For five weeks, Kathryn Johnson, senior in radio, television and film, and her friend shared a bathroom with a family they didn't know in Vienna, Austria.
They were unfamiliar with the family's native language and historic city.
Johnson quickly acclimated to the bustling city and its lax lifestyle. Along with 18 other classmates, she spent many afternoons touring palaces, museums and breweries, as well as lounging in the city's famed Burggarten, a city park.
Last summer, Johnson took part in Auburn's Austria Summer Program in Vienna. She received eight hours of credit, taking one German class and one culture class.
Students are paired off to live with host families for complete immersion into the culture.
The program offers all levels of German language courses, as well as culture courses in English. Along with daily field trips, there are two planned weekend excursions to Prague, Munich and Salzburg.
"We went to some really interesting locations, like a mosque, and saw how diverse Vienna was," Johnson said. "You think you are going to see just one kind of person, but there are a lot of different immigrants there."
Vienna is a cosmopolitan place where many cultures come together, said Traci O'Brien, assistant professor of German and director of the program.
"Going abroad just opens up your horizons," O'Brien said. "It's the kind of thing that you don't know how wonderful it is until you go."
O'Brien will accompany her fifth group to Vienna this summer from June 25 to July 30.
"The Viennese are really big on greenery, so there is a lot of natural stuff like parks and things like that," O'Brien said.
German professor Raegan Lemmond has visited Vienna five times, twice as the assistant director for Auburn's program.
She said the Burggarten, a picturesque resemblance to New York's Central Park, is her favorite spot.
"It's surrounded by big city living and a big city fast pace, and then you enter the park, and it's just beautiful," Lemmond said. "You can relax, read a book, people-watch or sleep."
Vienna was recently named one of the most beautiful cities in the world, O'Brien said.
"I don't think there is a bad picture you can take of Vienna," said Paul Bergen, junior in German and microbiology who also studied in Vienna.
Bergen signed up for German on a whim during his freshman year.
He wanted to explore his family's heritage because two grandparents were born there.
Now with a German degree in the works and five weeks of Viennese living under his belt, Bergen said he would accept a job offer or the opportunity to do research in Germany.
However, Lemmond said students do not have to venture overseas to put their language skills to the test.
"The state of Alabama has so much German business here, so it can be very practical and beneficial on your own soil," she said.
It can be a valuable language for students going into mechanical or aerospace engineering or pharmaceuticals, Lemmond said.
Whatever career path Johnson takes, she said she knows she will make time for more traveling.
"Traveling isn't really a hard thing to do," Johnson said. "Sure, the train schedules or trying to communicate might be a little difficult, but if you just get yourself out there and travel, you will learn so much about the world and yourself."
Students interested in the Vienna program should contact O'Brien at tso0001@auburn.edu.
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