:)

Yesterday, I went to class for a few hours in the morning and then went to check out a few museums in Vienna that are on my bucket list. I like going to museums by my self sometimes because then I can go at my own pace and see the things I want to see. First I went to the Albertina museum where I saw art from artists like Bruegel, Picasso, and Monet. Then later I met up with Alyson and Kate (exchange students) and we went to the Leopold Museum. That was by far my favorite museum I've seen so far. One floor was completely dedicated to art throughout the ages that has a cloud theme. There was one wall covered in over 200 small paintings of cloud landscapes which was super cool! There was also an installation from Andy Warhol with a room full of silver bags (representing clouds) floating around the room freely. The whole idea almost felt like a childish dream and we were all giddy with the thought of it. The museum also held works from Gustav Klimt, Van Gogh, and Monet. There was also this massive glass window giving a perfect view of the Vienna skyline. We sat for a while and stared at the city that has become our home. It was a sentimental moment as we all reflected on our year, and how we've changed. My time here is really coming to an end, and that makes me really nervous. I want to make sure I spend time equally with school friends, exchange friends, and my host family, and I don't want to leave any loose ends behind. I only have one more week left in school here, and I am actually sad about it. School itself isn't too great, but my friends there make it so worth going. I know it is going to be really hard to say goodbye and I'm so grateful I'll be seeing most of them again in September when the class goes on a trip to the U.S.
I leave tomorrow with my host family and Alyson to spend a few days in Carinthia (the only state of Austria I haven't been to yet) and maybe a day trip to Italy. Then on Wednesday I leave on my EuroTour!!!! I am so stoked to travel the world with the best of friends, but sad at the same time knowing it will be the last time I see many of them. Again, it's going to be really hard to say goodbye. But in the words of Winnie-the-Pooh, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

Budapest

I'm not sure the last time I blogged, so basically a quick overview of what I've been doing lately:

1. Going to school (good to see my friends, but not incredibly entertaining otherwise)
        - We went to the Musikverein (the building with super amazing acoustics) and saw a "dress rehearsal" performed by the Vienna Academy Orchestra which was really beautiful

2. Hanging out a lot with exchange students and exploring Vienna

3. On Thursday, Theresa was confirmed into the church, which is a huge deal and was followed by a massive party at our house with relatives and friends.

Sooo that pretty much catches you up to yesterday! Yesterday was a holiday and Alyson (exchange friend) and I bought train tickets to Budapest for the day. I had to plan the whole trip out so I started by talking to a friend of mine who lives near Budapest. He gave me a huge list of places to see and foods to try. Then I looked up where all of those tourist attractions were and planned out a route for us to follow. We planned to go by foot and just see as much as we could. I wrote down street names and big monuments in the hope that those would help orient me if we got lost. So feeling pretty confident and ready to go, I met Alyson at the train station at about 7:30 where we grabbed a quick coffee and then set off. The train ride was about just under 3 hours and we made friends with a French man sitting next to us. It is pretty typical for us to end up talking to friendly strangers like that, just because they hear us speaking English and want to practice. Anyway, it is a pretty cool way of making friends, and this guy was really intelligent and had traveled quite a bit, so he had some solid advice for us.
Arriving in Budapest, we were already blown away by the size and age of the train station, which got us excited to see what else the city had in store for us. We marched out in the general direction and tried to orient ourselves. After walking for about 10 minutes we finally came across a street name I recognized and I felt safer now that we were on the right track. We walked, and walked, and walked some before, before finally deciding we weren't in the right place. Let's just say the views weren't quite as pretty as what we were imagining, and there didn't seem to be a tourist in sight. So we made a quick pit stop at the mall where I could access free wifi and figure out where we were. It turns out that there are 2 streets with the same name in Budapest, one ending in 'way' and the other in 'hid'. The main entrance to the train station was closed due to construction, and when we went out the side entrance that set us off in the wrong direction. On the plus side, we got some exercise and got to see the not so touristy side of Budapest.  I was also feeling confident knowing that even though we took the long way, by following street signs and common sense, we really weren't too far from our destination when we checked at the mall. I felt assured that I can go off to a foreign city and figure my way around without stress or worry. Finally, we set off in the right track and felt that much more accomplished when we finally reached the citadel. By that time, we had been walking for about 2 hours in the hot sunlight, and were feeling pretty low on energy, so we stopped at a humus bar by the university for some lunch. It was by far the best pita and humus I've ever had, not to mention it was really cheap! Feeling re-energized and refreshed we started the hike up the hill to the citadel and liberty statue. Once we were at the top, we had an outstanding view of Budapest in its whole. Magnificent architecture from blended centuries, towering bridges, castles, and a ship filled Danube painted the panorama of beautiful Budapest before our eyes. Being so high up, it was also easier to point out the next few places we'd be stopping at and map our (much shorter) way back to the train station.
We made it down the hill and up another to Buda Castle, another large spectacle of Budapest. It was definitely worth the trek. Old ruins lay next to the castle which was decorated with fountains, statues and flowers. We rewarded ourselves with some ice cream at the top, and again it was probably the best ice cream of my life. It is probably only because we were so tired and hot, but my peach gelato was so exactly what I needed at the time. From the castle we made our way over to Mathias Church. It felt like a Disney castle with white domes and beautiful views. Budapest was exceeding all my expectations. As we went back towards the train station, we went through local neighborhoods before stopping by a few more tourist attractions. It was cool to get a feel of 'real life' versus 'tourist life'. We wandered the streets for a while and made sure to check out a grocery store (it is always cool to see the different packaging, foods, and languages) and then hopped on a train back to Vienna. By the time we left Budapest it was past 9:00 and so we weren't expecting to be back until 11:00. We set an alarm so that we wouldn't sleep past our stop, but when our alarm went off, I realized the train was still in Hungary. I happened to wake up just in time to see two police come in and search every cabin until they finally found who they were looking for. I dozily watched the two criminals get handcuffed and marched off the train. They were literally two cabins away from us. I don't speak Hungarian so I'm not sure what they did, but it must have been rather serious for the police to stop the train and pull them off. The whole ordeal ended up delaying our train for about an hour and I didn't get home until 1:00 last night. Needless to say I'm feeling pretty worn out today but so excited that I got the opportunity to see such an outstanding city, and I get to cross another task off my bucket list! Now I have seen the 3 supposed prettiest cities of Western Europe: Prague, Vienna, and Budapest! I'm a pretty lucky girl! Not to mention I leave for my big EuroTour a week from Wednesday! I can't believe how quickly time has passed!

Citadel on the left, when we finally made it!

One of Budapest's many bridges

Buda Castle from a distance

Ruins at Buda Castle

Courtyard at Buda Castle

St. Mathias Church

Somthing like Disney World...

Train Station

A Packed Week!

This week my class took a trip to Rome, so I had the week off of school. I used the opportunity to get a few things crossed off my to-do list! So on Monday I met a few exchange students in the city and we showed a non Viennese native around. Then we stopped by Nachsmarkt where all sorts of fruits, vegetables, fish, spices and much more are for sale. We discovered some really cheap, but really good pita bread and humus (best lunch ever!) On Tuesday, I went to an interesting modern art museum with Alyson in the morning and then we spent the afternoon day dreaming about the up and coming EuroTour! On Wednesday I got up early and took a train to Graz to visit my exchange friend Laura. She picked me up at the train station and we immediately started touring the tourist attractions of Graz. It was nice because the whole day was pretty laid back with a few cafe stops along the way. Graz is a really beautiful city, and has a totally different feel to it than Vienna. It is a university town, and you could definitely tell by the amount of students lounging around in the sunshine. I met up with a few other exchange students and we had some ice cream together. We ate dinner at Laura's house which was so big and beautiful! She has 2 host brothers and a host sister and it was cool to see how other people's exchange families interact. Laura and I made puppy chow ( a yummy American dessert) and messed around in the kitchen with her brothers. The next day we did a few more touristy things in Graz and then I hopped on a Vienna bound train. Trains always give me a nice few hours to myself to reflect on how amazing my journey has been thus far. Of course that always makes me a little sad too, knowing that my time is running out. Thankfully, as soon as I got to Vienna I was invited to meet up with several Australian exchange students celebrating a national holiday in Vienna. I spent the entire weekend hanging out with them and as always, enjoying the beautiful weather! On Sunday afternoon I went to a picnic for my school friend Kathi, celebrating her birthday! A lot of people from my class were there and it was good to catch up with them about their adventures in Rome! We played a game called Werewolf (similar to the game Mafia in America) and I totally had this revelation. At my welcoming party 9 months ago, I played werewolf with all of the same classmates. At the time I had no idea what was going on, I was nervous about making friends, and I was unsure of who I was. Now sitting there with people I have finally bonded with, understanding the language, and feeling fully confident of my place in this world, I couldn't help but smile. I have come so far and grown so much in the past months, and it is such a relieving feeling to be loved and welcomed in that group of school friends. Things just keep getting better while I'm getting tons of hugs and love at school, and making plans for saying goodbye. Although it is a sad thing that I'm leaving in 8 weeks, I also think its important to talk about it and make plans to get everything done. Most importantly, I want to make sure that everyone I care about here knows how much I will miss them, and how much they mean to me!

Kathi and me

A photoshoot in Stadtpark

The Latest...

Time for another update! My days have been flying by here, and I haven't really found the time to blog, so I'll try to sum it up quickly. A friend from Crested Butte (Josh Melnick) was in Vienna on vacation with his mom last week. It was really awesome to see familiar faces and show them a few of my favorite places in Vienna. Babsi invited them over for dinner on Tuesday night where she made a very Austrian meal of Wiener Schnitzel and apple streudl. It was weird to speak English with my host family again since I really haven't since August. It was perfect practice for Theresa though who had a big English test the next day!
Basically the whole week I spent my afternoons with Josh or other exchange students and I felt like I wasn't home at all! We've made a list of all the things I'd like to get done before I leave (which I'm trying to accomplish one thing at a time on these sunny afternoons!)
On Saturday, I was invited to go to a play with Kathi (a school friend) in the evening. The play was Lord of the Flies (in German of course) and it was really good! I thought it was going to be hard to pull off but they did a great job! I was also super stoked because I understood all of it, which is a big indicator of how much better my German has gotten! I met up with some friends after the play but didn't stay out too late because I'd been feeling pretty tired from my big week. Plus I knew I needed to be up early the next morning for our trip to the Wochau.
Which brings us to yesterday... Some of you may recall I was in the Wochau in the fall, where all the colors were outrageous and I felt like I was in Italy! Well this time I was just as pleased with the spring colors of the Wochau. We went in search of apricots, but since in was such a late spring, didn't find any. The blooming trees were absolutely beautiful nonetheless and I had so much fun playing with the new camera lens I got for Christmas! I'm having troubles with my computer and can't upload the pictures but I'll get them up here as soon as I figure my computer out (I think it's time for a new one soon as this one is getting slow with all my exchange collections!) My class is in Rome this week, so I plan on spending trying to cross some of those things off the list! And continue enjoying the beautiful sunshine!!

Weekend update!

On Friday, my exchange friends Crash and Lucas arrived in Vienna to stay with me for a few days. Lucas was here to take his SAT (or ACT, I can't remember which) and Crash came to participate in a part of the Vienna City Marathon. I also had my school ball that weekend, which is like prom, and I invited the two boys to come with me. Needless to say, it was a weekend full of excitement!
On Friday afternoon, we toured the city a little bit, but it was difficult because Lucas is on crutches after a skiing accident in March. Once it started to rain, I decided it was time for us to head home. We came home just in time for a wonderful dinner shared with my host family. It was cool to have the boys meet my family and see what my everyday life is like. We went to bed relatively early because Lucas had to be at his test at 8 the next morning...
I had an early start Saturday morning trying to get Lucas fed and where he needed to be on time. When I got back home Crash and I had a quick breakfast and then headed off to an art museum. I love going to museums with people who enjoy it as much as I do, and I had a great time with Crash :) At about noon we realized we needed to pick up his bib for the 5k he was running later that evening. I had never been to that part of town before, but it was super cool! There was a massive convention set up with a lot of free running swag and a room packed full of healthy people! It reminded me of some of the events we have in Crested Butte, and I felt at home :). After that we picked up Lucas and met with another exchange student Johnny. We toured the Steirmark festival that was going on at the city hall, and then went out for lunch at an Italian restaurant. At the restaurant we ended up running into yet another exchange student who's aunt was visiting from England. Small city! Anyway, we slowly made our way back to my house so that Crash would be ready for his race in time. After some slight difficulties we I got Crash to the starting line just in time and then met Johnny and Lucas at the finish line. Unfortunately, we forgot to set a meeting spot with Crash. With over 3,000 racers and their supporting fans, I had a rather difficult time finding Crash in the massive crowd, but found him perching patiently atop a pillar about an hour later! We were about to head home to get ready for my school ball when Lucas let us know that he was pretty tired from the day and was just going to spend the evening with Johnny. Definitely understandable, and he had been a trooper all day following us around on crutches. So, Crash and I had dinner with Theresa, and then headed off to the ball. The venue was within short walking distance from my house, which was super convenient, and really comfortable in the finally warm weather! A few of my school friends were waiting outside and so we walked in together and tried to get a good spot to watch my friends who were opening (it can kind of be compared to a debutant ball in America, where girls dressed in white perform and opening dance with their partners from dance school). I couldn't believe how beautiful all of my friends looked, and I was definitely impressed by their opening dance! Everyone was in a really great mood and were super excited to meet Crash! In one room there was a live band and typical ballroom dancing. And in the other room there was a disco set up. When it got too warm, we sat out on the balcony in the glow of candlelight. A school friend had a birthday thy day and we surprised her with a cake. It was overall a beautiful night of dancing and socializing!
The next morning Crash, Lucas and I got up relatively early to see the Vienna City Marathon. It kind of reminded me of the Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado with the hype and set up. We then wandered into Stadtpark and laid in the grass for about an hour, soaking up the sunny weather. Stadtpark is really beautiful right now as everything is starting to bloom, my favorite part being the flowering trees. It's too cold for those in Colorado, and they make me feel like I'm in a fairy tale! After a little relaxing, we were invited for lunch at Johnny's house in the 7th district. The view from his really awesome balcony looks a lot like the one I saw on my celebratory 1st month dinner. You can see the city for miles and it is a super overwhelming feeling to realize what an amazing city I'm living in! Johnny has twin 6 year old host sisters, and really great host parents! We enjoyed a nice lunch together followed by amazing ice cream! I loved his host family, and hopefully will see them again before I go home!
The rest of the day we got Lucas ready to leave and made a quick stop at Schönbrunn for sightseeing. We dropped Lucas off at the train station that evening, and then Crash spent some time with a Viennese friend of his. We met later at my house for dinner with the family.
On Monday, Crash wanted to come to school with me to see what it was like. Everyone was super excited to see him again, but we didn't stay for too long, because school isn't incredibly entertaining. So we toured the Belvedere and botanical gardens which are stunning in the spring time, made a quick lunch at my house, and then headed off to the train station. It wasn't too hard to say goodbye because I'll hopefully be seeing Crash in Graz next week! I went directly from the train station to the downtown to meet school friends for frozen yogurt (it's really popular among my generation here) and we walked around the city a little together. It's really comforting to know I have Austrian friends here, and to feel like I fit in! Just a few hours later we had to part our ways, and I was off to meet a friend from Crested Butte who happens to be visiting Vienna for the week! That constitutes for a new blog, so I'll tell you about that later!
I had a very busy weekend full of a lot of walking and making sure everyone was where they needed to be when they needed to be there. But we pulled it off (mostly) and I had a great time!
P.s. I stole a lot of these photos from Crash, he's such an amazing photographer!

Sweden!

            My journey to Sweden was a long one, which included a series of trains, planes, and schnellbahns I booked myself. So I was a little nervous about making it there in one piece, but I had already made it half way by getting to Kirchberg. Early Wednesday morning I continued my travels by first taking a 2 hour train to Munich, Germany. From there, I made my way through a maze of construction at the train station and to the schnellbahn that would take me to the airport. Once finally arriving at the Munich airport, I relaxed a little. I went through security easily (they are much more laid back than in the States) and then had a quick coffee before boarding my plane. That’s when it really started to sink in. I think I didn’t want to let myself get too excited at first, but taking off on a plane to Sweden it really hit me that I’d be seeing my best friend in a few hours! Swede (if you don’t know the background story a quick catch up; I hosted a Swedish exchange student last year who ended up being my best friend, and whose name I can’t seem to pronounce, so I just call him Swede) said that he had school and wasn’t able to pick me up at the airport, but that his dad would be there waiting for me. When I landed, I searched the room for Holger’s (Swede’s dad) face, and was delightfully surprised to see Swede’s first! It was definitely a cliché airport scene as I ran to hug a friend I hadn’t seen in almost a year. I also got a big hug from Holger, and I immediately started to realize the differences in Austrian and Swedish culture. Remember how I said I missed getting hugs? Well that’s because it’s not really the Austrian thing, so I made sure I got as many as I could during my stay in Sweden.

            It took about an hour to drive to Swede’s house from the airport due to afternoon traffic. But it was the perfect time to catch up and listen to some of Swede’s awful heavy metal music…. Swede’s grandma is from Germany originally, so Holger can speak fluent German. We started to speak German together, and he complimented me on my accent. Woo! It was strange speaking German with him, because he learned a very different accent and was kind of hard to understand sometimes, but entertaining nonetheless!

            I got another big hug from Anika (his mother) when we got home, and I finally got to see the house he had been telling me about for a year. That was one of the coolest parts of the whole trip; I had heard so many stories and descriptions of his life, but to actually see it and live it was really great. We had an awesome dinner together where I really got to know his parents. I then had to help Swede study for a math test he had in the morning, and we made plans for the next day. Anika and Holger would be at work, and Swede at his last day of school, so we planned for me to visit Stockholm’s photography museum, and then tour a little bit of the town by myself.

            The photography museum was super interesting. The three main exhibits were so different from each other, and really told the story of how photography has evolved. I have a pretty big passion for photography myself, and I always find it amazing to see how every photographer has his/her own theme and style. Definitely inspirational. Following the maps Holger drew for me, and following a pack of tourists, I then toured ‘Old Stockholm’ for the rest of the afternoon. I was actually super glad to do it by myself for a few reasons….

1.      You get to know the city better when you have to figure it out for yourself

2.      I could take as many pictures and look like a total tourist without embarrassing Swede

3.      You usually end up getting semi-lost, but finding the most amazing features on your journey back

All of my expectations were fulfilled and I had a wonderful afternoon. Old Stockholm is full of narrow, winding cobblestone streets and colorful buildings. The city is also situated on the water, so there was the whole fishing feeling involved too. I ended the day in a little café and a Chai tea latte. I think Swede was surprised to see I made it home in one piece. He was impressed to see the naïve girl from town population 2,000 was able to navigate her way around the big city! That night, Swede took me out ‘to see the Swedish nightlife’ which ended up being me and ten other guys sitting in an apartment. I knew it would be that way, and actually had a great night getting to know some of his friends!

       The next day we drove to their house on the countryside about 2 hours south of Stockholm. This house has been in Holger’s family since before the Constitution was created, and he actually grew up in that house. It is a farmhouse with a lot of surrounding land where the family spends the majority of the summer. It lays right next to the archipelago, so in the summer they take the boat out every day. There was still quite a bit of snow and ice there (more than normal they said) but the weather was great the entire time we were there. I even got a little tan! Swede’s oldest brother Vilhelm came that evening, and we were instant friends. Vilhelm did an exchange in the Denver area a few years before and so we had a lot to talk about. In general, he is a super caring person who creates great conversations out of genuine interest.

       We went to Easter brunch together on Saturday at a very Swedish restaurant. It was an old boathouse that was converted into a small restaurant filled of typical Swedish food. I ate a lot of fish that day, and tried a lot of things I don’t even know the name of. I did however politely decline the offer of moose meat…. Most Swedish meals are followed by a cup of tea, and I really learned to appreciate Swedish tea after this trip.

       On Easter Sunday, we started the morning bright and early with an Easter egg hunt. It was a little early for us three adolescents to be searching for brightly died eggs, but we eventually discovered them all and then had a huge breakfast together. Then Swede, Vilhelm and I were set to the task of burning the massive pile of wood that had collected from last summer. It was so fun to see the two ‘city slicker’ boys turn into true farm boys when the thought of starting a giant fire came to mind. It took a little bit of work, but we finally got it burning pretty well and had a celebratory cup of tea as we watched the fire burn. I soaked up every moment of glorious sunshine and enjoyed interesting conversation with the brothers about the difference in Swedish and American politics.

       The next day, we drove about an hour to Vilhelm’s college town to help him move apartments. It was a long day of moving boxes and organizing furniture. But it was spent in the best of company and a bonus trip to Ikea. I had never been to an Ikea before and it pretty much blew my mind. That store literally has EVERYTHING; one of Sweden’s proudest creations. As the day came to an end, I had to say goodbye to Vilhelm, knowing that it will be a long time until I see him again.

        The last day at the country house I went on a considerably long walk with Anika and the beloved dog, Rocky. Anika and I talked a lot, and it was easy for us to connect talking about her son of course. She is a really great mother and it was so nice to hear her talk about all of her boys. We also talked a lot about exchange and how much it can change things. I really started to reflect on my experiences and how much Rotary Youth Exchange has changed my life, starting from the day I met Swede. Anika was also an exchange student, and she made me realize I definitely want to host exchange students when I’m older!

       We drove back to Stockholm the next day all looking a little tanner than when we left. No one could believe the amazing weather we were having, and Holger was convinced that I had brought the sunshine with me. From where I brought it is another question, because the weather in Vienna had been and still was far from sunshine and rainbows. That night, I got to meet Swede’s other brother Gustav. Swede doesn’t get along as well with this brother, and I thought it was funny to finally see his sibling rivalry. Just before Gustav arrived, Swede hid some soda and chocolate in a secret stash. It made me laugh, because I do the same thing when my sister comes home. Gustav turned out to be just as charming as his brothers and we laughed over YouTube videos together the rest of the night. Swede and I watched the Twilight Saga

that night as he owed me a chick flick after all the war movies I’ve watched with him. He was a pretty good sport about it, and didn’t make too much fun of the overly girly movies. But feeling bad, I let him teach me how to play Halo (a video game) on his giant home theater screen.

       The next day Anika took Swede and me into the city, where I got a more official tour from the two experts. We also toured the royal castle which was really cool! Sweden is one of the last countries to have a monarchy in place (of course they don’t have the same political power they used to) and it is a huge part of their culture and nationalism. The tour of the castle was in English, but I also heard Spanish, German, and of course, Swedish around me. It was so cool to be able to understand almost everything from so many different languages. It definitely made me feel pretty cultured! We had lunch in a cute little café which was of course followed by coffee, and then we headed back home. Elia, one of Swede’s good friends, and someone I became friends with that one night too, came over and we hung out for the rest of the night.

       My last day in Sweden had come more quickly than I would have liked. We went to the castle where the royal family actually lives now (different from the one the day before) and spent the day enjoying each other’s company. Time is a precious gift that is never taken for granted in situations like these. Swede and I always joke about attending each other’s weddings, bringing my future kids to see Uncle Swede, and things in the more near future like our graduations. Although all hypothetical situations, I know Swede will be in my life forever. It is through RYE that I made such a great friend, and so many others like him. I am eternally grateful for that. Saying goodbye at the airport was tough. But I didn’t cry, which is a huge improvement from our last goodbye. Swede pointed out that I’d grown up, and realized that goodbyes don’t always mean the end. In fact, quite often they open up your eyes and make room for new beginnings. All the while holding on to the pieces that have gotten you this far. I left feeling down, but incredibly hopeful and accomplished. Until life brings us together again my friend….

Stockholm

The archipelago

Jakob and me

Continued

The train to Kirchberg took about 5 hours, giving me plenty of time to think. Trains almost always end up vein philosophical places for me, and I always realize how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing. I know I will miss the friends and experiences I've gained in Austria and I am so grateful for everything I've gained here. Once arriving in Kirchberg my host dad picked me up and we had dinner at our condo. The next few days went by as normal skiing days, me trying to enjoy my last moments in the Austrian Alps for a while. It snowed a little bit on my last day and Niki an I tried to find some powder, although it was mostly hard. I started to get nervous and excited as I knew I was flying to Sweden the following day. But first I had to focus on Theresa. I was flying the same day as her 14th birthday, so we celebrated together the night before bee went to a really nice steak house and I felt like I had stepped into a typical American country cabin. I also had the first burger I've had in 8 months, and it was glorious. Babsi baked a really good cake and I have Theresa her present. She was really excited, because all things from America are a million times cooler over here. I'm glad she's so easy to please. I went to bed relatively early, because I had a big day of traveling ahead....

Spring Flowers in Kirchberg

It's Been a While...

It's so hard to even know where to begin, so much has happened in the past weeks. So this is either going to be a really long post, or broken up into different parts. Either way, bear with me and hopefully I can describe my adventures enough for you to feel the chill of the snowy alps and smell the salt in the ocean of Sweden.

So, on March 22nd, I left relatively early on a train to Leibnitz for a rotary meeting. This meeting is to organize for next years' big rotary figures from all over Austria. We had a special appearance as exchange students and put on a type of show for them. As usual, we got a little lost before finding our youth hostel in Leibnitz, which was a little frustrating carrying all my baggage and my guitar, but things are always more enjoyable in the company of fellow exchange students. Our hostel ended up being really cool and probably one of the nicest we've stayed in so far. We all got dressed up in dirndls and lederhosen (typical Austrian dress) as well as our decorated blazers and then hiked up to a castle to our rotary meeting. We were all in high spirits and were welcomed warmly by hundreds of Rotarians. Representatives from every country presented something for the crowd, and a friend and I sang "America the Beautiful" for the USA. We proceeded to have a really fancy dinner where I had some really cool conversations with the people at my table. Some pretty debatable topics came up, where most adults were likely to get in an argument. Yet we have developed such a tolerance, understanding and love for each other that it ended up being an intelligent discussion rather than a fight. It made me really respect everyone there. Anyway, then this awesome trumpet band came in, and we turned the while room into a dance hall! Later, we were filtered into a room where all the Rotarians had finished their dinner, and we were told to simply mingle. I had some pretty great conversations with new Rotarians , and got several compliments on my German, which is always nice!

The next morning we all took a train to Graz, and from there we were supposed to head directly home. Of course that didn't happen and I ended up following my good friend Crash to his house to drop off his stuff. He has a really modern house and I loved seeing how he lives. I didn't have much time in the city, because I had to take a train to Kirchberg in the afternoon. So crash was planning on giving me a quick tour and then dropping me off at the train station. Unfortunately, the zipper on my boot suddenly broke, and we had to do a quick repair, so it would hold until I got to Kirchberg. That took up a lot of our time, so we ended up going to a really modern cafe and drinking chai lattes instead. (I'll be heading back to Graz in a few weeks and can your it then) It was nice to have some one on one time with Crash and I always enjoy our conversations. He gave me a big hug and kiss goodbye, and then I was off to Kirchberg to go skiing for a few days before heading off on an even bigger adventure...

 

Laura and I

Laura, Simon, and I

Trecking up the mountain with guitar

 

 

Busy, busy, busy!

Monday at school was awesome! I joked around with all my classmates and felt totally loved! The day flew by and it just felt excellent! Tuesday at school was awful. Well, not awful, but all of a sudden I was feeling akward and out of place just like my first few months there. It's funny how things can change so quickly... Anyway that was sort of a bummer but after school I met up with Alyson, Erin, Elena, and Leah (all exchange students) and we went to an Easter Market together! The market was just like the Christmas Markets in December except this time they were Easter themed! We walked around and ate some yummy food and simply enjoyed our time together. I laugh so much when I am around those people and really feel free just to be myself! Then we came across a GIANT collection of decorated eggs and I spent so much time admiring them, and then finally picking one out for myself. Austria never ceases to amaze me with its artsy spirit and creativity! So naturally I took way too many pictures! I was supposed to meet some friends from school to go get frozen yogurt, but then it got cold and started raining so we decided to do it some other time. But that gave me the rest of the afternoon to just wander around downtown Vienna and really appreciate this city I'm living in! It is definitely starting to get a little sentimental! When I got home, Babsi and Niki wre out to dinner and Theresa wasn't home yet, so I had the house to myself. I played guitar for almost 3 hours which felt really good because I haven't done that in a while! Before I went to bed, I checked my Facebook and saw a message from my mom. These past few weeks all I've been thinking/talking about is how hard it is going to be to leave all my friends, family, and experiences here. I haven't been feeling homesick at all. But then all of a sudden I saw this message from my mom and I realized how long it has been since I've talked to her, or really let myself think about missing home. And right then and there I had a total break down and started crying. It's funny how randomly homesickness can hit you and how sudden it comes. But I was feeling much better this morning, and my awesome day today made it even better!
So I only had two hours of school today and when I got out at 10:00 I met Alyson and Elena at Starbucks and we had a great morning of conversation! Then, we met up with a huge group of Vienna exchange students (Erin, Alyson, Elena, Shannon, Leah, Kate, Nicole, Laura, Paula, William and Thayanne) and we had a picnic together at Stadtpark! The weather was so beautiful and we were all just happy to be in each other's company! We played with ducks and gave some beggars our extra food and laughed the whole afternoon. I brought my guitar and played some songs and everyone sang along! It was such a great afternoon and it has put me in the best mood! This evening, I am going to a concert with my host mom and I am really looking forward to that! Tomorrow I am eating dinner at Alyson's house and that should be awesome because her host parents are Chinese and I get a traditional Chinese meal! Right now I've got to go pack because I leave Friday morning to go on 3 trips and I won't be back until April 6th!! So this might be my last blog for a while!

Feeling a little like Italy!

Handmade entirely from bamboo

Yes, those are eggs!

There were 6 more rooms like this! Huge!

Schladming Ski Week

I spent the last week skiing in Schladming with all the other exchange students and I had an amazing time! The Vienna crew bought group tickets which means they are really cheap, but we can only take the really slow trains, and we have to switch trains often. Usually, this leads to a procession of small disasters and we are always late. However this time, being the first time we organized it as Oldies we were determined for everything to run smoothly. And someway, somehow, after almost 8 hours of trains, layovers, and the chaotic shuffling of luggage, we arrived in the Schladming train station with half an hour to spare! Once we got there, excitement started to rise in the air with the arrival of each new train loaded with exchange students. I got the absolute best hug from Crash and continued to receive some much needed hugs through the rest of the afternoon. Two buses hauled us up the mountain to our typical Austrian mountain hotel and I settled into my room with Juliet, Laura, and Sam.  The Oldies get hoodies every year that we designed together, and we all have a nickname on the back. Sam and Laura organized the whole process so we spent a good chunk of the afternoon just making sure everyone had their hoodie. Then I went and rented ski boots and set up all my ski gear to head out in the morning and then finished the day with a tasty dinner with all of my best friends.

The next few days had the same schedule of getting up early, heading out to ski with an instructor in the morning, lunch in a mountain hut, and then free ski in the afternoons. I got placed in the advanced group and had so much fun chasing some really excellent skiers down the mountain! I haven't taken ski lessons since I was a kid, so it was also really nice to re-learn some technique and improve my skills. By the end of the lessons I could tell I improved a lot! Our whole group looked really good and it was so much fun to watch us shred up the mountain! It was pretty cloudy and cold most of the days, and we didn't really get a good view of the surrounding mountains until we got high enough up out of the fog. It was an incredibly profound moment to raise up out of the fog and turn around to see endless mountains floating on a sea of clouds. One day, a group of us skied up to the highest point in Schladming and I was totally astounded. The view took the breath from my lungs and made my knees weak. It was definitely one of those moments where it hits me how truly blessed I am. All I could keep thinking was, "I am standing on top of the Alps right now. I am surrounded by the best of friends, and I am living my dream."

The famous Schladming run

Me, Laura and Juliet

Our hotel on a foggy night

Got a little sun tanning in during a layover

Most of the Oldies

Above the fog

 

Catching a hat on my head to kill time at Linz train station

Some other highlights of the trip included: going to a ski show in Schladming with synchronized skiers, tricks, and fireworks, a group talent show where I sang with Cleo, Laura and Juliet, a disco/Rotary meeting, sledding down a 7 kilometer track, and a sweet powder day in the mountains! More than anything, I enjoyed being in the company of some of my favorite people on this planet, and getting to know each of them better. It was hard saying goodbye this time, as we are all realizing our time is coming to an end. Fortunately, most of us are attending a meeting near Graz on Friday, so we don't even have to go a whole week without seeing each other! We were all getting pretty sentimental on the train ride home though, and I am just a mess torn between feeling so happy and blessed to so sad that we're saying goodbye sooner than I'd like to. But this feeling has set us into planning mode and we are determined to get the things done that we dreamed for ourselves. It's going to be a rediculously bust next 14 weeks!

This week I'll be in school for 4 days, attending a world known concert at Vienna's famous Musikverein, having a picnic with friends, eating a real Chinese dinner at Alyson's house with her Chinese host parents, and then heading to Graz for our meeting! From there I go to Kirchberg for a few days of skiing, and then I'm off to Sweden! I am so excited to soak up every second of it!

Birthday and Catch Up

Whoa! Where to even begin? So Monday was my 17th birthday! Usually I'm not a huge fan of birthdays just because they seem stressful, but this year I had an almost perfect day! In the morning, I was surprised with birthday cake for breakfast! Babsi made me a Sachertorte from scratch! Sachertorte comes from the Hotel Sacher here in Vienna, and they are world renound for their chocolate cake with a layer of jelly in between. There are mimics in every cafe in Austria but the best come from Hotel Sacher (I have actually never tried an original). Anyway, the cake was fantastic and shortly after I headed off to school. I walked a different route than normal becuase my friend Kathi asked to meet me before school so she could be the first to give me a birthday present. It was nice to see her bright and smiling face a little earlier than I usually do, and I got a wonderful hug! We then walked to school together and once we got there, we had to wait outside the classroom because it was locked and the student with the keys wasn't there yet. It happens a lot, and I didn't think anything of it, but it turns out, most of my classmates were inside the room preparing a surprise for me! When they finally let us in I was greeted with sparklers, a table full off desserts and drinks, my smiling classmates, and of course the Austrian version of 'Happy Birthday'. (They actually sing the same song, just with 'liebe' instead of 'dear', but I always get a kick out of their accents!). I was so surprised and literally alsmost starting crying. It was so nice to see how much my class cares about me and that I've actually made an impact these past few months! I got a hug from EVERY single person in my class and we feasted and celebrated all day! It truly was a feast with chocolate cake, brownies, carrot cake, chocolate chip cookies, kids champagne, coffee, juice, and milk! We just carried around our desserts and drinks to every class and devoured everything else during the breaks... it was awesome! What was even more awesome is hearing that my afternoon class was cancelled! I called an exchange student friend of mine and asked her if she wanted to meet up for lunch. She was actually with two other exchange students at the time and we all met up for Italian and then went to a palace afterwards. Not a bad way to spend my birthday! Oh, and we hit up the American Food Store and I totally treated myself to Pop-Tarts! I had been so busy all day that when I finally came home and sat down, I realized I was feeling kind of bad. I figured I was just tired and had way too many sweets for one day, and I was still looking forward to dinner that evening with my family. Then, I got a phone call from Crash Ketchum, one of my really good exchange student friends! I haven't seen him since December, and it was really good to hear his voice and just catch up. That was an amazing birthday present all on it's own! I'm so grateful to have made such amazing friends over here and I'm really excited to see them all next weekend!!! Anyways, then it was finally dinner time and we sat down at the table to enjoy a typical Austrian meal. By this time, I really was feeling kind of queasy, but wasn't ready to end my birthday yet! I opened presents from my host family and family back home and was feeling pretty blessed. I got a beautiful necklace and cards from back home, and from my host family I got a bracelet with special meaning so that I remember my host family every time I look at it, and some really nice shirts! By this time, my health was really starting to decline and when Babsi and Theresa went to finish the dessert, I was shivering pretty bad. I was trying to talk to Niki but it was difficult because me jaw was moving up and down so quickly. Theresa made cake pops (a very difficult task) for me and she was so proud when she brought them in! I unfortunately could not bring myself to eat one, and had to excuse myself from dinner early. I rushed to bed and was covered in several blankets and goodnight kisses. Although the day ended on a sick note, I had such an incredible birthday here in Austria! I felt so much love from literally all over the world, and it truly took my breath away to see just how many people deeply care about me out there! So thank you to everyone for the gifts, phone calls, cards, and best of all, kind words!

So I spent the rest of the week totally wiped out and feeling so bummed because I JUST got over being sick! And, I really wanted to be in the class with my friends after all the nice things they had done for me. But, that's life! I ended up going to the doctor and I have a bacterial infection.... yay! But I started anitbiotics on Thursday and have been getting better every day since. This weekend Theresa, Babsi and I went to celebrate a family friends' birthday in his castle in the Waldviertel. We drove about 2 hours north of Vienna and met 50 other friends at the castle. Everyone participated in a ski race and there was a big party last night! Because of the antibiotics, I wasn't allowed to ski, but Theresa got 1st place for her age division! While the others were skiing, I wandered in and around the castle. The sun was shining, and it was a magnificent thing. I soaked up as much sun as I could, and when I had to go rest again in my room, I shifted with the sun as the day went on. I had a lot of time to read, and think this weekend. I've been feeling kind of weird lately, not homesick, but feeling kind of like I don't belong. It's probably because I haven't really gotten out of the house in forever, but it's a good thing I'm going back to school tomorrow! And it was good to have that time to think it through! The sun is finally staying out longer in Vienna and it was actually light out when we got home today! It's supposed to be warm weather all week and I'm really looking forward to the spring in the air! I am going skiing in Schladming next week with all the other exchange students, and I hope I'm feeling 100% by then!

American flag brownies one of my classmates made!

Some Birthday gifts!

Chilling at a castle!