Oliver Gamson reports "I switched host families at the end of March, so at the beginning of April I spent a lot of time getting to know my new family. I have 4 host siblings, and we live out in a small village north of Vienna. My host father is a farmer, and my host mother is a veterinarian. We get along really well and speaking with my siblings helps me learn a lot of German. They also have a beautiful house in the Alps, where we spent a few days skiing.
Earlier in the year I was asked by Rotary to give a speech to the future outbound students, who are doing an exchange next year. This speech took place close to the beginning of April, where I spoke for 10 minutes about how my exchange has been, and what they should expect on their year abroad. It was a big milestone for me in my German-speaking. I hope to really focus in on developing my German for the next 2 months, before I come home.
A few days before I left on the Eurotour, I celebrated Easter and got to meet my extended host family. There were a lot of pretty decorations and delicious Austrian food, which was another special thing to be a part of. It’s always really interesting to see how holidays are celebrated here compared to in the US.
Right after Easter, I, along with the other exchange students here in Austria, left on our trip through Europe. This is a huge trip that is always highly anticipated by the students studying abroad in Europe. We drove from Salzburg to Strasbourg, France, and then to Belgium, where we spent time in Brussels and Bruges. From Belgium we traveled through France, staying in Paris, Dijon, Avignon, and Nice. By this point of the trip everyone was very happy to be at the Mediterranean Sea, and for many it was their first time seeing a sea/ocean. Monaco was also a highly anticipated destination, especially for the many exchange students who love cars and F1 racing. After Monaco we entered Italy and stayed in Viareggio. We hiked the Cinque Terre, which is a very beautiful and well-known part of Italy, including 5 cities where one can hike to. The whole hike was along the coastline where we could see over the Mediterranean, which was gorgeous. From Viareggio we traveled to Pisa, Florence, Rome, Verona and eventually to Venice. These were all very beautiful cities. Finally, on our last day, we were in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Even after almost a year with these students, I still feel like I learned so much more from them and about them through the many experiences we’ve shared during the last 3 weeks. The final night of the trip yesterday included a summary of everything we did, and the funny moments. As we stood together listening, I think it hit everyone, that our time here is coming to an end. It was emotional for everyone, but it was also an honor to have experienced everything we did. Traveling for so long really changes one’s view on their everyday surroundings, and I look forward to the final 2 months of my year abroad, and what it will bring for me."
The exchange students, on our final night of Eurotour. We were on the rooftop dancing and talking together.
The exchange students in front of the Eiffel Tower.
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