Blogging
From Abroad

Now, on to the main purpose of me being in Vienna- School and classes. All my classes are all in English so most of my classmates are international students as well. Classes here are much different than in the States. They have random starting and finishing dates, and the hours the class meets can vary from week to week too. I won’t have some classes until the last 3 weeks of the semester in January. I have to check my agenda everyday to make sure that I don’t have a class that is starting or finishing. Also, the classes are laid out different. At WVU we get a syllabus with all our assignments and test dates. Here there is no need for that because you really don’t have any assignments. You maybe have a project and then a test at the end. If you fail the test you can take it again. If you don’t feel like going to class you don’t have to either. Some of the courses post the notes online and you never have to attend lecture. This is helpful because you can take as many lectures as you want on the same day at the same time- slightly confusing. I am still getting use to the system, but I really feel sorry for any students that are studying at a University in the States. There is a lot less flexibility and a lot more work in between at US Schools.
Another interesting thing for me is that, as an American, I have become the resident expert in English in my classes. All my professors look to me when they can’t remember the English word. The problem is, the longer I am here and trying to learn Deutsch, the more English words I forget. Even as I am typing this I am having trouble remembering words. Spelling for me as also taken a turn for the worst. I hope I don’t lead all the Nonnative English speakers astray.
One more vital thing about classes in Austria, you always acknowledge your teachers work at the end of class. For Americans we might clap, but in Austria you knock. So at the end of my first class, I was surprised to hear the whole room knocking on their desks. You knock to thank the teacher for the class and you can even knock if you have a question. It really is efficient to knock when you have a question because the teacher can hear you and you don’t have to sit for hours with your hand up. Knock Knock.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Kellen