Le Moyne College Stories

Studying abroad has been something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. Even as I sat on my flight, it still felt unreal that it was finally happening after all this time. After a three-day stopover in London and then a two-hour bus ride from Munich, I finally arrived in my new home for the next four months. Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria and is best known for the movie The Sound of Music. I quickly fell in love with the city and it started it feel like home almost immediately. I lived just across the river from the old city and had the most amazing view of the Alps from the roof of the university. My walk to school featured so many historical buildings and the most beautiful scenery, including the Hohensalzburg castle, a 900-year-old fortress that overlooks the city. My classes were taught by Austrian professors, which made them all the more interesting. It was very rewarding to take classes like history and literature in another country because it helped me understand an entirely new perspective on subjects I had been learning since grade school. I learned more than I could have ever imagined about Austrian culture. And I like to think I improved my German a bit, though it’s something I’m still working on. I had so many once in a lifetime experiences throughout the semester. I spent Valentines Day taking a horse drawn sleigh ride through the Austrian Alps. I ate at the oldest restaurant in the world on a random Thursday night in April. I cheered on Bayern Munich with 75,000 other fans at a sold out Bundesliga match. I had professors who were teaching in their second language and still managed to be some of the most well-spoken and thoughtful people I’ve ever met. I traveled to multiple cities in Germany, a country I’ve been infatuated with for many years. Weekend trips with friends to historic cities like Budapest and Prague were completely normal. I’m so grateful for the amazing places I got to see, all the unbelievable things I got to do, and the wonderful people I met along the way. I’m incredibly thankful for this experience and I hope to encourage anyone who is considering studying abroad to go for it. It will be overwhelming and scary at times but it’ll be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll ever have. After four months and six different countries, I learned more about myself than I could have ever imagined. I stepped out of my comfort zone and enjoyed every single moment. Contributed by Morgan Racha '16 majoring in Psychology