Travel stories

First Weeks

We arrived in Vienna on the first day and the company’s driver took us to the hotel. We dropped off our suitcases and went for a walk. The first thing we noticed was how clean the streets were and the cultural customs. One thing that really surprised us was that people never cross at a red light, even if no cars are coming. On May 1st, we got the keys to the apartment. When we finally managed to find the flat (because it was a real maze), we saw that it was much worse than in the photos and very dirty. However, we called the company renting it to us and they came to clean it.

The first day at the company went well. When Bernhard, the company contact, arrived, he took us to our departments and we split up. I was assigned to the consulting department. After a few days there, I realized the tasks I was being given had nothing to do with what I had studied. So I spoke to Mila and we started working on switching me to another department. That weekend we decided to go out partying with a girl from the company. The night went so well that we went out again the next day.

Eventually, they changed my department. In the new one, I had programming tasks. Although at first, I didn’t understand anything because it was all very new, little by little I started learning how everything worked.

Balancing Classes and Erasmus – Weeks 4 & 5

These were the final two weeks to finish the final project, so our lives basically revolved around leaving the company at 6:00 PM, getting home, and working on the project.

Final Weeks

During the last weeks, I visited many places in Vienna since I had more free time after finishing the project. I visited Schönbrunn Palace, Empress Sisi's palace, the Prater amusement park, and the canal.

The week before returning, we went to Mariazell, a small village near the northern side of the Alps. It’s a very picturesque place where the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary is located. There, we got to try some very dry but tasty gingerbread. It was a great experience thanks to Mike, the teacher from the Ybbs school who we got along with very well from the day he invited us for lunch right after we arrived.