Experiencing the Vienna Opera House

Author: Danielle Shaver | Majors: Social Work and Psychological Science

You’re traveling alone?!

A mother’s fear peaks its head into our phone call.

¿Vas a ir sola?

Even my Spanish professor raises alarm.

As a college-aged woman, the world does not necessarily welcome you with open arms. I mean… there are entire true-crime podcasts dedicated to what can happen when a 21-year-old decides to go to Germany and Austria all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. So obviously, hesitation, fear, and nervous excitement built in my chest.

My name is Danielle, and during the fall semester, I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain. Nevertheless, when a long weekend came up on the course calendar, I decided it was time to go to Austria. To explore. To find peace in independence. If none of that cheesy, stuff, I was going to go so I could pretend to be in my own music video of “Vienna.” With Billy Joel singing in the background, I boarded the cheapest flight I could find.

One thing is for sure, the interactions that I had on this break stuck in my mind. They made the world feel a bit more manageable, a bit more welcoming. Maybe it’s because I broke rule #1 of those true-crime podcasts…Don’t talk to strangers.

1. I was assigned to sit next to two older women at the Vienna Opera House. One had learned English on a road-trip through America when she was “my age.” The other spoke zero English, but when she looked at me, there was a wish between the two of us that we could communicate. At the end of the night, I asked, “how do I say goodbye to you in German?”

“Gesundheit,” she replied, blowing a kiss.

I later learned she was saying, “Bless you.”

2. Breaking another unspoken rule led to this next one…Don’t talk to strangers on planes (oops). Next to me, I met a woman my age named Melissa. She reminded me of my Fayetteville friends but if my Fayetteville friends were instead studying wine in Vienna, Austria (movie-star alert). That night, we went to get a drink, share stories about life in our countries, and laugh about cultural stereotypes.

The waiter places my drink in front of me and the German word for “thank you” gets caught in my throat.

*Danke. Say it, Danielle! Danke.*

It wasn’t happening. I was too scared of mispronouncing. Of seeming like a confused tourist. Instead, I looked even more silly with a nervous smile and wide eyes.

Melissa could not stop laughing, imitating my embarrassed face. She said, “You need to hear about my 99% rule.”

“your what?”

“99% of the people in public, you’ll never see again. So do the silly thing. Do the embarrassing thing.”

I tell you these things because I think college students can sometimes take themselves a bit too seriously. Through graduate school applications. Thesis research. Even writing these blogs. We can sometimes feel like little babies sitting in a puddle of professional suits that could never fit us.

Well, the most memorable parts of my study abroad were the messiest. So, from now on, take the trip. Stumble over the new language. Try the creative approach. Talk to strangers.

Just stay safe out there.