To the Participants of the 2008 Salzburg Seminar, from Aaron Novak, class of 2007
First and foremost, Come ready to work. You have the opportunity to create something unique that is being used on five different continents simultaneously. To the best of my knowledge, that is something unheard of. Also, your ability to enjoy your time there will very much depend on how much you are willing to put your hearts into the project that you are going to be working on.
Come with an open mind. It is hard to imagine any of us being lucky enough to again participate in a program with people from so many different countries, languages and cultures working together for the same goal and under the same roof.
The best friends that I made last year were from all over the world, from England to Mexico, Saudi Arabia to Argentina and everywhere in between. The only way to accomplish that is to be open to different ideas, different cultures, and different accents (don’t underestimate the need for patience in listening to people from the other side of the world).
Bring your bathing suits, hiking and dancing shoes. As you will very quickly find out, after a long day of lectures, research and group work, all you really want to do is wind down a little. You will very quickly find the bierstube and spend many evenings dancing and drinking the nights away. (Side note, Stiegl, the locally brewed beer sold cheaply at the Schloss is amazing, and better than the local Austrian wine). You have probably heard about the canal that runs close to the Schloss. The icy plunge into the rushing water is refreshing on a hot day, after a long (or short) run, on weekends as well as in between classes and is highly recommended. One of the most amazing experiences I had there was hiking up the Untesburg (the Alp that you will gaze at every day you spend at the Schloss), so don’t forget some kind of hiking footwear.
Finally, you will be in Salzburg at the same time as the world famous Salzburg Music Festival, which features some of the finest classical concerts and operas that are available today.
