personal reflection of studying in down under

Before making the decision where to go overseas, several aspects are important to think about: 

- visa

- financing

- accommodation

- courses to take

- ...

Studying in Australia was the right decision for me personally. 

I really appreciate the education system at University and I profit a lot from the teaching method and studying method. 

What makes me thinking like that?

- teaching is very interactive and practice orientated ( with tutorials, several assessments, application of theory in tasks) 

- studying needs a clear schedule or structure.

Students are supposed to do three assessments in each subject (4). The contact hours with lecture and tutor at not a lot (3 hours each) but self-studying is required. And that's the part where you benefit the most. 

The tasks or assessments are really interesting (e.g. competition between Tesla and General motors). 

It's fun to apply the theory of the lectures to the particular example for the class example or your assessment. 

These are the moments that I can still remember and know about the theory. 

Amazing World Heritage Area

This post will inform you about one of my favourite spot on my adventure: The Great Barrier Reef.

The reef is the 8th wonder of the world and good for snorkeling, diving, sailing or just swimming. It is part of the marine park since 1976 which is a protected national park.

Great Barrier Reef: Where does the name come from?

In 1802 Matthew Flinders was looking for a throughway in the ocean to Queensland. It was a big barrier for him.

Size of the reef:

- lengh: 2,000km (from Papua Neuguinea to Gladstone) -  Whitsundays inclusive 
- 2,600 individual reefs
- 300 islands
- covers more than ~250,000km² 
- biggest coral reef on earth
- biggest 'structure' built by creatures on earth

Who created the fascinating destination?

- coral polyp (living organism) built the reef over thousands of years 

What can you see down there?

- corals till 20 meter depth (they need light to grow)
- tropical, colourful fish
--> starfish
--> crustaceans (crabs, prawns)
--> turtles
--> snails
--> shells
--> rays
--> sharks
--> Humpback Whales (between August and October)

Visit the Great Barrier Reef:

You won't be alone, believe me. It is very crowed. I heard that more than 2.5 million people visit the reef every year!

But it is worth it ( I went twice), have a closer look here: