As I made a stopover in Malaysia and Thailand on my way here, the culture shock wasn't too big. Melbourne is actually not so much different from the average Asian city, without the traffic chaos. Twenty percent of Melbourne's population is of Asian descent and you can find sushi bars on every corner in the CBD. I live in the neighbourhood of Carlton a.k.a. 'Little Italy' and on my way to the university, I hear more people speaking Italian than English. Also among students, it is quite hard to spot Australians. Upcoming Sunday, we'll celebrate King's Day in the city, so my fellow German, Scottish and Swedish students will finally be able to taste a proper patatje oorlog or some bitterballen.

I'm about halfway in my exchange at RMIT University and my study at the department of Industrial Design is going alright. With all the beautiful places in Australia, it's sometimes hard to find the balance between travelling and studying, but, in the end, when you pass under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, when you are face to face with a koala or when you're standing on the whitest beach in the world, you suddenly forget about that presentation for the vice dean of the department.

Meanwhile the temperatures have become lower than in the Netherlands and I'll be very busy with studying in the coming weeks. I can't wait to explore more of Australia, New Zealand and Asia after the semester!