The Vienna Diaries~ The Fun is Done

I'm so sad to be back from Austria. So sad.
It had felt like the whirlwind journey would never come to an end but that's the joy of travel- each day is new, exciting, interesting and most of all a chance to grow.

The first month was spent learning the basics of German. I took an intensive A1.1 course at the university's language center. This is where I met (almost) all the North Americans I knew in Austria and FYI, there are loads of them in the country- who would have guessed! A lovely, lovely Canadian girl who actually moved to London this past September- just 10 minutes down the road from my Dad's place. What a small world right?
The course itself was fairly easy to follow with regards to speaking and reading. The grammar, however, was where most of us struggled. For those of you that don't know German grammar is a b*tch. The course ran for the entire month of February, 3 hours each day and went by faster than I had originally expected. Soon we had passed our examination and were walking away still not being able to speak German :(.
Also in this first month I met three people I became undoubtedly close with throughout my whole stay. Taz, Iyana and Nica. They were the three that shaped my experience in Austria and when Taz and Iyana had left for home, I truly felt like I had lost my family.

The best memories I hold from living abroad range from the tiny special moments to the nights spent wild and free. The cooking adventures with Taz and the Phil dates with Iyana were amongst my favourite. As we all lived in one big extremely nice student building we were there for each other 24 hours a day. You could get home at 6am from a heavy night clubbing and find a group of friendly faces vibing to some music offering not only tunes but pizza! When the major sports matches were on you could be sure to have a beer and fajita party hosted by the accommodations events team to loosen up.

Whilst in Vienna I had planned to do lots and lots of travelling but I'm slightly ashamed to say I just got caught up. I only left Austria once and that was on a random trip to Budapest with my sister, Tara. In fact, thinking about it, part of the reason I didn't leave was because I was nicely surprised with vists from family and friends. I had originally thought no one would come and visit... it turned out I had 6 visits in total!

Looking back, although for the most part I didn't want to leave- towards the end I was happy to say bon voyage. End of June had come, my exams were over, my room was packed up, my winter things sent back to the UK and my backpack and suitcase packed for the next non-stop month of travels. I had spent the last two months of my stay in Austria feeling rather low, mostly because my two very bestest friends there (one who has become my boyfriend) had left and now the summer was in full swing. I ended up spending a lot of my days studying, exploring and going for hikes but it hadn't been the same as having them there.

It now being winter in London, I do think a lot about Vienna. It holds a special place in my heart and although I wouldn't choose to live there again, I would definitely visit- without a second thought! I have unfinished business with Austria and I know they are waiting for me haha!

Peace&Love,
Willow