Something that stressed me out before leaving for London was just simply feeling totally unprepared. I decided to study abroad really close to the deadline for applications, so the time between my decision and leaving was very short. Because of this, I had little to no expectations or plans made other than where my host city was, which was a good thing and a bad thing.

Two concepts I struggle with most in life are time and money. What am I supposed to do when the two come crashing together? 

One of my favorite parts of studying is finding a nice café to make doing the work a little more bearable, and Vienna has not disappointed. I also love cafés because they serve as a place to meet new people or catch up with friends. Below is a list of cafés I’ve visited and my experience at each.

Jonas Reindl (1070, 1080, 1090)

During my virtual orientation for IES Abroad, one of the first things that I noticed was that I was one of the only people of color, let alone one of the only Asian people on the program. Having been from a small suburban high school and from attending a small PWI for college, I was used to being one of the only Asians in class. Nevertheless, I constantly wondered what my experience would look like in Madrid and how it would differ from my white peers. 

Before coming to Berlin, several people expressed their concern for me: “You don’t speak any German, how are you going to do it?” Luckily for me, most people in Berlin know English. However, at first it can be very overwhelming to be surrounded by a language that you do not understand. Though most people in Berlin are fluent in English, the default language here is German, meaning that when I am asked to order in a café, bumped into on the street, or asked a question, I am often first spoken to in a language that I do not understand.