Daniel's Exchange to University of Applied Sciences Salzburg | Austria
I travelled to Salzburg, Austria in September
2017 and returned in February 2018. During that time, I studied Multimedia Art
at the University of Applied Sciences. I also changed a lot as a person, and I
came back more independent and grateful for being able to experience another
culture in such depth.
As I was beginning my second semester at
Murdoch University, a small idea popped into my head. It was the desire to
travel and study abroad at some point before my degree ended, and over time,
this idea grew into a reality. It’s strange, because I don’t usually consider
myself to be very adventurous or spontaneous, but no matter what, I could not
shake this feeling. Instead I embraced it, and I let my mind flood with
possibilities. I wasn’t simply going to experience another culture, I was going
to be immersed.
At first, I was sold on the idea of going to
America. I had never been there before, though I always saw myself living in
the United States in the future. However, as time passed and circumstances
changed, I decided to choose Europe instead – and simply because it was
somewhere I never thought I’d be. As I researched more into the different
Universities available, I realized that one in particular stood out. It was the
University of Applied Sciences in Salzburg, Austria. The courses they offered
were very similar to the Games Art and Design course at Murdoch, and the
prospect of learning new things in my field excited me.
Ever since leaving high school, I’ve felt like
my world was constantly getting bigger and bigger. Whether it was going to
University for the first time, or being able to drive by myself, I felt that I
was becoming a more well-rounded and independent person. Naturally, this seemed
like the next step for me. I also felt very lucky because I wasn’t going to be
experiencing Salzburg alone – but both myself and my girlfriend (who also
studies the same course as me) made the decision to go together. I was going to
be sharing this beautiful place with her, and that was a prospect I was looking
forward to.
After spending several final weeks in Perth
leading up to the big trip, I researched a lot about Salzburg and even began to
learn a bit of German. We managed to rent out a small apartment in the city,
rather than staying on campus. It was a lot closer to everything, and even two
minutes away from the main train station in Salzburg. I felt ready. On the day
of our departure, I felt relatively calm. I felt like it hadn’t really hit me
yet, that everything was going to change around me. Looking back on it, it’s
funny. This feeling that I remember so well stayed for a long time. Even after
landing in Vienna and then catching a train to Salzburg, I still felt like I
was going to sleep in my own bed that night. I guess that right from the bat, I
felt at home.
Settling in was easy, and the first few days in
Salzburg were incredible and fresh. Summer was just beginning to end and so it
was still warm, with clear blue skies and the sun basking the old city in a
warm light. One day, I remember walking around the city with my girlfriend. We
both had a map, but we weren’t looking at it. We were just letting our legs
lead the way and to discover the city with completely fresh eyes. After a
while, we stumbled upon an immense garden with vibrant flowers and deep green
hedges. This actually turned out to be the famous Mirabel gardens, and the
whole process of accidentally finding it was surprising and a memory I cherish.
When the University semester began, there were
people from all over the world congregating in a small welcome room. I did feel
shy at first, but as our orientation day went on, I met a lot of really amazing
and interesting people. It was really fun to learn so much about other people’s
cultures and to hear it from them firsthand. Later on that day, we split up
based on our field of study where I met some of the important faculty members
that I’d be in contact with over the semester. They let us know about all the
events that would be happening during our stay, and already I was wanting to go
to them. Once again, my world was getting bigger.
Slowly but surely, I was beginning to immerse
myself more into the lovely city of Salzburg. The weeks that passed were very
intense and full of adventure and exploration. Apart from frequently heading
into the city itself, I also saw much of the surrounding areas and country. It
was also the first time I hiked up a mountain, which was named Gaisberg. The
hike took two and a half hours, and it is one of my fondest memories during my
time abroad. Once we reached the peak, the view was incredible.
As an artist, I feel like Salzburg and Austria
itself provided me with so much inspiration. A lot of the landscape I saw was
so different from Australia, and it felt like all those fantasy shows and books
I love so much was right there in front of my eyes. During this time, I was
painting more than ever, and it was easy to remember why. Many times during the
trip I remember hiking up a smaller mountain, the Kapuzinerbeg, and just
sitting down with my sketchpad and drawing.
Another place I loved visiting was a mountainside
village named Hallstatt. I remember reading and seeing images about Hallstatt online
when I was in Perth, and I also remember being blown away by its sheer beauty
and tranquility. One early morning in October, we decided to go in a group and
experience it together. The train ride took around an hour and a half to get
there, and the sky was still dark. When we stepped off the train, the morning
air was starting to clear, but the cold fog that blanketed the landscape was
very much present. To get to Hallstatt, we had to cross a lake using a small
ferry. As I stood on the ferry, with the cold air blasting me in every
direction, I thought “This is the coldest
I have ever been in my life”. Looking back on it, I was very wrong. I would
continue to think this exact phrase at least four more times during the trip.
Though as chilly as that morning was, enduring
the cold was worth it. By the time we arrived on the other side of the shore, most
of the fog had cleared and the sun was beginning to peek above the tall mountains
surrounding the village. It was a very surreal moment for me, because I was now
seeing this place in real life, and not on a computer screen. In Hallstatt, we toured
the salt mines, famous for being one of the oldest mines in all of Austria, Europe,
and possibly the world. The walls of the mine and the structures that made it
show their history – with old, scratched wooden support beams and rusted
decayed metal lining the walls, you really felt the age of it as you stepped
inside. The salt mines also used wooden slides between levels as a mean of
transport for the miners, and we got to use these during our tour. I did not
expect to be speeding down at 60km in the darkness of an old salt mine, but I
would go on to see that my trip abroad was full of surprises.
My time studying at the University of Applied
Sciences was very pleasant. The campus itself was sleek and modern with huge
glass panes, and it was located in the shadow of Untersberg; a huge mountain
that stretched into Germany. The people in my classes were extremely friendly,
and it was nice being with people who were interested in the same thing as me.
My classes included a lot of 3D modelling and VFX, and it was very refreshing
to learn new things. It also turned out that one of my teachers also worked on The Avengers doing VFX, and that was a
big surprise.
Although I enjoyed the classes that were
related to my field, I also found myself looking forward to the German language
classes and ‘Understanding Austrian Culture and Society’. I learned lots of
things in these classes: history, geography and even Austrian politics - it
gave me a deeper understanding of the country. The German classes really
helped, as the language barrier was tricky to navigate around during my time abroad.
By the end of my journey, I was able to have small conversation in German with
some of the locals in the city, and I felt like I had accomplished something.
Though I will admit, I will never be able to get those funky German learning
songs out of my head. They’re definitely something I brought back from my trip!
For weeks, we had been teased with snow. I had
never seen it before, and I was really curious to finally experience it. Then
one morning, I woke up to see the entire landscape covered with a thick layer
of snow! After having breakfast and getting ready, we ventured into the city
and bought some more warm clothing and gloves. Even though we were walking
around the same streets as we did in the summer, it felt so different. It felt
new. We spent that day in a small forest outside the bounds of the city. You
can bet there were lots of snowball fights, snowmen, and snow angels. I think
that maybe, just maybe, the locals started to realize we weren’t from Salzburg.
One of the fondest memories during the trip was
the lead-up to Christmas. This was actually the first Christmas I had ever
spent away from home, and for that, it was very special. As the semester began
to wind down, Christmas markets began to pop up. There was an array of various
handmade knick-knacks and small presents for sale. At night, the city
transformed. The streets were littered with beautiful warm lanterns and string
lights, and it felt like something straight out of a movie. The festivities
were strong, and the atmosphere was something I had never experienced before.
During Christmas, I missed Australia and home badly, but calling all of my
family and friends and spreading the positivity made up for it.
Apart from travelling around Austria itself, we
did manage to go to London in February. Our classes had finally finished and so
we had free time to book a short trip before we returned to Perth. Travelling
to London was really fun, and it was such a different experience from living in
Austria. It was lot more busy and bustling, and we ended up visiting a lot of
famous locations. I often joke with my girlfriend that we received more culture
shock in London than we ever did in Salzburg, even though there was no language
barrier. All in all, it was a great way to end my semester abroad.
When I returned to Perth, I felt like a
completely changed person, coming back more independent, confident, and even
more relaxed. Sure, there were stressful times as is common with travel, but I
took away something great. I surprised myself; that I was able to take on any
kind of problem this trip threw at me and come out stronger. Although I was
away from my friends, family, and my home, I was with my partner. I feel very
lucky to be with her. We had to rely on each other for six months, and as a result,
our relationship improved tremendously and our communication skills increased
greatly. By the end, I kept thinking one thing, something that I had always
hoped for since leaving high school.
It is a big world out there, and my world just got
bigger.
- Daniel studied abroad at the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences in Austria
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