Anna Potapska

“Without passion I wouldn’t be able to do anything in life.”

Hello! My name is Anna. You’ve probably seen me around the INNES Institute because I’m responsible for organising your course, supporting your German journey, and keeping the school running smoothly.

Working at INNES gives me freedom to use my creativity to solve a range of tasks. There’s also always a fascinating mix of diverse, talented, and interesting people to connect with – from staff to teachers to clients. When I’m working, the most important things for me are mutual respect, sincere kindness, and a genuine desire to understand the challenge at hand and be willing to help. Another one of my key personal values is passion. Without passion I wouldn’t be able to do anything in life for a long time. Working and interacting with other people every day require passion.

Here’s an exclusive Vienna tip for you: if you love good ice cream, stop by ‘Gelato Carlo’ in the 8^th district. Once you’ve tasted ice cream here, you won’t be able to eat it from anywhere else. And if you enjoy sports and running (like I do), then the Prater Hauptallee is perfect for you. It’s 9 km long, so you can spend some time in nature, and maybe spot some of the famous faces who also go running there.

My favourite Viennese word is ‘oida’. You can’t really translate it into English, but it conveys emotion and its meaning always depends on the context. Personally, I don’t use it yet, but I think once I do it will mean I’m fully integrated.

And speaking of integration, I would recommend everyone start learning German as soon as possible if they want to live in Austria. Every day, I meet people at our institute who don’t yet speak the language and they tell me their life stories. They always say how hard it is to live here without knowing any German. German isn’t my first language either, but thanks to the knowledge of it I have, I have the best job of my life.