Back in America

It has been almost two weeks since I left Vienna, and I already miss it. In most ways, it has been shockingly easy to readjust to being back home. Before I left, I had anticipated a dramatic “reverse culture shock,” but it has not been the case. It almost feels like this semester didn’t event happen, but then I hear a song that reminds me of one of my friends from IES Abroad, or my U-Bahn card falls out of my wallet and I am reminded again of the incredible experience I had.

The things I miss about Vienna are mostly what I expected: I miss my daily routine, I miss complaining about the stairs in the IES Abroad building, I even miss hearing German all the time and being proud of myself when I could pick out a few words (it was usually the word for something super easy like “today” or “go”), and I miss being in the city.

I didn’t really expect to love Vienna as a city before I went. I had always heard about how beautiful and culturally rich it was, but I didn’t have a particular passion for it. But now, it certainly has a special place in my heart. I can’t put my finger on what exactly made it so special, though the public transportation system was for sure a plus, but I am pretty sure it is all of the memories I was lucky enough to make there. I had experiences both that I was ready for and that I hadn’t anticipated, I figured out how to get around and not look like a tourist all the time, and I met some of the most amazing people, with whom I shared some of the best times of my life in Vienna.

Even though I know that I will probably be back someday to visit, and I am going to see my friends in here in the USA, something about leaving Vienna felt so final. I will never be back as a student, traveling the cheapest possible way and staying in sometimes creepy hostels. I will never be back for such an extended period of time that I feel like I have a life there. And I will never be back with the same group again.

Although it  is very sad that the experience is over, I feel so lucky that I was able to participate. IES Abroad and Austria played excellent hosts, and I wouldn’t have done my semester abroad any other way.