This week’s milder weather finally allowed me the opportunity to explore the enormous ‘Prater’ park, which is mere steps from my apartment building. In total, the park is 6 million square metres, and home to an amusement park, as well as unending café’s, beer gardens, and expansive meadows and forests. The park is most famous for the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad). Riders on the Riesenrad sit in large carriages and are offered what are said to be absolutely beautiful views of Vienna.
http://www.prater.wien.info/index-e.html
You may have already seen my Facebook status, reveling in the lovely jog I had throughout the park. Through the centre of the park is a wide, tree-lined 4.5 km trail, which branches off into many smaller trails and parks..an absolute runner’s paradise! I’m sure I must have looked pretty goofy to any passer’s by, but I couldn’t seem to wipe the giant grin from my face..the park and the atmosphere from those enjoying an afternoon outside was really just so lovely.
And finally, the long awaited moment - The BOKU Exchange Student Orientation.
Before I begin, here are some quick facts about my school, ‘BOKU’:
-‘BOKU’ is short for ‘Bodenkultur’ in German, and translates to English as “University for Natural Resources and Applied Sciences”. More generally it is known as the Agricultural School. I have read there are no less than 13 Universities throughout Vienna.
-The school was founded in 1872.
-There are 7500 students at the University; small by Vienna standards, and in comparison to schools throughout North America.
-The school accepts a fair number of international students each year, and therefore offers a large list of courses (about 300 per semester) in English. These are the courses I will be taking, as I don’t have near the confidence to study at the University level in German. Exchange Students are able to take any of the courses offered at the University (in English or in German), including those outside of their subject areas, and those which otherwise have prerequisites. This a neat opportunity for us to explore other interests.
-A typical semester-load in Europe is very different from in North America. Students are required to take 30 credits per semester, and each course is worth from about 1 to 6 credits; this averages about 10 courses per semester.
-A particular course does not necessarily run in a regular cycle, ie.) every week throughout the semester at the same time every week. Sometimes a course might consist only of a few lectures spaced throughout the semester. Another course might involve a field trip, and afterwards you write a paper. This has been a bit of a hassle when it comes to making my timetable, but I think I’ve finally figured it out!
-Some examples of some courses I will be taking at BOKU:
Economic Paradigms in a Global Environment
Resource and Environmental Economics
Biocultural Diversity in Rural Landscapes
Psychology of Landscape & Natural Resources Management
Classes will begin this week!
The orientation was held in a large hall in the old and beautiful main building of the University. There were from 80-100 exchange students at the orientation, and so we were jammed into the hall pretty well. The morning consisted mainly of slideshow presentations and the required administrative tasks, after which the co-ordinators split us up into groups for a campus tour. The campus is somewhat spread out, as in Guelph, but overall it is much smaller. The campus tour ended early, leaving us with a three hour lunch break until our next activity. Our tour group (which consisted of North Americans, Aussies, Greeks and a Croatian), settled down in the student-run coffee house and hang-out ‘Tuwi’. It had a bit of a bohemian, artsy feel, and actually reminded me a lot of the ‘Bull Ring’ back at U of G. They only offer vegetarian meal options, and everything is organic. (There is also a small organic food store in the front of the building.) To be honest, we didn’t find the food to look too appetizing, and most of us ended up running to a ‘Kebab’ stand across the street for Pizza or Döner Kebabs. (For those of you who have never experienced Döner, the stands can usually be found on any street corner throughout Europe. I believe they stem from Turkey, and they consist of shaved meat (beef, pork or chicken) together in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and topped with a delicious white sauce.) The group had a good time sharing stories about our home countries and Universities, and the differences between them. Throughout the afternoon, we met up with more and more groups of exchange students, and although it’s impossible to remember all the names, I’m hoping to get to speak to each of them at some point in the semester. It seems to be a natural tendency for North American’s to stick together, but it was funny to see that even our school’s and lifestyle’s had their unique differences. The international students have a good time listening and comparing the different American accents, and apparently I have the most ‘American’ accent of them all, go figure!. (I am proud to be the only Canadian in the group, although everyone seems to think I act and look like a Californian.) The day finished off with a tour of the Library and the IT services offered by the University, after which we were let loose to the streets of Vienna, and a group of us met up at the Irish pub ‘Charlie P’s’.
Day number two of the orientation was a ‘Welcome Heuriger’ for the exchange students and their “buddy’s”. (Mine was unfortunately unable to attend.) A ‘Heuriger’ is an Austrian wine-drinking locale, and our school had rented out the entire cozy tavern for us to eat, drink and socialize. I was delighted to finally have the opportunity to taste real ‘Wiener Schnitzel’ IN Vienna! The Heuriger is set up with many long tables, with benches on each side, and basically we all made our rounds getting to know eachother, grabbing a seat wherever there was one free. After we had all had our fill of the local fare, we crowded on the bus and on to the banks of the Donau River, where an exchange student party (for students from throughout the entire city) had been planned on the ‘Badeschiff’, a ship docked on the Donau that has been converted into a bar.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
February 24th
6:00 P.M.
On Monday, a group of exchange students met up on Mariahilferstrasse (where else!) to do some ‘Faschings’/Carnival costume shopping. A group of us will be hitting up the “Ride Club” for a special Faschings party – woo, my first Viennesse club : )! (“Fat Tuesday” marks the end of Carnival.) None of us are going ‘all out’ with our costumes, but I did buy a Captain/Sailor’s hat to wear. I had completely forgotten that I would be arriving here right in the middle of Carnival, and it’s too bad I won’t have the opportunity to attend some of the traditional “Faschings balls” as I did when I was in Germany.
This morning I made my first solo-trip to my University, which involves taking the subway and then a bus, for a total travel time of approximately 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the University, I realized I actually had absolutely NO idea how to get BACK to my house, but a quick call to my “Buddy” assured me that I can take the very same bus back to the subway station ; ). I went to the University for the purpose of signing up for the ‘Welcome Heuriger’ for incoming exchange students this Friday. We will go to a wine tavern to sample traditional Austrian wine and food.
The rest of my afternoon remained empty, (and my roommate was in class), and so I decided to take the opportunity to do some exploring on my own. “When in Vienna”..why not..”do as the Viennesse do”?
I headed for Karlsplatz, in the inner city, where my guide book promised there was much to be seen. The subway station was an absolute madhouse! I battled my way through the crowds (apparently it’s a hot spot for people to stand around drinking), and up to the “Ringstrasse”. The Ringstrasse (Ring Road) was built beginning in 1857 as a replacement to the city walls of 13th century Vienna, by order of (who else?) Emperor Franz Josef I. Many important buildings lie upon the Ringstrasse, including the very first building to be opened on the new Ringstrasse project, the Staatsoper, or State Opera House (1869).
I signed up for a guided (English) tour, which took us throughout the main entrance, into the intermission rooms, into Franz Josef’s personal tea room, into the main auditorium, and even backstage! The Opera House is one of the busiest in the world, and ballet and opera performances take place seven days a week, ten months of the year. Apparently a different opera is performed each day of the week, over a certain time interval (for example, over a few weeks), so a large technical staff of about 400 people is required for the extensive scene changes that must be performed nightly.
The opera house holds approximately 2000 people for a given performance, and it turns out attending an opera may fit in my budget afterall! Standing-area tickets begin at 3 Euros a piece, and from there ticket prices go upwards to approximately 200 Euros.
The opera house is also home to the annual Vienna Opera Ball, which is held on the last Thursday of Fasching – last Thursday, in fact! The auditorium is turned into a large ball room, and attracts many prominent names in business and politics, dressed in their formal best. One of this year’s most famous guests was Nicolette Sheridan (Desperate Housewives). She came as the guest of Richard Lugner, an Austrian businessman who often brings famous celebrity guests (others have included Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton). Apparently anyone can technically attend, as long as they are willing to put forth the money for the ticket!
Upon exiting the Opera House (through the gift shop of course!), my eyes fixated on the Vienna landmark I had probably been most looking forward to seeing – the Sacher Hotel! I’m not quite sure where my fascination with this hotel, and the famous Sacher torte (cake) served within it’s Café began..but I had long since decided I must partake in this delicious Viennesse tradition. U
nfortunately eating Sacher torte all alone wouldn’t have quite suited my expectations, so I merely snapped some pictures, and made the resolution to return to the Café again some day soon with some friends!
Without really taking out my map, I had hoped I might just ‘stumble’ across the domed Karlskirche, but instead found myself in the middle of the shopping district. After poking around in some way-out-of-my-budget but oh-so-lovely shops, I decided to hit-up Starbucks for a warm-up coffee, and to continue walking along the Ringstrasse, in search of more impressive buildings. Just up the street was the Hofburg, or the Imperial Palace. I strolled through the gardens, dreaming of how lovely everything will be in Spring.
Continued February 25th6:00 P.M.
6:00 P.M.
On Monday, a group of exchange students met up on Mariahilferstrasse (where else!) to do some ‘Faschings’/Carnival costume shopping. A group of us will be hitting up the “Ride Club” for a special Faschings party – woo, my first Viennesse club : )! (“Fat Tuesday” marks the end of Carnival.) None of us are going ‘all out’ with our costumes, but I did buy a Captain/Sailor’s hat to wear. I had completely forgotten that I would be arriving here right in the middle of Carnival, and it’s too bad I won’t have the opportunity to attend some of the traditional “Faschings balls” as I did when I was in Germany.
This morning I made my first solo-trip to my University, which involves taking the subway and then a bus, for a total travel time of approximately 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the University, I realized I actually had absolutely NO idea how to get BACK to my house, but a quick call to my “Buddy” assured me that I can take the very same bus back to the subway station ; ). I went to the University for the purpose of signing up for the ‘Welcome Heuriger’ for incoming exchange students this Friday. We will go to a wine tavern to sample traditional Austrian wine and food.
The rest of my afternoon remained empty, (and my roommate was in class), and so I decided to take the opportunity to do some exploring on my own. “When in Vienna”..why not..”do as the Viennesse do”?
I headed for Karlsplatz, in the inner city, where my guide book promised there was much to be seen. The subway station was an absolute madhouse! I battled my way through the crowds (apparently it’s a hot spot for people to stand around drinking), and up to the “Ringstrasse”. The Ringstrasse (Ring Road) was built beginning in 1857 as a replacement to the city walls of 13th century Vienna, by order of (who else?) Emperor Franz Josef I. Many important buildings lie upon the Ringstrasse, including the very first building to be opened on the new Ringstrasse project, the Staatsoper, or State Opera House (1869).
I signed up for a guided (English) tour, which took us throughout the main entrance, into the intermission rooms, into Franz Josef’s personal tea room, into the main auditorium, and even backstage! The Opera House is one of the busiest in the world, and ballet and opera performances take place seven days a week, ten months of the year. Apparently a different opera is performed each day of the week, over a certain time interval (for example, over a few weeks), so a large technical staff of about 400 people is required for the extensive scene changes that must be performed nightly.
The opera house holds approximately 2000 people for a given performance, and it turns out attending an opera may fit in my budget afterall! Standing-area tickets begin at 3 Euros a piece, and from there ticket prices go upwards to approximately 200 Euros.
The opera house is also home to the annual Vienna Opera Ball, which is held on the last Thursday of Fasching – last Thursday, in fact! The auditorium is turned into a large ball room, and attracts many prominent names in business and politics, dressed in their formal best. One of this year’s most famous guests was Nicolette Sheridan (Desperate Housewives). She came as the guest of Richard Lugner, an Austrian businessman who often brings famous celebrity guests (others have included Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton). Apparently anyone can technically attend, as long as they are willing to put forth the money for the ticket!
Upon exiting the Opera House (through the gift shop of course!), my eyes fixated on the Vienna landmark I had probably been most looking forward to seeing – the Sacher Hotel! I’m not quite sure where my fascination with this hotel, and the famous Sacher torte (cake) served within it’s Café began..but I had long since decided I must partake in this delicious Viennesse tradition. U
nfortunately eating Sacher torte all alone wouldn’t have quite suited my expectations, so I merely snapped some pictures, and made the resolution to return to the Café again some day soon with some friends!Without really taking out my map, I had hoped I might just ‘stumble’ across the domed Karlskirche, but instead found myself in the middle of the shopping district. After poking around in some way-out-of-my-budget but oh-so-lovely shops, I decided to hit-up Starbucks for a warm-up coffee, and to continue walking along the Ringstrasse, in search of more impressive buildings. Just up the street was the Hofburg, or the Imperial Palace. I strolled through the gardens, dreaming of how lovely everything will be in Spring.
Continued February 25th6:00 P.M.
Back at my residence, it was time to get ready for the evening’s Faschings party. Unfortunately my roommate was feeling under-the-weather, but instead arranged for another friend from our residence (Romain from France) to take me to the club with him, where we would meet the rest of the exchange students. Of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity of being able to drink legally in public, so I took along a can of my very first Austrian beer, Ottakringer (made in Vienna), for the subway ride. We got to the club around 8:30, very early by both Canadian and European standards, but already the club was packed with costume-clad students looking for some cheap drinks. The club had a good atmosphere, although I’m not the biggest fan of the ‘house’ and electronic music, which is so widely played over here. The ‘Finnish’ girl Henni and I continually went to the DJ to request some of our favourite Hip Hop hits, but the result was usually some crazy electronic re-mix. One unfortunate aspect of bars in Austria is that people are allowed to smoke inside. Not only does this mean you have to watch-out for lit cigarettes as people drunkenly flail their arms through the air, but you also leave the bar with your clothes and hair smelling like an ashtray. Yuck!
This morning I had to go to the University again, to collect the rest of my registration papers. This means I can finally open an Austrian bank account, and pay the rent at my residence! It’ll also save on some ATM withdrawal fees, when I can simply transfer funds between my Canadian and Austrian accounts using online banking.
In the afternoon, I headed back to the Hofburg, the ‘Imperial Palace’. The Hofburg was the residence of the ‘Habsburg Dynasty’ for over 600 years, with each new emperor contributing successive additions over time. Today, the Hofburg remains as the political centre of Vienna, and houses the offices of the President of the Austrian Republic. When buying my ticket, I was informed that the ‘Sisi Museum’ would be undergoing renovations (as of two days ago!), but if I kept my ticket I could return to t
he museum when it re-opens in April. Nevertheless, the rest of the exhibits, the Silver Chamber and the Imperial Apartments, remained open. An audio guide directed me through the Silver Chamber, a collection of the court’s ceremonial, dining and table decoration. After I had completed the exhibition, a quick look at the time showed that a guided tour through the Imperial Apartments would begin in just a few minutes, so I paid an extra couple of Euros and headed up the majestic Emperor Staircase into the Imperial Apartments. Turns out the extra couple of Euros was worth it – I was the only person signed up for a
n English-speaking tour, which gave me my own personal tour guide! Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures inside, but the personal stories of Franz Josef I and Elisabeth were very riveting, and I felt a bit like a princess (or ‘empress’) as well as I walked through the magnificent rooms. After completing the tour, I headed up the road to Stephansplatz, home of the ‘Stephansdom’, the well-known Gothic cathedral at the very centre of the city. This so happened to be the 
first church I’ve entered since arriving in Vienna, and boy did I pick a good one! The first stone for the church was laid in 1137, although the majority was built in the 14th century. It would definitely be an experience to attend mass there some day : )!
he museum when it re-opens in April. Nevertheless, the rest of the exhibits, the Silver Chamber and the Imperial Apartments, remained open. An audio guide directed me through the Silver Chamber, a collection of the court’s ceremonial, dining and table decoration. After I had completed the exhibition, a quick look at the time showed that a guided tour through the Imperial Apartments would begin in just a few minutes, so I paid an extra couple of Euros and headed up the majestic Emperor Staircase into the Imperial Apartments. Turns out the extra couple of Euros was worth it – I was the only person signed up for a
n English-speaking tour, which gave me my own personal tour guide! Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures inside, but the personal stories of Franz Josef I and Elisabeth were very riveting, and I felt a bit like a princess (or ‘empress’) as well as I walked through the magnificent rooms. After completing the tour, I headed up the road to Stephansplatz, home of the ‘Stephansdom’, the well-known Gothic cathedral at the very centre of the city. This so happened to be the 
first church I’ve entered since arriving in Vienna, and boy did I pick a good one! The first stone for the church was laid in 1137, although the majority was built in the 14th century. It would definitely be an experience to attend mass there some day : )! *A majority (if not all) churches in Europe do not have a central (or any type of) heating system. This means that the churches are absolutely freezing in winter, although refreshingly cool in summer. Bundle up!
Orientation for incoming exchange students will take place all day tomorrow and Friday, and I am looking forward to meeting the other exchange students, as well as touring the campus and other parts of Vienna. I’m really glad to have had this past week to settle in a little, learning how to get around the city (5 different subway lines!), and also re-acquainting myself with the German language and European culture. I can’t wait to update you on the Orientation, and on the upcoming, which is sure to offer more adventures!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
3:00 P.M. (Vienna time)
On Friday, my roommate and I decided to venture into the city to get some things to “spruce up” our apartment. Unfortunately true “Dollar Stores” don’t seem to exist over here, but we did find some shops that had fairly inexpensive odds and ends. We wanted to buy some fake flowers for the kitchen table, and we found an inexpensive wine carafe to substitute for a vase :). I also bought a Marilyn Monroe poster and some picture frames for my room. (More pictures will be posted on Facebook, or I can send some via e-mail!)
On Friday, my roommate and I decided to venture into the city to get some things to “spruce up” our apartment. Unfortunately true “Dollar Stores” don’t seem to exist over here, but we did find some shops that had fairly inexpensive odds and ends. We wanted to buy some fake flowers for the kitchen table, and we found an inexpensive wine carafe to substitute for a vase :). I also bought a Marilyn Monroe poster and some picture frames for my room. (More pictures will be posted on Facebook, or I can send some via e-mail!)
The street we were shopping on, “Mariahilfestrasse”, is one of the main shopping streets in Vienna, so finally I had the opportunity to re-visit all the European stores I love and have missed: H&M, Zara, Mango, etc. So far I’ve only been window-shopping, although I did end up buying “Twilight” in German when we stopped into a book shop for a little coffee break. (- I’ve read the entire series in English, but I thought I would re-read the first book in German for some practice!)
On Saturday, Stephanie had to catch up on laundry and some school work (some of her classes have already started!), so I took the opportunity to do some exploring on my own, setting off with my camera, and a small map of the Vienna transit system. My first stop was the Rathaus or City Hall. They’ve set up a small winter village in front of the Rathaus for
the winter months, complete with outdoor ice skating rinks, and other small food stands and shops. The atmosphere and the smell in the air reminded me a bit of ‘Winterlude’ in Canada. The name of the small festival is “Wiener Eistraum” or Vienna Ice Dreams, and it’s described as the “winter fairytale in the middle of the city”. It seemed to be pretty busy, although from what I’ve heard from other exchange students, it costs about 11 Euro per person to go skating.
On Saturday, Stephanie had to catch up on laundry and some school work (some of her classes have already started!), so I took the opportunity to do some exploring on my own, setting off with my camera, and a small map of the Vienna transit system. My first stop was the Rathaus or City Hall. They’ve set up a small winter village in front of the Rathaus for
the winter months, complete with outdoor ice skating rinks, and other small food stands and shops. The atmosphere and the smell in the air reminded me a bit of ‘Winterlude’ in Canada. The name of the small festival is “Wiener Eistraum” or Vienna Ice Dreams, and it’s described as the “winter fairytale in the middle of the city”. It seemed to be pretty busy, although from what I’ve heard from other exchange students, it costs about 11 Euro per person to go skating.I continued strolling through the streets around the Rathaus, completely oblivious to the time and without any pressing appointments. Despite the frigid cold, I couldn’t bring myself to head back to the subway station and back home because each new corner brought with it another amazing view or building. From nearby the Rathaus, you can get some pretty amazing views of the Votivkirche (Votive church) and it’s twin spires. The neo-gothic church was to be built as a “thank-you present to God” after the failed assassination of Emperor Franz Josef in 1853. 
*Some Useless Information*: Franz Josef was (unhappily) married to my very favourite European princess, Princess Elisabeth “Sissi” of Bavaria. Apparently there is a Sissi Museum here in Vienna, which I absolutely MUST visit!
I headed back to the subway station, and once again in the direction of Mariahilferstrasse, figuring I could do some more exploring around there. I got off the subway in the “Museums Quartier”, home to (obviously) a large number of museums. Across from the main museum complex, there were two more surrounded buildings surrounded by a large park, and so I began snapping away with my camera, despite having no idea what these buildings were. It was at this point that I decided I must buy a book about Vienna, so I could read the history behind some of these amazing things I was seeing, instead of simply absent-mindedly taking pictures of them! (As it turns out, these two buildings were also museums, the Natural History museum and the Art History museum, and they are “exact Italian neo-Renaissance twins” of one another.)
As I continued on my walk (most likely with my mouth wide-open in awe of my surroundings), I passed by a girl who then stopped, turned around and asked “Are you from Canada? From Guelph?” WHATTT! It turned out to be a girl named Margherita, an Austrian who was on exchange in Guelph last year, and who I had met (just once!) and exchanged e-mails with at my exchange orientation in April. She was born and raised in Vienna, but actually lives in Munich now, and was only home for the weekend to visit some relatives. She had seen my Facebook status was “in Vienna”, so made the connection and said hi! What are the chances! She had to get going, but I told her to be sure to message me next time she was back in Vienna.
Last night there was an “Apres Ski” party planned in the basement of our residence. The exchange students from my roomie’s University planned a little pre-get-together in one of the exchange student’s rooms, so I got a chance to meet a bunch more of her new friends! They were mostly Europeans (France, Belgium, Netherlands, etc.), but there was also a girl from Israel. Apparently they also have two more Canadian girls in their program, but unfortunately they don’t branch out and make it to many of the get-togethers. The party in the basement didn’t have a very good turn-out, so we ended up just spending the ni
ght hanging out in the residence room!
As for today, I think the jet lag/time change has finally caught up to me! Thank goodness it’s Sunday (and in Europe, this means nothing is really open anyways), so I will probably just relax and read Twilight. I am also hoping for a “Skype” phone call with back home, since thus far I have only left a message to say I arrived safely.
Thinking of you all, and I hope to write a more exciting update soon!
*Some Useless Information*: Franz Josef was (unhappily) married to my very favourite European princess, Princess Elisabeth “Sissi” of Bavaria. Apparently there is a Sissi Museum here in Vienna, which I absolutely MUST visit!
I headed back to the subway station, and once again in the direction of Mariahilferstrasse, figuring I could do some more exploring around there. I got off the subway in the “Museums Quartier”, home to (obviously) a large number of museums. Across from the main museum complex, there were two more surrounded buildings surrounded by a large park, and so I began snapping away with my camera, despite having no idea what these buildings were. It was at this point that I decided I must buy a book about Vienna, so I could read the history behind some of these amazing things I was seeing, instead of simply absent-mindedly taking pictures of them! (As it turns out, these two buildings were also museums, the Natural History museum and the Art History museum, and they are “exact Italian neo-Renaissance twins” of one another.)
As I continued on my walk (most likely with my mouth wide-open in awe of my surroundings), I passed by a girl who then stopped, turned around and asked “Are you from Canada? From Guelph?” WHATTT! It turned out to be a girl named Margherita, an Austrian who was on exchange in Guelph last year, and who I had met (just once!) and exchanged e-mails with at my exchange orientation in April. She was born and raised in Vienna, but actually lives in Munich now, and was only home for the weekend to visit some relatives. She had seen my Facebook status was “in Vienna”, so made the connection and said hi! What are the chances! She had to get going, but I told her to be sure to message me next time she was back in Vienna.
Last night there was an “Apres Ski” party planned in the basement of our residence. The exchange students from my roomie’s University planned a little pre-get-together in one of the exchange student’s rooms, so I got a chance to meet a bunch more of her new friends! They were mostly Europeans (France, Belgium, Netherlands, etc.), but there was also a girl from Israel. Apparently they also have two more Canadian girls in their program, but unfortunately they don’t branch out and make it to many of the get-togethers. The party in the basement didn’t have a very good turn-out, so we ended up just spending the ni
ght hanging out in the residence room!As for today, I think the jet lag/time change has finally caught up to me! Thank goodness it’s Sunday (and in Europe, this means nothing is really open anyways), so I will probably just relax and read Twilight. I am also hoping for a “Skype” phone call with back home, since thus far I have only left a message to say I arrived safely.
Thinking of you all, and I hope to write a more exciting update soon!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?
5:15 P.M. (Vienna time)
I made it!!!
I think I spoke too soon about how smooth the first leg of my journey was -- the flight from London to Vienna was delayed about an hour. Nevertheless, Michele, Kellen and a homemade Austrian "Willkommen Alycia" flag awaited me at the airport.
First we went to my new home at "Molkereistrasse". I am living in one of the off-campus residence-type buildings, which is typically where students, and especially exchange students, studying in Vienna live. From what I've heard so far, it's actually one of the nicer "Studentenheim's". I just found out today that it's a "Passive" house, which basically means it was designed to be very energy efficient. Interestingly enough, despite claiming to be so "energy efficient" and therefore "green", they don't recycle here! I'm sure anyone who has been to Europe would be pretty shocked by this.
My "flat" is on the fifth floor. I share a kitchen and bathroom with a roommate, but I have my own bedroom (with it's own key). I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the place, as well as the abundance of storage space. The flat is also pretty much fully accessorized with cooking utensils, bed sheets, and even my own TV with cable! I've only just started to unpack today, and I am hoping to go shopping for some posters and decorations within the next couple of days.
After dropping off my bags in my room, Michele and Kellen took me to the shopping district so I could pick up a few things (towels, blowdryer, alarm clock, etc.) Go figure the first place I go to in Vienna is the shopping district ;)! The public transportation system (subways, trams/streetcars and buses) seems to be absolutely flawless, and I don't think we ever waited more than 3 or 4 minutes for the next one to come. (That being said, it's also rather complicated, and I'm sure I'll be getting lost quite a bit over the next few weeks.) Despite such an intricate transportation system, I still feel like I've never done soo much walking, and I'll definitely have to invest in some warm winter gear to get me through these next couple months. (Who'd have thought a CANADIAN girl would be saying this, ehh?)
I don't think I fully comprehended how big, beautiful and bustling of a city I was moving to, and it finally hit me as we marched through the cold (!), winding streets that I am living in an international city, and in the capital of all of Austria. (I should look up the population, I really have no idea! Although I did find out that Vienna is not only a city, but also it's own province/state.) It turns out that Austrian students are still on in-between semester holidays until the beginning of March, so it looks like I'll have lots of time for navigating around and exploring before classes kick-off.
My first night was (to be completely honest) pretty emotional. My roommate had not yet arrived, I was without internet, and it turns out my phone can only receive incoming calls (unless you have a phone card), so I definitely felt pretty lonesome. In Germany I was lucky enough to always have my host families around, so I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced that type of homesickness. I went to bed around 10 P.M. and should've been absolutely exhausted considering I only slept a couple of hours on the plane, but I woke up (without an alarm!) at 8:30 this morning, ready to go with Michele to do all of the "administrative" requirements for my exchange (getting my student card and library sticker, getting my student public transportation pass, buying a cell phone, registering with the city of Vienna).
*Funny story*: When I was registering myself in the city, the ladies that worked in the office had half-naked posters of various men (David Beckham, etc.) posted around their desks. I thought this was fairly hilarious considering this was a government-type building.
Today I also finally met my room mate. Her name is Stephanie, and she is an exchange student from (the German-speaking part of) Switzerland. Turns out we are the same age, and so far we’ve hit it off really well. She is a student at the Marketing & Economics school. (There are several Universities in Vienna, the biggest one of course being the University of Vienna.) She has already been here for two weeks, and is part of Erasmus (a European Union student network of exchange students), so she has already met a lot of other exchange students, including some living in our building. I’m hoping to meet all of them soon as well!
I conquered the grocery store for the first time today, which was quite an experience, as I just ate whatever my host families bought/made while I lived in Germany. I bought some of the items/brands which I knew from Germany or Canada, and thank goodness I understand German, so I could read the labels on the other things I was buying. I’m hoping that my roommate likes to cook as well, and maybe I’ll be able to learn some traditional Swiss dishes!
I’m off to a “card night” with a few of the exchange students..
More to come soon!
-Alycia
I made it!!!
I think I spoke too soon about how smooth the first leg of my journey was -- the flight from London to Vienna was delayed about an hour. Nevertheless, Michele, Kellen and a homemade Austrian "Willkommen Alycia" flag awaited me at the airport.
First we went to my new home at "Molkereistrasse". I am living in one of the off-campus residence-type buildings, which is typically where students, and especially exchange students, studying in Vienna live. From what I've heard so far, it's actually one of the nicer "Studentenheim's". I just found out today that it's a "Passive" house, which basically means it was designed to be very energy efficient. Interestingly enough, despite claiming to be so "energy efficient" and therefore "green", they don't recycle here! I'm sure anyone who has been to Europe would be pretty shocked by this.
My "flat" is on the fifth floor. I share a kitchen and bathroom with a roommate, but I have my own bedroom (with it's own key). I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the place, as well as the abundance of storage space. The flat is also pretty much fully accessorized with cooking utensils, bed sheets, and even my own TV with cable! I've only just started to unpack today, and I am hoping to go shopping for some posters and decorations within the next couple of days.
After dropping off my bags in my room, Michele and Kellen took me to the shopping district so I could pick up a few things (towels, blowdryer, alarm clock, etc.) Go figure the first place I go to in Vienna is the shopping district ;)! The public transportation system (subways, trams/streetcars and buses) seems to be absolutely flawless, and I don't think we ever waited more than 3 or 4 minutes for the next one to come. (That being said, it's also rather complicated, and I'm sure I'll be getting lost quite a bit over the next few weeks.) Despite such an intricate transportation system, I still feel like I've never done soo much walking, and I'll definitely have to invest in some warm winter gear to get me through these next couple months. (Who'd have thought a CANADIAN girl would be saying this, ehh?)
I don't think I fully comprehended how big, beautiful and bustling of a city I was moving to, and it finally hit me as we marched through the cold (!), winding streets that I am living in an international city, and in the capital of all of Austria. (I should look up the population, I really have no idea! Although I did find out that Vienna is not only a city, but also it's own province/state.) It turns out that Austrian students are still on in-between semester holidays until the beginning of March, so it looks like I'll have lots of time for navigating around and exploring before classes kick-off.
My first night was (to be completely honest) pretty emotional. My roommate had not yet arrived, I was without internet, and it turns out my phone can only receive incoming calls (unless you have a phone card), so I definitely felt pretty lonesome. In Germany I was lucky enough to always have my host families around, so I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced that type of homesickness. I went to bed around 10 P.M. and should've been absolutely exhausted considering I only slept a couple of hours on the plane, but I woke up (without an alarm!) at 8:30 this morning, ready to go with Michele to do all of the "administrative" requirements for my exchange (getting my student card and library sticker, getting my student public transportation pass, buying a cell phone, registering with the city of Vienna).
*Funny story*: When I was registering myself in the city, the ladies that worked in the office had half-naked posters of various men (David Beckham, etc.) posted around their desks. I thought this was fairly hilarious considering this was a government-type building.
Today I also finally met my room mate. Her name is Stephanie, and she is an exchange student from (the German-speaking part of) Switzerland. Turns out we are the same age, and so far we’ve hit it off really well. She is a student at the Marketing & Economics school. (There are several Universities in Vienna, the biggest one of course being the University of Vienna.) She has already been here for two weeks, and is part of Erasmus (a European Union student network of exchange students), so she has already met a lot of other exchange students, including some living in our building. I’m hoping to meet all of them soon as well!
I conquered the grocery store for the first time today, which was quite an experience, as I just ate whatever my host families bought/made while I lived in Germany. I bought some of the items/brands which I knew from Germany or Canada, and thank goodness I understand German, so I could read the labels on the other things I was buying. I’m hoping that my roommate likes to cook as well, and maybe I’ll be able to learn some traditional Swiss dishes!
I’m off to a “card night” with a few of the exchange students..
More to come soon!
-Alycia
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
On my way..
February 17th, 2009
3:30 PM
From Toronto Pearson International Airport
So here it is, my very first blog! It was mere moments ago that I said good-bye to my Mom and Craig at the Toronto Pearson Airport gate. Some tears were shed, but to be completely honest, I think I got most of them cried out over the past week or so. By this point I am ready to get this adventure started!
For those of you who don’t speak German, the title of my blog “Aus den Augen, Voll im Sinn” translates (more or less) as “Out of sight, but still in my thoughts”. This is actually the title of a (German) book I read during my year abroad in Germany; the book was about two teenagers who had been dating since Kindergarten, and who’s parents decided to ship the two of them off to the USA for an exchange year (to opposite sides of the country, of course), pretty much in an effort to test their love while also allowing them the opportunity to broaden their horizons. I thought the title was appropriate to my semester abroad, and the relationships I have with the people back home, who will be thought of often despite the many miles between us.
I have three hours here at the airport before my flight departs at 6:30 P.M. this evening. One of the first things I did after making it through security was withdrawing some Euros. I am hoping that the airport exchange rate is more expensive than the rate at the bank, because I paid nearly $200 Canadian for 100 Euro – kind of puts a damper on the major shopping trip I had planned soon after touching down in Vienna ;)! In the meantime I have been meandering through some of the shops, and I bought some reading material just in case (*knock on wood*), I find myself unable to sleep on the flight. History has taught me that I don’t sleep well on airplanes, so this time I came prepared with some trusty Gravol which will hopefully knock me out. I think I’ll be needing at least somewhat of a cat nap -- I will be arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport at 6:30 A.M. (London time), after which I have a four hour layover. I will be arriving in Vienna at approximately 2 P.M. (Vienna), which sums up to be a 14-hour day of traveling. Oi!
Meeting me at the airport in Vienna is Michéle Beck, my “buddy” that my host University has set me up with (BOKU – University of Natural Resources & Science). It seems she has been a “buddy” for many past exchange students, and has been really helpful in helping me prepare for my arrival in Vienna. She has also decided to bring Kenden, an exchange student from the USA, with her to pick me up at the airport. I had initially planned on taking a cab to my residence after my arrival in Vienna, so it’ll be nice to have some friendly (if not familiar) faces meeting me at the gate.
February 18th
8:30 A.M. (London time)
From Heathrow Airport: London, UK
Almost there! The flight from Toronto to Heathrow Airport in London, England was really smooth; we departed right on time and actually arrived a little bit early. Apparently the Gravol didn’t work, I barely slept a wink! (I guess it was a “Life” brand Gravol, and didn’t really specify whether it was the drowsy kind or not.) Thank goodness the plan had individual TV’s on the back of each seat, so I ended up watching “Highschool Musical 3” :). I lucked out and ended up with a window seat, and the flight was actually not too full, which left the seat between me and the aisle guy free, and therefore plenty of room to stretch out.
I’d like to think of myself as a fairly experienced traveler, but I have to admit that the Heathrow airport is slightly overwhelming. I arrived in, and will depart from the same terminal, but nevertheless, I had to take an uncountable number of escalators just to make it to the gate area. Right now I am sitting in the waiting lounge, waiting for my actual gate number to be displayed on the board (-it doesn’t look like they post them much more than an hour before departure, so hopefully I won’t have to go too too far). With all this waiting around, I decided to ‘splurge’ and pay 2.99 British Pounds to do a little Facebook creeping. I actually don’t know if that is a ‘splurge’ or not, as I still haven’t quite figured out what the Canadian dollar to British Pound exchange rate is. For all I know, the Starbucks coffee I just bought could have been $5, but I’m content just not knowing and enjoying this much-needed coffee J.
I’ve decided I’d really like to make it back to England at some point while I’m over here. I have to admit I just love British accents (especially the kids!), and could probably sit and people-watch in this airport all day.
Anywoo, with my internet time running out, I’d better sign off.
I miss you all already, and can’t wait to share more memories and pictures with you as the semester progresses!
Cheerio :)
Alycia
3:30 PM
From Toronto Pearson International Airport
So here it is, my very first blog! It was mere moments ago that I said good-bye to my Mom and Craig at the Toronto Pearson Airport gate. Some tears were shed, but to be completely honest, I think I got most of them cried out over the past week or so. By this point I am ready to get this adventure started!
For those of you who don’t speak German, the title of my blog “Aus den Augen, Voll im Sinn” translates (more or less) as “Out of sight, but still in my thoughts”. This is actually the title of a (German) book I read during my year abroad in Germany; the book was about two teenagers who had been dating since Kindergarten, and who’s parents decided to ship the two of them off to the USA for an exchange year (to opposite sides of the country, of course), pretty much in an effort to test their love while also allowing them the opportunity to broaden their horizons. I thought the title was appropriate to my semester abroad, and the relationships I have with the people back home, who will be thought of often despite the many miles between us.
I have three hours here at the airport before my flight departs at 6:30 P.M. this evening. One of the first things I did after making it through security was withdrawing some Euros. I am hoping that the airport exchange rate is more expensive than the rate at the bank, because I paid nearly $200 Canadian for 100 Euro – kind of puts a damper on the major shopping trip I had planned soon after touching down in Vienna ;)! In the meantime I have been meandering through some of the shops, and I bought some reading material just in case (*knock on wood*), I find myself unable to sleep on the flight. History has taught me that I don’t sleep well on airplanes, so this time I came prepared with some trusty Gravol which will hopefully knock me out. I think I’ll be needing at least somewhat of a cat nap -- I will be arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport at 6:30 A.M. (London time), after which I have a four hour layover. I will be arriving in Vienna at approximately 2 P.M. (Vienna), which sums up to be a 14-hour day of traveling. Oi!
Meeting me at the airport in Vienna is Michéle Beck, my “buddy” that my host University has set me up with (BOKU – University of Natural Resources & Science). It seems she has been a “buddy” for many past exchange students, and has been really helpful in helping me prepare for my arrival in Vienna. She has also decided to bring Kenden, an exchange student from the USA, with her to pick me up at the airport. I had initially planned on taking a cab to my residence after my arrival in Vienna, so it’ll be nice to have some friendly (if not familiar) faces meeting me at the gate.
February 18th
8:30 A.M. (London time)
From Heathrow Airport: London, UK
Almost there! The flight from Toronto to Heathrow Airport in London, England was really smooth; we departed right on time and actually arrived a little bit early. Apparently the Gravol didn’t work, I barely slept a wink! (I guess it was a “Life” brand Gravol, and didn’t really specify whether it was the drowsy kind or not.) Thank goodness the plan had individual TV’s on the back of each seat, so I ended up watching “Highschool Musical 3” :). I lucked out and ended up with a window seat, and the flight was actually not too full, which left the seat between me and the aisle guy free, and therefore plenty of room to stretch out.
I’d like to think of myself as a fairly experienced traveler, but I have to admit that the Heathrow airport is slightly overwhelming. I arrived in, and will depart from the same terminal, but nevertheless, I had to take an uncountable number of escalators just to make it to the gate area. Right now I am sitting in the waiting lounge, waiting for my actual gate number to be displayed on the board (-it doesn’t look like they post them much more than an hour before departure, so hopefully I won’t have to go too too far). With all this waiting around, I decided to ‘splurge’ and pay 2.99 British Pounds to do a little Facebook creeping. I actually don’t know if that is a ‘splurge’ or not, as I still haven’t quite figured out what the Canadian dollar to British Pound exchange rate is. For all I know, the Starbucks coffee I just bought could have been $5, but I’m content just not knowing and enjoying this much-needed coffee J.
I’ve decided I’d really like to make it back to England at some point while I’m over here. I have to admit I just love British accents (especially the kids!), and could probably sit and people-watch in this airport all day.
Anywoo, with my internet time running out, I’d better sign off.
I miss you all already, and can’t wait to share more memories and pictures with you as the semester progresses!
Cheerio :)
Alycia
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