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