Illeana's Story
"It was on a golden Viennese evening that I was strolling about Bruno Kreisky Park on my way home to Margaretenstrasse. I reckon it must have been a Friday, for there was an undisturbed sense of peace. In one week along with learning about economics, German, and music, I had become so acquainted with myself that I needed nothing more and no one but my own company under the apricot sky, in that park, in that moment. I sat on the grass, and pulled out my notebook.
Right under my notes about European capital integration I began to write, “Hello, my name is I, and I am glad that we could finally say hi”. This rather simplistic verse was one that gave me such a profound moment when I was writing it that its creation has become of my most intense memories in Vienna. I concluded my journey abroad with an original song and production of “My Name is I”, recorded in the studio of my building in Margaretenstrasse that IES Abroad so generously provided, and with a new appreciation of the beauty and meaning in the “insignificant” moments of our every day lives.
This experience was enabled by IES Abroad's very well organized program that gave me an appropriate but extensive amount of work which enabled me to effectively learn and remember what I was being taught, and that also gave me time, a concept not often found on my agenda: time to understand my surroundings, to interact with others from different countries and states, and to connect with myself. In the following paragraphs I will share how my two top academic experiences inspired the creation of an important goal, featuring my once neglected passion, music.
1. “Shifting Global Dynamics: The Impact of the New Greek Direction toward Russia and China,” this was my final research paper for my European Monetary Union and Financial Integration class; it examined the Greek economy through the country’s history and suggested a possible course should the country go forth with its present negotiations. Many a time, before I went to Vienna, I had heard the story, “studying abroad is easy”; this was of the most challenging- if not the most challenging, papers that I’ve to write. Greece is a powerful shareholder of my heart, to put it in financial terms. Although I was born in America, I lived in Athens until the age of 14. This class gave me the opportunity to explore Greece’s history like never before. From analyzing why Greece is in economic crisis, to proposing marketing tools for Greece to improve its position, and to my final paper, this class abroad gave me knowledge, and the faith that I can do something to help my struggling second home.
2. “Shot U.S.A”, my first instrumental composition written for piano and violin recorded for my final project in my Sound Recording class. What travelling does is that it helps you realize that every country believes in a truth that might be different from your own, and the acceptance of this ‘truth’ requires great open mindedness. When a topic is reoccurring in a society it ceases to be shocking, and can be in danger of becoming unimportant. The past years America has faced challenges with violent gun incidents, and threats directed at schools including my own (2015 threat toward schools near Philadelphia). Seeing the confused reactions of my Hungarian, Italian, and Viennese friends, I saw how the now almost normalized experiences I undergo in America were unimaginable for those in other countries; and I hope that such incidents in particular will be unimaginable in America as well. I sought to address the topic of gun violence through music; my Sound Recording class in Vienna gave me the opportunity to do so. I collaborated with violinist and fellow IES Abroad peer Natasha Janfaza who was on violin, and another student whom I very much looked up to, Tomal Hossain, who gave me valuable tips for recording. It is important to note that this was my first instrumental recording and the fact that it was in Vienna, in a program where students shared the same appreciation from music and where one could learn from one another made all the difference. I could not have received that encouragement and inspiration anywhere else. I also wrote an accompanying poem which I presented to my class.
I spoke of these two academic achievements because they both have the power to influence, and the combination of them led me to want to begin an initiative of music for a cause. More than an initiative, it will be a music publishing company called Strike, a verb used to signify how music can awaken us to different perspectives. In my Sound Recording class I learned that one does not have to be a politician to instigate change, rather one can influence through the most powerful tool, music; and in my EMU and Financial Integration class I received the knowledge needed to begin a musical work about Greece. I am currently also writing a song with the theme of bullying that I will submit to my high school for its annual play, “The Names that Hurt”. This is the extension of my time in Vienna; the tools I learned there affect my life today.
Today, I can trace all this back to that breezy spring evening at the park near my Viennese apartment. That is where I felt most at ease, and where my passion for music and interest for politics and economics united. Vienna has given me the motivation to explore life every day, and the courage to pursue what I was afraid to before. I hope that someday my music can strike others awake with the passion of Greece, the fierceness of America, and the elegance of Vienna. I will eternally be grateful to IES Abroad for this gift of discovery: of a different culture, and of myself."