During the summer break, I completed my 3-week foreign language stay in Melbourne, Australia, and enjoyed it very much. After a long and tiring flight from Zurich to Melbourne, I was warmly welcomed by my aunt and uncle. I spent the entire 3 weeks working with my uncle, who has his own consulting agency called “Migration Nation Visa Services” that, among other services, provides students with the opportunity to study in Australia and advises them on their academic path. On the other hand, the consulting agency also enables people to obtain a visa for Australia, whether it is a student, tourist, or residency visa.

While staying in Melbourne, I had the opportunity to work as a “Customer Service Assistant”. I supported my uncle in dealing with customers by email, on the phone, and in physical meetings. My main task was to respond to inquiries from new customers. These were mainly by email, a few by phone, and face-to-face meetings. This allowed me to specifically improve my English in different ways, not only by writing emails, but also by meeting new people in person.
In the initial two weeks, my task was to respond to students' inquiries, gather general information, and talk about their interests as to what they would like to study. I passed all this information on to my uncle, who then dealt with the potential client. It was very interesting to learn about the interests of different students, as it gave me an insight into the different possible courses of study in Australia. I found this very exciting!

After the second week, I went on a weekend trip to Philip Island with my aunt and uncle. There, we enjoyed sightseeing on the island and went go-carting. It was the first time I went go-karting, and that too on a circuit where the annual motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) takes place. It was an unforgettable experience! I also had the opportunity to attend a presentation on Philip Island about Club Wyndham, a hotel chain we stayed at, with a very appealing business concept, and was able to learn how they work and what they offer to their customers.
In the third and last week, I had the task of processing client visa requests for Australia. Again, I first had to collect general information from the clients and then arrange a consultation for them with my uncle. My work in the last week was not as exhausting as in the first two weeks. My uncle also gave me a lot of free time in the last week so that I could explore the city of Melbourne. I walked a lot around Melbourne and got to know many exciting things. Something remarkable that I noticed during my stay was how open people in Australia are. For example, you can start a conversation with a random person on a tram or in a bar, and they will openly start talking to you. I really feel like I miss this culture in Switzerland because I always enjoy meeting new people and talking to them. I also took a tour of the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and learned about the history of this stadium. Of course, a bit of shopping was indispensable!

Finally, I can say that my foreign language stay was a success, and I feel that I was able to improve my English during my 3-week stay in Melbourne. I enjoyed the time with my aunt and uncle and would like to thank them for their hospitality and support throughout my stay. I think that I was not only able to improve my English, but also get an impression of the working world, for which I am very grateful.