To my pre-departure self,
Hey me! I know that you’re incredibly busy with work and are exhausted after visiting D.C. and experiencing a bit of cold feet. The classes are a bit weird since you only meet once a week at most, but this gives you so much free time! Take advantage of it! Vienna is such a large and historical city and there’s so much to do – I don’t want you to leave with any regrets.
Any of your fears about sticking out will quickly be dispelled, nobody really cares as long as you’re not being loud. Oh, and you adapt quicker than you think you would. Certain aspects of Austrian culture are a lot closer to American culture than you think. And no, you won’t look goofy carrying a bag of plastic bottles to the recycling bins, it’s more common than you think. Classes just look intimidating – sure, you still have to put work in, but most professors have been very reasonable and relaxed. Trying talking to them to, you’ll meet some interesting people! Just in general, stop overthinking things, you’ll feel much better!
Something positive to look forward to is that you can actually cook! Sure, there’s no oven, and I still have no idea how the stove or microwave works, but there’s a lot of mean frittatas in your future. And some really good chicken fajitas too! Take this time to experiment and improve on your skills, it’s a safe environment and a good way to prepare for next semester when you will have a full kitchen.
Another good thing is that generally, procrastination has been defeated! Keeping a checklist and specific calendar notifications for assignments really helps, so continue to maintain this habit when you return to Pitt. All the free time you have is good for this too – sometimes, in order to not completely waste a day, get some work done, and before you know it, the assignment will be done well before the deadline. This will be harder to maintain when returning to Pitt, but at least try to! I wish I knew this before I arrived!
One last word of advice: don’t make last-minute plans to travel, it gets expensive REAL fast, especially if you go to Florence. Travelling itself is fun, but the planning and looking at your bank statements later isn’t, especially if you do it later. Commit yourself to making more plans sooner, you’ll have more motivation than usual, and the occasional reasonable splurge is always a nice treat, Still go, the food (especially the Florentine steak) is amazing, just be aware and more proactive – no more making long plans a week ahead. Speaking of, you should probability start looking at flights to Amsterdam specifically, nothing in that city is cheap.
Good luck and most importantly, have fun!