Hallo! As of this weekend, I am officially halfway done my time abroad. I have spent the last two weeks in Graz, Austria on the Comparative Healthcare program.
I have learned so much during my past two weeks in Graz. As someone who has never been anywhere other than the United States, I have been in awe of my experiences in another culture! We have studied Austrian history, the history of medicine, and toured numerous healthcare related places in Graz, Austria. I only have two more weeks left on this program and only one week left in Graz. Then, we will spend our final week exploring Maribor, Slovenia.
The first week was spent discussing the history of Austria in class. We talked about the history from the Holy Roman Empire all the way to World War II. We have toured so many healthcare facilities along with a tour of the city of Graz. We toured the Medical University, an assisted living facility, a sensory research lab, and a pharmacy. We also had an excursion to Piber to see the horse breeding grounds for the Austrian military. It has been incredible to see all the different healthcare facilities in Graz. The Medical University reminds me greatly of the UPMCs in Oakland. It has been interesting to see how assisted living facilities are run in Graz. They train family members to properly care for the elderly and have so many adapted tools to make the elderly’s lives easier. It also is insane to learn how little Graz citizens spend on hospital care, assisted living facilities, and universities in general. It is amazing for them!
We also had a meet and greet with the University of Graz American Studies students. We did a workshop with them on American literature and then went to a cafe to get bagels and chit chat. I made numerous friends and it was so interesting to compare our cultures. We were able to ask all our questions on Austria and Europe in general and we were asked about New York City and other American things that are common!
We spent the weekend in Salzburg. Here, we toured all the tourist attractions and saw a hospital that inspired Florence Nightingale. Salzburg was truly one of the prettiest cities I have ever been to (however, I haven’t been to many)! We were even able to go to the top of the alps and see Germany on one side and Austria on the other!
The second week consisted of more tours of healthcare facilities and studying the history of medicine. We toured a pharmacy, two homeless shelters, a center for the disabled, and the Red Cross. It was amazing to see how Austria builds little communities to shelter the homeless. We toured Vinzi Dorf where they gave each homeless man a little room and helped create a family for them. It was also nice to see how similar the Red Cross was to our Red Cross; however, the Red Cross does a lot more in Graz. The Red Cross is the main source of ambulances and EMTs in Graz.
It has been incredible to see so many different healthcare facilities and be able to see the differences between the Austrian healthcare and American healthcare. Austrian citizens seem to worry significantly less about being able to afford healthcare. There are also a lot more government funded facilities for the disabled, homeless, etc. Also, Graz itself is an amazing city filled with art and culture. It is a much calmer feeling than Pittsburgh with a lot less going on everywhere. Austria also is an insanely clean city. It has been amazing to immerse myself in the culture by seeing the architecture, art like the opera, and meeting Graz citizens. I am so excited for my last two weeks and so sad that this experience is halfway complete!