An Unexpected Discovery

Elizabeth Gale-Bentz in Stadtpark in Vienna’s First District
Photo by Colleen Megley

When I decided to study abroad in Vienna, Austria, I knew that I wouldn’t have many opportunities to broaden my knowledge of issues related to my African-American Studies major. Since I had availed myself of many opportunities for doing so during my first two-and-a-half years at U.Va., I decided that I would, instead, take the opportunity to focus on the other half of my double major, Psychology. And what better place to study psychology than Vienna? Home to some of the greatest thinkers in the field—Sigmund Freud, Otto Rank, Alfred Adler, Bruno Bettelheim, to name a few, Vienna offers a wealth of opportunities for someone studying psychology—the perfect place to nurture my interest in that field.

I have been in Vienna for almost two months now, and I have absolutely fallen in love with the city and the study abroad program here. I was lucky enough to include two psychology courses in my curriculum for this semester: Early Childhood Development and Psychoanalysis and Existential Psychology. I’ve found them both to be extremely interesting, both for their focus on psychopathology, as well as for the different points of view my European instructors offer regarding treatment. The intensive German class I took before the semester began helped to jump-start my increased reliance on a language other than English. The German course I’ve been taking as part of the semester’s curriculum, as well as the opportunity to use the language with children during my teaching internship is further building my confidence in my ability to step outside my comfort zone. 

Beyond the educational opportunities of its academic world, there is so much to learn, to see, to explore about Vienna’s rich cultural heritage: the Albertina museum where I saw the Batliner collection of Monet and Picasso paintings, the Staatsoper and the Konzerthaus, where I attended classical music concerts, and the world-renowned Wiener Kaffeehäuser where I stop frequently to relax and sample coffee and pastries. Nestled squarely between Western and Eastern Europe, Austria is also the traveler’s geographical paradise, in that Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Serbia, for example, are only a few hours away by train. I have thus spent these past two months exploring life in other parts of Europe, as well. Immersing myself in all things European, taking in everything around me—the sights, the sounds, the smells and emotions, has been a thrill.  Although I have loved every minute of this broad and rich European experience, I’ve also felt at times that something was missing. The feeling isn’t particularly acute—more like an ache that comes and goes periodically. On the train to Serbia two weekends ago I finally identified the source of that ache. 

My train to Serbia had a stopover in Budapest, only a fifteen-minute layover but one requiring a change in trains. Because the train from Budapest to Serbia was extremely crowded, I had to sit in a small compartment between cars where I was soon joined by a man in his mid-thirties who had also just boarded the train. He mumbled something to himself in English, and I turned to face him, surprised and also comforted to hear an American accent. We then exchanged the pleasantries of a first meeting:  where we were from, what we were both doing in Europe, what we studied in school. When I told him I was an African-American Studies major at the University of Virginia his face lit up as he indicated that he had majored in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley.

And then, as if we had known each other for years, we started talking about race relations in the United States, economic injustice, the legacy of discrimination and prejudice, the struggle for social justice. I found myself almost babbling—thoughts, words, emotions poured out, out, out, filling the little compartment with energy and passion. Finally in Europe, I thought, I had found space and time to discuss these issues, which mattered so much to me, with one who not only shared my passion, but who had also devoted himself to studying the history and structures of race and race relations. Yes, this was the ache and absence, I realized: I was missing the opportunity for this kind of exchange, and oddly, I hadn’t realized just how much I missed it until that moment, as I sat cramped in the compartment of a European train. 

The strength of my reaction surprised me, and it dawned on me slowly that as much as I’m enjoying the opportunities for exploration that my time in Vienna is providing, I’ll be ready to return to the diverse culture of the US and to my African-American Studies program next year. It’s often said that one of the most important benefits of study abroad is the perspective and insight it provides. Before travelling to Vienna, I had interpreted this to mean that the new things I’d see and do would influence (and perhaps transform) my thinking; however, I’ve decided that going away and leaving something behind seems to hold equal importance.  It has certainly provided me profound insight into what I truly value.