Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to have a change of heart

Life is pretty unpredictable. I mean, you never know what to expect. We all have our dreams, plans, goals, but life ultimately decides what happens next.

I couldn't say I had planned my semester abroad. To the contrary, my life in Moscow was running as smoothly as never before: university, job, friends, everything.
At the university, we had a pretty full schedule. We had to attend 3-4 classes daily (sometimes even on Saturdays!) and do loads of homework. The subjects were quite enjoyable, though, so – thank God! – my courses never felt like hell.

Thankfully, I had a part-time job to support my studies. I was lucky enough to work as a secretary of a general practitioner in the emergency department of a medical centre. My main duties were talking to the patients and their relatives, making calls to insurance companies, arranging meetings with other doctors when necessary. Working shifts were tough: from 9 a.m. till 9p.m. By the end of the day I was usually tired to death, but I could hardly find words to describe the happiness I felt when seeing a smile on the face of a patient and hearing "thank you so much for your help, you saved me, literally". Certainly, the words were directed at the doctor for the most part, but a bit of gratitude was for me. That was enough to make me happy. As for the money, I didn’t have enough time to spend it till my trip to Salzburg, so it came in handy when I got the news about my semester abroad.

It happened in October, as I recall.
I was walking by an announcement board at the university, or, to put it more precisely, running by. I was late for the class, but I turned my head slightly to the left, and I could make out only one 8-letter-word typed in bold capital letters. It was enough to make my heart flip.
SALZBURG.
It cast a spell on me.

The next day the application-test took place. The tasks were quite challenging, and left me with no illusions. The best thing I could do was to forget about it and concentrate on my work. That was exactly what I did. Imagine my surprise when a week later they called me and asked matter-of-factly: «So, miss M., will you make your papers ready to be submitted to the University of Salzburg?». I was so excited the word "yes" barely left my lips.

Gosh, I was already overwhelmed with my studies, and work, and this news meant a lot of extra effort and expence: preparing papers, translating documents, applying for a visa, looking for a flat, leaving my job, parting with my friends.

But at the moment I received the call nothing really mattered. Nothing except for Salzburg.
I went to the window and pulled it open. The view from the 17th floor, all that crazy traffic on the streets, the city that never sleeps, the lonely stars shining coldly, a light touch of night air...it made me euphoric. I jumped, cheered, even danced a cha-cha-cha in an unearthly state of bliss. If anyone could have seen me, they would have thought I had gone insane. Luckily enough, there was no one with me.

Why was I so happy? I already spent some time in Cambridge and Bournemouth in England, which was definitely no less exciting. Also, I lived in Moscow on my own for 4 years which was no less emotionally challenging. Perhaps, a reason for my happiness was my need for a change of scene, because I was getting bored with my surroundings and tired of the constant hecticness; Another reason I was so happy was because of my destination - a fine European city with a great culture, so people say. The length of my stay was also a reason for my happiness – four months is a time long enough to become an insider, not just a tourist.

But the truth is much simpler than that: I just fell in love with Salzburg.