Austria

A photo posted by AFS Steiermark ?? (@afssteiermark) on May 7, 2015 at 12:39am PDT

AFS Austria invites students to experience Austria’s famous hospitality and collect unforgettable memories. Most host families live in suburban areas, but you may also be placed in a city or in one of the country’s many beautiful rural villages – imagine living high in the Alps! Families eat meals together, catching up with each other’s days and sharing their thoughts.

You will likely attend a traditional public, university-preparatory high school. School normally runs from 8 am until 2 pm, with some occasional afternoon classes, and you may have school on Saturday mornings. Subjects that are taught in all schools are: German, English, Maths, Geography, Psychology\/Philosophy, History,\u00a0 Arts, Religion, PE, and the Sciences. In addition to that, schools may put an emphasis on languages, natural sciences or arts and therefore offer special classes. Extracurriculars can include skiing, choir, orchestra, team sports, and theatre.

Austrians love rich food and drink, so you will surely have some tasty treats while on the program. Meals usually consist of soup, meat (often pork) with potatoes, salad, vegetables and dessert. Other favorites include sausages, sandwiches, pastries (like Strudel) or desserts (like the classic Sachertorte, a chocolate cake with jam and icing), eggs, many different cheeses and apples.

The official language of Austria is High German, although each region also has its own dialect. Other languages spoken are: Turkish, Serbian, Slovene, Croatian and Hungarian. You should have a working knowledge of German before the exchange, but AFS Austria also provide compulsory German classes for the first 2 months after arrival in Austria. There will be weekly online meetings and help with a German Learning Platform where you will complete exercises and homework to get your learning going fast!

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