When preparing for my exchange program to Vienna, I didn’t know much more than the fact that Billy Joel loves singing about it. Located in the middle of Europe, Austria’s capital, Vienna, is home to so much more than I could ever imagine.
Flying in over the Alps and landing on the eastern front of Austria, Vienna is surrounded by so much natural beauty. Being close to countries such as Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, Vienna is home to a variety of cultures and peoples. This can be seen as you walk around St. Stephen’s Cathedral and you hear almost every language and see people from all around the globe. Contrasting this to College Station where I can understand everyone around me and we all dress and act the same, Vienna was quite the culture shock! While taking a tour of the Hofburg Palace, it was easy to see how much history has taken place here in Vienna. The Habsburgs ruled over a considerable portion of Europe for centuries in this palace and you could even see the different parts of the palace being constructed throughout that time. Comparing this to Texas’ first state public institution of higher education, Texas A&M University, Hofburg Palace was first built more than 500 years earlier. It is amazing to see that even today, the architecture and infrastructure still looks beautiful.
The people in Vienna are also not like Texans in any sense. While Vienna has been ranked the most liveable city in the world, not something College Station is known for, it has also been ranked the most unfriendly city in the world multiple times. It is difficult for non-Austrains to make friends with Viennese and it is easy to feel unwelcome around them. When I think Texas I think southern hospitality. Giving a stranger a helping hand is commonplace in College Station and the people are always kind. That is until you get onto Texas Ave.
Vienna University of Economics and Business is home to about 21,000 students from around 110 different countries. In comparison to Texas A&M University as a whole with more than 70,000 students, this is relatively small. It is, however, quite large compared to Mays Business School which has around 7,000 students enrolled. This size allows a variety of cultures and ideas to combine together to create a great environment for inclusion and diversity. WU’s campus is quite colorful and vibrant with its use of architecture in the learning centers. It was a welcome change when compared to the abundance of red brick buildings on west campus.
Overall, there are so many differences between College Station and Vienna. From the people to the nature to the architecture, there aren’t a lot of similarities to be found. One thing in common is the pride both people have. Aggies are very loud and proud of their school and country and the Viennese are reserved and proud to be from a great city.