School
I didn’t have school during July and August due to the Summer holidays, and after one week back in September my class went to the United States for a 3 week trip, so I have only had 3 days back at school since they returned. I have some close friends in my class and the schoolwork is easier to understand as my German improves, so school is generally going well, although my language study is entirely self-guided because there is no DAF (German as a second language) class.
Rotary
There were no Rotary events during the holidays however I attended a hiking weekend with the other exchange students a few weeks ago, which I enjoyed a lot. I got to meet all the new exchange students who arrived in August so it was a great opportunity to make new friends. I’m doing my best to help out newbies when they need it and also to make friends with as many people from diverse backgrounds as possible, because in the first half of my exchange I regret sticking mostly to the English-speaking group. I am still in regular contact with my YEO and am currently organising some community service with my host club.
Summary
Everything is going well, if a little too fast. I’m looking forward to Winter because I’d love to get in some more snowboarding in the Alps before I leave but January keeps creeping closer. I had a great summer and managed to see 7 of the 9 states of Austria, with lots of swimming, camping and traditional Austrian festivals. I spent a lot of the summer building closer relationships with my local friends and meeting lots of new people, so I now have a solid base of friends. It’s a good feeling to walk down the street and bump into people you know in a city of 2 million people! My German is continuing to improve but I want to make an effort during this school semester to learn more complex sentence structures and improve my grammar in order to better engage with the school cur- riculum. It’s scary to think I’ve been here nearly 8 months already and my return date doesn’t seem too far off now, but I’m looking forward to making the most of my last 4 months in this beautiful country. Here’s some photos from over the Summer:
