by Taylor Isenberg
Like most of the students here at Rochester College, we’re from Michigan or the Midwest. Snow and the cold is a part of our lifestyle. We spend most of our year bundled up either under blankets by the fire in our living room, or in scarves, hats and heavy coats while outside.
When we think of study abroad, students often want that warm, fun, spring break-esque trip. But that might not be offered—or even the best idea in my opinion.
Here’s some reasons why you should choose a winter study abroad over a summer term.
1. Ice-skating at the Rathaus
Ice-skating at the Rathaus in Vienna has to be one of my favorite memories from my study abroad semester. Vienna has an ice-skating rink from Christmas time to February that is right in front of the neo-gothic Rathaus, which is the city hall of Vienna. The complex has three rinks with ice paths that you skate on to get to the other rinks in the complex. It’s fully outside with music and lights creating a winter wonderland ambiance. There’s also hot chocolate and pastry stands when you need a little refresher after all that skating. It is much more fun than skating around at the local ice rink.
2. Winter retreat in the mountains
In the second week of the GEO Vienna trip, you get to go to Millstadt, Austria, a vacation spot for Austrians nestled in the Alps. Austrians love it all times foyer. In the summer, the region boasts mirror-like lakes and dense forests. And in the winter, it is gorgeous! The snow covers the mountains in a white blanket. It’s the perfect area for laying in front of the fire and reading a book with the snow falling outside. Also, you can go sledding in the Alps, which is a step above sledding at Borden Park in Rochester Hills.
3. Auschwitz-Birkenau would be a much different experience
As part of the program, we take a weekend trip as a group to Krakow, Poland, where we visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp from the Holocaust. I felt like if it wasn’t snowing and cold, the experience we had there wouldn’t have been as meaningful. You fully get to experience and empathize better with the prisoners who were there during harsher conditions and really understand the horror of the camps. In other words, it wouldn’t have been as significant to me if it was sunny and 75 degrees out.
4. Fewer tourists
In winter, lines are shorter because there are fewer tourists. Also, there aren’t as many people crowded around the piece of art you’ve been dying to see. The subways aren’t as packed and you have a much better time when the crowd size is smaller. There’s also less target for pick-pocketing. Always be aware anywhere for pick-pocketing, but in smaller crowds, pickpockets have more chances to be caught and seen pickpocketing than in a huge crowd where they could get away with it more.
5. You get to see spring come alive
You survived a cold season in Austria, and once it turns to spring, it is the best time of the trip. The trees start to bloom, the nights are longer, you don’t have to wear your heavy coat any more, and the sun is out every day! The last few weeks of the semester here are so worth it when you get 65 degrees or higher with the sun out, the perfect type of weather. As Cheryl Frasier said in Miss Congeniality when asked about her favorite type of day, “April 25th, because it’s not too hot and not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.” Basically, the rest of the trip here is like the weather on April 25th, and even better!
Taylor Isenberg is a sophomore mass communication—public relations major from Rochester Hills. She studied in Vienna, Austria, in Spring 2018.