Natalie Szuk: Three Months Down, And Another Three To Go

It’s crazy to think that my study abroad experience is already half way over. As soon as I hit the three –month mark, my European bubble popped and reality start to hit me. I was already half way through this adventure and I would soon be coming home. This realization made me start to reflect on everything that has happened in this short amount of time that feels like much longer than it really has been.

When I first got to Vienna, everything was so new and unfamiliar which made me feel nervous and unsure. Having lived in North Vancouver my whole life, I was used to the familiarity of every street and every building around. As time as gone by, the unfamiliarity has started to fade and I have adapted to this city becoming my new home. Although I may have three more months left until I return back home, I will be leaving Vienna mid June, meaning I only really have a month left here. Realistically thinking, once the school aspect of this adventure ends and the traveling begins, the final few weeks will go by even quicker than I could imagine.

There are three main aspects I believe that have been the biggest strengths I have developed during this experience. To begin, my patience has definitely been tested more than ever. There have been so many situations with different people that have really made me stop and reevaluate things. These have forced me to mature, as well as change the ways I am used to reacting. Secondly, I have been so fortunate that I had been able to travel almost biweekly. I was able to first hand experience so many different cultures and this has been a huge blessing. Apart from this, I have never done so much travelling on my own, therefore independence has been another major strength that I have developed. And finally, being surrounded by so many different people from so many different cultural backgrounds, I have definitely been forced to keep myself open to new things and experiences. People who I may not usually find myself gravitating towards back at home, who I’m sure have felt likewise about me, have proven to have made great friends over the past couple of months.




Me and Eve Zessel at the Praterdome Amusement Park in Vienna
Natalie Szuk is a  Capilano University BBA student studying abroad at FH Wien in Vienna, Austria.
Location: Vienna, Austria

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