Gr?ߠGott!
It’s been nearly a month since I arrived in the city of Wien, Austria and I couldn’t be more in love. I am nearly accustomed to the Europeans use of military time and the metric system and it’s beginning to feel more of home than vacation.?My university, Wirtschaftuniversitat (or WU for short), has a helpful?exchange program called the Erasmus Buddy Network. My buddy, Thomas, picked me up from the airport as soon as I arrived and took me straight to my dorm. It was such a relief.?The first day or so after arriving was not an easy adjustment. I had no data plan on my phone, no wifi in my dorm, and no idea where anything or who anyone was. However connecting with the other A&M students and taking full advantage of the programs the school offers were the two best things I did to begin to feel more comfortable.
The best part about the program here is the month long orientation. Before classes start it helps you make friends, travel throughout Austria, and immerse yourself better into the Viennese culture. We got to tour the Austrian parliament, city hall, Musikverein, the Belvedere and Schonbrunn palaces as well as travel outside of the city. So, while I haven’t been expected to hit the books until early March I’ve been able to meet most of my classmates and get accustomed to the?location very quickly!
The three?hardest?adjustments have been:
1) The public transportation system! It is very extensive and complicated. But, when you figure it out every where you want to go is within reach and at most times of the day.
2) Store hours! Do not remember you need to pick up something from the store any time after 8pm because that is the absolute latest you will find something open and even that is much later than a lot of stores. On Sundays, everything shuts down.?However I’ve noticed people are much less rushed and expected to get things done now?as a result of this.
3) Interaction with strangers and speaking quietly. Americans are so loud and when you get a group of us together I am sure all of the locals wish they had earplugs. Also, smiling at strangers in the streets will get you looks and you won’t hear any sort of apology for being bumped into. People keep to themselves a lot. Plus, the language barrier. Yes – everyone knows English. No – not everyone wants to speak it. Plus, most menus, maps, instructions, ingredients, etc are completely in German. I’m learning quicker than I expected but do wish I came with a better knowledge of the language.
However the three?easiest adjustments were:
?1) How incredibly beautiful everything is. Imagine walking out of your dorm, down the street, and all of a sudden you are presented with a palace or castle-like building with history that dates back farther than America has even seen.
2) The food. Kebaps, Krapfens, Schnitzel, Sachertorte???.?For the most part it is also incredibly cheap!
3) How new and unique the culture is. I’ve enjoyed getting a taste of how to live differently than I ever have before and it’s taught me ?more than I could have imagined. It’s hard to explain exactly what is different but seeing how differently the locals live gives you a new ?sense of perspectiv
e.
Some of the things we’ve gotten to experience include day trips to the city of Linz, and my ?favorite, the gorgeous city of Graz. Both of these cities won Europe’s cultural capital ?sometime in the last decade. We got to climb to the top of a mountain coined “castle on the hill” and see where Arnold Schwarznegger’s favorite sausage stand was. We also visited a chocolate factory called Zotter where we were given the chance to sample every single kind of chocolate they made (I believe that was 160 varieties). It was a unique company – they also had a petting zoo out back.
I also got t
o experience a classic Viennese ball. Ball season ends around this time however we were lucky enough to find a masquerade?at the Hofburg palace. This is an experience I would recommend for everyone staying in Vienna. There were several rooms with different music including a saxophone player, American music, classical music, and so much more! I got to see and experience a few of the traditional dances and ceremonies including a demasking at midnight (I got stuck in the middle of this one and I had no idea what to do – people were not amused).
However, hands-down the most fun thing we have gotten to experience is Night-Sledding. We actually sledded down a mountain and the views were breath taking.
I’ve already learned a lot living in Europe for this amount of time and have quickly realized studying here was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I still can’t believe I live in a city where cathedrals and palaces are just around the corner. In the city there is always something going on and I would go as far as to say I’ve forgotten what boredom feels like.?It’s even more mind blowing that because of this location I can do things like buy a train ticket to Venice, Italy for the weekend or plan an Easter Break?trip to 5 different countries.
Until next month, Tschuss!