Welcome To Innsbruck!
Innsbruck is a mid-sized city nestled in the Nordkette region in west Austria. This was the city that became my home from July 1st, 2023 to August 11th, 2023. If there is one thing I can say for certain it is that we truly made our time in Innsbruck worthwhile. My roommate, Avery, and I would roll out of bed around 6:30 each morning to head downstairs for breakfast at 7. Then it was off to class where I learned the human history impact on the environment. Class would wrap up around 12:30 each day. After a quick lunch we would typically bus over to the public lake or go on a walk alongside the river. Unless it was a Thursday, in which case, we were sprinting to the train station to set off on our next European journey.
The 250 plus students participating in the program all took their classes from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the University of Innsbruck. The first course I took was Environmental History. This course covered all of the ways humans have impacted and shaped our environment. This class challenged the way I have viewed history by demonstrating that humans are not actually the center of all history.
The second class I took was a Cultural Anthropology course. We studied many different cultures around the world. Primarily we focused on the Roma Gypsy population within Innsbruck. We even took a class field trip to visit the Roma Gypsy’s here and hear about their life stories.
Monday through Thursday we were provided breakfast and lunch. The lunch usually consisted of a pasta option, schnitzel, or bowl. When dinner rolled around we would usually experiment with different restaurants. Innsbruck has a wide variety of cuisines. Our favorite though was the Italian restaurant, Mamma Mia. On nights when we did not go out to eat we would venture to the Spar grocery store next to the dorms to grab a quick bite.
When class is over and the homework is done that means it is time to relax. My personal favorite way to do this was by taking the bus to the public lake. For just a small fee of 5 Euros we would all bring our towels to layout here. Students would play music and hang out with one another, all while soaking in the gorgeous scenery of Innsbruck.
If we chose not to go to the lake often times we would hike up the mountains. This particular time we took the gondola to the top, but decided we wanted to walk down to the restaurant Seegrube. Little did we know the intensity or time commitment the hike down would be. Not to mention our group was not equip for a hike like this. None the less there was no turning back. Next thing I know the nine of us are scaling the side of the mountain holding a rope. Two and a half hours later we finally made it to the restaurant. Ironically, by the time we made it to the restaurant it was closed, but the important thing is that we made it down safely.
The city of Innsbruck welcomes the students with open arms. Pictured left is the 48th opening ceremony where the mayor of Innsbruck greets all of the students and staff. This long standing program has become very established within the Innsbruck community as each summer a new group of students arrive. After the ceremony is the dinner with a special performance from the New Orleans second line.
Our class also had a field trip to one of the few remaining glaciers. We we all given our special shoes and were off on a slippery hike. It was humorous that all of us were still slipping and sliding in the snow. Afterwards we stopped at a natural waterfall. We all drank from the waterfall because the water was so crisp and refreshing. This was a great way to bond with our new classmates from different universities.
