By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria – After a month of living in Vienna, the international multimedia journalism study abroad project is finally ending. Early Wednesday morning at 7 a.m., the group will roll their suitcases out the doors of The Social Hub and board a flight on Austrian Airlines to head back home. As they fly across the globe, they will experience a time change of 6 hours, making the travel day feel much longer than it is. Like the flight to Vienna in late May, they will have a 6-hour layover in Chicago before boarding United Airlines to travel back to Atlanta.
During these last few days of the trip, students have spent their time experiencing Vienna, visiting all the places they wanted to see before they head back home. On Sunday night, one group of students went back to the Prater Park to ride some of the rides that they missed during their other visits to the park. They rode a haunted house ride and a couple of rollercoasters before heading back to The Social Hub to prepare for the last day of class on Monday.
Monday evening, the group visited the Vienna State Opera to see a live performance of “Cosi Fan Tutte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. On Tuesday evening, the class set out for their final group dinner at Sperling restaurant, where they enjoyed a meal with their Institute for European Studies (IES) providers. During the meal, they reflected on the memories made during the trip. Junior Anna Wade said that while the trip to Salzburg was one of her favorite weekend outings, she also enjoyed the moments where the entire class spent time together.
“My favorite part was when we would all hang out together as a group, especially at the Prater Park,” Wade said. “It was just a lot of fun. I also liked the sky tram in Salzburg, when we got to go really high up and see the gorgeous view of the city.”
For many students, they loved the moments they shared together, whether it was trying a new cuisine or getting lost in the city. Many fun memories were made during this trip, but students also learned a lot about navigating life in another country. Senior Lecturer of Communication Kevin Kleine shared that he believes these are some of the most valuable skills that students can take away from a study abroad.
“Besides learning and hopefully perfecting some journalism craft and skill, they’ve also experienced a different culture,” Kleine said. “They’ve learned not just how to tolerate, but how to appreciate and understand diversity of culture in a myriad of ways. That is one of the most important things that students will take away.”
The trip has been filled with many fun memories, but for many students this was their first time traveling outside of the U.S. They had to navigate a different currently, learn how to use the public transport and how to communicate in a country where English is not the primary language. For some, there were embarrassing moments where they felt like the stereotypical American tourist. Students have overcome each challenge, and in the process, they have adjusted to life in Vienna. Some have even found themselves noticing other tourists looking lost in the train station or confused by a map, and they recognize how well adjusted they have become during their month-long stay.
“I thought it was going to be really hard to adapt to the culture of Vienna,” Senior Kenadie Turner said. “We have had a lot of amazing people that helped us with things like finding our way around town, and that really helped me settle in.”
Now that the trip is ending, students are packing their bags and reflecting on the personal growth that they have made. Professor of Communication Brian Carroll related the student’s experience to the quote, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn” by American jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker.
“They learn skill sets, and they learn storytelling,” Carroll said. “To see them grow, mature, be flexible, handle curveballs, overcome challenges and become resilient in a foreign context. The beautiful music that they can play out of their horn now is going to be pretty special.”
Thank you for following Project Vienna. Check back soon on Viking Fusion to see the student’s final multimedia journalism projects.
Students visit Salzburg, see sights from The Sound of Music
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria- This final weekend of Project Vienna has been filled with adventures as students prepare for the final days of this international study program. Some students have turned in their projects while others are now working on last-minute story edits. This will allow time to enjoy Vienna to the fullest.
Thursday evening, students headed back to the Prater Amusement park to ride the Wiener Riesenrad giant Ferris wheel. The park has a variety of different rides, but this 213-foot-tall Ferris wheel is the most well-known feature. A ticket to ride costs 14 euros a person, but most students considered this high cost to be worth the experience of riding the famous Viennese Ferris wheel. The ride lasts about 20 minutes, and the ride boasts panoramic views of the Vienna skyline.
After a night at the park, the group met up at the train station early Friday morning for their overnight trip to the city of Salzburg, Austria. Located on the border of Germany, this city is home to many filming locations of the famous 1965 film, “The Sound of Music.” Students were free to spend their time in Salzburg however they chose, and some students decided to take a guided bus tour that would show them each of the sites where the iconic movie was filmed. The Original Sound of Music Tour is hosted by a company called Salzburg Panorama Tours, and the visitors get to sing along to songs from the film as they are transported to four different sights from the movie. They saw the Gazebo, Hellbrunn Palace, Mirabell Garden, Nonnburg Convent, Schloss Leopoldskron and Mondsee Cathedral. Each of these locations has been incredibly well preserved so that they are easily recognizable from the film, and those who attended were glad that they got the chance to see these places that served as the filming locations for scenes from a movie that many grew up watching.
“I was living my childhood dream,” Junior Emily Conaway said. “It was really fun and informative, and I liked our tour guide a lot. I would do it again.”
While the tour primarily focused on the songs and scenes from the movie, some students enjoyed going on the tour despite not having a close personal connection with the film. Junior Emma Bellantoni didn’t grow up watching “The Sound of Music,” but she enjoyed getting to see the scenic views of Salzburg. Along with driving around Salzburg, the tour also took guests up to the little town of Mondsee, Austria, where the wedding scene in the movie was filmed in The Basilica of St. Michael. The tour bus stopped at the town to allow everyone to spend 30 minutes exploring the little town, where they got souvenirs and tried apple strudel.
“I did not watch “The Sound of Music” until the morning that we went to Salzburg,” Bellantoni said. “Even if you don’t know what “The Sound of Music” is, the views and the experience is so worth it. The camera couldn’t capture how beautiful it was.”
Rather than spending the day experiencing “The Sound of Music,” sights, another group of students spent the afternoon walking to Germany. Salzburg is only a two hour walk from the town of Freilassing, Germany, and the group decided that it be a funny story to say that they walked all the way to another country. They left Salzburg at 2:30 p.m., and they arrived in Germany at 4 p.m. The initial trip was 3.5 miles, and despite getting caught in some rain the group powered through the hike and made it to their destination. After arriving, they stopped for a meal at a local café and played frisbee in a park.
“I saw that Salzburg was really close to the German border a week ago when I was looking at this,” Senior Gavin Zielke said. “I was like, ‘you know what would be funny? We have a full day to do whatever we want, what if I got some people to walk to Germany, I wonder how far that walk would be?’”
After spending a couple of hours in Germany, the group headed back to Salzburg on foot and arrived at 8 p.m. After a long day of walking, they crashed into bed to prepare for the next day in town.
While some were singing to “The Sound of Music,” and hiking to Germany, a third group went on the World of Poison tour, where they got to learn about and interact with some of the most poisonous and venomous animals in the world. The next day in Salzburg, everyone spent the day exploring more parts of the city they might have missed during the first day. One group hiked “The Sound of Music” trail that took them up to the hills that were used to film the opening scene in the movie. After the challenging hike, the group was rewarded with the stunning mountain views and the sights from the iconic “The Hills Are Alive” song from the film.
“My mom’s favorite movie is “The Sound of Music,” Sophomore Will Meadows said. “Once we got up there, I FaceTimed her so that she could see the view and she really liked it.”
Along with being home to the filming locations of the famous film, Salzburg features many other places that tourists can visit to overlook the entire city. Fortress Hohensalzburg is a historic medieval fortress that sits atop a hill above the town. The fortress is now home to several museums and restaurants, and visitors can purchase a ticket to ride the cable car up the mountain. Some of the group took the ride up to the fortress to admire the views and dine at the restaurant. After heading back down, they met up once again at the train station and headed back to Vienna for the final days of the trip.
The trip is ending soon, with the group preparing to fly home on Wednesday morning. After an exciting weekend of singing songs from “The Sound of Music” and seeing beautiful scenery in Austria, many students are filled with a mixture of sadness and excitement to head home and reunite with their families.
Tune in to read about the final days of the trip and the student’s favorite memories. Watch for a final update on the work, experiences and travel of the Project Vienna students.
Students turn in projects, visit cat café, celebrate classmate’s birthday
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria – On Sunday at 8 p.m., faculty members Curt Hersey and Kevin Kleine met with students in the lobby of The Social Hub so they could turn in their multimedia journalism projects. After three weeks of diligent work, the students jumped for joy as they each handed their professors the hard drive containing the content of their main story. Every student has a second content piece they are creating as a sidebar story. During this fourth week of classes, professors will be working on providing feedback to each student. Project Vienna participants will then have the chance to make edits before turning in the final versions of main stories on Thursday, June 20 and sidebars on Monday, June 24.
Now that the initial draft of the main project is complete, students will spend the next few days working on their sidebars. The sidebar is a smaller project that branches off the initial story; for some students, this will be an interactive map of the locations they covered in the main project. For others, the sidebar is a series of travel blogs or a shorter feature story about a niche topic from their main story.
Alongside her main story, senior Thea Dupree is currently working to create video vlogs of the trip. Over the course of the trip, Dupree has made two different types of vlogs; some are more visually centered, such as a video featuring aesthetic clips of the art museum along with music. The other vlogs are “day in the life” style, where Dupree documents her days in Vienna by showing different activities, study breaks and her time with friends.
“Working on the vlogs is easy, because they are super fun to make,” Dupree said. “I really enjoy the more aesthetic videos, like the one I did at the museum. I don’t like listening to my own voice when I do the voiceovers, but I love hearing what everyone has to say about them.”
After turning in their projects, a group of students went down to Prater Park for a picnic dinner and some group quality time. Prior to turning in their projects, several students decided to invite everyone to a “cookout” on the Prater lawn to celebrate their project completion. They had originally planned to cook burgers and hotdogs on the lawn, but they weren’t sure if public grills would be available at the park. They ended up cooking a bunch of burgers, hotdogs and “burgdogs” (burger meat in a hot dog bun) ahead of time, wrapping them up in foil and bringing them to the park to eat. The group spent the rest of the evening tossing a frisbee back and forth and singing their favorite songs from home under the lights of the Prater Giant Ferris wheel.
“After putting in two hours of cooking, sitting around in a circle with enjoying our time together was really special,” Junior Emma Bellantoni said. “It was nice to spend time with the people I came on this trip with, some who I didn’t know before.”
Monday afternoon after classes, another group of students went with Professor Hersey to visit Café Neko, a cat café located a short walk from the IES center. After being in Vienna for three weeks, some of the group found themselves missing their pets from back home. Café Neko serves a variety of coffees and cat-shaped treats, and some people bought little trays of cat treats to feed the resident cats. The cats can wander around the café freely and visitors can interact with them as they enjoy their drinks. Cat cafés exist in the United States, but this afternoon activity served as a nice break for the students to catch up on the weeks activities and play with some adorable cats.
On Wednesday afternoon, the group headed for their last group museum tour at the Architekturzentrum Museum, where they learned about some of the history of Vienna’s sustainable architecture and housing plans. After the museum, they went their separate ways and started getting ready for the surprise 21st birthday party for classmate Gavin Zielke. Over the past two days, everyone in the class has been secretly planning a get together for Zielke’s birthday. They discreetly arranged to meet with Zielke in Prater Park, and when he arrived they surprised him with a cake and presents.
“It was a really good birthday,” Zielke said. “It was a pretty nice surprise. I knew they were planning on making a cake, but I wasn’t expecting everyone to show up.”
While this week has been filled with a lot of group activities, students are still working to finalize their projects. Professors are working through each project individually to make edits, and some students will need to take additional photos or gather extra interview content to add to their work. Associate Professor of Communication Curt Hersey said that study abroad trips allow everyone to step outside of their comfort zones, yet many students find the approaching deadline to be overwhelming.
“Students are challenged,” Hersey said. “That’s part of the nature of this experience. Students are stressed, but they are always stressed at this point in the project because it’s just part of the process. I think it feels like more stress, because you are in a totally different environment, so you are already uncomfortable. One of the experiences of being able to overcome that, and to look at the content that they produce, and to be proud of that is a really beneficial experience for them.”
Despite the stress many students are experiencing as they complete their projects, Project Vienna is slowly coming to a close. Once they turn in these final edits to their projects, students will get to spend the final week relaxing and enjoying the rest of their time in Europe.
“Now that I have everything, I think it’s going be a lot easier to complete,” Sophomore Will Meadows said. “I’m looking forward to having it done and being able to relax for the last week and a half.”
Tune in to read about the group’s weekend trip to Salzburg, Austria and their final work on projects.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the Project Vienna students.
Students spend weekend gathering content, finalize stories, visit Venice
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria – The deadline for the initial draft of the multimedia projects is right around the corner and students are using this weekend to focus on completing their stories. Some students just need to make a few final edits before their projects can be turned in, while others still need to gather additional content. The past two weekends have been filled with exciting day trips and traveling, but it is necessary that students use this third weekend to put together their project drafts. The deadline for the “smooth draft” of the projects is Sunday the 16th at 8 p.m., and many students are putting aside other activities so that they can work on their projects.
Lacy Gilreath
Senior Lacy Gilreath has completed most of her photo story, and she is currently working on editing photos and audio. Students doing photo stories must create a photo slideshow, alongside a scripted voiceover of their own narration and audio clips of the interviews. The final product must be a photo slideshow that plays alongside the narration, and these elements must work together to tell the story that the student has chosen to tell. Gilreath’s story will be about Vienna’s new era of accessibility and fairness for its art scene. This past week, Gilreath was able to interview two art gallery owners and one artist. Although all the interviews went well, Gilreath said that she may still need to gather more photos to complete her story.
“I’m adding all the photos I have to my audio and then matching them up” Gilreath said. “After that, I’m going to see where the gaps are and try to get some more photos for some of the descriptions. I think that’s where I’m at until Sunday, and then I’ll turn it in Sunday night.”
A photo slideshow relies heavily on a student’s ability to take meaningful photos that will be able to convey a message. While it is necessary that those doing photo stories focus on taking good pictures, they must also gather clear audio of their interviews to use in the narration.
According to Gilreath, one of the most challenging parts of her story has been scheduling interviews with local artists and gallery owners. Many of the people she reached out to about to potential interviews had very busy schedules, and Gilreath had to start contacting them several weeks in advance. In addition to the challenge of finding sources, Gilreath said that it has been difficult to get photos of artists working in their studios because they often prefer to keep their work private.
“Looking back on it, I really just wish I had the opportunity to get more photos,” Gilreath said. “Maybe if I had more time to build relationships with those artists, I could get access to their galleries and take photos of them working. I think it’s just kind of hard to build those relationships in such a short time frame, since we are only here for a month.”
Anna Wade
Junior Anna Wade’s text story covers the music culture in Vienna and the ways it impacts music education. She has been able to speak with several music students in Vienna, as well as the founder of the Vienna Opera Academy, Jesús León.
Wade said that she knew she wanted to do a text story because she is most comfortable telling stories through writing, but it has been difficult to come up with a solid angle for her story.
“Part of it was just finding my goal, because I started off looking more at diversity in music,” Wade said. “It’s hard because that is a much more nuanced conversation, and you need more expert opinions. So just finding exactly where I wanted to take my story was a bit of a challenge.”
In addition to contacting potential sources over email, Wade said she also went to the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna to try and approach students and request interviews. While many people in Vienna speak both German and English, there can still be a language barrier that makes interviewing people difficult.
“I’m liking where my story is now,” Wade said. “I wish I had known what the direction of my story would have been earlier on, because that would have given me an idea of more sources to reach out to earlier on. Then it might have been easier to get interviews sooner.”
Carter Goodson
Although the deadline is quickly approaching, some students have been able to get ahead on their story progress for the weekend. Sophomore Carter Goodson is working on a photo slideshow story about the decrease in religious organizations in Vienna, and he went on a weekend trip to Venice, Italy this weekend with classmate June Rowland. They left on Thursday afternoon and boarded an hour-long flight, but the flight encountered several delays before taking off. After landing in Venice, Goodson and Rowland spent Friday exploring the city and trying local cuisine. They left Venice on Saturday and arrived back in Vienna around 5 p.m., leaving them with just one last day to finish up their stories before the Sunday deadline. Goodson felt that while it was hard to get ahead on his project, taking more time to work on it before the weekend gave him more confidence in his story.
“It was really tough to get stuff done on Thursday,” Goodson said. “I kind of backed myself into a corner going to Venice last minute, but it gave me the chance to really think about my story angle.”
While it is important that students work hard on their projects, part of the learning experience in studying abroad is trying new foods, seeing new sights and learning about the different cultures. It can be expensive and exhausting to spend an entire day seeing a new city, but these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that students will look back on and cherish for the rest of their lives. Tune in next week to read about the students finishing up their sidebar projects and the next week’s activities in Vienna.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the Project Vienna students.
Students visit art museum, explore new city, conduct interviews
By Abigail Dunagan
This third week of Project Vienna began with a busy schedule, with students working to finalize their projects and to attend several group outings. The first “smooth drafts” of the multimedia projects are due on Sunday evening, and many students are still working on getting some final interviews, video and photo content. Once the projects are turned in, professors will be reviewing them and providing the students with feedback. Students will then have the chance to edit their stories before turning in the final project.
Monday afternoon after classes ended, the group went to visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. This art museum is located right across from the Naturhistorisches Museum of natural history. Opening to the public in 1891, the two buildings were originally designed to display the imperial collections. The architecture features a grand entrance staircase and an elegant domed ceiling. Kunsthistorisches Museum is recognized for its expansive art collection, with exhibits featuring pieces from Raphael, Rembrandt and Vermeer. In addition to the art collection, the museum also houses exhibits of ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek history.
After arriving at the museum, the entire group took part in a 90-minute guided tour that led them through some of the museum’s highlights. After the tour ended, they were free to explore the many areas of the museum that they might have missed during the tour. Some students wanted to go back and take a closer look at some of the paintings, and others chose to explore some of the other historical exhibits.
Junior Malena Le is currently working on a photo story on the perception of death in Vienna. This story will focus on cemetery culture and observe the differences in the acceptance of death between the U.S. and Vienna. According to Le, some of the art pieces held in the museum relate to the angle she is working on for her story and she had planned to take pictures of some of these paintings.
“The main reason I wanted to go to the museum was so I could see Gustav Klimt’s painting called “Death and Life,” Le said. “It depicts a shadowy grim reaper standing a life cycle of a woman in her prime, from newborn to elderly lady. I really wanted to take a photo of that for my story. Gustav Klimt is the man who painted “The Kiss,” and he’s super influential in Austria.”
After the museum visit, the group headed back to get ready for a long day of travel. Bright and early at 7:30 Tuesday morning, they met in the lobby of The Social Hub to head out for a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia. The Slovakian capital is only an hour train ride from Vienna, and the group had a full day of exploring the city ahead of them. After riding the train to Bratislava, they were taken on a two-hour walking tour of the city and shown some of the famous landmarks and best restaurants to try. Once the tour ended, the group stopped for lunch at, “Zylinder Café Restaurant,” where they got to try some classic Slovak and Hungarian dishes. Some students tried goulash for the first time, a Hungarian stew that is made of seasoned meat and vegetables. The dish was served with several thick slices of bread that could be used to absorb the soup, and some who tried it for the first time found it to be one of their favorite meals from the trip.
“I don’t know what I was expecting from goulash, but it was good,” Junior Heath Hutcheson said. “It kind of tasted like chili. That’s the closest thing I would say to compare it to.’
After lunch, everyone was free to explore Bratislava for the remainder of the trip. Some students went shopping around town, and some visited a few of the historic churches. The downtown area of city is paved with cobblestone paths, and small souvenir shops line the square. The tour guide mentioned previously that Slovakia is known for its honey production, and some students wanted to try the city’s honey and honey mead. Many of the gift shops sold different types of handmade crafts, such as corn-husk dolls and wooden cats.
“I love it when I can go into a souvenir shop, and it’s not just the same mass-produced keychains,” Senior Victoria Severiche said. “I like it when it’s something unique and fun.”
After spending a full day in Bratislava, it was time to head back to Vienna on the train. The group arrived back at the Vienna train station at around 8:20 p.m., and Professor Hersey announced there would be no class the next day due to many students interviewing sources during the scheduled class session. Students jumped for joy, but this break from class would be no reason to relax. The class time would be filled with students traveling across town to meet with and interview their sources, and some students would need additional time to gather photo and video content.
Junior Emily Conaway is currently working on a text story about sustainability efforts in Vienna, and she had an interview scheduled for Wednesday morning with a professor at the University of Vienna. While the interview went well and she gathered lots of information for her project, Conaway said she felt anxious leading up to it.
“It was very nerve wracking going to my first interview,” Conaway said. “It’s weird to go to an unfamiliar university, and to talk to an unfamiliar person who’s primarily language isn’t English. He spoke great English, but it’s kind of scary in that way.”
Conaway said that she has two more interviews scheduled during the rest of the week, but right now she plans to start drafting her project. Interviews are not the only thing that needs to be done; students will also need to research their topic and edit visual content. Many steps are required to complete the multimedia project, but this gives students the opportunity to become comfortable in the medium that they are working with. Tune in to read about the students as they continue putting together their project draft.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the project Vienna students.
Students use weekend to work on stories, visit Prague, attend local events
By Abigail Dunagan
As the second week of Project Vienna ends, students are starting to crack down on their multimedia journalism stories. The trip is almost halfway done, and while the time has flown by there is still a lot that needs to be done. Some students travelled to Prague, Czech Republic this weekend, while others spent the weekend in Vienna to make progress on their stories.
On Friday, a group of students and faculty member Kevin Kleine attended the Summer Night Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra that took place in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. This was a free entry concert that has been held here for the past 20 years, and it provided the group with a second chance to enjoy the views in front of the palace and to experience a Viennese Orchestra.
The next day, a group decided to attend the Vienna Pride Parade on June 8th. The parade marched down Vienna Ringstrasse, and the event aimed to celebrate and advocate for the LGBTQ community within Vienna. The parade featured vendors selling pride merch, and the streets were decked out in rainbow banners and flags.
For her multimedia project, senior June Rowland is working on a video story that covers the evolution of the LGBTQ culture in Vienna. Along with attending the Pride Parade, Rowland also visited the Pride Village on Thursday to gather video footage. The Pride Village was an additional location, in front of the Vienna City Hall, for brands and vendors to sell pride merchandise to show their support for the LGBTQ community. While she enjoyed seeing the different vendors at the market, Rowland said that as a queer person it can feel a little insincere that some brands are trying to prove that they support the LGBTQ community.
“It’s just a way for brands to be like, “hey, we’re here for you,” Rowland said. “To me it felt a little insincere, but I’m also kind of wary of brands trying to relate to us.”
At both events, Rowland was able to gather video footage and interviews for her story. While she has not started writing her story yet, this weekend’s pride events have provided her with a lot of footage and useful information. She was able to approach a few people to interview them, and hearing the opinions of Vienna locals helped her gain a broader understanding of her topic.
“I got some conflicting opinions from people,” Rowland said. “One person from the outskirts of Austria told me that she felt really comfortable being openly queer here, while in her hometown she would never do that. Another person who had lived in the city all their life told me that they didn’t feel safe being openly queer here. It’s two different perspectives on the story.”
Another group of students traveled by bus and train to visit Prague in Czechia. Their journey started Thursday afternoon as they headed back to The Social Hub to grab a quick lunch and pack their bags. Their train left at 2:40 p.m. and they got off the train after two hours to board a bus that would take them to Prague. The bus ride lasted roughly three hours, and once arriving in the city at 8 p.m. the crew grabbed dinner and headed to the hostel to crash after the long day of travel.
Friday in Prague was filled with sightseeing in the city. The group booked a free city history tour that was led by Mike, a local who was well versed in the history of Prague. He walked them through the city for three hours, explaining the background of some of the city’s monuments and his own personal memories of growing up in the area. They saw the Astronomical Clock, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Square and a few historic cathedrals.
“Mike was really informative,” senior Holly Jordan said. “He gave us some really great recommendations on what to do in the area and where to eat, and I learned a lot.”
After the tour, they went to a traditional Czech restaurant called U Rudolfina where they tried traditional Czech dishes that were recommended to them by their tour guide. They tried Svickova, a dish that is typically made with beef tenderloin that is topped with cranberries and whipped cream. While the combination of sweet and savory flavors was unusual, everyone who tried it found that they enjoyed the dish.
“It didn’t look like something that would taste good,” Jordan said. “The combination of flavors was unique, but I really liked it.”
After the long day of traversing the city, the group still had Saturday morning left to explore. Their train home did not leave until 3 p.m. that day, so they spent the morning shopping at the Havelske Trziste historic downtown market and exploring more of the city. After boarding the train for another long trip, the group found themselves comforted to arrive back in Vienna.
“I think it made us realize how comfortable we have become in Vienna,” senior Lacy Gilreath said. “Coming back after a trip like that makes Vienna feel like home.”
Traveling from the U.S. to Austria came with its own set of challenges, such as learning to adjust to the German language and using Euros as a form of currency. Most students have adjusted to these cultural differences after two weeks, but traveling outside Austria still presents its own unique challenges. In Czechia, koruna are the main currency and Czech is the commonly spoken language. There were enough English speakers in the city for the group to navigate, but experiencing an entirely new culture in the span of two days can still be difficult.
The first half of the Project Vienna trip has been filled with many difficulties and new adventures. Tune in to read about the group’s day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia, and their continued work on projects.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the project Vienna students.
Project Vienna students dive into journalism, encounter unexpected challenges
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria – This second week of Project Vienna started off with new experiences and a new set of unique challenges. Students are starting to crack down on their projects as the initial deadline quickly approaches.
Last Saturday after students had returned from their weekend excursions, the group headed to an American style football game that was scheduled for them by the IES. Although not quite as popular as in the U.S., Vienna has its own American football team called the Vienna Vikings. The rules of the game were relatively the same, but the arena was noticeably smaller than many stadiums in the U.S., and there were some small differences in the way the game was played.
“They play differently than we do,” Senior June Rowland said. “Not having a net behind the goal was surprising. The pace was a lot slower, and I didn’t see anyone butt helmets.”
For his multimedia journalism project, Senior Gavin Zielke plans to produce a video story related to the Vienna Vikings. Before attending the game, Zielke contacted the Vienna Vikings through the contact email of the communications director listed on the website. The director gave Zielke a press-pass for the game that would allow him to stand on the field and film.
“I was going through it the other day, and I think I got some pretty good shots that I’ll be able to use in my story,” Zielke said. “Ideally, I’ll be able to go to a practice, but I’m not so sure. I’m going to try to interview the director of communications sometime next week and ask her about that. I might also go to the next game to record some in the stands.”
In addition to gathering substantial video footage, Zielke said he will attend a press conference call later this week to speak to some members of the Vienna Vikings. While his project is far from complete, the footage that he gathered has given him a solid foundation for the rest of the project.
“I have my foot in the door right now,” Zielke said. “I have some good B-roll. I have a couple interviews set up tomorrow at an online press conference. Hopefully, I’ll get some good responses, and I’ll hopefully also get an interview for next week.”
After living in Vienna for a full week and traveling to other parts of Europe, some students found themselves running into unexpected dilemmas. Between walking to class every day, exploring the city and going on walking tours, some students noticed that the shoes they packed did not hold up well for the long walks. Ashley Moreno, Lura Underwood, Emma Bellantoni and Maya Zamora purchased new sneakers after becoming uncomfortable and sore in the shoes they had brought.
“I think that most of us had never been to Europe before, so we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” Junior Lura Underwood said. “I think we were like ‘let’s look cute, and we won’t be walking that much,’ but I think the walking that we’ve done has put every American city to shame, or any walking I have ever done as hiking or a leisure activity.”
Public transportation is commonly used to get around in Vienna, but walking is necessary to access most shops, restaurants and public spaces. Subway and tram stops are located throughout the city, but they don’t stop at every single location.
“I didn’t even pack my tennis shoes,” Senior Ashley Moreno said. “I didn’t think I would have enough room in my suitcase. I don’t know what I would have to do in Europe with no car besides walk, but it’s been a learning curve.”
This week, the group got the opportunity to visit the Schonbrunn Palace. This palace was the historic summer home of the Habsburg family, one of the major monarchies of Europe from the 15th to the 20th century, and it is currently a popular tourist attraction in Vienna. The sprawling palace is one of the most well-recognized landmarks in Vienna, and the estate features many well-preserved rooms and a massive garden with flowers, hedge mazes and fountains.
The group went on an audio-guided tour that took them through each room of the palace, and after the tour they got to explore the palace’s beautiful and expansive gardens.
After the palace tour, some of the group decided to try a restaurant called Teddy’s American Diner. Roughly a week and a half into the trip, some found that they were homesick for a classic American burger, fries and milkshake.
Students are allowed to venture off on trips with other small groups, but many students appreciate the group activities because it gives them a chance to visit places that they may not have thought about.
“I really like the activities that Dr. Hersey, Dr. Carroll and Mr. Kleine have taken us on,” Senior Kenadie Turner said. “Just giving us the chance to experience things as a group, in case people don’t really feel comfortable going in smaller groups. It’s nice to know that we still have the opportunity to do things as a whole.”
The mid-week trip to the Schonbrunn Palace provided an exciting group excursion, but classes are still rolling ahead. This week, students have been tasked with observing the city around them and writing rich descriptions of the people and places. These activities have taken place in the middle of the class period, and students are given roughly 20 minutes to step outside and take notes on their surroundings. They have until the next class period to write a short paragraph or two on what they observed, and each student will then share what they wrote.
“I feel like I’m learning more, even though we are only doing one class,” sophomore Will Meadows said. “The activities we have been doing don’t have a lot of outside work, but I think going in and discussing it as a group really helps. It’s been very productive.”
This week in Vienna has been filled with many classroom activities, and the group is finally starting to adjust to the day-to-day life in Vienna. Tune in to read about next weekend’s activities and continued progress on the student journalism.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the project Vienna students.
Students finish first week of Vienna classes, venture out for weekend trips
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria- This weekend marked the end of the first week that Project Vienna students stayed in Austria. With classes beginning early Tuesday morning, the still jet lagged group of students made their way to the Institute for European Studies (IES) center to start the four-week summer program. Classes take place at the IES center, which is located several subway stops away from The Social Hub where students are staying.
The IES center is in the Stephansplatz square in Vienna, and the walk to class passes right by the grand and beautiful St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The IES center is in the historic Palais Corbelli, a former home that was built in 1784. The building features many study rooms with ornately painted ceilings, carved ornamental moulding and mantelpieces. The palace has been the home of IES since 1982.
The trip on the subway passes by several coffee shops, providing students with the perfect chance to grab a quick coffee and croissant during their morning walk. Classes last from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and this leaves students with an open afternoon. They can spend this time exploring the city, but many students will need this time after class to work on their stories by contacting sources, taking video footage, and researching their chosen topics. Faculty will also be available during this time after class to consult with students about their story progress and provide guidance.
“I feel like I am still in the beginning stages of my project,” junior Malena Le said. “I have some interviews scheduled and I’ve done some research, but I still need to polish it. I am at a decent place, but I still need do some work.”
Although the classes only last for a short part of the day, getting to them requires students to navigate the underground subway system of Vienna. As most students live in parts of the U.S. where cars are the main method of transportation, learning to adapt to the various forms of public transportation has presented a new learning curve for students. Most directions in the subway are written in German. The language barrier adds an extra layer of challenge to traversing the city, but most students found that their phones are useful for navigation, as well as learning to look for familiar landmarks.
“I think for the first two days, it was kind of a learning curve,” junior Lura Underwood said. “I think being able to use your phone helps, but after getting familiar it’s not that hard to get the hang of.”
On Wednesday after classes ended, the group went to participate in two events that were scheduled by IES to help them better learn about the culture and history of Vienna. They took part in a 4-mile walking tour around the city called the “Invisible Smart City” tour. The tour guide Eugene Quinn showed them around Vienna and explained some of the history regarding Vienna’s efforts to create more sustainable city spaces. After the tour, they boarded a bus and visited the Fuhrgassl- Huber winery, where they were able to try a spread of Viennese dishes for dinner. This first week was packed with different activities, but the busy schedule gave students the chance to branch away from familiarity.
“Part of this trip is really pushing me out of my comfort zone,” sophomore Ella-Hazel Rambin said. “No matter where I am, I am very much a home body, but when am I going to get a chance to do something like this again? I am really pushing myself to go out and do stuff, even if I don’t know if I’ll like it.”
With classes wrapping up on Thursday, students had a three-day weekend to explore Austria or travel to neighboring countries. Friday morning, one group of students visited the Haus des Meeres Aquarium, a ten-floor aquarium and zoo in Vienna. The group took public transport, and the journey was a roughly 20-minute trip on the subway.
One of the biggest differences between the aquariums in the U.S and Austria were the animal enclosers. Junior Emma Bellantoni found herself surprised that that some of the exhibit spaces allowed the animals to roam free, rather than keeping them behind cages.
“With the zoo, it was a walk-through,” Bellantoni said. “There would be a room, and there would be monkeys in the room with you. They would swing across the trees that were in there. You couldn’t touch them, but it was very interactive. “
Another group of students took a two-hour train ride on Friday morning to visit Budapest, Hungary. They spent the day walking around the city and exploring the monumental buildings, including St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Hungarian Parliament buildings. The group stayed the night in a local hostel and left by train early on Saturday morning.
“I didn’t really know what to expect when I came to Europe,” Underwood said. “I was expecting big cities like New York, but each city is so different in the culture and the way that they operate. Going to Budapest and being able to experience that was really cool.”
A third group of students and faculty member Kevin Kleine spent their Friday exploring the city of Graz, the second largest city in Austria. They reached the city by a two-hour bus ride, and they returned by bus later that day. They visited a local farmer’s market and an armory museum. Junior Maya Zamora found herself struck by how different Graz was from Vienna.
“You could see that there were a lot of differences with the architecture and the bus systems,” Zamora said. “We also saw a lot more Burger Kings and McDonalds and we saw a lot of different cars models on the road, like Toyotas and Fords.”
Although Vienna and Graz are both cities in Austria, junior Anna Wade noticed that Graz appeared less walkable than Vienna. The sidewalks in Graz were smaller, and the city generally had more car traffic.
“I feel like it is easy to be in Vienna and think “this is Austria,” Wade said. “It was nice to go to another city and see the things that are similar, but also the things that make it different. They are all different cities, and they are all in different areas.”
This first week in Vienna has been packed with exciting activities, but the heavy lifting of doing international multimedia journalism is just getting started. The students are starting to work on their multimedia projects, and many have begun reaching out to sources and scheduling interviews. Tune in to read about the trip to an Austrian American football game and the start of the second week of classes.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of the Project Vienna students.
Berry communication students arrive in Vienna for international multimedia journalism program
By Abigail Dunagan
VIENNA, Austria – The campus of Berry College offers students numerous opportunities, including the chance to take classes and study on the other side of the world. Last Sunday, a group of 19 Berry communication students and three faculty departed to Vienna, Austria, to take part in a month-long study abroad program.
Students will spend their time in Vienna taking two classes that will focus on international multimedia reporting. Taught and mentored by communication faculty Curt Hersey, Brian Carroll and Kevin Kleine, these courses will emphasize teaching students the ins and outs of multimedia journalism. During their time in Europe, each student will be required to produce media stories that introduce the people, society, and cultural life of Vienna. Students will work to contact and interview sources to help tell the stories. They’ll also take videos and photos to clearly communicate their chosen story. While in Vienna students are housed at The Social Hub, a residential center that provides short term housing for study abroad students, families and workers.
The journey began when the group met bright and early at 7:20 a.m. at the Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson International airport. After checking in luggage and going through security, the group located their boarding gate and set off in search of breakfast. The trip would first take them to Chicago on United Airlines, and after a 4-hour layover they would board Austrian Airlines to head to their destination in Vienna.
Although these flights were planned months in advance, the group encountered some delays on the flight to Chicago. After boarding the flight, the pilot announced that there was some stormy weather over Chicago. The flight was delayed for roughly another hour, and the plane wasn’t able to take off until 12:15 p.m. During the flight, the plane experienced some intense turbulence, with the aircraft shaking so hard that it was difficult for anyone to sleep or stand up to go to the restroom. Senior Victoria Severiche felt that the delays with the flight made it difficult to relax before the overseas trip.
“It was frustrating really, because of all the delays,” Severiche said. “At that point, I wasn’t really anxious. I was just tired. I just wanted to get this over with.”
After landing in Chicago, the next flight to Austria boarded at 4:30 p.m. This would be a nine-hour flight, and with the time change, the plane would land at 8:20 a.m. in Vienna. While most of the group tried to sleep during the flight, most students found this difficult to do while sitting upright on the plane. Junior Emma Bellantoni found the six-hour zone time change from evening to morning to be jarring.
“Our bodies were not adjusting well to the plane ride,” Bellantoni said. “It felt like I had been sleeping for hours, when in reality it had been minutes.”
While most students traveled on one flight as a group, Juniors Malena Le and Anna Wade flew on a separate flight because they had made plans to stay in Vienna with family once the study abroad program ends. According to Wade, their flight later in the day did not experience as much turbulence, as they flew to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and then to Vienna.
“I think traveling with two people is way easier than traveling with a group of 20,” Wade said. “It was pretty seamless for us. There was a little bit of turbulence, but it wasn’t bad for our first flight. We had a 50-minute layover in Amsterdam, which was stressful because we had to stop and go through customs, and there was a bit of a line. Other than that, it was like clockwork.”
With the combination of jet lag and a lack of sleep, most students were exhausted by the time the plane landed in Vienna. Once everyone passed through customs and collected luggage it was time to board a bus provided by IES, the local study abroad provider, to go to The Social Hub, the location where students are staying. This was the first time that most students had ever seen Vienna. Junior Emily Conaway expressed her excitement about finally seeing the city.
“It was really amazing,” Conaway said. “It made me grateful for the opportunity. I’ve been to Europe before, but Vienna was new to me.”
Although they had just landed, the students already had a packed schedule. They first attended a series of orientation meetings that informed them of the expectations and cultural differences when living in Vienna. After orientation, they were able to check into their rooms and relax for an hour before meeting up again for a local area tour. The tour guides showed the group where to board public transportation, where to find the bank, the pharmacy and the best places to grocery shop. At this point most students were exhausted, but this information was crucial to know for their stay.
Jet lagged and hungry, the group sought out their first Viennese meal. They walked to and wound up at restaurant Schweizer Haus, a rustic beer garden known for serving Viennese dishes. This restaurant is in the Prater, a large park in Vienna. Most people tried wiener schnitzel for the first time, a common Austrian dish that is made from a pounded and breaded fried pork cutlet, a Viennese favorite.
Senior Holly Jordan felt that the dish was a good start to her time in Vienna.
“I really enjoyed it,” Jordan said. “It tasted really familiar, so it was a good intro dish to Austrian food.”
After dinner, the group finally went back to their new residences and crashed into bed. After a long day traveling and experiencing the city, most students were eager to rest. Tune in soon to read about our first day of classes and the next adventures.
Watch for continuing updates on the work, experiences and travel of Project Vienna students.
‘Project Vienna’ multimedia elements:
Redefining Art in Vienna: A Visionary’s Blend of History, Community, Creativity
Vienna’s Art Scene Revolutionizes: A New Era of Accessibility and Fairness
Worldwide Pride: How Vienna Pride compares to other global celebrations
Vienna Pride hits record number of attendees
Dining in Vienna for Thirty Euros a Day
Vienna’s public parks, green spaces bring people together while influencing local culture
Street Art Gallery Aims to Celebrate Vienna’s Artistic Future
Beneath The Surface of Vienna’s Museums
Futuristic Viennese town models innovative city planning
Vienna an incubator of young musical talent
Heatwaves in the Heart of Vienna
Seeing Legos in the Funeral Museum was unexpected
“A Schöne Leich”: The Viennese Dance with Death
Viennese Churches Face Decrease in Attendance
Wunderteam: Vienna’s Ultimate Frisbee Champions
From Club to Pro, Vienna Vikings Continue to Grow
Discover Vienna’s Hidden Gems: A Guide by Young Expats
Vienna’s moral dilemma regarding Richard Wagner
Mozart Mania: Vienna cashing in on Mozart celebrity
Beyond the Kitsch: Vienna still Mozart’s city
Opera Now: How innovative programs, productions are revitalizing Vienna’s opera scene