Austria: One mention of this word at Franciscan University is enough to spark a myriad of responses. There will be those who will tell you about their favorite country, their favorite food, their favorite memory, favorite trip, etc. Now, not everyone goes to Austria and that's OK, but I did and it's been one year since then. So I decided to list a few of the thing I gained after studying abroad for 110 days.
1. Travel experience
My family was never stationary. We have family in Peru, the Philippines, Germany, Canada and many more places that I always forget. The main point is that hopping on a plane and traveling internationally wasn't a foreign concept. However, I don't think that anything could prepare me the chaos of traveling better than just experiencing it. Many of us started out the semester timid and shy about traveling but by the end we became well seasoned. It only took us a few missed trains, one too many times getting on the wrong train and many delayed Italian trains to get us to the point of confidently getting behind the wheel and driving a bunch of friends to Italy. So my advice: You are going to miss a train eventually, but hey, that's half the adventure! Plus, it always makes for a good story in the long run. So don't stress out too much.
2. An appreciation for culture
One thing that separates our study abroad program from everyone else's is that when you study in Austria, you don't stay in Austria for the entire 110 days of the semester. The train system is so well developed compared to that of America, that you can hop on a train and go to whatever country you want (give and take a few stops here and there). This enables you to go to a multitude of countries and see the beauty of the culture each one has to offer.
3. Food
When in another country, eat their food!! The food was absolutely memorable, from the pasta in Italy (go figure) to the pierogis in Poland, every thing was so new to us. But I think what made it even better was the fact that we tried the dishes of the country and really put an effort to see what they had to offer (our stomachs). Also, Milka, it's a type of chocolate that you can find all over Europe and it is absolutely amazing and is the one thing all Franciscan students will miss.
4. Knowledge about drinks
I went to Europe not liking beer at all -- I was solely a wine girl. While in Europe, I discovered their beer is absolutely amazing and delicious. Yes, the wine was good but wow, get a Hofbräu Original from the original Hofbräuhaus in Munich, and I think you'll understand what I mean. Or you could order a Radler or Dunkel from the Kartausenkeller (the restaurant of our campus) and trust me, you won't be disappointed.
5. Adventure
One picture can't sum up all the adventures I had. From my first train ride to Belfast, Ireland, to drinking Guinness at the Store House, to following the footsteps of the saints in Rome, to the inside of a gas chamber in Auschwitz, to seeing the incorrupt bodies of saints in Paris, to eating Subway on a park bench by the Eiffel Tower, to hiking in the Italian Alps ... I think you get my point. Studying abroad gave me so many opportunities to see the world.
6. Learning to balance academics
Studying abroad isn't only about the traveling abroad; there's also the studying part. Now that may have been one of the hardest parts about Austria, trying to learn how to balance all the fun and travel with school. The professors didn't go easy on us — we still had papers and a ton of reading (lesson learned: reading on the train... it never happens). But somehow amidst the chaos of everything you're experiencing, and possibly with the aid of very good coffee, you find a balance.
7. Friendships
Duh ... I left Austria with so many amazing friends. Going on school trips to Salzburg, Vienna, Rome, Poland and Prague and traveling together tends to create bonds of friendship.
8. Time with family
This might not apply to everyone in the same exact way it does for me, but I got the chance to spend quality time with family. My mom "picked me up from school" and then we traveled to visit aunts, uncles and cousins in Vienna and Germany. I got to meet my cousin's daughter, which led to me learning baby talk German and being called "Auntie Jolie" because she can't pronounce Julie.
9. Personal growth
Traveling with different personalities, missing trains and flights, having your credit card eaten by an ATM in Madrid and many other things, really teach you humility, but also self knowledge. It shows you how you react to certain situations and people and then gives you the chance to learn from those instances. Or in my case, learn how to adult and cancel your credit card in Spanish because the ATM ate it.
10. Personal Prayer
Our school is Catholic and I'm Catholic, there's no way to hide it. If you travel to Austria, you will live in an 800-year-old Carthusian monastery renovated into a school and hotel. Having a chapel with perpetual adoration was key to growing in my spiritual life. Being away from all things familiar to me and experiencing so much showed me that I needed to pray a lot more than I was. Why? Because it helped keep me grounded, it helped me process what was happening and what I was experiencing.
11. The experience of a lifetime
This might be connected to adventure, but how many 21-year-old women can say they traveled to 13 different countries and spent over six months in Europe? I get to say that I've done things like jump off a 35-foot cliff into a freezing cold water, drink 100-year-old Irish Whiskey, drive through the Italian countryside, see the bones of St. Peter, go to a ballet and concert in Vienna, climb the Italian and Austrian Alps and visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I had the opportunity to learn and travel in Europe, and that in itself is an experience that I will never forget.
