Classes have begun

Salzburg is becoming more and more familiar to me. Last week I successfully voyaged my way to the Germanistik building, where my German classes are, and then to the international office without a map. This is no small feat.

The university here is not centralized on one main campus like ESU. The buildings are tightly finagled in between the shops, restaurants and offices in the Altstadt. The Alstadt is no town square. It is like a maze of beautifully architected buildings, cathedrals, museums and cobble-stone streets linked together by the many open squares called a Platz. The Germanistik building, though it is conveniently located with it’s own bus stop at Akademiestrasse, is a 10 minute walk to the international office. I’ve even managed the bus system here, at least from my home to down town. For a small town girl who never experienced public transportation it is sort of a scary obstacle. I feel like I’ve conquered a treasure hunt and have opened the chest of gold bricks!

I took the German placement test last week and scored a little lower than I expected. When I arrived the first day at Grundstufe II, I knew this wasn’t the class for me and I moved on up! I also attended my first classes. Apart from my 6 hour Germanistik course, I’m taking two regular lecture classes called Vorlesung, spoken in German of course, and one class especially for exchange students call Österreichische Kultur und Sprache (Austrian Culture and Language). I’m excited to learn the language and culture of this place but feel very overwhelmed at times. I hardly understand what’s being spoken about in my lecture classes and try incessantly to not let my mind wander off. Though I’ve alerted my Austrian professors there is an exchange student in the audience, I am a little worried about the test at the end of the semester. My early Christian art history professor speaks very fast and has some sort of accent, must be Austrian. He accents the “ie” sound. My Austrian history professor speaks slower and with less accent but the content of the course at the moment is very dry and it’s difficult to pay attention. How would you like listening to the topographical information of the Alps in a language other than your own? Though, he is interesting looking with his white, frizzy hair only growing from the sides of his head and his thick, black round-framed spectacles. He looks like a typical German professor from the past.

I still have many small chores to take care of, university wise, before I’m settled at this school and have a routine. I must find a printer, buy the rest of my school supplies… and actually enroll in my remaining classes. (Things are done very differently here.) I’m trying to embrace the differences between the University of Salzburg and ESU. The pace here is slower and relaxed. Things get done when they get done and no one seems to worry.