Six Wallowa Valley students and three chaperones travel overseas to discover new friends and new culturesOnce again, Wallowa County youths have had the opportunity to travel the world. As a part of the exchange program began by the late Wallowa High School history teacher Terry Crenshaw more than 10 years ago, six students and three adults visited Austria this spring. Between June 14 and July 5, the group explored Vienna and eastern Austria, lived in the capital city of Graz in the state of Styria, and visited Budapest, Hungary. For the majority of the six high school seniors, it was a first visit to Europe.

Joseph’s Thane Shetler, Maggie McClaran, Sam Dotson and Robin Eschler, together with D.J. Lincoln of Enterprise, Emma Survis of Lostine and three Wallowa County chaperones, made their arrival by plane in Vienna, Austria, on June 14, after a full day and night of travel. In exchange, Wallowa County will be home to 26 Austrian students for two weeks in September.

The three adults – John Gorsline, Diane Highberger and Arletta Crenshaw – led the ranks night and day for the next full week until arriving in Graz, where the students lived with host families in the community. While in Graz, the adult leaders still took the students out daily on field trips and excursions, exploring the culture and history of the region. Shetler, 17, McClaran, 16, and Dotson, 16, shared their experiences with the Chieftain.

Day One. June 15. Vienna, Austria.

The Wallowa County group arrived at Vienna International Airport at 8:30 a.m. local time, and headed straight for the town center, called “The Ring,” to visit the world famous St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The giant, ancient cathedral filled an entire block. An intricate mosaic and wrought-iron window coverings decorated the roof outside, while stained glass, statues, huge pipe organs, woodwork and chandeliers filled the cavernous space within.

Restaurant ordering emphasized the language barrier. The group began to learn the names of basic Austrian dishes in a first encounter with a menu written in German.

Dotson said, “I learned my lesson about ordering mysterious dishes when I was served a plate of nearly raw salmon. I tried to gag it down but felt sick for the rest of the day.”

Day Two. June 16. Vienna.

The kids slept comfortably in bunk beds, sharing the hostel with an Austrian soccer team and many other young visitors. Dormitory style living was interesting, and not what anybody had expected, they said. “We found out that the locals generally appreciate it if one attempts to speak German rather than assuming they’ll know English. Sometimes we were ignored if we didn’t at least try – no matter how poor the attempt,” Shetler said.

In the afternoon, the group rode the bus across the eastern border to nearby Budapest, Hungary. A bus tour of the city gave a taste of the culture and architecture. Luckily, they visited during an important local festival, and enjoyed a giant open market and traditional dancing. Although only a few hours’ bus ride from Vienna, this city was noticeably different, McClaran said. The Hungarian language has a very unique sound, and unlike most of Europe, this country does not participate in the use of the Euro.

The kids were relieved to find that Pizza Hut, however, did accept the currency, and the pizza tasted just like it does at American Pizza Huts! The Coca-cola, surprisingly, did not taste like they had expected. A bit sweeter, and since it was served with no ice, a bit warmer, too.

Day Three. June 17. Vienna.

The Wallowa County group took the train to the Schonbrunn mansion on the edge of the city. It was once the “hunting cabin” of a former emperor, a relative of Marie Antoinette. The “cabin” was now a sprawling, golden colored museum, the interior preserved as it was during earlier centuries. Wall and ceiling murals and velvet furniture decorated the inside, and acres of gardens, pools and fountains filled the outside property. Modern additions of a large zoo and a maze of shrubbery turned the adventure into a full-day visit.

They stopped by the Saturday market and enjoyed the hospitality of generous vendors. “A friendly young salesman gave us a half watermelon to share, and another saleswoman rewarded us for trying to speak German by giving us free bananas,” McClaran said.

That evening, they returned to Schonbrunn for a classical orchestra in the mansion’s concert hall. Such relaxing music after a long day lead to heavy eyelids during the show, several group members admitted.

Day Four. June 19. Vienna to Graz, Austria.

Dotson and Survis made a morning visit to the famous Lipison Stallions show in Vienna. Eight beautiful Spanish stallions moving in complete synchronicity were an unforgettable sight for the horse-lovers of the group, Dotson said.

The four-hour train ride to Graz passed quickly, thanks to the incredible view along the way. The tracks passed through little green hamlets filled with red-roofed homes, along the base of giant tree covered mountains and through some of the longest tunnels in the world.

Host families were waiting anxiously at the train station. After a week together, some said it was hard to leave the other Oregonians, but the Austrian families were warm and welcoming. The travelers met the students who will be visiting Oregon in September and staying with Wallowa County families. Some host families didn’t speak English, but luckily all of the students knew the language well, so it wasn’t impossible to communicate. The students were comfortably set up in their own rooms and well fed on bread, cheese and salty, thin-sliced ham called prosciutto.

Day Six. June 22. Graz.

The group spent the day touring Graz, getting to know the city which would be home for the next two weeks, then met a representative of the mayor, who let them in on some of the local history. The city looked clean like Vienna, but much quieter, with less traffic, and greener, too.

A big tree covered hill in the center of the city, called the Schlossberg, was a great landmark for staying oriented while exploring the city. After climbing a steep and endless set of stairs to the top, one arrives at a park, with benches and paths, gift shops and a giant clock tower that can be seen from anywhere in the city, Shetler said.

Lots of pedestrians, bikers and people using public transportation keep traffic out of the center of town, so the group felt it safe just to walk around and shop, eat gelato (tasty Italian ice-cream) and explore the narrow, hidden streets.

Day Seven. June 23. Graz.

Although school was officially out for summer here in Oregon, the travelers spent this day and a few others at school with their host students. In a special class session set up especially for them, the students learned about the complex divisional schooling system. Austrian students must learn Latin and English in order to graduate. School seemed very difficult there, with many requirements and important exams, said Dotson.

Day 12. June 28. Graz.

After a week in Graz, the teenagers moved in with new families. Because there are 26 Austrian students involved in the exchange and only six Americans, they moved around in order to meet more of the students and their families.

They took a long day trip to Klagenfurt in southern Austria to see “Mini Mundus,” a park full of tiny replicas of important European buildings and landmarks. Afterward, on the way to swim at a large local lake, they came across a bridge under construction and detoured on a road which wound along the base of the Alps mountains. In the end, they made it to the lake, and then took a boat across it to eat at a little cafe. There, they discovered with a small shock that in Austria, as in many European countries, it is acceptable to sunbathe topless, Shetler said.

Day 15. July 1. Graz.

As one of the last excursions, the group visited Mauthausen, the site of an Austrian concentration camp left as a reminder of World War II. The Austrian government has an active education program about Austria’s involvement in the war, and the camp is left open to teach people the truth about what happened, and to ensure that it will never happen again. “We all left the camp feeling sick to our stomachs,” Dotson said.

Day 18. July 4. Graz.

Shetler said that he and the others almost forgot about Independence Day. “Our Austrian friends had to remind us about our own national holiday; an example of how much they know about our country, and how little we know about theirs,” he said.

The final day in Austria turned out to be great. As a giant group, the Austrians and Oregonians drove to a thermal spa three hours outside of Graz. They enjoyed the pools and the company, and dreaded tomorrow.

Day 19. July 5th. Graz to Portland, Oregon.

It was finally time to say goodbyes, exchange e-mails and make plans to visit again. Their new friends and families watched them leave through a glass wall. Knowing that the Austrian students would be coming in September made goodbyes slightly less painful, but goodbyes to Austria and the rest of their host families would be long term. However, McClaran said, the Wallowa County students are confident that they will visit Austria again.

Three weeks later, the students are settled into Wallowa County life once again. They are still in awe of the amazing American breakfasts. Eggs, bacon and pancakes have never tasted so good until experiencing three weeks of breakfast rolls and butter!

Shetler, McClaran and Dotson said it would be worth the light breakfasts to go back to Austria. It’s already been long enough, and they would be glad to head to Europe for a second time, agreed the students. The food, the adventures, the time spent with the kind people and knowledgeable teachers in Austria seem like years ago already to the area teens. Back in Joseph, things are still the same, but the travelers have changed; they’ve seen the world, made friends from other cultures and learned much about themselves.