So, the semester started with a 3-week period of "Intensive German" classes and, let me tell you, they were definitely intense. Three hours of German, five days a week, for three weeks...yea. Intense. But, apparently that was like learning an entire semester of German in three weeks. It paid off pretty well. I mean, I went into this program knowing probably 5 words of German and now I can understand a decent amount!
After Intensive, we had a 10-day break during which I went to Greece. Then, we started the regular semester. My class schedule consists of the following:
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment Management
International Organizations: Case Studies
Music Survey: Classical to the 20th Century
Transition to a Market Economy
Elementary German
Now, studying abroad has allowed me to experience a different classroom setting. Not only are the classes themselves pretty different from the ones I take at Puget Sound, but our professors also give us opportunities to participate in excursions to different places throughout Vienna. Not to mention the fact that the Institute pays for all of these excursions.
During intensive, my German class spent one day at the Palmenhaus Café. Here, we had to order our food and drink in German and interact with the Herr Ober only speaking in German. It was fun and the food was delicious!
Our next German assignment was to go to the Naschmarkt and order food for our class picnic (my partner and I had to get falafels) in German!
Since then, we haven't done anymore German class excursions (oh, well there was one to the Naturhistorisches Museum that I missed to go to Budapest) BUT we are planning a visit to my professor's house to eat foooodd! I'm so excited.
My other classes have finally started to have excursions, too. Actually, one of them had one a few weeks ago...or maybe a month ago? Well, it was my Arts Management class and it was about coffee culture in Vienna. We started out at the McCafé right by the Institute. Now, I know you may be thinking "Really? McDonald's? That's where you started an excursion?" Well, first let me tell you why this was cool: I got a free cappuccino...Okay, but really, I kind of understand why my professor decided to start here. Vienna has such a strong coffee culture and it's something that they're proud of. Going into any café in Vienna is a pretty different experience from going into a café in the United States and it's interesting to see how McDonald's was able to successfully enter the coffee market in a competitive way. Also, the McDonald's here are a million times nicer than the ones in the United States. Leather seats? Okay, maybe it's fake leather, but still! It is so much cleaner and everything just seems to be of a higher standard. Anyway, back to the excursion...after McCafé, we headed to the Nespresso store in the first district and met with the manager and talked about their success in the Austrian market. It was pretty interesting and I got to taste some coffee FOR FREE. Yes, this was a very happy day for me. Two free coffees in one day? Yes puhhhlease.
This same class has also been on two other excursions within the past 3 days. Monday morning, we met at the Dorotheum. Two representatives gave us a quick tour and an overview of what the Dorotheum is and how they operate. It was pretty cool to be able to see their amazing collections or art, design, jewelry, etc. and now I know that the auctions are public! I might try to go to one next week, which is there auction week. They have a painting that's estimated to sell at anywhere from €600,000 to €800,000. Yea, insane.
Today, we met at the Albertina and were given a private tour before the museum opened! We learned a lot about the logistics behind running the museum and it's general operations. Who would have known that anyone can hold a private event in one of those beautiful rooms? Birthdays? Weddings? Parties? Yes. It'll just cost you about €2,000 (depending on the size) and then a few more Euro for the catering...no big deal. Then, we were all given the option to go through the entire museum for free! Unfortunately, I had another class excursion to attend, so I couldn't take advantage of that perk. However, I have been to the Albertina before on the Lange Nacht der Museen, so I'm not too upset about not seeing more of it today.
What was this other excursion, you ask? It was with my International Organizations class to the United Nations Regional Headquarters! Vienna is one of four cities in the world that is home to UN Regional Headquarters. The other three are New York, Geneva, and Nairobi. Here, we got a free tour of the UN, including seeing a conference room in which a conference was actually taking place at the time, and learned a lot of interesting information about the UN (most of it had already been covered in my class, but it was still cool!). I think the UN is amazing. I'm so glad I'm in this class, because I feel like I'm learning so much about all these IGOs and NGOs that I literally knew nothing about beforehand. I'm starting to realize how interconnected and complicated everything is in this world and it blows my mind. The history of the UN is so interesting and learning about all these other international organizations (IAEA, UNESCO, WHO, ECOSOC, etc.) is very cool. This class makes me want to know more about what's going on in our world. It makes me want to stay up to date on as many things I possibly can and it has made me truly realize how everchanging the world really is. I mean, of course it is, right? I just never stay up to date on all of it. I feel like it's really easy to get stuck in a bubble when I'm at Puget Sound. It's a tiny little university in the suburbs of Tacoma, WA and I run around like a crazy person so much that I rarely take the time to update myself on international events, let alone domestic ones...Bottom line: the UN is awesome and I'd love to learn more about it. I even looked into volunteering abroad with them recently. Too bad you have to be 25 and a college graduate! UGH. Why can't I just do it now? Or right after I graduate? Why do I have to wait until I'm 25? Lamesauce. Oh well, I guess if I don't have my life figured out by 25 (which I most likely will not), I will definitely apply to be a UN Volunteer.Today, I finished my day with my normal 3-hour long class - Transition to Market Economies - and it was the first time I stepped foot inside the Institute all day, despite having spent my entire morning in "class." Oh, and after class, a few of us went to a Christkindlmarkt in the first district! It was my first one and it was a pretty small one. This weekend, the Schönbrunn one opens and I am SO EXCITED. Next week, my music class is going to the Haydnhaus and I have a few more excurions coming up with my Arts Management class. Yea, I think I'm diggin this whole study abroad experience.
Also, this is what the streets in the first district currently look like:
Be jealous.
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