Classmates and International Dormitory
Questions
- Also, how are your classmates and other students you’ve met?
- How are things working out in the dorm?
- What’s it like to meet people from so many different places?
I am going to split the 3rd question up and give it it’s own post because I want to incorporate what it’s like working with students from so many different places.
Funny that I’m listening to Daft Punk – Around the World at the moment but anyways on to more formal things. Like I said earlier in my blog I really wanted to make posts that would be a help to future students looking to study abroad in Austria specifically. However, a lot of what I say goes for anywhere you go. There will be specific’s for wherever it is you may find yourself, but in general, if you can extrapolate the fundamentals found in some of these posts then you’re all that more prepared. The best thing about studying abroad is that no matter how much advice someone may give or throw your way, your experience will definitely be unique to you.
But to answer the questions:
How are my classmates and other students I’ve met?
I’ve met students from all over the world. The vast majority are very open. I would say attending a class here in Austria would be like attending your first class at your local school. You know no one but gradually you all get to know each other. Because of the way classes work here we spend a good amount of time working together in groups and in class. The Austrian culture as a whole is more conservative and what I mean by this is you’re not going to get the, “WHAT UP!!!!” when you walk into class lol. But that’s alright! Everyone I’ve met so far has been cool. Of course you’re not going to like everyone. People are going to get on your nerves just like anywhere else but so far I love the other students that I’ve met. It’s been nothing but a positive learning experience.
How are things in the Dorm?
People
I’m staying in the International Dormitory and so far things have been good actually. I mean sometimes the internet is way slow which can be real annoying, especially for someone that multitasks on the computer. But it’s not something that is ruining my day nor is it like that all the time. The international dorm is actually really new. I’ve got pictures of my room here that you can check out to see what it looks like. Nothing is cheap here, construction wise. My bed is comfortable, everything is concrete so noise etc at night is not a problem. As a lot of us started to arrive in August we all began to hang out with each other. It was a real bonding experience and it was a great way to meet everyone and get to know people. This was a mandatory “you all should chill with one another” but voluntary. So, by the time school started we were all pretty tight. People had figured out their groups and who they liked and could stand lol for more than 5 minutes and those they couldn’t .
Community
We really became a mini community. People posted up their contact information down stairs on the main bored and set up a facebook group. Basically from there, people would just get together and post up trips they either had planned or wanted to go on to see if others wanted to as well. So, if you were looking to travel everything was open. People were often checking with me to see if I wanted to go on something with them so I could book with them etc. Traveling and or finding someone to travel with really hasn’t been a problem. Some people are gone all the time. Lol, my neighbor Ryan has just about been all over Europe by now …and is actually in Slovakia as I type this. Others like myself haven’t traveled as much but have really gotten engrained into the local culture, getting to know locals etc. Everyone has a different experience which is cool! Also worth noting is you’re no longer on a college campus where everyone is staying up till 4am and bumpin’ music. Be mindful of the neighbors, we’ve already had several complaints and the police over to remind us to be quiet. Simple things like shutting your windows will definitely help alleviate the whole police visit extravaganza.
Fire Alarms
Not cool. At the very beginning people were setting off fire alarms left and right. Now, what really sucks about this is there is a 150 Euro charge (about $212 US dollar) every time one goes off. Not everyone get’s charged, just the person that set it off. Apparently it’s something like $50 to push the button to turn the alarm off and some other pricey charges. But it was getting a little out of hand and people weren’t doing anything that should be setting off the alarms. Just normal cooking. So those that did get charged along with the rest of us e-mailed our landlord (that’s a whole other story) asking to have the alarms checked. At this point people were even afraid to regular cooking in fear of setting off the alarm, which was true. So, the came out and checked it and realized the fire alarms (which obviously were working) were set too sensitive and that was the reason they were going off so much. They adjusted them and there hasn’t been a problem yet.
Recycle
Austria takes recycling to the extreme. Europe in general recycles more than the states in general. But in Austria we separate: paper & cardboard, plastic, metal, organic (left over food), and regular garbage. The dorm does provide containers and separation for all. They are serious about separation so it’s not something that you just say “Ehh oh well” about. My family has always recycled in the states. But the US does not recycle to the extent they do here. So, that was a bit of a learning curve and adjustment at the beginning. As of now it’s really not that bad.
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