A Week in Melbourne with Christoph Turatus

G'day mate!

Hej from the other side of the world! While your day has just started, another day in Australia is about to end (8-10 h time difference). Since July, I have been on exchange in beautiful and vibrant Melbourne.
 

Let me introduce myself  QUICKLY: 

I'm Christoph and currently in my second year of M.Sc. Strategic Communication. In the third semester, we have the option between taking electives at Lund university, doing an internship course, or studying abroad. Well, I said to myself, I am already abroad in Sweden as I am German - but why don't I take this last opportunity of easily moving abroad as a student? You guessed it right, I did :) And it was the best decision. Depending on what courses you take, you have a way less study heavy life than at Lund University. For myself, I only have classes on Tuesday at Royal Melbourne institute of Technology. Perfect as when you are abroad, you want to travel and discover different cultures and countries.

Melburnian Monday

My week generally starts very relaxed. Since I have lectures on Tuesday and do homework on the weekend, I use Monday for shopping and other walks through the city. I live in Carlton, a neighbourhood right next to the city centre, which is called CBD, or central business district. I like my quartier, it's quiet, has many old Victorian houses and also the University of Melbourne can be found here (one of eight universities in the capital of Victoria). The good thing about the location is also the proximity to the Queen Victoria Market where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables - usually at a lower price than in the supermarket. There are also many seasonal markets here - like the Winter Market in July (with 15 degrees). Next to Carlton is my favourite place, Fitzroy. This radiates from past glamour and is now a place of small cafes, second hand shops and you can find art on every available spot on the wall and in the streets. My tip is the café/bar Black Cat during the day and for great sunsets overlooking the city: Naked for Satan.
 

Study Day: Tuesday

Yes, I'm studying on Tuesday. My course starts at 9.30am in “Advanced Digital Marketing”. But just before, I get a free breakfast courtesy of the RUSU Students' Union. Freshly invigorated, I hold out for three hours. The classes are similar to Lund University. There's also group work and every other week we have homework. These consist of reading texts and answering a quiz as well as a discussion in which we present our 5 key takeaways from the text. Unfortunately, this homework always takes place on the weekend; on Friday evening the statements are published and we then have until Sunday evening to answer everything. Otherwise, the rule at RMIT is to deduct 10% from your mark for each day you're late. We also have group work from time to time and then we work on business cases. My other course is “Creative Advertising Campaigns”. I always have it between 6 and 8 in the evening - and I love it. I did my bachelor's degree in advertising myself and the course content feels very familiar. Every week we have a new theme/product for which we have to design three campaigns. In addition, there's an intensive week during which we produced a holistic campaign for Spotify audiobooks. The course ends with an essay on advertising and AI and the place creatives will have in it in the future - perfect for self-reflection and knowing your value if you want to work in advertising later.
In total, RMIT offers 48 credits for a full semester. Normally, there are 12 credits per course. In advertising, however, I have a double course with 24 credits, so all I need is one more course: Wicked Problems - Innovative Solutions. This course won't take place until after term time, as it's an intensive two-and-a-half week course. I'm really looking forward to it, because the syllabus says we'll be working on a real case.
 

Wednesday is Discovery Day

Most of my friends here have more to do with uni. Luckily, we always manage to keep Wednesdays free to go on little trips in and around Melbourne. Funnily enough, Wednesdays often have the best weather of the week - coincidence? :)
Even though I came to Melbourne in "winter", 15°C is just about tolerable. And in the meantime, it's spring, so I can marvel at (partly different, because also Australian) flowers for a second time this year. 
If you don't find me in nature, then probably in one of many cute coffee shops. With all the graffiti around town, it reminds me sometimes about Berlin.

Thursday as the Little Friday

At least here at RMIT. Every Thursday there is a small party in the Alumni Court between 12 and 2 o'clock. RUSU, the student club here, always hosts a free BBQ with hot dogs and vegan burgers. There is also live music from the DJ and a bar with beer, soft drinks, juices and other drinks. My friends and I meet here every week, simply because the atmosphere is good and we have a fun time together - for many it's the lunch break before going back to lectures. Afterwards, I usually walk around the city and find a new café that I haven't tried before. Melbourne is full of them and is considered the coffee capital of the world.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday

Three days off - besides the homework in “Advanced Digital Marketing” - I have time to experience bigger trips with friends. There's always a market in Melbourne, or an event. What's On Melbourne is highly recommended as a website! Most recently, however, we just spontaneously "rented" a car from Transfercars. This website is all about driving cars back to their dealership. Many visitors here in Australia rent a car and drive from A to B. Transfercars is all about getting the car back from B to A. Most of the time, the providers also have great deals and the cars are rented for a dollar a day. On a trip from Melbourne to Sydney, for example, a $150 petrol voucher was included. In addition, you can stay overnight in many national parks for free. Since we had a campervan, it was quite a cheap trip. Spontaneous trips à la Christoph: our trip was booked on Thursday, Friday we packed all our things and planned the trip and Saturday to Monday we went on an adventure on the road towards Sydney.

Of course, this is not everyone's cup of tea, but Australia definitely invites you to many outdoor trips and you can experience an adventure every week. For me, it's now two more weeks of uni, then I'll find a backpacker job, save some money just so I can plan another nice trip in the outback - the starry night with the Milky Way is supposed to be impressive when there's no light around you. And from January onwards, I'll be back in Sweden, invigorated with adventure energy and ready to write my master's thesis and thus master the last chapter of my master's degree.