Settling in...

Guten Morgen. I am posting this brief update to say “Hallo.” We have arrived safely and according to plan. We are still settling in; meeting our buddy to help us with setting up an Austrian bank account, a cell phone, housing paperwork, navigating the city, etc. I still don’t have internet in my dorm, so I have to keep this short and sweet. We are connecting to the internet in MCI’s computer lab, as well as the café down the street. Well worth all of these cappuccinos to connect with mom and dad!

All is well in Austria! Detailed updates are on the way. Here are a few photos to get this blog goin’…

Found Valerie in Munich. Ready to drive to Innsbruck

Inn River, Innsbruck

  

Ja! I live here!

Ciao

From Sand to Snow..

From sand to snow, to Innsbruck, Austria I go.
This is my first semester abroad and last semester as an undergrad.
What a great way to wrap up my Hospitality degree.

There's no place like home...Clearwater, FL

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

"ALLLL AAABOOOAARRDDD"

Plans are to fly from Tampa to Miami today- 2/22/12. Meet Cathy (my fellow study abroad friend). Board a flight to London. Then we fly to Munich.

We're going to meet Cathy's friend Valerie in Munich, Germany and drive to Innsbruck, Austria... 

By Thursday evening we should be arriving in Innsbruck. 

We'll stay at Nepomuks Hostel. Friday morning we have plans to meet our MCI buddy Caro, to help us get settled in our dorm, Karl Kunst. 

Excited, nervous, anxious, excited,and even more excited :)

See ya, America

Guten Tag!

10 days and counting!

Where do I begin?...I'm a senior at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. I will be spending my final semester abroad in Innsbruck, Austria in the international exchange program at the Management Center Innsbruck! I'll be finishing my Bachelor's degree, studying Tourism Business Studies with students from around the world.

I've always had a passion for travel. I've been fortunate to have traveled the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and have been as far as Israel and Ukraine. I've always wanted to go on a European vacation (like the Griswolds!) haha. I never considered studying abroad to be an option, assuming it would be way too costly. I found out that airfare is the only one major expense. Tuition, room, and board are about the same. I plan to travel as much as I can in between classes using my hard earned cash and student discounts!

(A) Innsbruck, Austria

10 more days... I can't believe it's finally here! It's already been quite the adventure preparing for this...and it hasn't been all that easy! I hope this helps future study abroad students. 

To sum up how I got to this point, here are 10 important "must do's" that I did...

1. Applied for Study Abroad Student Exchange (online application, resume, personal statement, degree audit, letter of recommendations, scholarship submission, etc.)

2. Submitted MCI application (get nominated by office of international studies)
3. Attended Mandatory Orientations on Oct. 12 & Oct. 20 
4. Registered for classes on Oct. 17 
5. On Nov. 21, UCF requested proof of health insurance, purchase of repatriation of remains and emergency medical evacuation insurance, copy of passport, and signed legal agreement forms
6. Nov. 22- Received letter of acceptance from MCI   
7. Applied for housing Dec. 5 and wired 700 euros for a deposit
8. On Dec. 23, I booked flights through STA Travel!... (on Jan. 21, I randomly looked up my flight to verify times and noticed that my Miami flight was cancelled. CANCELLED?!- I panicked, called STA, and booked an earlier flight... hope they don't cancel that one too!)
9. Applied for visa on Jan. 4...thanks Dominique! (sent it FedEx to the Embassy of Austria in D.C. and received it 1 week later)
10. On Jan. 20, I received MCI Orientation, buddy, and more housing info

Oy! So some things are still not confirmed but I guess it will all work out. Thanks to Megan, Matt, and Katrina for all of the helpful info!