Enrolling in the Vienna and London study abroad program, I was most intrigued to see how the two classes Architecture in the 20^th Century and the History of Psychoanalysis would complement each other. My understanding of architecture encompassed only specific unique styles from different times. For example, I understood that pointed arches were a part of Gothic architecture. My intuition on psychoanalysis was even more limited because I thought it simply involved different ways of thinking, which seemed more behavioral. Putting these two preconceptions together, my initial prediction was that the theories presented from the psychoanalysis class embodied a period of time in the 20^th century, similar to how humanism defined the Renaissance era. With these theories, I thought that one would then be able to identify the architecture of that period because the architecture styles would reflect those very theories, which could build in me a strong appreciation for such a particular style. Then, I began to think to myself that was a silly idea because there is no “Psychoanalytic Period,” but I still thought that the intersection of the two classes would come as the architecture style mirroring the ideas of psychoanalysis.

Through the course of both classes, I have learned that the two are related in that we are looking at architectural structures and sites through the lens of purpose, instead of style and ornamentation. Instead of analyzing the various types of embellishment, the greater questions were why did the architect include such ornaments, and are they essential to the beauty of a structure? We arrived at this perspective by studying Freud’s theory of the unconscious which he believed that if properly understood could help people resolve their problems. Some examples of unconscious activity include dreams and instincts, and Freud would have his patients share all they could remember in order to see what is going on in their unconscious where he could pinpoint potential sources of their problems. I learned that this process is known as the analysis. Applying this mode of thinking to appreciating architecture, one would dig deeper to find the more subtle details and the importance of such buildings to see how they reflect how people thought, instead of taking buildings for how they appear outwardly or say they are intended for. This led to common themes that we discussed in class which were erasure, commemoration, and identity. The Bedlam Hospital at the Liverpool Station in London and the University of Vienna in Austria offer special venues to survey and examine these different themes to discover the greater purpose in their construction.

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In London, the prime example of erasure of a regrettable history was the history of the Bedlam Hospital being transformed into the Liverpool Street Station area. The Bedlam Hospital was London’s first mental institution erected in the 1200’s. The “Building Bedlam – Bethlem Royal Hospital’s early incarnations” article offers context on the hospital noting that “there were no other hospitals for the insane in Britain at the time, or indeed many hospitals of any kind. The very term ‘hospital’ had not yet become so exclusively the property of a medical establishment and was still being used with its broader meaning of a place of hospitality… a place for the sick.” However, upon walking to the site of the Bedlam Hospital at the Liverpool station, one would not have had any indication that a hospital used to exist there. It appeared to resemble the typical tube station in London, but it is like doing an Easter egg hunt trying to find symbols and remnants of the late hospital. There was a small plaque that recognized the Bedlam Hospital about the size of two textbooks which was another small detail among many other busy eye-catching ones in the grand station. Another example of a small detail in the station is a statue of two children who fled from Germany during World War II and arrived at the station. Such pieces, whether good or bad, are not highlighted in the crowded area that would properly commemorate the hospital. The function of the space shifted to be exclusively a tube station, and only a very small percent of on-goers would have awareness of what the space used to be.

It was no surprise to later find that the Bedlam Hospital is “associated with scandal” because it was the site where many unwell people were tortured or manipulated. As the “Building Bedlam – Bethlem Royal Hospital’s early incarnations” article notes, “the layout of the hospital introduced the need for containment or confinement. To modern eyes the plan seems most closely allied to that of prisons, and in particular the model prisons of the nineteenth century.” Modern architects are able to determine that the hospital more resembled a prison which further reveals unconscious sentiments towards the mentally ill likening them to inmates locked confined in prison. The hospital became less of a place of hospitality where people would receive treatment and help, but instead it was a place to separate and remove seemingly the “defective and incompetent.”  It was not a proud piece of London history, so one can understand why the hospital was covered up and replaced by an almost entirely new building. This made me think about the conflict between recognizing one’s past and whether places like this were trying to be concealed from the public eye or if it simply got left behind because modernization no longer had a place for it. However, I think that it is purposefully being shoved to the side and hidden because architects and leaders are able to properly dignify special people and places with grand statues and other large structures, not merely miniature plaques and statues. It did not seem right to hide such a dark page of history, but perhaps once one learns from their past, it is okay to.

Similarly, one can see how Vienna not only attempts to erase its past association with Germany but further to help define its national identity. In Cordileone’s “The Austrian Museum for Art and Industry: Historicism and National Identity in Vienna 1863-1900,” she describes how there is a connection between style in arts and in political views. In the example she gives, northern German Renaissance style became “associated with kleinduetch nationalism” (123). This is significant because it demonstrates how architectural style can influence and support specific public political sentiments. Austria took this to practice by “putting forward their local interpretation of the Italian Renaissance as a suitable visual for [itself]” (124). This new, unique style that the Austrians were trying to manufacture and develop for themselves would help it distinguish its own identity from the prominent power in the German Republic. As Cordileone notes, the larger goal was to “improve public taste.” With these objectives in mind, one can see how an improved sense of Austrian art would pay great dividends economically through commercial success abroad at international exhibitions. The way that Austria would go about attaining these goals was to acquire art from all over the world and put them all in grand museums and galleries that people from all over would flock to. This was their way of branding themselves and putting their name on the map despite being viewed as a little brother to big brother Germany. Ramping up their art department was their way to stand up to Germany because they did not have the capabilities to do so militarily. Another effect of this shift in architectural purpose would be an increased sense of patriotism and national identity among citizens for their country knowing that they have arguably the most beautiful architecture and art in Europe.

Reflecting on the context of the history of Austria and its architecture in comparison to London’s erasure of the Bedlam Hospital, I viewed Vienna’s approach to be a much more optimistic view of erasing the past. This was my impression because Vienna ‘erases’ its historical ties to Germany pre-1900s in order to help craft its own national identity apart from Germany, whereas the Bedlam Hospital was simply displaced by a more modern use of the space in the Liverpool Tube Station. I understood Austria’s goal to create its own identity by challenging Germany in the realm of art instead of combat as it being crafty to assert itself in the international spectrum which is an honorable act to take when someone is infringing on another’s potential and ability to act autonomously, as Germany was to Austria. Furthermore, one could view Austria’s initiative to set its artistic standards as a way to elevate and uplift its people. Again, analyzing its beautiful architecture from a purpose perspective, the elegance would build a seemingly distinguished atmosphere around the structure. I experienced this feeling of being in a fancy building at the University of Vienna.

The classy atmosphere at the University of Vienna made me feel like I had to behave with more discipline, and the impression it left on me resembled the wide-spread effect that Austria would have wanted its revamped art initiative to have on its citizens. Roaming the silent empty halls, there were tall wide arches, untainted white walls, and shiny reddish-brown tile floor surface. It really reminded me of the typical high school one would see in movies, but there was no trash or rowdy behavior from young, immature students. The beautiful architecture, accompanied with the superb upkeep disseminated that elegant, classy atmosphere, and while I walked through the halls and exploring the different rooms, I experienced a feeling of care for my surroundings because I did not want to disrupt the peace. There was a particularly memorable moment when walking through a computer lab where one girl was passing by as well and she banged her leg on the corner of the table and almost fell. All thirty people in the room turned around to glare at whoever interrupted the prior tranquility. Another way the University of Vienna crafts a classy atmosphere is by surrounding the grass atrium with a lot of busts of dignified alumni, notably Sigmund Freud. Apart from commemorating such famous products of the university, the placement of the statues could be utilized to inspire current students to realize that they can do great things and make a name for themselves, just like they did. In effect, the pedigree of the university as an institution would rise which would allow it to attract the best students from all over the world.

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After the study abroad experience, I went home to Arizona to prepare for another year Community Assistant training at Vista del Sol residential hall at Arizona State University. My involvement with housing over the last year inspired me to do Part II of this capstone project on the history of Greek life on campus. There is a huge stigma with Greek life and partying at Arizona State that I wanted to investigate further because even before going to school here people would always refer to it as party school and advise me, “not to party too much!” When I came to campus in 2017, there was no Greek row with all the fraternities that many other colleges had, but I heard there used to be one but it had been torn down just 5 years prior. I thought this was a really good opportunity to dig deeper and find out how Arizona State University became infamously known as a party school across the country, and learning more about the history of Greek life as a residency on campus would be a unique outlet to learn how the label came to be prominent.

This article titled “Alpha Drive Construction: The Lost Community of ASU” by Keating offers a more objective description of the old fraternity community by analyzing the architectural design and history of the its construction and demolition. The site of Arizona State University’s Greek row known as Alpha Drive was in the northeast corner of campus on University Drive and Rural Road. There were thirteen fraternity houses situated in this region, and it was in the 1960s when the school began to build them for what was at the time 18 percent of male students who were involved in fraternity life. There was the Adelphi complex that housed five of the thirteen fraternities, but it was not large enough for everybody, having such a great presence on campus, school administration wanted to “maintain a form of control and supervision over the sometimes unruly and rowdy fraternities that primarily hosted functions at private off-campus locations.” The administrators contracted different architects to design the different houses, and they were able to display “distinctive sleek geometries, contrasting materials, minimal ornament, and functional forms that characterized mid-century architecture. Keaton notes that this style reflected a “modernist sensibility” which doubled the size of campus. While this was a massive expansion for Arizona State for the time, Alpha Row was able to maintain a low-density feel by spacing the different houses out across 13 acres. Keaton offers his opinion on the structural significance of the massive size of Alpha Drive saying that “for more than forty years, [it] served as a hub for all fraternity functions, but development and maintenance pressures, as well as skepticism about the role of fraternities at ASU and on college campuses in general, worked against these historic buildings.” Such details ultimately led to its demolition in 2012. This article effectively introduces how Alpha Drive appeared from the outside and the original purposes it served (“Alpha Drive Construction: The Lost Community of ASU”).

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Another article I read titled “Reforming Greek Life: Alcohol-fueled incidents spur concern, change,” authors Richard Ruelas and Anne Ryman explore specific occurrences that impacted the fraternities’ departure from campus. In one of them, they describe a crowded setting where a fire blazes at a Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity party on Friday night. Paramedics and police arrive to the scene to calm scene, as they see one student pouring more alcohol into the fire, but in effect the fire flared out and caught on to one woman, and her legs began to burn. They describe the gruesome sequence as she falls to the ground and the paramedics roll her back and forth to put out the fire. This woman who got received severe burns was a 17-year-old high school student from California who came to Arizona State University to visit a friend. The two underage friends were also drinking at this fraternity party. The fallout of this bonfire incident ended with upset police officers who told detectives that fraternity members used social media to change the narrative that the girl had fallen into the fire or that they man who threw alcohol into the fire was not a member of the fraternity. It is such situations that involved lots of dangerous, sometimes deadly, crimes, especially those involving minors, coupled with a lack of responsibility that made ASU fraternities notorious with some being expelled and no longer acknowledged by Arizona State (“Reforming Greek Life: Alcohol-fueled incidents spur concern, change”).

Today, one could drive by the large 13-acre lot where Alpha Drive used to reside and see nothing but large cranes, mounds of dirt, and lots of construction. Since the houses were torn down in 2012, stadiums and parking lots have taken their place, and the current construction is for more apartment housing, hotels, offices, and stores. To replace Alpha Drive, the Greek Leadership Village was opened in 2018 across the street on Terrace and Rural Road. These are built in townhome style, which allows more people to be in the space similar to regular dorms on campus, however each Greek organization has its insignia and letters outside their respective areas. The space as a whole is intended to offer a mix of university housing and off-campus housing that may interest some students. Furthermore, they even have “Greek Ambassadors” who are similar to my role as a community assistant where we help ensure safety for our residents. Even President Crow said that there is an increased focus on “leadership development” in the Greek organizations, which he may hope builds a stronger sense of responsibility and accountability that some previous ones used to lack (“From the ground up, the rebuilding of Greek housing at ASU”).

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The damage of Alpha Drive is still seen on the university’s tainted image, as Arizona State is still widely known as a party school. However, demolishing Alpha Drive and placing a more organized, intentionally sound Greek Leadership Village fits President Crow’s efforts to uplift and elevate the school’s stature. One can see how he learned from the institution’s past to shift the direction and trajectory of the school. He even enforced an unpopular but effective dry campus policy such that no one could drink or smoke on campus regardless of their age. These are the tough decisions that leaders have to make to lead their respective peoples or organization towards improvement and progress. On the outside to many students, it may appear that the school is giving us a hard time and revoking fun activities for young people, however diving beyond that, there may be a greater vision in mind where Arizona State is a distinguished center and foundation for scholars all over the world to flock to collaborate and create change. Through this project and studying architecture coupled with psychoanalysis, I have learned to look past what actually happened or what was said in different decisions or events and instead entertain and ponder why such things occurred in order to understand the social construction that leaders and people around us are trying to craft.

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Works Cited

“Building Bedlam – Bethlem Royal Hospital’s early incarnations.” Historic Hospitals. February 13, 2016. Retrieved from https://historic-hospitals.com/2016/02/13/building-bedlam-bethlem-royal-hospitals-early-incarnations/

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Cordileone, Diana Reynolds. “The Austrian Museum for Art and Industry: Historicism and National Identity in Vienna 1863-1900.” Austrian Studies. Vol. 16, From “Ausgleich” To “Jahrhundertwende”: Literature and Culture, 1867–1890 (2008), pp. 123-141. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/27944880.

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Keating, Austin. “Alpha Drive Construction: The Lost Community of ASU.” Salt River Stories. Retrieved from https://saltriverstories.org/items/show/363?tour=32&index=1.

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Ruelas, Richard and Ryman, Anne. “Reforming Greek Life: Alcohol-fueled incidents spur concern, change.” AZCentral. September 8, 2013. Retrieved from http://archive.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/20130828asu-fraternities-off-campus-issues.html.

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Yaghsezian, Savanah. “From the ground up, the rebuilding of Greek housing at ASU.” The State Press. November 9, 2016. Retrieved from https://www.statepress.com/article/2016/11/sp-magazine-asu-plans-to-add-more-greek-life-housing.

Going in to CAT 5, I was very intrigued to see how London celebrates or hides its history. That theme reminded me of our adventures through Vienna where we found lots of beautiful building designs because that was their plan to craft its own sense of style and identity apart from Germany. The two sites we were to visit were the Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam) at the Liverpool Street Station area and The Imperial War Museum. Doing some research beforehand, the Bedlam Hospital was London’s first mental institution that was erected from the 1200s, so being such an old structure that has been up for centuries, I was curious what even remained. Not nearly as old, the Imperial War Museum houses information on England’s conflicts in war since World War I, which to this day raises much discussion on the ethics of colonization.

Entering the Liverpool station, the site of the former Bedlam Hospital, I would have not had any indication that a hospital used to exist here if we did not have this assignment. It resembles a typical tube station out here in London. There are some symbols, like the below plaque that was about the size of two large textbooks but was another small detail outside of the grand station. There is also a small statue of two children that could have referred to the hospital as well, however these pieces are not highlighted or in a busy area that would properly commemorate the hospital. The function of the area is clearly to be a tube station. Such a small percent of all passerbyers have the same knowledge of the area while everyone else was just going about their day. 

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I found later in the readings that the Bedlam Hospital is “associated with scandal” because it was where many were tortured or manipulated. It was not a proud piece of London history. This made me think about the conflict in recognizing one’s past and whether places like this were trying to be hidden from the public eye or if it simply got left behind because modernization did not have a place for it. However, I think that it is purposefully being shoved to the side and hidden because we are able to dignify people and places with grand statues and titles, not just plaques and miniature statues. It did not seem right to hide such a dark page of history, but perhaps once one learns from their past, it is okay to push it aside and cease from constantly bringing it up. The lack of pride in horrific parts of its history contrasts from the Imperial War Museum.

I thought that the Imperial War Museum champions Great Britain’s activity from the World Wars. The placement of it is very intentional being by a park which told me that it would always be visible by people. There was even a segment of the fallen Berlin Wall standing before the entrance that read, “Change Your Life.” I interpreted its placement as a pat on the back by London to say that they played a part in defeating the evil, Communist Soviet Union. Entering the museum, we were greeted by large replicas of war machines like fighter planes and even a tank. I was really curious why I could hear Public Enemy rap playing from a room. I wondered why it was playing, but the music showed modern thought to strife and conflict, so it was like a method to uplift public sentiment amidst war. Exhibits like these indicated to me that London took much pride in its involvement abroad, but I do not remember seeing much on colonization, so perhaps they were trying to cover up that side of their history, and instead highlight their glory from winning wars.

The bridge to the Royal Festival Hall offered our group great views of the whole city of London. Many of the main attractions like the London Eye or the Cathedral drew the attention of many others walking along that bridge, and it was a popular spot for tourists to take pictures with those attractions in the near background. Then when we had reached about halfway across the bridge, we were able to mark out the Royal Festival Hall which appeared to be a gray box, like a movie theater, among all the other sites around. We were initially confused whether or not that dull simple building was really was really the Royal Festival Hall because from a distance, it seemed neither royal nor festive. 

Continuing forward, we began to hear the music which brought a sense of life and buzz to the area surrounding the gray box which called us to come closer. Once we arrived at our destination, there were so many people enjoying their Sunday at this place. What struck me as most interesting was how diverse the various sorts of people there were. My first observation was the wide range in age. While there were numerous activities, like splash pads or hula-hoop competitions for children, to run around and play, there were also many older folks watching them or relaxing on the benches enjoying the cool weather. 

We experienced more diversity in culture as we walked underneath a series of clotheslines that contained items that reminded me somewhat of Chinese lanterns. It was refreshing for me to something sort of Asian related, and I felt a sense of belonging and welcome which I am not used to feeling in such a special way. We continued forward and experienced one of the greatest examples of diversity which manifested itself through the variety of cultural food there. They had food stands ranging from Ethiopian to Korean to Arab and much, much more. Food is such a key component of culture, and by having so many different types present, the festival was not only able to welcome such peoples to the venue but also expose many more to their culture. It gives foreigners a unique perspective into their own culture. It also reminded me of how long I have been away from home and miss my mom’s Filipino cooking. We explored the different spots and bought some drank. And finding an opening along the stairs, we took a seat and enjoyed the festival.

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While it did not seem nearly as grand nor elegant as most other hot tourist spots around London, the Royal Festival Hall effectively incorporates diversity to attract people to celebrate different cultures. It reminded me of a passage from the reading that the hall does not plan all of the events but instead, the people do. That note made me think about one of our class discussions about the relationship between how a structure appears visually versus what actually goes on there. The Royal Festival Hall offers locals a space to gather and celebrate various events despite appearing very simple on the facade.

Going in to CAT assignment 3, the site I was looking forward to seeing most was the Amalienbad pool. Our group had looked up pictures the day before and determined it was a place we did not want to miss and prepared some towels just in case we had spare time to stay there for an hour or two. The pictures further reminded me of the Lifetime Fitness clubs back home because it was similarly indoor, grand, and very clean. This landmark, like the other CAT 3 ones, offered a novel experience for us because it was not a tourist attraction and exclusively locals made use of it, meaning there was a higher chance for a language barrier to take place. The most stark observation and I received from my visit to this pool was its ability to create a community in its general area through the intentional functional details of its architecture.

Due to closures along the U4 line, we arrived at the Amalienbad about an hour later than we had anticipated. It was around 11:00, and local Viennese people were entering the massive structure. At the top of the building read “DER GEMEONDE WIEN ERRICHTET IN DEN JAHREN VON 1923-1926,” which translates to “The Municipality of Vienna was built in the years 1923-1926.” This encryption echoed the ‘love for the whole’ and nationalist sort of sentiments that the government was pushing on its people during the Red Vienna Era. Thinking about the purpose of the message, I viewed it as a constant reminder to people passing by that their community as they know it has been standing for almost 100 years now and that that is something they should take much pride in.

Next, we entered the building and we were met with non-slip tile floors and two rows of white chairs that spanned the hallway leading to the entrance of the pool itself. The type of tile fits its purpose well to ensure more safety for people walking around, and the rows of chairs offered a space for people to lounge and converse before going through the wooden doors into the pool area. Our group had about 2 hours we could spend here before heading to the next stop, but we had a hard time understanding the price system because the older lady running the stand did not speak English. Of course when there is a language barrier it is really frustrating for both sides, but at the same time it makes the visitor feel more authenticity radiating from the unfamiliar territory because there is no false facade because the main goal is to understand, not exploit for monetary profit. Furthermore, the language barrier also demonstrated to me that the culture is more intact and strong because it refuses or simply does not accept ‘outside’ ones. That was the positive twist I took on language barriers when interacting with the front door lady who had said that for 5 Euro, we could swim for 20 minutes, which was not a great deal at all.

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However, we then met another lady who spoke English, and she was able to clear everything up. Her job was to check that you had paid or are a member before entering the pool. She was able to clarify that it was actually 4.5 Euro for two and a half hours, which we would have taken up if we had more time. She was also able to describe the details of the pool itself from its history dating back over 100 years to the design of the pool. She allowed us to look inside, and what struck me most were the numerous individual changing closets available multiple floors up. It resembled a hotel where you could look over the ledge to see the pool at the center of it all, but I thought the design of having so many individual spaces, like large individual lockers, was counterproductive to creating a communal atmosphere. However, this lady explained that by having many individual spaces and a large common area, people are naturally going to gravitate towards the area of open space because that is where everybody else is and they want to be a part of what is going on.

Her explanation reflected a very interesting viewpoint on how Viennese people may view human nature given their historical and political ties to communism and socialism, but it could make sense. One could argue that people’s longing for community is what drives them to contribute to the whole. So, by dedicating spaces for people to become more familiar with one another in a fun, recreational environment, institutions and governments capitalize on progressing a sense of commonwealth among its citizens.

“That’s it. That’s the Secession Building,” one of my partners remarked as we walked from the U4 station. I thought to myself that the Secession Building stuck out like a sore thumb because of ball-shaped dome that looked like a ball with a bunch of old banana peels laid over it on top of another white building surrounded by seemingly typical Viennese architecture. Someone had mentioned that it houses some famous pieces of art, notably the Beethoven Frieze by an artist named Klimt. I remembered that Klimt was a key figure of the Viennese Secessionist Movement that occurred around the beginning of the twentieth century and has lots of other pieces like the Kiss which we saw earlier in the Belvedere Museum, so I was looking forward to checking out the piece he had in this building. However, when I saw that we had to pay to go in, I no longer wanted to go in. I thought about how I usually do not give in to paying for different tourist attractions that I did not know much about. Nonetheless, our group opted to stay outside and took pictures in front of the large, black vase in front of the entrance. We stayed here for about 10 minutes before proceeding to the Naschmarkt and the murals around it.

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The Naschmarkt was oriented like a long strip in the middle surrounded by streets on two sides that had tall buildings. I could not help but notice the stark contrast between the market itself and the surrounding buildings. The market was noisy and lively full of different vendors selling things ranging from fruits to souvenirs to marijuana. There were people offering samples of cheese and sausage in an attempt to hook us on to buying some, and one tactic that a sausage vendor utilized were euphemisms about the sausage he was selling, also known as “his sausage.” His jokes cracked us up, but we had no purpose in buying the salty sausage in bulk besides rewarding him for his effort. 

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We continued on past a stand of raw seafood, and my mouth started salivating because it had been a couple weeks since I had last eaten some. I had been going in on the bratwurst and currywurst, so this was a good chance to switch it up. It worked out well because our group ended up eating at a seafood stand, and I was able to get some grilled squid. After eating, we continued down the flea market and came up to the wall murals on closed stores. There was one that a biker who appeared to riding so fast that his skin was peeling off his skeleton. Others were similarly graphic, but there were others that read positive messages about hope and friendship. This concluded our trip through the Naschmarkt, and we turned to the side to observe the eloquent building designs that surrounded the Naschmarkt.

Turning 90 degrees to the right, I saw the building with the facade of roses and green leaves on a golden background and thought about how oppositely elaborate it was compared to the simple, worn streets of the Naschmarkt. Next to the rose wall was another highly decorated one with lots of arches and balconies with ornamented ‘eyebrows’ as I remember our old tour guide would put it. The side street even included a version of the Hollywood walk of fame by having stars of famous composers like Beethoven and Mozart below these walls. This made me think about the Loos reading and how he criticized pointless ornamentation because they served no other purpose than look pretty. I understood the point he was trying to make when comparing the elaborate, classy building facades in comparison to the busy, noisy flea market at Naschmarkt.

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Walking through the tidy streets that were surrounded by tall, off-white buildings, we approached the University of Vienna. Thinking to myself that it was hot outside and that we needed to enter the building as soon as possible to avoid the sun, I led the group to enter by the side. 

A couple of young, blond haired girls were both carrying a bookbag and a laptop as they walked past us and left the University. I told my friends, “cool, school is still in session! They are probably taking summer classes?” I proceeded to tell them about how I visited Humboldt University in Berlin, and joked that maybe we could sneak into a lecture. Roaming the silent halls, I observed the tall wide arches, white walls, the clean reddish-brown tile floor surface, and the classrooms on both sides of the hallway. My partner Rachel said that this scene reminded her of the typical highschool back home but without the trash and rowdy behavior from young, immature students.

Her remark reminded me of the Cordileone assignment that we would be discussing in our first class in a couple days. The reading was about the historical significance of the National Austrian Museum, and a passage came to my mind which explained how one of the original goals of the new public museum in Vienna was to improve public taste. Having this more in depth understanding of purpose in art and architecture, I reflected on what Rachel had said and saw how the beautiful architecture, accompanied with the superb upkeep, was disseminating an elegant, classy atmosphere. I did not want to disrupt this peaceful environment while exploring the different rooms around campus. 

Suddenly, as we were turning the corner through a silent computer lab filled with about thirty students who were focusing on their assignments, Rachel lost her footing and banged her leg on the table, and all of them raised their heads in our direction glaring at those strangers who had interrupted the prior tranquility. In my head, I was dying of laughter, however not wanting to extend the embarrassing episode, I continued straight towards the nearest exit.

Leaving the computer lab, we began to laugh at what had just happened, but that quickly died out as we began to admire the University’s atrium. The marble floors and ornamented arches surrounded the grass which was full of students relaxing on lawn chairs, blankets, and benches. Along the wall stood busts of various, unrecognizable alumni from the University of Vienna. I realized that most of them were successful or popular when we walked by Freud’s bust. I thought about how crazy it was to imagine Freud walking around campus conversing with his peers, chilling out on one of the chairs, or simply getting to class.

My sentiment when observing all the different busts surrounding the students lounging further echoed what I read from Cordileone. By surrounding the current students with distinguished alumni, like Freud, I bet they would feel more pride and honor knowing that they can do great things and make a name for themselves just like he did. Additionally, I thought about how through a good education system, Vienna could uplift itself from being a state always defeated by Germany in war to a more intellectual state that could improve its pedigree on the international stage, as was explored in the passage. I reflected on my own educational upbringing and felt very thankful to be in different environments that help me grow my character. A good education is truly a fruitful investment.

We continued to observe the beautiful courtyard and once one of the lawn chairs became available, we snagged it and enjoyed being students at the University of Vienna!

Works Cited

Cordileone, Diana Reynolds. Austrian StudiesVol. 16, From “Ausgleich” to “Jahrhundertwende”: Literature and Culture, 1867–1890 (2008), pp. 123-141