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“Ding . . . ding, attention attention: flight 43 to Detroit is now boarding. Please bring your boarding pass to gate three for departure.” These words, equally nerving and exciting, were my calling card to begin my first solitary journey half-way around the world.
I walked out onto the tarmac and boarded the plane with my head held high and with my knees filled with jelly, making my first steps towards becoming a “traveler.”
Before I knew it, my plane had landed in the Vienna International Airport, and I was fumbling through my wallet for fifteen Euros to pay the cab driver who had just arrived at what I was praying to be the Flow Haus. I stepped to the entrance and wrung the doorbell. Much to my relief, three of my classmates opened the door and greeted me with warm hugs and smiles. I was finally here!
After a few days in the hot Austrian summer without air-conditioning, some patience, and an open-mind, I became acquainted with the U-Bahn railway system, coffee as strong as kerosene and automobiles that could surely substitute washing machine boxes for garages. I was also soon to find the spiritual cathedral of St. Stephens, the breathtaking Abby at Melk, and perhaps most striking of all, the culture and way of life of the Viennese people. Much to my surprise, what I feared would be a nerving and lonely task had turned out to be an exciting and fulfilling journey of personal and cultural growth.
And although I traveled to Vienna for an academic course, there was so much more to explore. There were opera houses, art galleries, and historical buildings. There were charming pubs, café’s and pastry shops on every street corner, luring me inside with its aromas of fresh baked breads and creamy espressos. I took Sam’s advice and made it a point to get lost once or twice. It was during these strolls of solitude through the city that I felt a sense of independence and excitement about the unlimited possibility of what might happen next.
Living with my classmates and professors during these two weeks was a wonderful experience. I saw a much softer side of everyone, as we shared a little bit more of our personal lives with one another.
And although I thoroughly enjoyed this new cultural experience that afforded me much personal growth, (although it surely placed me outside of my comfort zone), I also found myself deeply immersed in the study of the Viennese theorists.
As my time in Vienna progressed, I cannot help but recall how comprehensive and enriching the academic experience was. I was no longer in the lecture hall listening to speeches about Freud’s Wednesday Psychological Society or in my apartment reading over his and Anna’s case studies or viewing pictures of his worldly artifacts. I was however walking through the very rooms where their clients were seen, where they developed their theories, and where the artifacts still sat within glass enclosures.
Furthermore, tracing the footsteps of Victor Frankl’s life was a personal highlight of mine, for his experiences, his books and his invention of logotherapy have all had a tremendous impact on my counseling orientation. Meeting with his wife, Elly and touring his apartment was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I would not of otherwise received, had I not decided to journey to Vienna.
If I have learned nothing else from my European adventure this past summer, it is that the world, and not merely four enclosed walls has the capacity to be my classroom, but only If I allow myself to explore the unknown, take risks, and embrace new opportunities.
In summation, my time in Vienna was an academically enriching experience. For a short while, I witnessed the city where legendary theorists once worked and loved, and where their institutes, libraries, homes and impact on humanity have remained and continue to flourish. However, Vienna was not merely an experience of academic proportions. As I sit and reminisce about my adventures, I can recall times of sharing and bonding, of the beautiful Austrian countryside and of the warm, light pastries that I knew all too well for a brief moment in time. My days there were small and numbered, but the memories still linger. If I only take a moment and close my eyes, I find myself there again, on the Danube, traveling back to my ancestor’s homeland – walking along the small cobblestone streets through the hills of Bratislava, Slovakia (a weekend adventure), inhaling the aromas of bolbolki, halushki and halupki while exchanging simple smiles with the locals. For a short moment in time, I visited a place that I had never been, but which felt like home from the moment I arrived that rainy Friday evening.
My European travels are over for now. The planes have landed, and my suitcase has long sat emptied. But in a moment, with a simple thought, I find myself back there, walking down Haussenauer Street with my classmates, sitting at the cafe’s with the Viennese locals, and smiling - all because I boarded flight 43 to Detroit.
Sam Gladding
Donna Henderson
Brooke Alexander
Elizabeth Cox
Beth Martin
Scott Meltsner
Mark Patishnock
Jennifer Rogers
Brian Shaw
Katie Tison
Carol Habegger
Nancy Lacey
John and Chris Henderson