Oh, Vienna!

Nearly two years ago I visited a close friend who had moved to Barcelona on the Erasmus Programme. Just a short stay there and I knew the experience was for me; exhilarating; socially multicultural; and independent. The bond between that group of students, from various countries brought them together later when we celebrated the New Year in Paris (albeit with foie gras and frogs legs on the menu!).

Studying architecture, I never considered I would get the chance to ‘go on Erasmus’. However when Paul Cashin and Niall Bird gave a presentation on their Erasmus Exchange in Vienna, Austria, I was determined to seize the opportunity. Initially I strongly considered studying in Trondheim, Norway, but the realisation that I would be skiing far too much to do any work struck me, and I settled on Vienna. Paul and Niall had strongly recommended Vienna, and being immersed in a German speaking country, the theory goes that I would remember everything from GCSE German (some 7 years ago now), and might get nearer to learning a foreign language.

So the location was set, now I had to sort it all out! A plethora of different forms had to be signed; some before I went, some taken to be completed on arrival, others to be completed when I return. Accommodation was extremely easy to sort out, as one company, OeAD control all Student Halls in Austria… you just have to throw a lot of money at them. €700 is the deposit they ask for, which wouldn’t be so annoying if UK banks didn’t extort you to ‘send’ it over there (I think it had its own seat on the aeroplane). It was helpful too that we had some Viennese girls arrive to study in Portsmouth during the first semester, with whom I could talk. Witek Hewanicki and Leanne Todd in the second year of Diploma had also been to Vienna on Erasmus and were great help for giving advice and reassurance.

Spending all day in A&E a couple of days before flying out with the concern of another pneumothorax wasn’t the best of omens, but the Russian doctor told me I’d be okay – ‘more drink and more climbing!’. Upon landing I took the City Airport Train (CAT) into central Vienna (Wien Mitte/Landstraβe), and continued on the Metro to the Rathaus and proceeded on foot to the OeAD Housing office to pick up my keys. For the CAT I tried to be a bit cheeky and bought a reduced ticket (for which you need a student ID), but got caught out by the ticket man and played the innocent tourist (just €1 extra in the end anyway). Admittedly the first day very nearly ended me in bit of a pickle; the Housing Office closes at 1600 and after leaving the Metro, I had only a few minutes to run – dragging heavy suitcases down snow covered roads – to only just make it in (if my parents are reading: I know I shouldn’t be running, but at least I have somewhere to sleep tonight).

Since I didn’t live in student halls during my first year at Portsmouth University, the experience is new to me. My residence is the Gästehaus Molkereistraße, designed as a passive house, in Leopoldstadt - the second district of the city, and is just a short walk from the Messe-Prater metro station. I arrived expecting to meet my new housemates, but disappointingly they must be away. A walk down the hallway however, let me poke my head into a couple of rooms to say hi to some other students. After heading out to get some supplies and eating (Frosties), I contemplated just going to bed after the long day, but thought better and took the metro into central Vienna for a walkabout. I found a great little coffee shop and sat with my guide book planning for tomorrow.

Now to go to sleep in my ridiculously small single bed, with its gigantic German pillow, in a disproportionately large room!

Bis später!