My name is Jiwon Han, I come from Seoul, South Korea and I am 20 years old. I came to Australia on the day following my high school graduation ceremony. I have been living here, in Australia, for two years.

Currently, I am studying the Horticulture course at Sunraysia Institute of TAFE (SuniTAFE). My passion and interests are in horticulture production, which is why my first visit to Australia was on a working holiday visa and working on a farm. 
I thought it’s better to study horticulture production in Australia as horticulture is a big industry in this country. There isn’t a lot of potential for horticulture in Korea due to the small amount of farming land available. 

My step-father is an Australian, he lives in Mildura and he recommended the Horticulture course at SuniTAFE to me. I then checked the SuniTAFE website for information about the Institute and its course information. I know SuniTAFE is a government TAFE and an award winner in 2019 for the Large Training Provider in Australia. The horticulture industry is the biggest industry in this region and the SuniTAFE horticulture course is one of SuniTAFE strengths. SuniTAFE has an extensive Smart Farm where students study and practice so I decided to choose the horticulture course as my future career. 

Frankly speaking I really enjoy the horticulture class, in particular the practical class, it’s so different to the horticulture course in Korea. Here the classrooms are located on the Smart Farm, our teachers always take us out of classroom and we do lots of hands-on training work at farm. We touch the soil, recognize plants, learn to use different chemicals, learn to drive farm tractors, we can try many farm work processes as the part of our class, we learn by doing many hours practical work to gain skills and knowledge. My friends in Korea, who are studying similar courses, are surprised when she heard me talking about my classes, they never do those hands work, but just in class to study from books

I like living in Mildura, as the area is very quiet and peaceful. The sky is very blue and there are many sunny days. Previously I lived in Sydney which was very noisy. Here Mildura is so different to Sydney and there are many surprising points. Living here is more relaxed compared with living in busy city like Sydney and Seoul which is what I like most. The weather is very hot and dry in summer, but the climate good for some plants and fruits. 

In Mildura many students have a part-time jobs in restaurant or on farms. I work on my step-father’s farm and sometimes I need to help him. My mum married local Australian, so I live with them. I am very lucky to have a warm home in Mildura.

I love the horticulture course very much, in particular the practical work, which is so different with the study in Korea. All the teachers are so nice and friendly and they always explain things with great patience. I learned lots of skills and knowledge from the practical work. I really enjoy the course and would like to recommend to other people who are interested in Horticulture. I also wish to contribute, myself, to the Australia horticulture and agriculture industry.

Study in Australia is really beneficial and interesting, but you will also meet lots of challenges. My advice is “Don’t be afraid of asking questions and facing challenges and importantly enjoy study”.