Hallo from WU Vienna

My name is Renith and it has now officially been a week since I arrived in Vienna after my month long travel around Europe. Hiking around the Lagoa Do Fogo (translates to Lagoon of fire!) in the Portuguese island Sao Miguel, climbing the Eiffel Tower and taking part in the La Tomatina festival in Valencia were just a few of the things I was able to do during this month.

Now I have arrived in Vienna and I am ready to take on the month long orientation program in September prior to the semester start in October. Settling down has been a mixed experience. I was lucky to get uni accommodation about a 5 minute walk from uni with a friendly German roommate. However, I was soon tasked with a bunch of admin tasks including registering my arrival with the city council, getting my student registration and train ticket, figuring out the best places to buy groceries, do laundry etc etc. These tasks can be a bit daunting in an unfamiliar country, and doing so in a predominantly German speaking country where you will likely struggle to understand the city’s signs and its locals can be a jarring experience unless you have a working knowledge of German (unlike me). But the other exchange friends you will make provide relief as they will likely be going through the same experience as you and will also be keen to meet new people and make friends. This brings me to the WU orientation and program the EBN events.

The WU Cultural and Orientation program is useful to get to know the city through guided walking tours as well as organised day trips out of town. We have been taken to bird shows, cathedrals, monasteries and even a chocolate factory where we could eat as much chocolate as we wanted.

In addition to this program, the student community (EBN) also organises their own events and parties (featuring the infamous 50 cent cocktails which can be quite dangerous) so there is always something to do around Vienna.

Now as I await the upcoming winter, I have mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. While I cannot wait for the famed Viennese Christmas markets and skiing on the Austrian Alps, I just hope that I won’t find it too cold and resort to staying wrapped up in my room :O

Exciting times ahead!

Signing off,

Renith Thettayil

9711 7840

Bachelor of Accounting

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU)

Vienna, Austria