My semester abroad in Vienna has come to an end, but the memories, friendships, and lessons I learned will forever stay with me. Studying abroad has never been in my plans until the year before I left for Vienna and it was the best decision I made. The exposure to the beautiful history, culture, cuisine, public transportation, and just the way of life was eye opening.
A friend abroad explained studying abroad as a mini version of college. You start a chapter by moving in to a foreign place, make new friends, and learn your way around the school. Then all of a sudden the semester ends, and you have to pack everything up and say goodbye to all the friends you just made and say goodbye to the place you lived at and formed all your memories in. I couldn?t agree with that explanation anymore, because after totally immersing yourself into the Viennese culture it is hard to forget.
In Vienna, I took four courses and they were all international business related.? I learned that when it comes to doing business there are always some similarities in all cultures, but what truly separates business negotiations are the different hierarchy systems in different cultures. One really has to understand a culture before preceding a business deal abroad. Classes in Vienna were taught once a week or if you really wanted to finish a course quickly, they offered intensive courses where you could finish a course in one week. I took a mix of both and enjoyed it because it made a lot of time for traveling.
The way the classes were laid out gave me the chance to travel outside the country throughout the semester and also fully explore the city of Vienna. I had about 2 big trips every month and several small trips here and there. My tip when it comes to traveling is to only take a couple big trips every month because you also want to explore the city that you are studying in. You wont regret the time you spend with your friends exploring the city you are studying in.
Overall, my experience studying abroad has exceeded my expectation. I am thankful for the opportunity, fund, and support from my loved ones to make such an experience a reality. I will never forget my 2019 spring semester.
