Naomi M, Bachelor of Nutrition Science
University of Wien, Vienna (Semester 1 2017)
The city of Leisure
Sleeping in late, lazy weekends, enjoying a melange (Viennese coffee) and apple strudel in Freud’s favourite coffee house, picnics in the park, sunset drinks by the Donaukanal, summer walks through the vineyards, schnitzel, potato salad and a midnight käsekrainer (Viennese sausage with melted cheese in the middle).
These are all what it means to live in Vienna (Wien). No one else lives leisure like the Viennese. Every step outside surrounds you with century old architecture that makes you feel like the royal family will appear at any moment. The city is obsessed with green too. Every corner has a park and there’s no greater place to sit down and read your favourite book or people watch. No one is afraid to express themselves in public. From fashion to loud conversations; There is never a dull moment.
Student Life in Wien
The atmosphere is welcoming and exciting for students in Vienna. There are always events designed to bring everyone together, so making friends was never hard. Although the class structure was different, it was easy enough to find your way through the many campuses spread across the city, thanks to the great public transport. The main campus felt like an Austrian medieval Hogwarts, which is not surprising as it is the oldest German speaking university in the world. Most students lived in private dorms but I shared a room. My roommate could not speak English, so we communicated mostly with embarrassed laughs, hand gestures and Google Translate.
Highlights
Everywhere you go in Vienna is beautiful. I had the most fun exploring the city with my friends, always an ice cream in hand. One of my favourite past times was catching the tram out of the city to the vineyards and exploring the lusciously green forests that overlooked the city. Other days we would all venture to Prater, a theme park right next to the city, where we would ride old rollercoasters and eat fairy floss on the stick until the sun went down and the park lights lit up and welcomed the night to come. Vienna is located centrally in Europe, so weekend trips to Budapest, Prague, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Serbia were common for my friends and I. Vienna felt so safe and welcoming; it was always so comforting to arrive back from travel to the beautiful city I had made my home.