Experiences Abroad

Emily Hanna interviews Erin Cole­man, a junior at Scripps College, who stud­ied abroad in Vienna, Austria this last fall. These are Erin’s reflections on her experi­ences.

Why did you choose to study where you did?

I chose Vienna, Austria because I wanted to be able to speak German and I wanted to be in a city again after two years in a suburb.

Were you able to enroll in courses abroad, and if so, which ones did you enjoy and why?

I did my program through IES [an established study abroad program service], which has programs all over the country (though they started in Vienna!). I was at a level that I could have taken courses at the local Univeristy in the Fall, but their semesters don’t end until February, so I would have to miss some of first semester. I enrolled in Kulturgeschichte Österreich (Cultural History of Austria), German Conversation and Composition (highest level of German language offered), Musik in Wien (Music in Vienna), Cross-Cultural Psychology, and a teaching internship that counted as a class. I enjoyed my mix of classes. Some were in German, some covered GE’s and some worked towards one of my majors, Psychology. All courses taken in Vienna counted towards a German Studies Major.

What was your living situation in Vienna?

I lived in an international dorm a little bit outside the city. I would recommend being as immersed in a living situation as possible. For my program, a dorm was closest you could get to living with Viennese people.

What were the most challenging aspects of your expe­rience?

The biggest challenge for me was actually the Americans on my program. I went on my program understanding that I was going to be in a different culture, and ready to deal with the differences. And I was ready for that. What I wasn’t ready for was 20 Americans being together all the time, making it intimidating for Austrians to approach us and difficult to branch out. It’s easy to be sucked into that comfort. But i recommend ditching that. I did, which was hard because I liked the Americans I was with, but it was worth it. I became incorporated into an Austrian group of university students that became my best friends abroad. It was amazing.

Why do you think it’s important to study abroad?

I think study abroad is an opportunity no one should miss, even if it’s not a school semester abroad. It’s so hard to describe because it’s a whole new life you create. I knew no one in Vienna, and had a completely empty calendar going into it. I got to know a new city as my own, become more fluent in German, and live like an Austrian. I felt so alive, busy, excited the whole time I was abroad. People have completely different experiences abroad depending where they are, and though my experience was in a very westernized culture, it made me more interested in learn­ing internationally.

Any final thoughts or highlights of your experience you would like to share?

Vienna was amazing in so many ways. It’s split up by districts, and they all have kind of different personalities. The public transportation is great with the U-Bahn (sub­way Straßebahn (street cars), and buses.

A highlight of going in the fall is the Heurigers. The 19th district of Vienna is famous for its vineyards, which often grow a white wine called Grüner Weltliner. The Heurigers are a very social place, often in the same district, that serve the young wine from that year. People go there for the wine, food, Schrammelmusik (a traditional form of Austrian folk music), and Gemütlichkeit (a word that encompasses the warm and fun feeling of being in such an environment with friends).

There were also tons of year-round markets that sold fresh produce, spices, bread, pastries, eggs, juices, even horse meat (never tried it…) that I went to all the time. In October was a festival called Wien Modern (Modern Vienna) of modern music. I bought a pass for the whole month and went to 10 or so of the concerts. It got me around Vienna to different venues and introduced me to tons of new composers and musicians!

I traveled around Europe while I was there: Budapest, Kra­kow, Prague, Rome, Milan, Berlin, and Barcelona. I loved traveling, and hadn’t traveled around Europe much be­fore, but there’s also something to be said about staying in and getting to know the city you’re living in. I traveled less than most people on my program, but I was in Vienna to meet Austrians and speak German and get to know the city. Whenever I’d travel my Austrian friends would be sad and didn’t understand why I traveled so much. It was definitely amazing having so many places so convenient to the city I was living in.