Alanna Wylde: Vienna So Far....

My first month in Vienna has been a total culture shock.  Living in a city where most people do not speak English, or just choose not to, is extremely challenging.  This can sometimes be a good challenge, and sometimes hard.  What I was most shocked about upon arrival was how difficult grocery shopping is.  The labels are all in German with little to no English translation.  Grocery shopping has become a task that takes time, which back at home is considered simple.  One noticeable difference between Vancouver and Vienna are the people. 

The people in Vienna are very unfriendly (it’s a very true stereotype), whereas people in Vancouver are seemingly some of the friendliest in the world.  I’ve learned that taking a coffee to go is very uncommon, whereas at home, everybody on the street has a coffee in their hand.  The public transportation in Vienna is amazing.  You can get anywhere in the city within 30-40 minutes, extremely easy.   Vienna definitely has the best transportation system.  

As for school, my timetable is very different than back at home.  Classes are very sporadic with no pattern: some classes are six hours long, three days straight and some are only once a week for two hours. 

My favorite thing about Vienna so far is the architecture.  I have never seen such beautiful buildings.  They are so old with so much character and around every corner it continues.  Just going for runs around my neighborhood I have stumbled across some amazing sights.  I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of the architecture here.  There is just so much to see.  As well, there are hundreds of quaint coffee shops and restaurants that hold so much character.  Another thing I love to do here; explore these little cafes. 

For the upcoming months, I am very excited for the weather to warm up (it’s been freezing here) and to travel around to the surrounding countries.  The nice thing about Vienna is that it is so centrally located that you can literally go anywhere via bus, train or flight, very quickly.  Once the weather is warmer there are many sights I am excited to see.  Overall, my experience in Vienna so far has been very challenging, adapting to a completely different life than what I am used to.  It’s a challenge I was expecting but it has definitely been harder than I anticipated.  I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next!

Alanna is a third year Bachelor of Business Administration student studying abroad at FHWien University of Applied Sciences in Vienna, Austria