An update from Vienna!
Servus!
I've been here for just over a week now, and so much has happened! We spent the first few days doing all orientation stuff (boring) but then we FINALLY got to move into our lovely apartments. I'm living with five other girls in a giant 3 bedroom apartment. The rooms are huge and so pretty, and I love my flatmates.
I've done a lot of exploring around Vienna (or, as it's called in German, Wien) and it is an amazing city. Beautiful architecture everywhere with an unusual mix of centuries-old cathedrals and palaces and brand new glass corporate buildings. Gone on several tours around the city and I've learned so much about my new home.
Classes are held in this really old hidden palace. From the outside it just looks like another building, attached to all the other buildings, with a really giant door. But inside it is gorgeous, full of chandeliers and paintings and murals and sculptures... it's pretty strange to think that this is where I'm going to be learning about modern business practices!
Of course, so far we haven't had any real classes yet, only German. The first few weeks of the program is intensive German and then we have a week-long break and then we start our normal schedule. I was placed in the highest level of German, which is good, but I still have trouble conversing with Austrians in normal situations. My goal by the end of the semester is to be able to interact easily with native German speakers! It will definitely make shopping and eating in cafes a lot easier. :)
Yesterday we went to a huge open air market where they sold everything from antique dishes to hats to raw meat to pastries! Bought a fun scarf (everyone here wears the most amazing, colorful scarves), a large decorative cloth to hang in my room, some food, and a yummy pastry snack. Then we went shopping on Maria Hilferstrasse, which is a pretty big shopping district in central Vienna.
I'm missing quite a few things from home (like chocolate chip cookies and macaroni and cheese and English!), but I'm starting to enjoy the things that only Vienna and Europe can offer. Like a pastry shop on every corner, or delicious sausages from a stand! Plus, I've got some pretty fun things lined up. Sometime soon we're going ice skating outside of the Rathaus. The event is called Eistraum, which means ice dream, and basically they turned the sidewalks and paved areas in front of the Rathaus (a government building) into a giant ice skating rink! Next week I'm also going to--get this--a real ball! The oldest ball in Vienna, actually, and we have to wear floor-length gowns and learn how to waltz and everything. My dad's shipping my prom dress from junior year here so that I have something to wear. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to travel around Germany and hopefully sometime soon my roommates and I will take a day trip down to Styria, where the Zotter Chocolate factory is!
Anyway, that's about all for now. Going to go make some food and get a start on this German homework. Miss you guys! <3
I've been here for just over a week now, and so much has happened! We spent the first few days doing all orientation stuff (boring) but then we FINALLY got to move into our lovely apartments. I'm living with five other girls in a giant 3 bedroom apartment. The rooms are huge and so pretty, and I love my flatmates.
I've done a lot of exploring around Vienna (or, as it's called in German, Wien) and it is an amazing city. Beautiful architecture everywhere with an unusual mix of centuries-old cathedrals and palaces and brand new glass corporate buildings. Gone on several tours around the city and I've learned so much about my new home.
Classes are held in this really old hidden palace. From the outside it just looks like another building, attached to all the other buildings, with a really giant door. But inside it is gorgeous, full of chandeliers and paintings and murals and sculptures... it's pretty strange to think that this is where I'm going to be learning about modern business practices!
Of course, so far we haven't had any real classes yet, only German. The first few weeks of the program is intensive German and then we have a week-long break and then we start our normal schedule. I was placed in the highest level of German, which is good, but I still have trouble conversing with Austrians in normal situations. My goal by the end of the semester is to be able to interact easily with native German speakers! It will definitely make shopping and eating in cafes a lot easier. :)
Yesterday we went to a huge open air market where they sold everything from antique dishes to hats to raw meat to pastries! Bought a fun scarf (everyone here wears the most amazing, colorful scarves), a large decorative cloth to hang in my room, some food, and a yummy pastry snack. Then we went shopping on Maria Hilferstrasse, which is a pretty big shopping district in central Vienna.
I'm missing quite a few things from home (like chocolate chip cookies and macaroni and cheese and English!), but I'm starting to enjoy the things that only Vienna and Europe can offer. Like a pastry shop on every corner, or delicious sausages from a stand! Plus, I've got some pretty fun things lined up. Sometime soon we're going ice skating outside of the Rathaus. The event is called Eistraum, which means ice dream, and basically they turned the sidewalks and paved areas in front of the Rathaus (a government building) into a giant ice skating rink! Next week I'm also going to--get this--a real ball! The oldest ball in Vienna, actually, and we have to wear floor-length gowns and learn how to waltz and everything. My dad's shipping my prom dress from junior year here so that I have something to wear. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to travel around Germany and hopefully sometime soon my roommates and I will take a day trip down to Styria, where the Zotter Chocolate factory is!
Anyway, that's about all for now. Going to go make some food and get a start on this German homework. Miss you guys! <3