One thing I’ve gained while living in Austria is a better of sense of what it means to ‘be an American’ from an international perspective. Before leaving home, I thought that I was well-aware of how other countries viewed America and Americans. Fat, lazy, uneducated and self-focused. I really believed that it was all…
Category: Pitt Exchange
Lessons Learned: 2 months in Vienna
The soft skill that I am developing the most throughout this program is patience. Despite living here for 2 months and feeling well adjusted, I still find that simple, daily tasks take me much longer to complete here logistically than back home. For example, something as simple as grocery shopping, getting medicine, ordering food…
Adapting to Life in Austria
Despite the rest of this blog post, I want to start by pointing out that, overall, assimilating to life in Austria has been less difficult than I expected. Almost everyone here speaks English fluently—thank god—my A1.1 level German hasn’t been getting me very far. The first thing that comes to mind that I’ve had trouble…
Academics in Austria
Hallo blog! Wie gehts? Danke, sehr gut! Und ihr? I just finished my first German class! The A1.1 level within the pre-semester program for exchange students. I can’t believe how much I learned within just 2 weeks. Inspired by my progress, I signed up for a semester long class- level A1.1+, in addition to the tandem…
First Week in Vienna, Austria
Hello! My name is Frances (Franny) Adams and I am a Junior majoring in Finance and Business Analytics and minoring in Economics! This semester I am studying abroad in Vienna at WU or the Vienna University of Economics and Business. I chose to study at WU largely because of its location in Central Europe and…
Looking Forward to More From Vienna!
These past two months have been nothing short of amazing. In only a short amount of time, I feel at home in Vienna and am dreading leaving when all of my classes finish. One of my classes has already ended, but I have my remaining three until the semester ends in June, two of which…
Merci et Au Revoir!
This is my last blog of the semester and one post can’t even begin to sum up everything I’ve learned and gotten to experience. Personally, I’ve learned and implemented four main things/tips that may seem simple, but have completely changed my experience and influenced my growth. Academically and professionally, I’ve learned valuable lessons on how…
To Me, From Two Months Later
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…
A Letter to My Past Self
Dear Pre-Departure Gwen, I understand the stress you’re feeling about going abroad and leaving almost everything you know behind, but trust me, it’ll all work out in the end. It is going to be such a rewarding experience filled with personal growth. As you’ve traveled and connected with people from various backgrounds, you’ve undoubtedly become…
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