I can’t believe it has already been a month since I arrived in Austria! I’ve already adjusted my behaviors and schedule and learned a few tricks to better integrate into Vienna. I’ve already visited a few major landmarks in the city, including castles! There’s still so much I have to see!

Hofburg Palace hosts the Sissi Musuem, dedicated to Empress Elizabeth, and the Royal Apartments, where the Hapsburg family lived during the winter.

Classes have officially begun, of which three have had their first class. By the time this is published, all of my classes will have started. Class schedules are atypical: at most, they only meet weekly. While this means more free time for students, it also requires students to stay on top of work, as each class covers different topics. There’s also a lot more collaboration in class, as all of my classes have at least one group project, despite only two being explicitly group project classes. With all of this free time comes the challenge of juggling schedules, as most students like to have plans during their free days and not rot in bed. Compromising and planning have been useful skills to have and develop.

These group projects are a good way to meet peers from all across the world, as WU is a very international school. In half of my classes, groups are selected by students, while in the other half, the groups have been pre-assigned by professors. When assigning groups, professors tend to make balanced groups that contain a healthy mixture of exchange students from different places and local Viennese students. As my Service Operations Manager professor put it, groups with actual diversity (differing backgrounds, perspectives, and opinions), tend to experience more success.

Schönbrunn Palace, one of the biggest tourist stops in Vienna, is where the Hapsburgs lived during the summer. In addition to the palace, you can also tour the gardens, the zoo, the botanical garden, and other building within the palace’s grounds!

Another soft skill I’ve had to pick up is the train lines and related etiquette. The six lines cover the city in both directions, so it’s easy to find your way back. People of all ages also use the trains, so it’s not uncommon to see a group of school children with their backpacks while in a cart. However, these trains are comparable to buses – there’s seating available, places for people to stand in case the cart is crowded, and mind your own business, especially since Austrians don’t like small talk. Largely, the etiquette is the same as in America – give your seat up for children, the elderly, and pregnant women. You must be in the standing zone if you have a bike/scooter, which can be brought onto trains. Speaking of the standing zone, if you’re standing there (as I often do), you must be aware of the direction people will be entering and leaving, as the stations do not have platforms on the same side.

Belvedre is a castle turned musuem which regularly hosts exhibits dedicated to social issues in Austrian and global history. The grounds are divided into three parts: Upper, Lower, and 21. Most of the main exhibits are in Upper Belverde.

I have one more class to get through until my two-week Spring Break starts, which is when I’ll be using that time to travel throughout Europe – I plan on visiting Innsbruck, Tuscany, Amsterdam, and some nearby castles I haven’t visited yet. I can’t wait to finally travel outside of the city for the first time! Until then!