The Clarion
March 26, 1990 Page 5
The view from their windows at Altmunster: across the lake to the This Spring Semester's BC group poses for a group picture with a
mountain called Traunstein. backdrop that looks as if it’s right out of "The Sound of Music."
Austria —
what an experience!
by Susan Budan and Mylene Thomas
Special to the Clarion
Grussogott! Wie gent's dir?
Hi there! How are you doing? We're
here to tell you about our experience in
Austria. We learned more about oursel
ves, each other and the life and culture
of another country.
First of all, we'd iikc tu tc!I ypu
about our "college" life this past
semester. We were required to take 18
credit hours. We lived in an apartment
building, not dormitories, and we didn't
eat in a cafeteria.
We were given the equivalent of $70
every Monday to buy our grocieries. If
we didn't know how to cook, we learned
fast.
We also learned that living in
Austria in an apartment, eating,
studying and basically always being
together is much closer than living in
dorm life.
Our classes were not in a classroom
but were taught in our teacher's living
room. Don't get us wrong, this was not
a semester of play. We had two quizzes
in German a day and homework every
night. In addition to German, we also
took Austrian history, taught by a
native Austrian; ethics, taught by
Maggi Zednik; Austrian life and culture,
taught by Jennifer Phillipoff; and last
but certainly not least, mountaineering.
All of our classes were a challenge
but also fun. We managed to have fun
with everything we did. We were
sometimes reluctant to go on a 20-mile
hike, but when we reached our final des
tination, the feeling of accomplishment
was overwhelming.
If you come to college without a
car, then you wouldn't think our
lifestyle was too bad. But, for those of
you who drive from BC to Ingles -
you're in for it.
We walked down a hill to all stores
and back up with our purchases. The
grocery stores were about the size of a
lecture room. They were much more
minimized than an Ingles or any other
typical American grocery store. For ex
ample, in American grocery stores you
can find at least five different cuts of
green beans in at least five different
brands. Not so in Austria. There is one
Style maybe two brands.
We ^so had to buy our meat frcsh
every couple of days f^om the butcher.
For bread products, we could buy them
freshly baked at the grocery store or at
the bakery.
Excursions were the most wonderful
part. Wednesdays and Saturdays were
reserved for hikes and outings. However,
if the weather happened to be excep
tionally beautiful, classes were juggled
or posponed until Saturday -- and off we
went to a nearby mountain.
Many excursions were school-
related. After studying Adolf Hitler
extensively for three weeks, off we went
to a nearby city called Mauthausen,
which is also known as being one of
only two WWll concentration camps in
the country. It sounds very depressing,
but we believe we should learn from tiie
world's mistakes. We are certain that the
moment a history teacher starts talking
about a distant person in a far-off land,
this is a student's cue to start dreaming.
You may find it hard to retain such
information for a test...but with our
history professor we went to the places
we were learning about. This made it
more interesting and easier to remember
otherwise boring information. Besides
Mauthausen, we also visited Hitlers
summer home of Berchtesgaden in West
Gemiany.
Another day we were to be found
dressed as miners, sliding down the
wooden slides in a working salt mme
and riding a tfain back out. Other Uips
included weekends in four major cities
of Austria; Graz, Vienna, Innsbruck and
Salzburg; and excursions into Italy and
West Germany.
Also, several times we stayed
overnight in mountain huts. This was
an experience! We would pack our
backpacks lightly, considering we had to
carry them up and down a mountain. On
one hike, when we reached the top, we
were exhausted and famished.
All mountain huts are owned by
families who cook and clean for those
who hike up. After we had eaten, we
were heading up to bed, but heard music
and singing in another room. Intrigued,
we went to investigate. It just so
howwil a KFOup from the Bavarian
Red Cross were there and had brought
two guitars and an accordian up the
mountain - and were having a grand
time.
They invited us to join them, and
we were more than happy to do so. We
clapped and moved to the beat of
Austrian folk songs and sang along with
the American country songs they knew.
We even sang for them "God Bless the
U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood.
Our most challenging hike was on
the glacier, Dachslein. It means "rooftop
mountain." This hike was not a Sunday
stroll. In fact, it took us two days and
was 22-miles round trip. We hiked
through rain on the lower part of the
mountain and a blizzard at the lop. The
blizzard was no 12-inch storm, but
thigh-deep, and we had rough hiking for
the last 20 minutes - but it was well
worth the effort
All mountain huts are similar in
many ways. Everyone who attempts to
climb a mountain is considered an equal,
whether they are a doctor or a farmer,
age 75 or 17. At these huts, there are
huge dining tables and everyone eaU
together. This equality among hikers
extends even to sleeping arrangements.
There's usually only one huge bunk bed
per room.
We're sure you're thinking how can
30-40 people sleep with such
conditions? Well, each bunk holds 10-
20 people, and one only rents a space,
like a hotel, with the exception that you
may end up sleeping next to a total
stranger — male or female.
This seems very odd to an
American, but to an Austrian, it is very
natural.
The seating arrangments at cafes and
pubs is similar. Here, one will not find
a small, two-person cocktail table, but
Ubles for 10 to 12 people. Believe it or
not, it is very comfortable and a great
way to meet people.
We found the Austrians to be a very
friendly people. Everyone says iiello to
each other on the streets, even if they
don't know one another. Whenever we
walked into stores anywhere we went,
the shop psoplc said hello and goodbye.
We met some of our new friends this
way, including our ctosest friends by the
sharing of one of those common tables
at a cafe.
The Austrians have wonderful
personalities. Our friends were c^)cn,
honest people. They taught us the
typical ways of their lifestyles. They
helped us sec things we never took time
to notice. We learned to appreciate and
cherish friendships more than ever
before. Our friends were very honest
with us and sometimes it was hard to
hear, but it showed they really cared.
Throughout our time in Austria, we
managed to meet many wonderful
people, see many beautiful places and
learn things that otherwise we would
not have. We believe the experiences we
gathered in Austria will be with us for a
long time.
We believe everyone should
experience a semester abroad. Europeans
believe that America is the land of
opportunity and a truly wonderful place
with exciting people. Let's not
disappoint them. We also believe they
could leach us a k>t about ourselves.
If anyone would like infonnaiion on
Austria, Please come by 157 W. Beam.
We have lou of stories, pictures and
memories lo share. Auf Wiederschen!
Ciao,
Mylene Thomas and Susan Budan