Make a New Friend

The Europahaus, where we live, is great because it has community kitchens. As a result, you end up meeting a lot of the Europeans that also live here. They are very friendly, and always willing to include the Americans in their activities. It is not uncommon to see IGE students playing soccer, cooking, getting German homwork help, or going out at night with some of the Europeans. Apparently, this is somewhat unique for a study abroad program. In many of the bigger study abroad programs, you live will all Americans, and this makes it harder to meet and friend Europeans. Another problem students on other programs have is they live in self contained apartments, so they don't share common spaces with the Europeans. IGE is great because there are enough Americans around where you feel comfortable, but you have to leave your room to eat and hang out, so you will meet Europeans. Additionally, the Europeans in the Europahaus are extremely friendly.

Want to Meet Europeans? Make a new friend at the Europahaus. This week, a new student named Stefan moved in. We met him in the kitchen while making dinner one night. He's from Salzburg, and he has come to Vienna to study. It is cool to meet people like Stefan because he does not know a lot of English, and it is a great opportunity to practice your German. Additionally, Stefan will probably live in the Europahaus for a few years, and he, like many of the other students who live here, will become a friend of IGE. This means that when Americans from IGE come in the future, they will be quick to include them and help make sure they have a good time.