Some fun facts about the Australian Currency

It's been two months since I've arrived in Australia and I still find it hard to distinguish between the 20-cent and 50-cent coins! I thought I should share some interesting facts about the Australian currency:

• When European settlers first arrived in Australia, a barter system, including rum, was used as currency instead of money.

• Till 1963, Australia used the “Australian Pound” as its main currency. More than 1,000 entries were made to name the new currency, including the Royal, Roo and Kanga, before Dollar’was chosen.

• In 1988, Australia invented "plastic" money, replacing its paper notes with polymer notes to combat counterfeiting. In 1996, Australia became the first country in the world to have a complete series of polymer notes.

• Australia prints polymer notes for more than 15 other countries, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Chile, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Western Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

• Highlighting its diverse wildlife, Australia’s coins feature the only two mammals in the world to lay eggs. The 20-cent coin features the platypus, while the 5 cent coin the echidna.

• As of early 2013, The Australian dollar was the fifth most traded currency in the world.

• Defacing or destroying current coins or current paper money is technically punishable by law and carries fines of upwards of $5,000 or 2 years in prison.

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (http://www.dfat.gov.au/), 

              BigPondMoney (http://www.bigpondmoney.com.au/)

More than just a degree - Making the most of your University life

Before I left for University, a wise person told me that "Remember it's not just a degree, but an education that you are all set to acquire". They told me not to just do the needful - attend classes, do the coursework, aim for high grades but in fact go above and beyond that to make the most of this educational experience. Ten years down in line, it won't be the classes you will remember, but the experiences you have had and the people with whom you shared those experiences.

A great way to maximize your University experience is to join student clubs and organizations on campus. Universities in Australia are known for their "club culture", from sporting clubs to cultural organizations to hobby groups, there's something for everyone on campus. Whether you love desserts or are an aspiring Quidditch player or someone who wants to provide consulting for social enterprises, you are likely to find a group of like-minded individuals who share your passion in these student clubs. These organizations are great platforms for developing skills and networks both during University and beyond. I would highly recommend attending O-week and joining at least a couple of these clubs, as an investment in your well-rounded development.

Also, as international students, you are making a huge investment to study overseas. In order to ensure that you receive the top-notch education you travelled to another country for, it would be helpful to get involved in student politics by running for positions in the student council and union to ensure that your voice is represented in areas concerning your education. By taking up a role in the student council, you can develop your leadership skills while working with various stakeholders to ask for and deliver a better quality of education.

Go on exchange! Studying in another country provides you with an opportunity to truly immerse yourself in a global learning environment. I read somewhere that "an exchange is not just a year in your life but a life in a year". Going to another country will enable you to experience yet another culture, further broaden your social and professional networks and see more of the world around you.

Take up various research and tutoring opportunities available at University. This is particularly aimed at Postgraduate students. These opportunities will provide you with further insight into the academic nature of your field and perhaps provide an opportunity to contribute to your academic field in a small way.

Learning at University shouldn't just start and stop inside a classroom. There are plenty of opportunities to learn from some of the biggest and brightest minds in and around campus. Attending various networking events, lectures from guest lecturers, mentoring sessions will further broaden your horizon and find inspiration and direction for what you want to do in life.

The list can go on for a while. The key is to remember to be like a "sponge", to keep an open mind and take up every opportunity and interaction to absorb relevant information!  As Steve Jobs said in his commencement speech at Stanford "you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future". Go beyond the books, make the most of every experience University life has to offer because you never know how these dots will connect in the future!