Rebecca took part in an semester exchange at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. Here is her story.
Getting there:
The process leading up to finally getting to Austria, was extremely frustrating for me. I missed an entire semester because of problems and delays involving my visa application. Of course now that I am here I am so grateful that everything worked out the way it did. Arriving late caused me to miss the worst of the European Winter, as well as finding much better accommodation! The four story house I am living in is very close to the city center of Salzburg. It takes me just 15min to get to my clarinet lessons on my bicycle. My awesome house mates include a range of nationalities, including an Austrian, an American family and another fellow South African. The South African knows the city well, so he helped me find all the different buildings where I needed to register. Salzburg is incredibly romantic. The old buildings are full of character and style, and the Salzach (the large river that runs between the old city) and surrounding mountains give this Austrian city its enchanting qualities. The first month has now come and gone, and Salzburg has already stolen my heart!
Half way through:
My academic experience at the Mozarteum has been somewhat stressful. As to be expected, the environment of a European music conservatory is very competitive. I have two clarinet lessons per week, one with a teaching assistant and the other with the Professor. My Professor is an elderly man, in his mid-sixties and therefore his English is not very good. Not only is he impatient during my lessons but he also insists that we speak German. This has been quite a frustrating challenge. I think I have benefited most from sitting in during other clarinet students’ lessons, learning by listening to how they play. I realised early on when coming to Salzburg that what I was going to gain from this exchange opportunity, would be life experience and cultural education, rather than academic knowledge in the field of music.
How does the academic approach differ from Stellenbosch?
The lecturers of the Stellenbosch Music Department genuinely care about the overall development and well-being of their students. There is an atmosphere of openness and ease in the building, and students are then free to express themselves while striving for excellence. The Mozarteum seems more like a business, where you come in each day to have your lessons and then leave again, with little relational interaction. To be quite honest, this kind of environment does little to inspire me.
I am incredibly grateful and privileged to have experienced this exchange. The highlights of my time in Austria however, do not include my experiences at the Mozarteum. The friends I have made in Salzburg, both on a social and professional level, have truly exposed me to the treasures of the city. Not only have I done a fair amount of sight-seeing, but I have also had the amazing opportunity to sit in some opera, ballet, and symphonic rehearsals of the professional Mozarteum Salzburg Orchestra.
Going home:
It was really a busy time leading up to my departure. My house mates and I went for an extravagant farewell dinner to a typically Austrian restaurant, all dressed in the traditional Austrian attire of dirndl and lederhosen. There were a number of lakes in the Salzkammergut area that I had not seen, so a friend generously took me to see the ones that were still on my “bucket list”. Thanks to the renowned efficiency of the German/Austrians, the only administrative obligation I had was to let the Salzburg Magistrate know that I would no longer be residing in their city. It took me only 10 minutes to fill out and sign their forms. I am now back in South Africa and staying in Stellenbosch’s post graduate residence, Huis de Villiers. I have an Austrian flag in my room and post cards of Salzburg on my wall. This is helping to ease my pining after that incredible city and its special people. Luckily Stellenbosch has equally captivating charms of its own, of which I will have to be satisfied with for now.