My First Week and a Half In Vienna

For my first blog post, I take you through my first days in Vienna. From moving in to finding a second internship, it's been a busy week and a half!

Monday, May 18: Arrival and Move-In 

After three planes and remarkably little sleep, I arrived in Vienna on Monday afternoon. I took an Uber to my student housing, The Social Hub, which is in Vienna’s second district. Checking in was easy – I only had to visit five different stations, fill out forms, and collect goodies. IES Abroad staff confirmed that my phone number was reachable and added me to my kitchen’s shared group chat. After unpacking my things, taking a (long) shower, and buying some groceries, I went downstairs to meet another girl in the program. Half-awake and getting to know each other, we wandered through the Wiener Prater, an amusement park known for its giant Ferris wheel. Later, we met up with another friend, ate dinner at a nearby Biergarten, and went back for our tour of the housing facilities before bed. 

Tuesday, May 19: Orientation 

My friend and I began the second day at 8am with a trip to the municipal office to turn in our Meldezettel forms, which officially registered our new addresses in Vienna. The queue was long, but it was a very simple process. Afterwards, we returned to the Social Hub and traveled to our orientation near the IES Abroad center. Following orientation, we had a guided bus tour! This was a great introduction to the city, and I learned a lot about Viennese culture and the division of districts. I also got some photos of the city; I highly recommend bringing a real camera to Vienna. When orientation ended, my friends and I picked up our (free!) Swapfiets bikes and cycled to dinner. Pro tip #1: getting lost on your bike is a great way to explore Vienna. 

The Belvedere Palace, one of our stops on the guided bus tour.

Wednesday, May 20: Class and Welcome Dinner 

My third day in Vienna began bright and early with my 9am advanced German class. I’ve taken four semesters of the language, but I really appreciate that this course taught me practical information for daily use. For example, “Zahlen, bitte!” which I think sounds too forward but is the German way of asking to pay. Following class, we had an internship orientation and then free time. Orientation was in the Center, which is housed in a real palace. Pretty cool! That night, we went to the Gleis//Garten, a food court in Vienna, where I ate both pizza and sushi for dinner. 

Thursday, May 21: Finding a Second Internship 

Thursday began similarly with German class, but it was more fun this day because we visited Vienna’s Naschmarkt. At the market, we had a cheese tasting – I highly recommend the cranberry goat cheese – and ate falafel sandwiches for lunch. After a shopping break with my friends, I had my first seminar. I’m in a small psychology-based internship course, and my instructor is a researcher at the University of Vienna. As a psychology student at home with a strong affinity for research, I decided to ask my professor about doing a research internship this summer. To my surprise, and luck, she offered me an internship with her! So, I now have two internships for the summer, teaching and researching. This made for a very exciting fourth day! 

Friday, May 22: The Busiest Day of My Life 

If any of the prior days sounded busy, Friday puts them to shame. I had my last German course in the morning, which ended at the best ice cream shop I’ve ever been to, Eissalon Tuchlauben. I’m not joking when I say I’ve already been back twice. Once we finished, I got lunch with my friends before heading back to the IES center. At the center, I changed into my outdoor clothes and left to hike with around fifty other students. We paraded through one of Vienna’s Stadtwanderwege trails and ate at a traditional Viennese Heuriger. When I got home, I showered and began to get ready for one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had, the Concordia Ball. Vienna has many beautiful traditional balls, but I never expected to attend one myself. It wasn’t even too expensive – my ticket was €55 with IES Abroad and I thrifted my dress for $18. The ball was as glamorous as I imagined; we watched debutantes dance, explored the Wiener Rathaus, and ended the night dancing to a disco band. 10/10 experience.

Felt like I was in a fairytale TBH.

Saturday, May 23: Shopping in Vienna’s City Center 

After such a long Friday, my friend and I decided to have a peaceful start to the weekend. We slept in and enjoyed a slow morning, and then headed to the city center to go shopping. I bought a water bottle (pro tip #2: bring one from home), a bike basket, and a chocolate croissant at a traditional Viennese cafe. When we finished shopping, we returned home to grab our bikes and go to an Irish pub. One of my big goals for this summer is to expand my vegetarian diet and begin eating fish. Because I’ve never had fish before, I decided fish and chips would be the best meal to start with. It was a great meal, and I already have plans to try fish again next week! 

Sunday, May 24: Rest Day 

If you’re familiar with Austrian culture, you may know that Sundays are an official day of rest. Almost all retail shops and grocery stores close, and it feels like everyone is outside. My friend and I decided to enjoy the warm weather at the Donauinsel, a popular island near the city center. We went to the Pier 22 area, named after its location in the 22^nd district, and found a place to sit. We laid in the sun for hours and then went on an evening bike ride. It was the perfect restful Sunday. 

Monday, May 25: Walking Tour and Preparing for Internship 

Because Monday was a federal holiday, it was another low-key day. My friend and I walked around the city center using the Rick Steves walking tour as our guide. We saw St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), the Hofburg palace, and many more highlights. My particular favorite was the ruins from the Roman era, called Vindobona. We got ice cream (of course, from Eissalon Tuchlauben) and had lunch at a Biergarten. Pro tip #3: always make sure your server returns the correct amount of cash! I almost got shorted 10 €, but at least I got to practice my German skills in a new context. We cycled that evening to scout out my friend’s internship location and I began preparing for my first day of work.

Neue Burg, a wing of the Hofburg Palace.

Tuesday, May 26: First day at IEYA 

After a week exploring the city and settling in, it was time to start my internship. I headed around 7:30am to the International Early Years Academy (IEYA) in Vienna’s 18^th district. IEYA is an international English-speaking school with children ranging from eighteen months to six years old. I got to start with the babies, which made for one of the cutest days I've had in a while. I stayed until 3:00pm, then I went to my seminar. We learned about big team science and discussed topics like using AI in research. It was a thought-provoking lecture!

Wednesday, May 27: First day at the SCAN Lab 

I started my second internship on Wednesday at 9am, commuting with another IES Abroad student who’s at the same site. I had many tasks for the day: I checked in participants for a study, completed demo runs of another study and provided data and feedback, created a presentation on a journal article, and collected information on various European researchers. It was all very interesting. When I got back, I caught up with my friends in the Social Hub restaurant and packed for my weekend trip to Amsterdam.

Thursday, May 28: Internship and a Canceled Flight 

I interned at IEYA again on Thursday, which made for another adorable day. At the end of my shift, I got an email from KLM that my evening flight was canceled. After two and a half hours of messaging agents, I got put on a flight for the next morning. I vented my frustration with a five-mile run and had dinner with my friends. Pro tip #4: sometimes things don’t go as planned! In fact, most of studying abroad doesn’t go as anticipated. I’m happy that I can still go this weekend and at least got some exercise and social time out of it. Life happens. 

Today, May 29: My First Weekend Trip 

I’m currently on my morning flight to Amsterdam, dreaming about seeing Harry Styles in concert tomorrow. My first eleven days in Vienna have been nothing short of a dream, and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the program goes!