Lists...

Things I discovered today...
-Humanic is as commen on Mariahilferstrasse as Starbucks are in New York City and if you search long and hard enough, you WILL find awesome boots in a size 42 for your man-sized freak feet.
-Spicy sauce at Pasha overpowers all other flavors and makes everything it touches taste like fire. This is not a bad thing.
-The word for "male cat" and the word for "hangover" are the same in German.
-We have been cooking with lard for the past week.
-The bike lane looks way too much like the regular sidewalk.
-I don't really have any desire to go to bars on weeknights to watch other people get plastered, even in Austria.

Things I got today...
-My voice teacher assignment!
-My performance workshop rep! Julia is the Hansel to my Gretel!
-Blisters.

I have a German test tomorrow. I am sleepy. I want to go out. Which one of these things doesn't belong?
Bedtime!

And on Saturday, God shits all over us.

What a lovely first weekend in Wien!
After our delicious Italian feast (courtesy of Belle) on Friday, we headed out to find a club. Here's the thing though: going out in Europe is exactly the same as going out in America. Everyone wants to go somewhere different, people get pissy, drinks are overpriced, and feet always end up hurting. We spent from 10pm to 1am on a quest for fun.
THANKFULLY, my friend Travis introduced me to his friend Lucas who lives in Vienna (born and raised). So by 1am I got my shit together and finally thought to text him and ask him where to go. Me, Julia, Sarah, and Katy then spent the next hour dancing our asses off in the most BADASS club I have ever seen. They had a smoke machine and a live drummer at one point! The DJ was amazing and the music was perfect (unlike the club we went to before that that was playing all R&B and 90s pop songs). We were sweaty and happy and it was a spectacular start to a partying career here in Austria.


Belle's feast


The drummer at "Lutz" (the club we went to).

Saturday it was DEFINITELY hard to wake up, but we got up early and went to an information session about Wien, followed by a 3 hour bus tour. It was actually really, really cool. The information session was extremely informative and felt like a mini History channel special (I know, I'M A NERD AND I LOVE IT). On the tour we went all through the city and even to the outskirts of it where we saw the vineyards and beautiful rolling hills. We saw landmarks and famous buildings as well as the new and modern side of things. The only downside was that the tour took place at the most AWKWARD TIME (12-3pm) and so for the entire last hour of it Matt and I could think of nothing but Kebap. Which we promptly RAN to (no exaggeration here) immediately after the tour ended.

Here are a few purdy shots from the bus tour:





Then, over the course of the next hour, winter came. It literally dropped 20 degrees and the wind decided it was going to try its best to fuck as much shit up as possible. There were a few times I actually thought I might get swept away!
And then the rain came. Sad times were had by all. Thankfully, the Naschmarkt doesn't let a little rain get in its way, so a bunch of us sweatered up and went out for some delicious chinese food. Afterwards, Sarah and I decided to just go home and veg out since we were so exhausted from the night before. And besides, I love cozy evenings in when it's raining.


Sarah pretending she knows how to use chopsticks


Sunday was a textbook definition of a Sunday. We slept in, cleaned, took out the trash, painted nails, did laundry, read, and sat a fair amount. Richard came over and Sarah and I fed him lunch. Julia, Katy, and I met up to go to a yoga class that I found online, only to find out that the studio is closed until September! So instead we took a leisurely walk to the Rathaus and made it there in time to get yummy Greek food and see Carmen! It was pretty hilarious to see an opera in French with German subtitles. If the part of my brain controlling languages wasn't fucked enough, after last night it is off-kilter beyond repair.


So then we get to today, which begins our second week here in the city. After our morning German class, Julia and I came back to my apartment and we did a yoga podcast by my favorite teacher ever, Alanna Kaivalya. It was really calming and centering and just what we both needed. See, yoga will always prevail, even when you can't get to a studio!

Tonight there's apparently a swing dancing event outside somewhere which I'm TOTALLY stoked about (except for the fact that I know nothing about swing dancing, but that's just a minor detail). Ray Charles is also playing at the film festival so I have many wonderful options for a great evening out. The rest of the week is pretty much the same, with German every morning and orientation sessions in the afternoon on stuff like my music courses, the 9-day trip to Prague, Budapest, and Krakow that's coming up, etc. The weather is supposed to stay in the 70s all week which will be a well deserved break from the 90+ degree weather we've been having. Maybe I won't have to shower like eight times a day anymore!

That's enough rambling for now, maybe I'll go the the grocery store and play eenie-meenie-miney-moe at the deli counter.
Auf Wiedersehen!

I left all my cactuses at home!

Last night we went to see Mahler 8 outside the Rathaus. Every night in the summer until the second week of September, Wien has these events in front of City Hall where they project a performance of some sort on a massive screen. Tons of delicious restaurants from around town set up booths and it's a madhouse of music, food, and drinks. It was a cool contrast between the really attentive people sitting in the rows of seats watching the performance, and the people who were there just to drink and be social. The atmosphere was electric.


There was also one food stand selling "American" food. Their hamburgers were held together with toothpicks with little American flags on them. Precious.


This morning we had our first German test which might have been the easiest thing I've ever had to do. It was straight from the textbook and half the stuff I studied for wasn't even on it. Now I know that I'll probably get beat to the ground by the next test so that there's a natural balance of things, but it was nice to know that I actually AM absorbing a certain amount of information.
After the test we headed to a coffee shop to "practice our German" AKA order food on the institute's tab.


You could feel the sugar radiating off of people after that meal. A few people tried the famous Sacher torte, but most people stuck to apfelstrudel and the like. There was also Eiskaffee (iced coffee), which is like a rootbeer float, but with coffee instead of soda. So, like I said, I tragically lost all my friends to sugar comas this afternoon. But, on the plus side, our waitor was THRILLED with our ordering abilities! (No. No he wasn't.)


This afternoon I also had my advising appointment for class registration. I got into Art and Architecture! Thank GOD, seeing as all my other classes are straight from my Jacobs requirements, like 401 (vom), German, performance workshop, and individual lessons. I can't wait to really get the semester going! (Except 401. vom.)

So since heute ist Freitag, Jay'd helped me pick out an itty bitty black dress for going out tonight! (I have been given the kiss of death by Belle and called "BoHo" so I must break form ASAP!) Jay'd is gonna escort us to the gay clubs tonight and then I think tomorrow night we'll switch teams. There's a bar that has a fish tank that stretches through the entirity of it. Yup, doing that.

Belle is also making us meatballs and sgetti tonight. There are like nine people coming over to our little building on Jahngasse and everyone's bringing some random part of the meal, like broccoli or bread or salad fixings. WE'RE A FUCKING COMMUNE.
So we will be sufficiently nourished to play HARD. Annnnnnd I'm providing the red bulls. Win.

The day tomorrow is mostly taken up by an IES organized bus tour of Wien. Apparently there's also a street parade which will definitely keep me amused.
Maybe I'll even get some laundry done on Sonntag. How productive!

This first week of classes and auditions actually hasn't been bad at all! The most stressful part was probably trying to find ziploc bags and face wash that isn't a scrub. And trying not to melt in the 100 degree heat.

Here is why life ist sehr sehr gut:
*Class is relatively interesting, fun, informative, and actually applicable to my day to day here!
*I get coffee for 80 cents each morning at the reception at IES (actually 1 Euro 60 cents since I never fail to get two- and I get a free cup on Monday because I've ALREADY filled up my "frequent buyer" card!).
*My house is nearby to school and groceries and I finally bought a U-Bahn ticket so that I don't fear the police every time I get on the train anymore.
*I ADORE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE! I have made such amazing friendships already and the semester hasn't even begun! Also my roommates are fab and not stinky. Major plus.
*The food is beyond delicious even though I don't know what half of what I'm eating is.
*Friends of Bill are here!

and finally... (and most importantly)...

*Europe makes America look like a noob.

ICH MACHE GERN KEBAP!

Today has felt like ten different days, each one being THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.

I made an egg this morning. The yolk was orange. Apparently that's how they're supposed to be, but Americans love to fuck with shit. We also didn't have a spatula so I used a cake slicer instead. Squeezing the juice, as Kent would say.

German class was a little rough this morning. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the German language, everything about it makes me happy. The way it sounds, the way it feels, the culture associated with it. Everything. But this morning I made the mistake of going to Starbucks like the tourist that I am. A black iced coffee in Wien is just as much espresso as will fit in a grande cup plus ice. So, as a result, I was super exhausted (from tossing and turning in the heat all night) as well as UNBELIEVABLY caffeinated from my four shots of espresso. Not a recipe for forming coherent sentences in German.

After class I felt a little more sane and me and a few friends grabbed some lunch and then headed over to the Kunsthistorisches Museum (National Gallery of Art) for a guided tour with one of the IES faculty. The museum itself is gorgeous. That's the difference between America and Europe. Their art museum is, in itself, history and art.



It was REALLY cool, but we were all beyond tired and beyond hot so it was a little grueling towards the end. It also didn't help that Dr. Benesch (the faculty member taking us around) would scold us for sitting down. Or taking pictures. Or trying to analyze the paintings. For example:

Dr Benesch: "Where is the jester in the painting heading towards?"
Students: "To the light?
"To salvation?"
"To happiness?"
Dr Benesch: "No... to the left..."

(pointing with vigor)

After the museum we schlepped back to school (in the still paralyzing heat) and spent the next three hours resting, practicing, and getting ready for our performance workshop auditions. This evening was the audition time for the singers, but all the kids in the entire music program have to attend. Which means that I'll have to be their for all of THEIR auditions too, mmmm, fun times for the next three evenings. The auditions lasted from 5:30 to 7:30 and overall I think they went really well! Mostly everyone is very talented and I'm super excited to work with them :D

Now here comes the best part. Right next to the IES center is a little kebap shop. Kebap is basically like Turkish gyro-type meat and they make gyro-type sandwiches. (BUT IT'S KEBAP). A bunch of us went over to grab delicious sandwiches and I got out my camera to take this picture:


The "Kebap man" got peeved that I wasn't taking a picture of him, which resulted in this picture:


AND THEN. A little boy came over asking for money to buy a sandwich. Literally, just this afternoon I was having a conversation with some friends about homelessness and poverty and how I don't give people money, but I will always buy them food if they ask for it. So here's my opportunity right? Our Kebap friend was standing down the street talking to someone when I tried to call him over. Logically, since I've already been inside his stand, he motions for ME to make the sandwich.

I don't know about you, but I'm all about teamwork:



We ended up cutting it in half so he could share it with his brother. And my Kebap friend (er heißt Mattu? Mesmin?) wouldn't even let me pay for it. The only downside to this whole experience was that now I'm pretty sure Kebap will become a staple in my diet while I'm here in Österreich. Wait, what, how is that a downside?

Walking home we also passed a BEAST street band, playing the theme music from The Last of the Mohicans. WIN.


Now Ilana, Belle, Sarah, and I are sitting around Sarah and my's kitchen table, browsing facebook, watching old clips of SNL, and eating frozen grapes (SO COLD NOM). They're also drinking warm wine out of coffee mugs. Epitome of class right here.

Happy, joyous, and free.

Alle drei sprechen Deutsch, aber verschieden

WHAT. A. DAY.

Croissants and espresso for breakfast, registered with the police, first day of German intensive class, walking tour of the inner city, shopped for our house, and sweated buckets. All before 18:00. Pretty solid.
The IES building is GORGEOUS (it's an old palace), and we have tons of classrooms and beautiful practice rooms and places to study. Free coffee as well if we offer up some collateral (my soul?). Our teacher is the hilarious head of the German department and she's kind of like a super sweet grandma. Also, from what I could tell from today, she's not a half-bad teacher. Definitely a good thing.
On the walking tour we learned where the post office is, good places to grab a quick (or not so quick) and inexpensive (or extremely expensive) bite to eat, where the shops are, and other useful touristy information. We also got acquainted with the S-Bahn, which we took to class and then Sarah and I took home later that afternoon (after we took it in the wrong direction for three stops first). The U-Bahn is next on the list of public transit to be mastered.

This sign LOOKS like it points to a McDonalds, but in all reality, it is a secret sign to help you find your way to IES. Either that, or our building just happens to be right next to McDonalds.


I have never appreciated the ease of American grocery shopping more than I have today. In Wien, you don't really know what kind of meat or cheese or yogurt or bread you're getting until you buy it. You have to bring your own bags (as a dirty hippie, I love this, but I have yet to remember to actually BRING a bag so I always have to buy a new one), and shopping carts cost 0.50 euro. Oh, it also isn't very helpful to NOT SPEAK ANY GERMAN. Thankfully, we managed to throughly stock our house with soap and that kind of stuff and a decent amount of basic food after a frantic trip to one store before class this morning and at another one on our way home.

During the afternoon we hung around the IES 'hood (1st district) for a while and picked up some school supplies and things like that and explored a little. Eiskaffee was gratefully had by all.

I'm EXHAUSTED from the heat and the walking and the newness of everything but fairly content and definitely starting to settle in. The rest of the week is filled with German from 9-11:45 every day, auditions for the music programs, a course fair, registration, orientations, etc.
"Intensive" doesn't even begin to describe it. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing!

My friend Travis from Bloomington is actually in Wien for the night (don't ask me why, I am so confused), and I think we're going to meet up for a coffee or something after dinner! So I guess when I leave the mid-west, it follows? Fine by me.

Embracing the chaos

Wien! WE MADE IT! After getting no sleep last night and hours more of information sessions this morning, we piled back onto the buses and headed to the city! Arrived around 4:30pm, got plastic bags filled with dinner (mine proceeded to break in the middle of the street in front of a tram, nbd), squished into cabs, and went to our apartments.
I’m living in the 5th district on Jahngasse in this really nice, newly renovated building. I have three roommates, and there are two double rooms. We have a kitchen and a balcony and a washer AND DRYER (super rare for Europe) downstairs. We’re about a 25 minute walk from where our classes will be so the subway trip (for when it’s BUTT FUCK COLD out in the winter) will be super quick. We’re also really close to a gorgeous outdoor market. You can also rent a city bike for free for an hour as long as you put it back in another city bike rack!
Unpacking wasn’t as bad as it could have been and neither was our bag-o-dinner. Guidelines and house rules were tentatively set and shopping lists were made.

Here are some pictures of my room, the kitchen, and our little balcony:




Tomorrow we go and register with the Vienna police (don’t ask me why), and then have our first day of German intensive classes! We only have it for an hour and a half tomorrow and then we go on a walking tour of the inner city to get acclimated with the grocery stores and the post office, etc.
The German intensive lasts for three weeks, with my classes being from 9-11:45am every weekday. During down time we’re going to be registering for our real semester classes, having EVEN MORE information sessions, and walking around the city desperately trying not to get lost.

The hunt for good yoga classes and delicious cafes starts tomorrow as well! Wish me luck!

We have arrived!

Arrived in Vienna at noon on Thursday, after a five hour delay at JFK and an eight hour plane ride.

Met up with the group and took a three hour bus ride to Mariazell, a little town in the alps that is famous for a tiny wooden statue of the virgin Mary. Millions of Europeans make a pilgrimage here each yeah to see the statue (which is in a BREATHTAKING church) and pray and whatever else one does on a pilgrimage. (Here you eat gingerbread and sing hymns). We're staying a cool hostel equipped with an endless pool and a sauna.

Our beds!

Honestly, it has felt a lot like summer camp here. We've been on a tight schedule each day, with specific mealtimes and evening activities. Our days are filled with information sessions and other orientation-esque things.
Yesterday we had a chance to go into the town of Mariazell and see the Basilica and boop around. It was really beautiful and the whole town smelled like gingerbread.

The view from our hostel of Mariazell


(This gingerbread cookie says "You are my prince charming, I love you." AW.)


At night we got to see some traditional German dancing and even got to do some ourselves! My thighs are sufficiently bruised from violently slapping them too much.

Dancing with saws?

This morning my friend Lexi and I hiked around the hostel and in the afternoon we visited the local lake where they just happened to be having a festival with music (all American classic rock songs) and free-paddle boating! We hiked around the lake and then me and Lexi took out a paddle boat and she gave me a crash-course German lesson. I can now tell all the Germans that I have NO idea what they're saying.

Lexi on the lake!

When we got back to the hostel we took a quick dip in the pool and hit the sauna. (HOT.)
Tonight we had waltzing lessons. THANK YOU FAUST OPERA CHORUS FOR HELPING ME NOT LOOK LIKE A FOOL. I gotta say, I was a waltzing champ. I taught my friend Sam how to look like he knew what he was doing, but it took everything in me not to keep trying to lead.
Tomorrow we continue with our information sessions and then after lunch we're FINALLY off to Vienna- summer camp will be will be left behind in favor of ADULTHOOD AND FREEDOM.
Excite.

Summary:
-lots of dancing
-lots of vinegary vegetables aka YUM
-lots of packets with lots of forms to sign
-lots of new friends
-lots of beautiful views

Bis spaeter!