Today is February 28th, and I have now been in Vienna, Austria for one month. Hopefully my blog will give you a good idea of what to expect in this city and the obstacles many face!
The days leading up to my departure from Houston were by far the most exciting/stressful/busy days I have ever had in my life. After I had filled out my visa paperwork, and stuffed my suitcase, I paid one last visit to Chipotle! I couldn’t believe I was about to spend the next 5 months in The City of Dreams.
When I first arrived in Vienna I was so taken aback by the differences. Austria is not what I excepted, it is much more of a cultural melting pot than I previously thought! My apartment is a modern 4 bedroom unit with a shared kitchen (I have three other roommates). Luckily, It is only a two minute walk to Westbahnof, a large shopping center and train station. From here I am able to quickly access the U3 and U6 subway lines…putting the entire city within reach! I spent much of my first day with major jet lag. I was so stressed with all of paperwork given to me; registration with the city, visa formalities, lease paperwork, etc.
Overall and with everything considered,?my first impression of Vienna was positive. First things first, the food here is crazy good. I can’t put into words how amazing walking through a bakery after being on a plane for 9 hours is! The people are definitely not as friendly as Texas, but I expected this so I’m not surprised. A good example of this is at restaurants, where instead of the customer being king, the waiter is in fact the king. Most of the time you will only see a waiter when it is time to order, and pay. This brings me to my next realization: Payment. You would think that in a large European city in 2015 people would mostly pay with card, right? Not really, everyone prefers cash. Cards are almost always accepted, but not without a frown and a?sigh from your waitress or cashier. This is going to take some getting used to.?
Differences and initial stress aside, I am very excited to explore this area for the next five months. I have already meet some amazing people in my orientation group, as well as done some pretty cool things. Attended a masked ball in Hofburg Palace, Stood on the summit of Der Untersberg in Salzburg, tasted over 200 variations of chocolate at Zotter Chocolate factory, and ate goulash in Bratislava,?just to name a few. As this blog continues, I will share how I am adjusting, how classes are once the semester starts, and what I am learning.?