by Evan Thurwachter
While studying abroad in Vienna, we live in Das Milicanhaus. When living in Das Mil, as we call it, you will reside in an apartment with a roommate. Each apartment has a small kitchen and bathroom. Since Das Mil has become home to us over the past few months, let me tell you about three benefits to living in this area.
1. Shopping Convenience
The retail industry in America is notorious for being the largest and most developed of its kind in the world. While it is not exactly the same in Austria, plenty of areas have a higher concentration of retail presence. Vienna’s Third District, the one we are staying in, gives us prime access to a plethora of shops and stores at an easy walking distance. We have Anker, a chain bakery that sells various pastries and coffee. We have Billa and Spar, two grocery stores that allow us to easily walk less than five minutes to get our food for the week. We also have quite a few restaurants in the area, for when we want to treat ourselves to some great food.
2. Public Transit
Public Transit is something that we are not very accustomed to in Rochester, due to the size of the city and the lack of importance placed upon mass transit by the United States in general. Vienna has one of the best transportation systems in all of Europe. Not only are there buses, but there is a subway system known as the U-Bahn, a street car known as the S-Bahn, and even various train systems to take you in and out of the city. We are lucky to have an U-Bahn stop two minutes away from the facility, so we are easily connected into the web of mass transit, effectively erasing the need for us to drive anywhere here. What is also convenient is that we are able to buy a monthly transit pass that is valid on all of the transit within the city, which makes it very easy and convenient to just hop on/hop off.
3. Safety
Safety is probably one of the most important topics surrounding Study Abroad trips. With many different safety concerns popping up all over the world, it becomes difficult to figure out where the safest places are. Austria is praised for being one of the safest countries in the world. We are very lucky to live in a high-income area of Vienna, which adds to the safety of our daily commutes. What is also more specific to Austrian culture is that if someone else, for instance, sees someone being pickpocketed, they will also try to stop them or let you know what is happening to you. While Austrians can be distant and appear cold, they also strive for a community that looks out for one another. This sense of community spirit allows us to feel safe when we are on the streets and on the transit system.
Evan Thurwachter is a junior mass communication–graphic design major from Lake Orion. He studied in Vienna, Austria, in Spring 2018.
