Meeting the local people has always been hard for me, being an introvert and all that. This is especially true now because Salzburg College is a school only for American exchange students; there are no real chances to interact with local or other foreign students on an academic basis. This is part of the reason why I chose to live in a dorm, though this ended up not helping that much as we live with other students from Salzburg College and all at the end of the hall. The only real traction I have made in this area is by talking to some local students at breakfast or dinner and going to the dorm bar they host every other Wednesday. Other students have achieved more meetings by going to events Salzburg College tells us about, such as the Catholic Student’s Association hosting “The Sound of Music,” or by going to the local events such as Bluegrass at the Irish Pub.
Money-wise, I find Euros way easier to use than American dollars. First of all, the paper bills are different colours and sizes in addition to being much sturdier than what we use. The coins are also sized in a way that makes sense; the smaller the denomination, the smaller the size. Finally, the penny is currently being phased out, which I think is a good idea. Some other students have had trouble with Euros simply because they think of it like monopoly money and so have spent way more than they think; if you have used a foreign currency before, however, I don’t think this would be a big problem.
Speaking of budgeting, I think the first step is to be clear with whoever is financing you (this being if it isn’t fully yourself) how much you are getting. Some of the students here have had issues with miscommunications. For example, their parents get mad at them for spending too much money on a trip, but when asked, said parents never provide a number as a budget and always add more money to their child’s account. In addition, having an app that tracks all your purchases and tells you when you run over your set budget can be helpful.
