Author: zintlekaziwa

Firstly, I travel to Slovenia with my friends.Two days was enough  to fall over heels in love, First day we drove in Ljubljana and explored for the whole day. We booked Tourist Farm Lovrec for 2days. This was a perfect location for us, allowing to  explore freely. A dream for me Tourist Farm Lovrec was a huge apartment, flow lessly equipped and with multiple bedrooms to fit even the largest family. We enjoyed fresh milk from cows and vegetables straight from their garden. The WI-FI was good  the whole place was a dream come true.

On our second day we drove to the lake bled possible more beautiful. This crystal clear slovenian lake was home to local water sports enthusiasts rather than crows of tourists at lake bled. There are endless opportunities in this area to enjoy all kinds of sports, cycling, hiking, sailing, climbing, it’s all here. Unfortunately we didn’t  get to try traditional Slovenian food, we feasted on juicy peaches, crap white wine and vegetables from our host gardens along with cow fresh milk, but this didn’t give us a chance to get to restaurants or experience Slovenian home cooking.

 Slovenia, we came, we saw, we liked a lots of things. In this country you could spend weeks and months enjoying but for us we spent just two day. Slovenia has beautiful nature,heels,lakes,animals etc.I wish I would travel there.

Secondly I travel to Vienna. Vienna is full of amazing history, architecture, and music and you will fall in love with different place first sight.Vienna offers a great cultural experience.Vienna is a beautiful city, big city than Cape town where I came from. Pretty much all the buildings in the city look wonderful.I also enjoyed being in Vienna, although it took many hours to arrive there by train more than four hours.

I traveled with my friends also, when I was travelling to Vienna. When we arrived in Vienna I notice how clean the street are, also I notice the architecture because it is incredible. We worked up an appetite for some music. This is an interactive museums focuses on Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and more and actually explains how music made, how we listen to music and how it affects us. The perfect way to start our trip.

I highly recommended coming in Vienna because its very well laid out and interactive, with free audio guide with your ticket. The places and museums in Vienna are beautiful and clean, and also Vienna has beautiful gardens. We did done one of my favourite things that we can do even in my city which is Cape Town , walking tour. I felt like we got such a good feeling  for what the city is about, and you find hidden facts that you might not discover by just walking by. 

The tour started at 12pm near the opera building and took us to some of the most important and historical parts of the city. I highly recommended that getting a tour in Vienna is one of the main attractions, there  really so much history in Vienna, then we decided to go to a restaurant which is Figlmuller, they have their own schnitzel versions stuffed with cheese,they are delicious and you can sit outside in the beautiful campus at Altes Akh. They have delicious food, I enjoyed  their food very well, they also have good service like I was feeling at home. I would love to go there again.

Thirdly I traveled to Klagenfurt with my classmate  for a tour of one of my courses which is Doing Business in Austria. We only took 30minutes on the road Klagenfurt is near Villach where I stay. We enjoyed our four hours of a tour walking around admiring the architecture. The town had to be rebuilt in 16 century after being destroyed by fire.

We also went to church, wow the church was so beautiful, I liked it, there is opera music playing inside the church which soft the souls of people who go there. I saw the symbol of Maria Theresla, the only female who ruled the house of habsburg during history, who gave birth with 16 children ( 5 sons and 11 daughters). I also saw the  symbols of dragon.

After we were done for the tour, we decided to go to the nearby restaurant in Klagenfurt, I did enjoy their food because they have culture food . It was my first time to eat the Austian culture food. It was delicious, very nice, enjoyable, tasty etc. I enjoyed the whole day  in Klagenfurt.

I also traveled to Graz in Austria, Graz is quirky, colourful and full of great things to do.Graz is known as the Culinary of Austria. The food is quite different to other regions of Austria. The produce fresh and cooking techniques. Graz is a green city with countryside moments away from the city, and plenty of parks in the centre. Just below schlossberg is Buggaten a lovely park with fountains, a long water feature and plenty of space to relax on the grass in the warmer months.

Graz is a bit of a treasure trove. You will be walking along an ordinary enough street then turn a torner and be met by beautiful colourful buildings with ornate exteriors. Along with some key buildings such as the Rathaus (town hall) , Landhaus (government building) and beautiful stucco-decorated Haus Am Luegg, I loved Snapping on pics on Sporgasse- a pretty street lined with shops and cafes.

Now am planning to go to Italy with one of the University lecturer who is coming from South Africa too, she was here for more than 17 years. I want to travel all most to all countries near Austria to explore so that I can have something to talk about when am back there to South Africa. Although it is possible because I don’t have a car to travel and also need enough money to do that but I will try my best to do so. I really enjoyed being in Austria.

I arrived in Austria on the 24th of September 2019, firstly I landed in Vienna, then  from Vienna to Villach I had to take a train. It was my first time experiencing flight and train, and it was also my first time to be abroad. started  a creative outlet for when I was a lonely expat, fresh arrived in Villach and unable to speak a word of German. I figured that there others struggling too, I thought the same thing, so I started to learn German because many people here they don’t even understand English, so I had to learn German language although it was difficult for me to learn it, because am from South Africa I only speak English and Xhosa which is my home language.

Austrians was positive one, everyone was very helpful when I asked them for directions or assistance when am trying to translate something, but when you go to there restaurant don’t be offended by how rude waiters or waitresses may seem. the style of the service is very different  compared to South Africa and also their menu is written in German not even in English. The other thing is that people in Villach specifically tend to stick together and can be a little resistant to making friends with other people who are not also from Villach, but that completely right because the city is full of people from all over Austria and over the word but Villach population less than Cape Town population.

I knew that when I arrived in Villach, I have a lot of things to do ,firstly pick up my residence permit. In Austria students that are not from Europe, staying in Austria need to apply for a student residence permit, opening an Austrian bank account so that I will be able to buy anything in Austria.Register in municipality to say that I will be living in Villach for a couple of months. Get my student card from the university.

I took part in Austrian language  course in September at Carinthia University of Applied Science and it was a great experience that I will recommend to everyone. It allows students that are new to the city to other students that will be spending time in Villach and for you to develop basic German skills, in Carinthia University of Applied Science am doing bachelor in intercultural management, I took a variety of courses such as Balance Sheet Analysis, Fundamental of Management Accounting, Austrian Language and Doing Business in Austria.

I notice things that are different from my home country which is South Africa such as Austrian food, everything that tasted different but very nice. People in Austria have a trust with everything like there are no security guards in shops, garages, banks etc. where I came from the are many securities, there is no trust at all people are corrupt and there are more crimes happen there. I wish I could stay here forever and what I notice in Villach is too quiet than my home country, Austria is safe place to be with, it has beautiful nature, lakes etc. I would definitely recommend it to other students to come and see themselves. I enjoyed being in Austria.

In Austria there is lack of transportation than South Africa, most people here used bicycles, that is a big problem for me because I never try to ride a bicycle in my life, so when am going to university I walked for more than 25 minutes and also culture of Austria is different from South Africa. In my country, shops are open till Sunday the whole day, shops are closed on public holidays but here shops are open till Saturday not on Sunday.    

I notice many things here in Carinthia University of Applied Science that are different from my University, student library is opened anytime, you can study even on Saturday the whole day, because you used student card to get in and study. In my University library is closed at 10 pm Monday to Friday and Saturday is closed at 12 pm, on Sunday library is not opened at all. And also lectures time here you can attend one cause for more than  3 hours, in my University it’s only 45 minutes per module, and here you attend causes one time per week, while in my University you attend module every day.

I truly enjoyed being in Austria, there are many lakes that have blue water like sea, In Austria there are no sea and in Cape town there are no lakes,  so there are many differences. And in Europe and South Africa times are the same most of the time but it changes by 1 hour when is winter in Austria, and winter in Austria start in November, I will also experience snow here. It would be my first time to experience snow in my life. Austria is very small but I notice many things that are very different from my country, Even the car steering wheel is different from South Africa is on the left here, In my Home country is on the right, so It for us from South Africa to drive cars here in Austria. It would be the best experience ever in my life to be abroad, experiencing many things, exploring in the country, even my future children will be proud of me when am telling them about being abroad, and I would them to came in Austria and experience what their Mother had experience. I want my family to be proud of me, as am the first one to be abroad. I am the ambassador of myself, ambassador of Cape Peninsula University of Technology, ambassador of South Africa and Ambassador of my family, am proud of myself. I will recommend that to others, believe in yourself, don’t ever listen to other people, because people can judge you even if you are doing the right things, even if they are wrong. People will be always people that is why I told you that don’t listen to other do what makes you happy, be proud of yourself and make others proud too.

My name is Zintle Kaziwa, I am from South Africa.I wanted to tell you about my university experience and life on my course, am studying diploma in cost and management accounting at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. I love travelling and am very lucky to have an opportunity to study abroad  in Austria, doing Bachelor in Intercultural management at Carinthia University of Applied Science.This is best opportunity ever seeing different people, beautiful nature, animals and exploring new cultures around the world makes me so happy. 

I became a student at Cape Peninsula University of Technology when I was 20 years old, studying National Higher Certificate in Accountancy.This was one of the best things I have ever done meeting new friends making memories and getting my National Higher certificate that I am graduated on April 2018 was a huge achievement for me.In my third year I chose cost and management accounting because I wanted to be a Cost Accountant.

I enjoyed the course but it was challenging and it was very difficult to understand it sometimes because my course most of the time deals with numbers but my tutors were very helpful and answer questions in person and also via whatsapp  or email. This course is good because there are lots of placement opportunities, giving us loads of opportunities to work in different accounting companies in South Africa even Abroad.

I would like to tell you coming at Cape Peninsula University of Technology doing accounting was the best decision for career and I had so much fun there having few friends,staying far away from my family creating new sisters and brothers in Cape Town.Making most of my course an opportunity as well as opportunities that Cape Peninsula University of Technology gave me like joining sport teams everything else was really valuable experience which I won”t regret, put in the work and you will get loads out of it.

University is very challenging, but it can and should be enjoyed. It is more than getting a degree, it is an experience that changes you and prepares you for your  future. I gained many skills and knowledge that I will be able to apply in future jobs.what I love about myself is that I am very disciplined person, generally and professional. I work hard to get what I want, and I take pride in making my studies a priority. 

My third year  was most intense year of my of my university experience. My final  project mattered immensely to me and I lost sight of the fact that it wasn’t my workload. In my final year it was often actually my other modules that really introduced me to some of the topics I became most passionate about and I found almost all third year material engaging and challenging. I wish I had prioritised these modules more, as the final project is not the be all and end all. My friendships have solidified and I had a great support structure. Something I couldn’t have dreamt of in my first year. So if you struggle socially in first year, I promise it’s not the end of world, even though you may initially feel a little behind. 

With skills and knowledge that I still stand to obtain, I believe I can contribute a lot in ensuring that other people as well, because at the end of the day “knowledge is power”.And also I strongly believe with the skills and knowledge that I still seek,Carinthia University of Applied Science will indeed add more value,enabling me to nurture all the skills and knowledge that are still to be uncovered.

University is a brand new experience socially, academically, and mentally that takes time to adjust to and can be difficult and challenging. However, it can be immensely rewarding and enjoyable and some aspects of my university years compromise some of my fondest memories. I hope hearing my story has a given you an insight into what life as a student can  really be like. 

To make sure that you get the most out of your university experience and enjoy yourself, there are tips you can used by my side 

1.Don”t be ashamed of yourself, 

2.Believe in yourself, 

3.Don”t judge people for their actions, 

4.Embrace university life as you can, 

5. Trust in yourself, and 

6.Pray for yourself.

7. Take care of your self. 

I enjoyed my university life going out for clubbing with my friends, having good time on weekends, going out for lunch, going to the beach when is sunny outside, it was very nice I will never forget any stage that I had been discovered in my university life. Having good friends, staying alone without your family, I enjoyed being alone in my room. Also having bursary which is National student financial Aid was a great thing in my life, not asking money to your family each and every month is great thing ever. The student life is a great life. I remember everyone saying to me STUDENT LIFE IS THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE and I personally looking back on 6 years back it really has been the best time of my life.

I will suppose to graduate my third year in December because am already done with my diploma but I am an exchange student in Austria at Carinthia University of Applied Science and I will graduate my diploma in April 2020.

Thank you for reading my blog and good luck with your own journey. 

My name is Zintle Kaziwa and I’m from South Africa, am studying diploma in cost and management accounting at Cape Peninsula University of Technology and am also an exchange student in Austria at Carinthia University of Applied Science, doing Bachelor in Intercultural management.

I am very disciplined person, generally and professional. I work hard and I take pride in making my studies a priority. With the skills and knowledge that I still stand to obtain I believe I can contribute a lot in ensuring that other people as well because at the end of the day ‘knowledge is power