When I arrived in Austria for the first time on September 5th, I was nothing but excited. I have grown up traveling and even thirst for adventures around the world, so spending four months in another country across the world wasn’t something I was afraid of. The only hard part about this study abroad experience was the preparation. Getting housing prepared, receiving my visa, getting insurance and a bank account set up, and all the other logistical aspects of spending that much time in Europe was the only stressful part. Leaving the country was easier and a quicker process because the only thing I needed to do was deregister with the city and cancel my apartment lease. The flight home was long and full of transfers, but now that I am home, I find myself missing Vienna in weird ways.
The things I find myself missing are mainly the small things. I miss not being rushed through my daily activities. In Vienna, people took it slower, whether that be in transit, eating, walking, or anything else, they just were not rushed. Ever since I got home, I find myself getting back to my hurried way of driving, walking faster, spending no more than an hour in a restaurant, and I really miss the casual and calm atmosphere of Vienna. I want to be able to sit in a restaurant with my friends for hours on end just eating, drinking and talking until WE decide to leave, not when the waiter brings us the check and a subliminal message to leave. I miss not being carded when I get a drink. For the four months I was there, I wasn’t carded even once for buying a drink at a bar/restaurant, or even buying a bottle of wine at the grocery store. I got carded for the very first drink I bought when I arrived home. Amazing.
Some things that I am happy to be back to in the United States for are really good Asian and Mexican food, vegetables, and my friends and family. Those are the only things that pop into my mind. No Asian or Mexican restaurant in Austria specialized in one style of food, and it also wasn’t the best. Or maybe I am just spoiled being from the Bay Area and having the best food there. For the week I was home, I managed to fill myself with my favorite Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese food all before I left for Oregon (thanks Amanda). I was going through withdrawals! Most Austrian foods have little to no vegetables, excluding potatoes. So I am really happy to be back to some of my favorite green foods!! Yes I do really love vegetables!
I have found myself continuing to speak simple phrases in German such as thank you, excuse me, and please. The first few days I got back, I had sensory overload with the amount of English I was hearing. I am the one to listen in on other people’s conversations in restaurants or public transportation just for my own entertainment, but in Austria I learned to tune out public conversations because I couldn’t understand anything anyway. Arriving back in the United States and hearing so much English again, my brain started catching everyone’s conversations around me and understanding it, and I found it hard to process all the information I was hearing. That is something I didn’t expect coming home.
The friends that I made during my time studying in Austria were some of the best people I have ever met. Some of them were from all over the world, such as Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia, all over different parts of Europe, South America, and even different places in the United States. It is unfortunate that we only had four months together because we all got really close, especially my closest friends there, Will, Kyle, Alan, Megan, and Man Hei. Luckily 4/5 live in North America, so there is a good chance I might be able to see them in the future. Alan lives in Hong Kong, but I do plan on visiting there in the future, so hopefully I can visit him while there as well. I really hope these are people who continue to stay in my life, even if only though social media, because I don’t want to loose contact with them. We became friends for a reason! They made my time so much more exciting and eventful. Traveling with the people you meet is so much more fun that just traveling alone. I learned a lot through them, and did things I’ve never done before.
I am really going to miss the rich Viennese culture and everything to do in the city. There was always something to do (except maybe on Sundays) and always people to hang out with. The coffee and alcohol culture was richer, the people were more polite and considerate, and time moved slower there.
There are a few people I’d like to thank for making my time there so special, whether I met them in passing, or saw them every day:
- Thank you to the extremely kind worker at the bank for spending almost an hour with me setting up my account and being one of the first Austrian people I really talked to and got to know.
- Thank you to the energetic man selling newspapers everyday at the bottom of the Krieu ubahn staircase for always making me smile and laugh so early in the morning.
- Thank you to the waiters at my favorite Asian takeout restaurant for always recognizing me and giving me free sushi with my meals.
- Thank you to the two different ladies who asked me for directions and making me feel like a real Vienna resident because I could accurately describe to them where to go.
- Thank you for the family at the Opera House bus stop who talked with me for half an hour (waiting for a bus that never came) just because you were interested in my life (and me with yours).
And there are a few people I’d like to thank from back home for giving me this opportunity and making it the experience it was:
- Thank you Stacey and Griffin for telling me your experience in studying abroad and influencing me to take the next steps in this.
- Thank you Connie for advising me the way you did and pushing me to make this experience the best that it could be.
- Thank you to Armin, Stefan and Martin who convinced me to pick Austria over any other countries I could choose from.
- Thank you Amanda for visiting me even if it was inconvenient for you: you were the first person from home I saw during my trip and it was so refreshing to see your face.
And of course, Thank you Mom and Dad for not even questioning my decision to study abroad and supporting me so much in preparation for my adventures there in Europe. It is because of you that I was so comfortable in another country, unafraid and looking forward to the next weekend I could visit another country. You instilled a sense of wonder and adventure in me from a young age, and even though it is an expensive hobby, traveling is my favorite thing to do. I live for it.
I truly understand what people mean when they say, “Studying abroad was the best experience of my life.” I have met the most amazing people, visited some beautiful cities, eaten extremely delicious foods, and have the best memories out of it all. I wouldn’t change anything about these past four months, and even though I am ecstatic to be back with my friends here in Oregon, I think I left a part of me back in Vienna.
I’ll be back someday though. That is a promise.
Thank you to those of you who kept up with me on this journey, and I hope my few blog posts were somewhat entertaining and not too bland. This was fun to keep up with and will be even more fun to read back on in the future.
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