Experiential #9

The most meaningful experience on this trip would have to be the many encounters with locals in all the cities we visited and the better understanding of the history of the Empire. The people I've met in Vienna at local restaurant have made a everlasting impression on how nice the city could people could be. The people I met in Prague, London and even Paris have been full of the most interest people I have ever meet. After learning about the Empire I also have a better understanding of the history if people from Vienna, Prague and London. By learning the different heritage of the different countries I can better understand where they came from. This past year I have been living in Cincinnati traveling to the exactly to the same places every week so this experience might not have help me in the past year but it will definitely help me in the future. By making me more open to new countries around the world I feel like I could understand better understand people from other countries.

Experiential Blog 8

Classes in Harlaxton have been different then classes in the States. We are being taught in a castle. This fact hits me every other class when I just look around our classroom in the Gold Room. Its a room with gigantic ceiling with painting, giant mirrors, and a garden right next to it. The German history class I'm in has been almost all new information I never got back in the States. The only think I new before going into the class was probably who were Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sigmund Freud. I now know a plethora of information of what the Empire was, who was in control, and how they were able to keep power longer than other European empires. The main difference of studying abroad here is that we actually go and visit the places we talk about. In being able to physically go to the places we learn about and see things with m own eye definitely give me a better appreciation for the information I'm learning. Learning who the Habsburg were, visiting their palaces and other places that represent the Empire has given me a new experience I will never forget. As well as being in different European countries have given me a new perspectives on how I should behave and pack for my next excursion.

Experiential Blog #7

As we wrap our final days abroad I have taken a notice to the different attitudes/characteristic behaviors of many of the people across Europe. First thing I notice was how polite people are in England. On the way back from Manchester, this one gentlemen looked up the train we needed to get back to Grantham then proceeded to stand with my friends and I until we physically got on the train. If it was someone for the US I could never image someone, sacrificing their time, waiting for a complete stranger and making sure they get on the correct train. Another think I notice is how on time people across the world are on time. The tubes in almost all the cities are very accurate in the approach time. While the public transportation in Columbus and Cincinnati are almost never on time. It might have to do with the lack of punctuality we as Americans have as a whole. We could joke that its always nice to be punctual, but over here its implied. Before this trip I didn't know what to except, I was going to try my best not to stand out as a person from the States but to my surprise I stick out like a sore thumb everyday of the week. I came on this trip with an open mind and I feel like I am leaving with a better understanding of the different atmosphere of different countries. In London and Vienna it would be better to be more quiet during the day and night but while in Prague you can be as loud as you want. Another thing I learned would to make sure I speak a little bit of the language or at least a few phrases so I don't always have to play charades with the non-English speaking locals. The main thing I learned is to always be respectful of culture the city I travel to and always be mindful of my surroundings.

Visual Essay

Experiential Blog 6

I am not sure where to start my description of London. On the flight over to United States' sister country across the world, my first realization I was traveling outside the states was listen to our flight attendance talk to other passengers and among themselves. The ascent, which I was expecting people to have, was the first indication that we are finally out of the United States. The pace the conversation carries is a much different pace that how we speak in the states. Personal space with we take very serious in the states isn't a real thing with some of the local people we visited. Cheers, the word that is said for goodbye, thank you, and many others saying. I still not sure I have ever said it at the proper moment but I have four more days in England and I am determine to get it right just once. I feel like being immersed in a new environment I would better understand how it would feel when a foreigner travels to United States for the first time.

Overview of London

Experiential Blog 5

I have being traveling all my life. I visited cities from the east coast for the United States, like Miami of Washington D.C., all the way to Honolulu, Hawaii and many more in between. I been aboard to places in South America and Africa but never Europe. I felt like I was going to handle being in a new environment extremely well, and for the most part had absolutely no problems. I have explored Harlaxton, Manchester, Vienna, Prague, and London to my heart content and have loved every minute exploring and gaining new experiences. The emotion of people living in the cities we visited are quite different. Travel around Vienna was more quiet and people getting close to tell you something, while traveling to Prague people talked far less English and had less patience. The people around the world all have different ways of communicating their feeling and daily activities, which the more I travel the better I would understand the different cultures of the world making grow more excepting of new ideas.

Experiential blog 3- Vienna

There are many words I would use to describe the city of Vienna but if I had to pick one, exquisite. The building were all keep in pristine condition from when Vienna was at center of the Empire. The detail and architecture of each building were phenomenal. The landscape was more flat then I was expecting but the palace and its garden was sitting at the top of the whole city. I was not expecting to see all of the old building still standing, but excepted some since Vienna was were the royal family lived. I thought there would at least be some modern build made of all glass but to my surprise there was none. The city has spent a lot of money to maintain the city and have done a superber job. I believe Vienna has kept its pride and elegance, since the end of the Empire, in the maintenance of their city, palaces and cathedrals. Also, I learn it would always be wise to learn a small amount of the language spoken in the country you visit.