III. PRE-TRAVEL MOMENTS

19 Oct 2011, 01:41

After applying for the international Exchange, I started researching more about the universities and cities that I had put in the first choices of the document. I spent many hours reading websites and forums where other students shared their knowledge and experiences. The truth is that I loved the idea of spending a period both in Austria and Germany, but the good thing about the IMC Fachhochschule Krems in Austria was that the lessons were taught in English, while the German universities lessons were in German. I already had basic knowledge of German, but the level was not high enough to take classes in that language. That was the reason why the IMC became my favourite choice. I knew that going to the Austrian university would give me the opportunity to improve my English level and at the same time, I could practice my German with the regular students and residents of the city.

Weeks went by and, with much greater speed, increased my excitement and my illusion. I was worried because there were only two places available for that university and I was looking forward to the lists with assigned destinations. Every time I knew more about the university, the city and the country and I wished with all my heart that Krems would become my Erasmus destination.

Fortunately, it happened. One of the two available places was mine. That day I was really happy and from then I began to prepare myself to take advantage of this great opportunity. I took care of submitting all necessary documentation in time while researching things related to the university, housing, transportation, etc...

From the beginning, I loved the focus that the IMC has for the Tourism Degree. I chose, with the help of my tutors both from Spain and from Austria, the subjects most suitable for me taking into account the Syllabus of URJC and my personal motivations. I must indicate that both tutors were a great help during this process and did not hesitate to spend time with me when I needed it.

Another aspect that kept me busy before starting the trip was the search of accommodation. The IMC offered a free service of flat search, but I decided to search on by myself in a webpage of ads which was recommended by the IMC. I was lucky and after a few messages sent, I managed to find an apartment at a good price and with a good location.

The language preparation was also important to me. I knew that the classes in the IMC would be in English, but I also wanted to be prepared for coping with everyday situations in German. So during the summer before starting the trip and thanks to a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, I had the opportunity to enrol in a German course in Berlin. The course would enable me to improve my German and I would be better prepared to cope with the experience in Austria.

Regarding transportation, I made the journey to Krems by plane from Madrid to Vienna and then by train from Vienna to Krems. I purchased the flight with a pretty good price because I searched options well in advance. When I arrived in Vienna was easy to orientate with the means of transport since I had already looked for information on the Internet in advance. From my point of view, it is important to prepare these aspects prior to the start of the trip. The more you know about the destination, the easier to avoid mishaps.

Finally, after months of anxious waiting and preparation applied, it was time to say goodbye to family and friends.
Despite having been waiting a long time, at that moment it is hard to give a hug to the people you love knowing that it will take months until you can get back to take another one. For a moment I felt fear of not being strong enough to handle everything that an international exchange means... but there I was, pretending to be tough, giving my boarding pass to ride on the plane that would take me to Vienna.

Views: 1266