So I’m just going to come out and say something personal about myself that I don’t usually tell people: I don’t really like desserts that much.

Yes, you read that correctly. No, I’m not talking about the Sahara Desert, or the Kalahari Desert, or the entire country of Australia. I’m talking about cake. For some reason, my whole life, I have always just enjoyed savory more than sweet, burgers more than pastries, and fried rice more than just about anything else. But that all changed one day when I came to Vienna.

I had heard a lot about Viennese pastries and desserts and, unlike me, my girlfriend is a normal person who really enjoys a good pastry, so we decided to head to Café Central, one of the many famous Viennese Cafes with an illustrious history of serving great desserts to great people (Sigmund Freud and Leon Trotsky were notable patrons of this particular establishment).

After browsing their collection of eye catching and beautifully appointed cakes and pastries my girlfriend and I selected a few, took the necessary photos that food of this caliber deserves, and set upon them with all the careful ferocity we could muster.

What followed next was absolute bliss. I have never in my life been so enamored by a sweet tasting food. Everything was just so damn good. The flakey pastry fell apart perfectly and provided the perfect texture to balance out the soft cream filling. The various jams and fruits tasted perfectly fresh and didn’t overpower the taste of the rest of the dessert. All in all, it was one of the most memorable food related experience of my entire life.

Since then, I have thought often about the amazing cakes and desserts that can be found in Vienna. I haven’t been back to Café Central since, but I have gone to Café Demel, and Café Sacher, neither of which have disappointed me. Next on my list is Joseph Brot vom Pheinsten, where I am told one can find the best bread in the world. If it lives up to the reputation of eating establishments in Vienna, I am sure it will be an unforgettable experience.

 

 

 

Vienna is such an amazing city for so many reasons. It is very international, the people are friendly, the food is good, and the history is rich. But above all, it has some of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. From Stephansdom to Schönbrunn to the Museumsquartier, this city has more amazing buildings to look at than any other city I have ever been in.

I remember during my first time in Vienna, my girlfriend and I just spent an entire day walking from one place to another, looking around a corner and seeing yet another building that was somehow even more beautiful than the last. “Ok let’s just walk over and see that one and then we will go back” we kept on saying, as we walked to building after building, filling our hearts and minds with the old beauty of empires and royal families that once were.

Once upon a time, these fantastic palaces were only ever viewed by the aristocratic elite, but now they are open for everyone to see and enjoy. Walking down the streets of Vienna, one truly feels privileged to live in a time where everyone, regardless of their social class or economic background, can enjoy the beauty of these magnificent buildings. And to me, that is what makes the beauty of Vienna truly breath taking. It serves as a reminder of how things once were, while simultaneously showing us all how lucky we are to be alive today in a more egalitarian and just society.

 

Vienna is an amazing city with a huge amount of history, culture, and interesting people. It is one of the most international cities I have ever lived in and on the U-Bahn one can hear people from all over the world speaking a multitude of languages. I think a big component of the international atmosphere that Vienna embodies is the Vienna International Center, home of the United Nations.

I came to Vienna to work at the International Atomic Energy Agency, a group within the United Nations that works with Nuclear Energy. The Agency, as it is often called, is tasked with inspecting nuclear powerplants, promoting peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy, training people in safe handling of nuclear fuel, and much more. It is a truly robust and amazing organization to work for and I feel blessed to be here.

In many ways, the UN is a microcosm of Vienna. The people there are friendly, engaging, and always interested in discussing politics or the news. They have a great sense of pride for the work they do and the impact they have on the world. And above all, they love to have fun. On Fridays, the UN bar is a lively place, packed with people from all over the world talking over a beer and making plans for the weekend.

There is always a plan to see or do something new in Vienna, since so many people at the UN are new to the city. And in this way, Vienna benefits from the UN as much as the UN benefits from Vienna. Vienna gets a steady stream of people who are excited for the sights and sounds of the city, ready to be tourists in their own town and visit the beautiful palaces, museums, and concert halls that Vienna has to offer. The UN, on the other hand, can attract people from all over the world who are eager to have a chance to experience the most livable, and possibly most beautiful, city in the world. In my experience, it has been a fantastic partnership, and I am looking forward to what the next months (and hopefully years) of living in Vienna have to offer me.

The first day of school is always filled with mixed emotions, and my first day of Deutsche Akademie was not different. One the one hand, I was excited about all the German I would learn and the classmates I would meet. On the other hand, being in a classroom for 3 hours after working for 9 hours sounded… terrible. But as I sat down in the classroom I was immediately caught up in introducing myself to my classmates, trying to remember the names for different countries in German, and following along with the teacher as we played games to learn the words for different relatives and family members.

You can imagine my surprise when I looked up at the clock for the first time all day and I realized I had been in the class for 2 and a half hours already. The time had gone by incredibly fast and I felt comfortable saying a few things in German that I had just learned that day. The class was constantly talking in German (since it was the only language many of us had in common), and I felt completely comfortable to make mistakes when speaking because everyone else was doing the same. Best of all, I had learned all the words for family members, gotten some much needed practice for the different cases in German, and gotten to learn a bit about each of the people in my class. I had some homework exercises to reinforce what I had learned that day, but it wasn’t too much work and I was looking forward to putting what I had learned into practice.

When the class was over I realized I am actually really looking forward to the next month. Sure, giving up 12 hours of free time per week is a pretty big investment, but the time went by so quickly that I hardly even noticed it. And between the people I had met and the German I had learned, it was already well worth the time.

When I tell people back home in America that I am learning German, the first thing I inevitably here is a resounding, „Why?“. The question, of course, is completely understandable. I mean, learning a language is a huge undertaking that requires many hours and months of dedication. Plus, most young Germans and Austrians speak English very well, and I will likely never be in a situation where I absolutely have to speak German to get by. For me, however, becoming fluent in German is a necessity in its own way.

Language is one of the biggest components of human culture, and to integrate into a society demands that I speak the language. I could order a drink at a bar or ask for directions in English, and the person helping me would (probably) be able to fully understand my request. But by asking in German I feel like I belong here and I don’t stick out like a sore thumb with an overly abrasive American accent. And for me, the feeling that I belong here in Vienna as much as I do back home in America is worth all the vocabulary flashcards and grammar exercises in the world.

So sure, my friends in back home are right: learning a language is a lot of work, and I most likely won’t find myself in a life or death situation where I need to speak German. But despite all of that, I am still 100% dedicated to becoming a fluent German Speaker; maybe with the help of the Deutsch Akademie I will manage to do exactly that.