Travel Diary #001

People have been asking me for months how exactly I’m going to live in Austria and why. I hope using this very elementary model answers all questions.

Who/What/How:

I applied for a Fulbright grant in 2019 for the 2020-2021 cycle. The Fulbright Program provides English Teaching Assistantships and Research grants for recent graduates, masters & doctoral candidates, and young professionals. It’s kind of a big deal. I was a finalist for a Community-Based Combined Grant in Austria. This grant would allow me to be an English teaching assistant, volunteer for a non-profit, and take classes at a local university. Well, unfortunately, due to miss Rona and my grant being too complicated (a lot of moving pieces involving three different organizations), it was canceled. However, the teaching assistantship program (USTA) is still happening, so I’m able to go through USTA. I will still be volunteering with the nonprofit on my own free will. I’m honestly not too mad about not taking classes, but I was excited to continue to my French studies which I now have to figure out on my own.

When:

I arrived in Austria on September 12 and am contracted to be there for 9 months, which I hope to extend – as long as I like it and they like me. I’m really excited to be here now but have to constantly remind people that I’m adulting and this is not a vacation. Yes, COVID permitting, I will try to do some traveling, but I’m more so excited to share over the next 9 months (and potentially more) about what it looks like and takes to move to a new country.

Where:

I am moving to AUSTRIA. NOT AUSTRALIA. I will not be in the country/continent/island that is known for surfing, kangaroos and koalas, and the Sydney Opera house. I am not being a smart a**, I am literally clarifying. 1 of 3 people think I’m going to Australia, so I just need to make sure we’re all on the same page. Austria is a small European country that neighbors Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Italy. More specifically, I will be living in Linz. Linz is the capital of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) right between Salzburg and Vienna. I’m most excited to take the 1.5 train ride to Vienna which is the largest city in Austria. I chose Austria because I’ve been speaking German for nine years, and it is so far the most beautiful country I’ve ever been to.

Why:

I am going to Austria to be an English teaching assistant. I will also be volunteering with immigrants and refugees at a non-profit called Caritas. The goal is to help me define what I really want to do. Right now, I want to work with immigrants and refugees in their resettlement process, mainly in second language acquisition. I essentially want to find the best methods to teach people new languages. Language learning has been a passion of mine, and I find it to be one of the most empowering things. To be able to provide a voice for immigrants and refugees to advocate for themselves is a dream come true. Even if that’s as simple as doing well on a job interview or being able to fill out an apartment application, that’s something that I find joy in. I hope that teaching high school students English and working with refugees helps me to figure out my career path.