- 450 km from Mossman to Cooktown, thats half the distance between Brisbane and Sydney
• Part of the UNESCO for its universal natural appeal, flora and fauna
• the worlds most poisonous snake lives in this forest as well as a lot of crocodiles and 430 different types of birds

Heading over with the ferry to the National Park

Alexandra Lookout to see where the Great barrier Reef meets the rainforest

crocodile warning (special for Germans)

one of several boardwalkes 

Snake

wildlife pure in this rainforest

 Tropical australian fruits

Cape Tribulution- the only swimming spot in the National Park

Driving in the rainforest

Dangerous animals at the beaches in the North- stingers and crocodiles

Missing class- what next?

Second week of my second semester is well underway. Classes started last week and this week tutorials started and the week is almost over.
In the calendar it is but for I still have to catch up on some lecturers I couldn't go to because of my last trip.

Opps- I did it. I really missed one week of class because of my trip. But I was having fun. And I experienced that this is one of the TOP life goals for every single day in Australia.
Maybe I took it too serious ...

...but is is bad?

The lecturer would not even say that it is bad if your not attending the lecture, they would say something like:

Nice to see you all here. Nice that 50 put of 400 enrolled students made their way to campus and I can talk to someone- not only  to an empty classroom.

Why is the attitude sooo relaxed?

Hmm I wrote down soepoints that can make this situation in Australia more relaxed. 

• One idea might be the culture that is more composed and easygoing. It might be a cultural thing in general that you're responsible for your own improvement in all stages not only education and the same time it's your fault if your missing important information and as a result maybe fail. 

That sounds really rough but it's true, if you really wanna improve yourself- go for it, opportunities are given, but if your not interested in several things why should people push you to do it?

• another point is the fact that all lectures are recorded and uploaded after the lecture. Everyone that is enrolled in the course has access to all the recordings till the end of the semester.

Great invention. Why should I take my car- buy for fuel and parking and waste time to get there and get home at a set time if I can watch the lecture whenever I want wherever I want?

Sounds like a solution if recording is working and discussions with the students get repeated by the lecturer. (Only the lecturer is recorded)

I thought about uploading a short example but I have the feeling that this is not allowed.

• furthermore the great support aside from the lecture might let students think to stay at home.

Yes the support is great and I really appreciate all of it but I also think that attendance or even more taking part in the content due to discussions excites your thoughts. Attending the lecture means that nothing that can divert your attention is a good beginning for a successful semester. (If you're on the phone or playing games on your laptop during the lecture brings me back to the firs point of self discipline that's up to you)

Screen if you're watching the recording at home

Maybe I should explain the different supports a bit.

Lectures/lecturer: weekly contact with the lecturer in the classes (2 hours most time with 5 minutes break)- content

Lecture slides and recordings: upload of the power point slides plus the recording of the lectures (not Tutorial) on blackboard (comparable with olat/mystudy,...)

Tutorials/tutors: practise of the content from the classes after the classes in small groups (up to 25 students, 1 hour) and the tutor is most time marking the tasks and is not always the lecturer (another way of explaining the content is given)

Textbook: all the subjects do have a textbook that the lecturer is following. Its most time just parts of the book and especially the practises/ case studys are from the book (sometimes REALLY expensive books)

Course site (blackboard): all information about the course including marks and discussion forum, lecture recordings, workshop slides, evaluation and a list of your tutorial members, pdf of hat the course is about and a lot more (comparable with syllabus  + a lot more features)

Discussion forum: chance to get in contact with students from the same course and the course coordinator for questions about everything related to the course (comparable with ractivist but with access and answers of the person that will mark your tasks)

Consultation hours: set time to meet the lecturer for questions (same available in Remagen from almost all lecturer)

library resources: it's the printed and online version of the internet. You'll find soo much in the library to use as resource for better understanding of the content or the assignments

insight of the content on blackboard

So to sum up here at USC are some features available that I couldn't enjoy in Remagen. Students have more freedom in choosing how much the want to get in "real" contact with the subjects. I wouldn't say that this is better or worse. What I can say - also especially from the perspective of an international/exchange student- I really appreciate the opportunity to watch the lecture online again (or the first time just the night before the exam, haha) and that we get the support from the library staff.