My Erasmus Experience in Austria
I spent one amazing month in Austria from 27/10/2025 to 25/11/2025 as part of my Erasmus experience. I stayed with two wonderful host families, attended an Austrian school, and explored cities like Linz, Salzburg, and Vienna. I made new friends, tried local food, and experienced Austrian culture firsthand. This journey was full of challenges, fun, and unforgettable memories. Here, I want to share all the adventures and lessons I learned during this incredible month.
My 30-Day Erasmus Experience in Austria
When I was chosen for this project, I couldn’t believe it. I found out while I was on a school trip, so I wasn’t expecting to hear about my Erasmus candidacy that day. My teacher told me that if I wanted to go to an EU country, in this case Austria, I would have to leave Italy the following week. I was a bit confused because I was happy to be chosen, but I wasn’t expecting to leave Trento so soon. However, I didn’t hesitate and immediately said yes.
I prepared my suitcase and backpack, and on October 26th, I took the train to Linz. The six-hour train ride was tiring, but I was very excited. I already knew a bit about Simon because we had been chatting on the phone a few days before I left. When I arrived at Linz train station, the host family was waiting for me. I was very nervous because I kept overthinking things, like “What if they don’t like me? What if they are boring?” However, when I met them, I realized they were very kind.
In the first few days, I got to know Simon, the boy who hosted me. He’s 14 years old, and we have a lot in common: we love football, we like training, clothes, and other things. A little spoiler: he took me to a football stadium for the first time in my life! On my first day, they also took me to a restaurant, and the food was great. That evening, I unpacked my things and organized my room.
When I arrived, it was Sunday, and in Italy, school would start the next day. Fortunately, in Austria that week, there was a holiday. The next day, they took me to Salzburg, which was my first visit there. The most beautiful thing I saw was Mozart’s house; it was amazing. Later, I moved to the father’s house in a place called Steyr. Like the other family, they were very kind to me.
In the following days, I did many things, but if I wrote all the details, it would take 20 pages! I’ll summarize some highlights. On Tuesday, we met Simon’s girlfriend, and I found out she was also hosting an Italian student for Erasmus. I didn’t know there were other Italians in the same city, so I was very happy. The Italian girl’s name is Ludovica, and we got along very well from the start. She told me that there were two other Italians from her city, Monza: Vittorio and Leonardo. At first, I was a bit nervous, thinking they might all be best friends, but they were very kind to me.
That day we explored Linz city, which was very pretty. In the evening, we went to the stadium where I met Vittorio, Leonardo, and Simon’s friends. They are big fans of “Blau Weiss Linz,” so now I’m a fan too! I think we brought luck because the team won, and it was a really good day.
On Wednesday, I had my first karate lesson with the family. Almost everyone in the family does karate, and I enjoyed it, though I realized it’s not for me. On Thursday, we went to an indoor water park with Simon’s girlfriend and Ludovica, which was my first time there, and it was a lot of fun. On Friday, I did trick-or-treating with the family, which felt strange because I hadn’t done it for 4-5 years, but it was really fun and brought back childhood memories. On Saturday, I went to the Linz derby between Blau Weiss Linz and their rival, LASK. It was my first derby, and the atmosphere was incredible! Unfortunately, we lost, but I loved that day.
During that week, I also learned some interesting things about Austria: people mainly eat meat for lunch and dinner; some buses can be opened from the outside; newer buses have screens showing stops; young people dress almost the same with baggy clothes; and for Halloween, people carve pumpkins and decorate their houses.
The next week, school started for Austrian students, and it was my first day at school. The school is called Bundesrealgymnasium, a scientific school combining middle and high school. When I entered, I noticed that everyone was wearing slippers. Simon told me that in the school you must wear slippers to keep the floors clean, and it’s true—the entire building is very clean.
I started my adventure in Austrian school with English. At first, everyone stared at me because they thought I was lost or confused, being the new student. However, after a while, we explained ourselves and started talking. Austrian teens are very kind and gentle, although some think Italians are arrogant—I don’t agree, but everyone can have their own opinion. I had a schedule for lessons and could choose subjects based on what it was best for my learning. Sometimes it was hard because the teachers didn’t speak English, but I tried my best to understand German. My favorite lesson was Italian because I enjoyed sharing knowledge about Italian culture and the language.
The school itself is incredible. It has around 900 students and 90 teachers. There are tables for football, table tennis, sofas, and other cool things. The school has a very big bar where students can eat whatever they want. I really liked going to school there! For physical education, the gym is 20 minutes away, so you have to go by yourself. If you don’t do Religion, you do Ethics, which I tried once out of curiosity and liked. My first week of school was a bit strange, but I got used to it.
During my free time, I went to the gym with Simon and to a party with his little sister. In the third week, I did my usual lessons, hung out, and even attended my first Spanish lesson. I went to Plus City shopping mall, and I also visited a Christmas market with the host family, which I loved—it really gave me Christmas vibes.
In the last week, I was both happy to go back home and sad that the experience was ending. I went ice skating (I’m very bad at it!) and visited Vienna, which I found absolutely beautiful. I really want to go back there someday because it is an amazing city.
In the last two days, I said goodbye to everyone: the teachers, especially the Italian teacher, who was very kind to me and even gave me some biscuits; the Austrian students, who were very good and told me that I was the best one among the four Italians. I don’t know if it was true, but I was happy to hear it. I said goodbye to probably the most important person of my trip, Barbara, my host tutor. She helped me with everything and is a very good person. I said goodbye to the other Italians; I really enjoyed my time with them, and I hope we will meet again in the future.
And last, but not least, the host families. They were very kind and gentle, and they gave me everything. I stayed in two different houses with two different families, but everyone treated me very well. I wish them the best, especially Simon, who was like a brother to me. I wished him the best of luck.
And on the last day, November 26th, exactly one month later, I took the train back to Italy. Well, I didn’t take the right train at first and missed it, but I managed to take another one. Now I’m writing this at home; I’m back in Trento. Honestly, I really miss my time there, even with -8°C in the mornings. Jokes aside, I truly miss it, but I’m happy to be back. I would do this experience another 1,000 times.
Thank you very much for reading my one-month Erasmus blog in Austria.
I’m Nicolas Akaliev, and this is my one-month Erasmus experience in Austria.
