Welcome back to another blog entry! Currently, I have been exploring various parts of Austria such as Salzburg and Vienna, and I am now in Maribor, Slovenia. Some friends and I spent our free weekend in Zagreb, Croatia, and I have noticed that through all these cities, there is a lot in common. For example the language barrier still exists depending on where I am and who I am talking to. In Croatia, we picked up a couple of phrases in Croatian so we were able to communicate with some locals. Our German also came in handy in other Austrian cities. Some other challenges we have faced have to do with getting to class or our scheduled tours. When we are in class or have a scheduled tour, we have continuously had to learn to problem solve. There are times we have had class in a classroom, but it was occupied and we had no where to go or we have had a tour and there was some confusion. My group and I had to learn to adjust, communicate with our program leader and assistants, and figure out the next steps.

This program has led to opportunities I never thought I would have. For instance, we are coding our own website as a project in order to showcase our experience to future students. This includes pictures, headers, tabs, texts, and external links. While this is not something I typically do, coding has been a fun way to document my travels and share my experiences. Make sure you stay tuned for my published website!

The skills I have acquired and strengthened over my time in Austria and Slovenia allow me to move forward with my goals, professionally, academically, and personally. For example, the German I have learned through my time in Austria has made me understand the importance of language and communication. Both professionally and personally, this is important because it’s taught me that having clear and precise language can lead to better communication and that learning a few key phrases can go a long way. Along with communication comes patience. This trip has shown that while things may not work out the way we intended, we have to be patient, and communicate effectively in order to problem solve. This translates to any professional, academic, or personal setting. Not everything will work out the way we intended but its important to adapt and figure out the next steps.

While my time in Slovenia and the study abroad trip is coming to an end, I will be posting one last blog post late this week, so stay on the look out!