For my internship I’m conducting research at CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. It’s one of the largest research centers in the world and has branches throughout Australia. My lab is at one of the largest locations in a Melbourne suburb. The term suburb makes it sounds like it’s very close to the city center, but this is Australia, so it takes me about an hour to get there. The concept of distance is completely different from what I’m used to as a Dutchie.

Not that the common Australian cares about distance. The answer to everything seems to be ‘no worries’ and it actually works pretty well as an adage to live by. Here, living at walking distance from your work implies you should be able to reach your job in under an hour (not that anyone would actually walk; we invented buses and cars for that).

Most of you have probably gotten used to the Dutch habit of complaining about the weather by now. In Melbourne, they found a cliché that works every time: Don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes! The cliché is right though – sunshine can make way for torrential rains only to return within five minutes, and 32 degrees today could well be 16 degrees tomorrow. I’ve experienced hail and fall storms as well. It’s at times like those I think about the Netherlands for a second, and then quickly check when the forecast spells B-E-A-C-H again!