The exchange has gone really well so far and four months have passed very quickly. I have studied in a small town called Wels, in Upper Austria. Wels is small but very beautiful town and it has felt at home from the beginning. During the exchange, I have met new wonderful people, seen great places and enjoyed life, and also studied.
The teaching is quite similar to that in Finland, but the teachers demand much more of what I am used to in Finland. The course division is also quite different as one course can be almost 30 hours in one week and after rhat the course is completed. Being here I have also had a lot of school on Saturdays. Unlike in Finland, you can enjoy alcohol at school here. You can buy it from the school canteen or the beer machine.
In my free time I have studied as well as jogged a lot. I have also been able to travel all over Europe as well as enjoy the beautiful nature of Austria. The train and bus connections from Wels are excellent wherever you want to go. We have ogranized a lot of trips with other exhange students and we tend to go to karaoke every Wednesday. We have attended may beer festivals for example in Munich, and dressed in dirndl dresses. There are just over 20 exchange students in town, but that’s just the right number to get to know everyone well.
The exchange has been a good experince and I can recommend it to anyone. It takes a little courage to leave the familiar environment towards the unknown, but I can say that it is worth it.
-Amanda
Comments