Category: Santina in Salzburg

It’s been a month since I landed in Salzburg, and I have to admit… the novelty sometimes wears off. The skies have turned a little gray, the rain has been tapping persistently against my window, and suddenly even the most charming castles feel a bit… damp. Homesickness sneaks in like that unexpected drizzle—quiet, tenacious, and a little stubborn.

But here’s the thing: studying abroad isn’t just about sightseeing or acing classes—it’s about taking care of yourself, especially when the weather, or the mood, isn’t perfect. Thankfully, Salzburg and I share a love for carving time out for yourself.

Salzburg is a music city, yes—but your personal soundtrack can be your best companion when the clouds roll in. Create a playlist that lifts your spirits, warms your heart, or simply matches the rainy rhythm outside your window. I’ve been curating my fall playlist for walks along the Salzach and lazy afternoons in my dorm—it’s my instant mood boost. Pro tip: Maybe you’re experiencing that feeling where no music sounds exciting, and you’re irritated while skipping through songs. Instead, try a guided meditation! Ten minutes is all it takes to check in with yourself, and I swear it feels like instant soul therapy. 

Treat yourself, seriously. When homesickness or that blue mood hits, tiny comforts can be magic. A warm latte from Cafe Leiblingsplatz, a gelato from Eis Greissler (both conveniently right next door to my dorm), or even just a steaming cup of tea with some snacks in your room can reset your day. Do the thing that makes you feel cared for, no apologies. Small gestures = big mental boost.

Even if the weather’s bummed out, you’re learning to appreciate the quiet beauty that others might miss. And that sense of agency, of choosing your own path, is surprisingly uplifting. It’s completely okay to miss home. The key is to show yourself kindness. Accept the feelings, then do one thing—anything—for yourself that makes you feel grounded and happy. Someone this summer introduced me to the idea of radical acceptance: fully acknowledging how you feel without judgment, and giving yourself permission to feel it—whether it’s homesickness, frustration, or simply just a bad mood. It doesn’t mean you have to like the feelings or that you have to stay stuck in them—it simply means you honor them. From there, you can make small, intentional choices to lift your spirits: a walk, a coffee, journaling, or watching your comfort show. Radical acceptance turns “I miss home” into “I see myself here, and I’m taking care of me.” Remember, you’ve survived other feelings like this before and you’ll survive this situation. 

A few weeks ago, I was at the Vienna airport after a trip to Italy, dragging my heavy backpack and my slightly frazzled self through the crowds. We had a three-hour train ride back to Salzburg ahead of us, and I had just grabbed dinner to keep me sane. And of course… I dropped it. Right on the floor. All of it. My patience, dignity, and that perfectly good meal went straight to my feet. At that exact moment, my friend Lucy looked at me and said, in the cheesiest way possible, “Smile.” And just like that, our ongoing joke was born. Now, whenever one of us has a straight face—or full-on “RBF”—the other has to tell them to smile. Although this may not be what I want to hear in a specific moment, it never fails to make me laugh and it’s a reminder that your friends are there for you! And if they’re not – I’ll be the first to tell you that they aren’t your real friends.

I am a huge advocate for journaling. I recently bought this notebook with a beautiful peacock cover and just opening it makes me excited. Write how you feel, no one is judging you, you don’t need to be performative. Write what you’re grateful for! You can first start by being grateful for the opportunity to study abroad – not all universities get to do this (:  I frequently find myself writing that I’m grateful for my family + friends, food + water, warm clothes, laughter, the ability to move my body, my health… the list goes on.

On another note: I’ve never considered myself a huge Taylor Swift fan, but her new album has completely changed that. This past weekend, we took the bus to the border of Germany to hike up to Eagles Nest above Berchtesgaden, and I listened to the whole album on the ride there—it was absolutely a main character moment. Sometimes the best therapy is just blasting Taylor and letting yourself feel everything. Even with songs like Opalite, The Life of a Showgirl, and The Fate of Ophelia (top three) already overplayed on TikTok, they somehow land perfectly on the album—each one hitting harder and more nuanced than you’d expect. And that’s the power of music, it can transform a gray, rainy day into something cinematic, turn a long bus ride into an adventure, or simply remind you that it’s okay to feel all the vibes at once. Music doesn’t just accompany your experiences, it shapes them, and sometimes even helps you process homesickness, self-reflection, or a little seasonal melancholy.

I take an immense amount of pride in my music taste. Like I said, I’ve never been the biggest Taylor fan—but I can effortlessly switch from Drake to The Marías in a heartbeat. I’ve been curating a fall playlist full of songs that lift my spirits, make me want to dance, or have a concert in the shower. Every song is a small act of self-care—and now, you can listen along with me. Remember, even in the rain, your study abroad story is yours to soundtrack.

When I pictured studying abroad in Salzburg, I imagined the Alps, Mozart, and maybe too much schnitzel. What I wasn’t expecting was the amount of history that I would encounter. History here isn’t just shown through museums – its on street corners, in architecture, and in the festivals.

Walking across the river to Altstadt (Old Town), you can see Baroque churches, pastel-colored houses, and narrow cobblestone streets. It’s easy to see why UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site. Above the familiar city towers is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, first built in the 11th century and expanded over time. Once a powerful symbol of protection for Salzburg’s prince-archbishops, today it’s one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe. It’s interesting to think about how it is a popular tourist destination, as it looks out across the Salzach River and alps, but it was once prepared for sieges. And of course, Salzburg is forever linked to Mozart. His birthplace on Getreidgasse is now a museum – but even better you can get a good feel for it from the outside (for free!), and everywhere you turn there are reminders of his music. It made me realize how a city’s history isn’t just built in stone, it’s carried through sound, culture, and identity.

For all of its beauty, Salzburg has a darker history, too. Austria’s Anschluss, where German troops invaded Austria on March 12th, 1938, and Hitler declared Austria part of the Greater German Reich on March 15th, meaning Salzburg was officially part of Nazi Germany. The city’s Jewish community was almost entirely deported to concentration camps. Today, small brass plaques called Stolpersteine (“stumbling stones”) represent the last homes of those who were taken. I pass these plaques every day to and from class, and I can’t help but think of the ordinary lives they represent. By 1944-45, Salzburg was heavily bombed by allied forces because of its rail lines and military importance. Nearly half of the city was damaged, but landmarks like the cathedral and fortress survived. Post war, Salzburg fell into the American occupation zone, and U.S. soldiers were stationed here until Austria regained independence in 1955. Having this background knowledge, with the help of my World War II History class I’m taking, it’s evident that Salzburg has lived though destruction and rebuilding, memory and resilience.

One of the perks of studying in Salzburg is how easy it is to hop on a train and end up in Munich, Germany. Last weekend I went for Oktoberfest, and while I knew it was about beer tents and drindls, I didn’t know its history. It actually started in 1810, celebrating the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Bavaria. It began as a horse race but eventually turned into an annual festival and the world’s largest folk celebration. Along with the fun and the chaos, Munich is also a city marked by survival. I visited the Fraunkirche and St. Pauls church, two of Munich’s most iconic landmarks that survived bombings and invasions.

To balance the joy of Oktoberfest, I visited a World War II museum. Inside were propaganda posters, letters, photographs, and stories of resistance. Seeing personal belongings from that time made the war feel less like history and more like lived experience. The contrast struck me: on Saturday I was singing Bavarian songs in a beer tent, and on Sunday I was standing in silence, reading about families and businesses torn apart by war. That duality – celebration and tragedy, joy and remembrance – is something that I have frequently noticed here in Europe.

What ties all these experiences together is the realization that history here isn’t locked in a classroom. Its in Salzburg’s fortress walls, in Munich’s rebuilt cathedral, in Oktoberfest songs, and in the Stolpersteine on the streets. Salzburg is beautiful, yes—but it’s also layered, carrying stories, destruction, and joy all at once, and being here means I get to live inside those stories.