By Hannah Ford

When I decided to study abroad, I had no idea what to expect. Coming from a small town in the middle of Oregon, I’d walked down every street and eaten at every local restaurant. I knew my city.

Suddenly, I was dropped into Vienna, Austria, for study abroad within a European capital city with a population of over two million people.

It was a country I’d never been to and a city I was wholly unfamiliar with. I adapted, and suddenly a world of possibilities opened for me as a I learned more about Austrian culture.  

Culture in the classroom 

Be ready for a host of cultural differences in the classroom. It took some time to learn all the intricacies of studying in a new country, but eventually I learned. Be willing to go with the flow and open to new learning formats. Grading was on a different scale, from one to five, instead of traditional American letter grades.

Perhaps the largest learning curve was that there was no homework. Courses were graded on class participation and then usually a final exam and final presentation. There were several combinations of papers, finals and group projects, but there were only one to three assignments for each class that made up the entire grade.  

Living in Austria taught me to show up on time. This might not be the same for other host countries but Austrians value timeliness. If a student skipped the first or last class at our host university, they would fail the course. I knew how to respect my professor's time and show up ready to participate. 

Solo traveling  

While studying abroad, I visited thirteen new countries in the span of four months. Most of it I did by myself. I was very cautious about going out alone or traveling by myself before studying abroad.

But with everyone wanting to travel to different places, it was hard to find a schedule that worked for everyone and with a place people could agree upon. In many ways, it was easier to go by myself. So that’s what I did.

I figured out how to navigate new public transportation systems, planned all my travel and accommodations and had a great experience. Solo traveling boosted my confidence, and now I feel more empowered to be independent in my life at home.  

It’s okay to be wrong 

"There are small things about life abroad that can be exhausting, but I promise they are completely worth it in exchange for the amazing experience."

Adapting to a new culture is difficult but not without its rewards. Whenever I found myself in embarrassing situations, because they will happen, I tried to brush it off. I got run over on an escalator because I didn’t know people stood to the right side to let others pass. I learned — never stood to the left side again — and moved on. I gave myself time to learn the unsaid rules of a new culture.  

Once, I spent twenty minutes looking for sour cream in the grocery store and at the end almost bought yogurt. There are small things about life abroad that can be exhausting, but I promise they are completely worth it in exchange for the amazing experience.  

Have humility, especially if you don’t know the language, respect others as you are coming into their space, and most of all enjoy studying abroad because it only lasts for a few short months. 

My favorite moments in life are when I’m trying new things, and I knew that studying abroad will be one of the single most rewarding experiences of my life because of it.