Beyond Borders: Freud in Austria

Source: https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/beyond-borders-freud-austria Parent: https://admission.princeton.edu/blogs/one-perspective-financial-aid

March 2, 2025

Jocelyne Wijaya '26

Hi everyone! My name is Jocelyne and I am originally from Los Angeles, California. I'm a Junior in the Politics department and am heavily involved in the Princeton community. You’ll find me as a part of several organizations here, including Matriculate, Scholars of Finance, the Office of Innovation, Mendel Music Library, and Marquand Art Library. When I'm not doing work, you can find me trying new coffee shops or looking for new places to eat. I

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What We Keep From The Places We Leave

Berggasse 19 was once home to Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist who was more famously known as the father of psychoanalysis.

With its inconspicuous white bricks and stained-wood doors, the Freud Museum looks just like every other building in the block. In fact, its facade creates a deceptive illusion that attempts to conceal the symbolism, the history, and the importance of this otherwise significant building.

This significant building was my home during the Summer.

For 6 weeks I studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, through the PIIRS Global Seminar program at Princeton University. From the Salzburg Alps to the Danube River, I immersed myself in the Viennese lifestyle: trekking through beautiful forest paths, wading through sparkling turquoise water, and attending lively music concerts where I understood nothing.

On the flipside, I also spent hours on the third floor of Bergasse 19, attending lectures, giving presentations, and learning how to speak German. With the assistance of Professor. Gallo of the German Department and graduate student Friederike Ach, 11 other students and I learned what it truly meant to embody the spirit of learning beyond borders.

From operas to concerts, art museums to libraries, and mixers to dinners, learning transcended the museum’s walls.

We dined with guests of the most distinguished nature, learning from famous musicians and local university students what it meant to be Viennese.

Eat schnitzel. Swim in the Danube. Get a sacher-torte (chocolate cake).

Together, we visited magnificent castles and saw the tombs of the Habsburg emperors. We hiked the Austrian Alps and walked the Ringstraße. We attended traditional performances and luxurious dinners.

Indeed, this truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

My peers and I entered this experience as strangers, muttering tentative greetings and hesitant introductions but we left as friends, with shared experiences that cannot be replicated.

It was a period in my life where there was truly no limit to what I could experience — Princeton’s Global Seminar program broadened my horizons and gave me an opportunity to learn by experiencing.

Through cultural immersion, I was able to think like the Viennese, act like the Viennese, and be Viennese; I experienced a glimpse of the world beyond by leveraging Princeton’s extensive resources abroad to truly make the most of this opportunity.

It was a “soft landing” to the world beyond — in other words, Vienna felt just like home.

I had access to people who knew where the closest laundromat was, where the best restaurants to eat were, and what “ausgang” meant in English. I had opportunities to visit expensive museums, taste regional cuisines, and interact with the local students. But more importantly, I had a group of people with me who could empathize with the difficulties of living abroad for the first time.

To others, the Freud Museum looks just like every other building on Bergasse street. But to the 12 of us who left Princeton this Summer, it is a place where we struggled, learned, and celebrated what it means to learn beyond borders.