Vienna Pause

I pressed pause on a seven year long finance career to move abroad for a year and complete my postgrad. It was a bucket list item to live overseas and learn another language, so when I was offered the chance to live in beautiful Vienna and study in an area close to my heart, the decision to pack a suitcase was easy.

I landed in the cold of winter at 6am. My bags had decided they wanted to vacay in Abu Dhabi, the trees were bare, the streets grey and to be honest, I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into.

Austrian efficiency came to my rescue. My landlord was on time, letting me into my apartment and showing me how to work the thermostat (very important when it’s less than 10 degrees outside). The airline delivered my bags straight to my door. I was ready to go.

And go I went, straight on the university ski trip. It’s not the best ski season this year, but when you’re skiing over the Austrian alps to have a pizza lunch in Italy, there is not much to complain about.

University here is a little different to home, but adjusting is easy. Most classes are run entirely as group projects with almost weekly presentations. Instead of just getting up and going at the end of class, you knock on the table to thank the lecturer. And Germglish (German-English) is a thing! “Are you going to do that, or no?”. “You should think through it”.

By far, the best thing about Vienna is the people I’ve met. They are almost too nice! I’m constantly off dancing with my classmates, wine tasting with my German class or meeting up with Australian expats for a meal. As the weather gets nicer, and the grey landscape turns to green, I simply can’t wait to spend summer here drinking in the culture, history, language and friendship.

Karina Harley 11771779