Before I came to Vienna I had this idea in my head of what a semester in Europe was going to be like. I thought that I would spend a lot of time traveling and that it would be this magical experience where I learn more about myself and the world. Though I feel like I did travel as much as I could and learned quite a bit about Austria and a little about the rest of the world I don’t think I learned much about myself as a person. We went on three class trips to other places that were fun but I had more fun on the trips I went on that were not part of class. I went to three places while over here that I have always wanted to go but I didn’t like them as much as I thought I would and liked places that I had not ever thought about going more then I would have expected. When we went to Paris, I was really excited to go to Paris for the first time ever but even though I saw the Eiffel tower and other major landmarks and attractions in the city I wasn’t as impressed with it as I thought I would be. I am glad that I went and glad that I saw it. I went to Rome with two other people in class and it was an amazing experience, we walked most of the city and went to every site that was recommended to see. It was a ton of fun and really enjoyable.
Going into a semester abroad though you have to take into account things won’t always run smoothly. I had some really great experiences here and some really bad experiences here. When I was on Spring Break we had so much trouble trying to get to our destination and just as much trouble getting back. If you go to Paris and Spain nobody really speaks English and they are not too keen to help Americans. It was really difficult because when you’re at the train station trying to find some way to get to where you want to go and the person behind the counter is not helping it becomes really frustrating. One time in Spain the guy behind the ticket counter was talking to the people behind us in line instead of us. It was really awful at the time but we managed to get it all worked out and it was a learning experience because we learned that people are not always helpful. I also had some good experiences and saw some amazing cities and basically saw part of seven countries in three months, which is an experience most people can’t claim to have. I went to the Opera, saw the Coliseum, climbed the first level of the Eiffel Tower, stood inside the Sistine Chapel, went to an old Monastery in Spain, took a tour of the Salt Mines in Salzburg, saw a few castles, visited a concentration camp in Dachau, took a bus tour through Copenhagen, and saw a show that was a bit like a ballet but not quite in a country that used to be Communist. I did a lot more then that but those are some of the highlights and when all is said and done I feel like I did and saw a lot.
I feel like this was a trip and experience that though did not run perfectly is something I would not take back if I had the chance. I don’t know if I will ever get the chance to live in Europe for three months again but I know now that I do really enjoy being in Europe and I want to come back someday. On most of the trips we took I thought I’m going to come back here some day when I have more money. There are things I would like to go back and see and new places and activities that I would like to experience and this trip helped me learn what it is that I do want to see in Europe and what it is that I probably will not want to do again. I had a lot of good times in Europe and intend to come back but right now I am ready to go home and see my friends and family, and enjoy my upcoming senior year.
Going into a semester abroad though you have to take into account things won’t always run smoothly. I had some really great experiences here and some really bad experiences here. When I was on Spring Break we had so much trouble trying to get to our destination and just as much trouble getting back. If you go to Paris and Spain nobody really speaks English and they are not too keen to help Americans. It was really difficult because when you’re at the train station trying to find some way to get to where you want to go and the person behind the counter is not helping it becomes really frustrating. One time in Spain the guy behind the ticket counter was talking to the people behind us in line instead of us. It was really awful at the time but we managed to get it all worked out and it was a learning experience because we learned that people are not always helpful. I also had some good experiences and saw some amazing cities and basically saw part of seven countries in three months, which is an experience most people can’t claim to have. I went to the Opera, saw the Coliseum, climbed the first level of the Eiffel Tower, stood inside the Sistine Chapel, went to an old Monastery in Spain, took a tour of the Salt Mines in Salzburg, saw a few castles, visited a concentration camp in Dachau, took a bus tour through Copenhagen, and saw a show that was a bit like a ballet but not quite in a country that used to be Communist. I did a lot more then that but those are some of the highlights and when all is said and done I feel like I did and saw a lot.
I feel like this was a trip and experience that though did not run perfectly is something I would not take back if I had the chance. I don’t know if I will ever get the chance to live in Europe for three months again but I know now that I do really enjoy being in Europe and I want to come back someday. On most of the trips we took I thought I’m going to come back here some day when I have more money. There are things I would like to go back and see and new places and activities that I would like to experience and this trip helped me learn what it is that I do want to see in Europe and what it is that I probably will not want to do again. I had a lot of good times in Europe and intend to come back but right now I am ready to go home and see my friends and family, and enjoy my upcoming senior year.
