This past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Vienna with some of my Pitt affiliates. My roommate, Loghan, had been wanting to plan a trip there because of its musical influence throughout history. While I didn’t know much about the city, I still had an amazing time. Our train ride there was definitely a new experience. Loghan and I (and another person from our program) took an overnight train so we could arrive in Vienna early in the morning. I have never ridden on an overnight train, so I was confused to say the least. At first, Loghan and I were in a car with 5 people (which was two people, too many), but then we met our other friend on the train and rode the rest of the way with him. We discovered that the seats folded out and became a bed (which honestly makes so much sense because I had no idea how people could sleep sitting upright for almost 12 hours).
When we arrived, we dropped our bags at the train station and began our journey through the streets of Vienna. On our walk we stumbled upon Resselpark, which has a beautiful church in the center. People who know me well, know that I LOVE old churches. Last summer I studied the architecture and art of Roman churches. There is something about the architecture of a baroque style church that just makes me happy haha. When I entered I was amazed by the golden altar and I loved how this church had been inspired by Roman architecture. The same day, we went to the Leopold Museum of Modern Art; Loghan loved it, and I… didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was very interesting and impressive, however, modern art is just not my thing. My favorite part of the museum was the bottom floor (which was the floor without modern art)! The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city, and of course we had to get authentic Viennese food, a.k.a schnitzel; it was amazing. As the day came to a close it was time for us to go to our airbnb for the night. I had the responsibility of booking this trip and I have to say I did a great job. The place we stayed was not like a normal airbnb because the beds were in pods. Everyone had their own individual pod which they could sleep in or simply close the shade and be alone. After experiencing this type of set up, everyone in our group was saying how they wish they could have one in their home.
The next day was somewhat dreary because it rained, but we still made the best of it. We visited the natural history museum, which of course I loved because nothing was modern, if you catch my drift. My favorite part of the day was when we visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral. As we waited in line to go inside, I was captivated by the gothic structure of the church; it was unlike anything I had seen before. When we entered, my jaw fell to the ground once I saw the towering ceilings above me and the columns of the church were not merely cylindrical; they appeared to flow seamlessly into the structure itself, as if the entire building were a single, living, breathing organism. Not only was I astonished with the church itself, I was also lucky enough to witness a service being performed. There was beautiful music playing, and the altar was lit up beautifully; it was truly an amazing experience.
I can’t talk about this trip to Vienna without talking about cake. If you know anything about Vienna, you know they are famous for their cakes. On our last day, my group went to one of the famous cafes to get cake, and I have to be honest, it was some of the best cake I’ve ever had. I got a cake with strawberries and pistachios while Loghan got Vienna’s famous chocolate cake; our group shared everything that we ordered and it was amazing!! Vienna is a beautiful city and I would love to explore more the next time I’m there (I’ve already decided I’m going back).
These past few weeks at Vireo have been really great. I am really starting to like my position and I’m also learning so much about the energy sector. When thinking about my answer for the blog post prompt this week, I was really struggling. So far, I don’t feel like I’ve had trouble assimilating to German culture. I love the amount of walking and public transportation that is incorporated into my everyday life, and I really like the team I am with at Vireo. The only problem I’ve had assimilating in the culture is in the grocery store, because most of the time, the employees don’t speak English. Despite not having many struggles with assimilation, I think I definitely have internal struggles about my abilities in and outside of work. I feel as though I am constantly doubting myself and my capabilities, whether that be when completing tasks at work or mingling with new people. I always feel like I’m doing something wrong. In order to get out of this funk that I sometimes feel, I recognize that I am my self’s worst critic; no one is doubting me the way I am doubting myself. In the future, I’m going to be more patient with myself and recognize that I won’t always have the right answers. It’s okay to have self-doubt, but it’s even more important to recognize small wins and know your strength.
