Alrighty, bloggity blog world. I like to blog stalk, and one of my favorite blogs to stalk is my friend Kelsey Keller Weller (I'll always call her that. I think it's fantastic.) She does a weekly thing called "Truth Tuesday" where she tells the truth of what is on her mind for that day, namely Tuesday. (You can read her blog here. It's really great.)
Naturally, I'm stealing the idea. And it's Tuesday. So, here it goes. It will probably just be a lot of random thoughts going through my head.
--I hate writing papers. Some would think I'm in the wrong major, but I don't think so. I love reading, analyzing, discussing...but writing papers on my analysis? No thanks. I'll happily write something creative, but no academic writing ever brings me joy.
--I love that Austria is becoming "home" for me. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm living here rather that just visiting here. It's going to be hard for me to leave.
--I can't believe how well some of my classmates can speak English. I'm learning German (which in my opinion is probably easier to learn than English) and I can't imagine being as fluent in German as they are in English. It's impressive.
--Sometimes I really feel like I'm not smart. I feel like there are a lot of people around me that can grasp concepts that are just so hard for me to understand. Maybe I don't apply myself enough. In fact, I'm sure I don't apply myself enough, because it bothers me that I don't. Of course, changing that is nearly impossible for me. Which also bothers me. I'm just bothered.
--I've been having this obsession with a couple songs lately, and it frustrates me that I can't express why. I love the English language, but dang it, sometimes it's just not adequate to express how I feel about some things. So when I fall in love with a song, I end up turning to someone and going, "AH! This part is so good...just..ah, man. And the way...this part. It just makes me feel..." See? No words. I can only hope that someone understands what I mean.
Anyway. That's my first Truth Tuesday. Unfortunately I have to get back to writing a blasted paper, so that's all I can write here for now. Stay tuned for another Austrian infused post soon! (Hopefully...)
Tschüss! :)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Ladies and Germs
Back to blogging about my adventures! Thanks for letting me take a slight break. :)
So, earlier this week I went to Neuschwanstein castle and München! Or Munich. I'm just trying to sound like I speak a little German. My friend Kelsey Barker from high school is studying in Germany so we met up in the middle at Neuschwanstein and traveled around together.
My first day started off a little hectic. I woke up with plenty of time to catch my train on Monday morning, got to the train station at around 6:15 (my train left at 6:35) and realized that I had left a very important paper at my apartment approximately 10 minutes away. This paper had a list of exactly every place I was supposed to transfer trains or buses. This is even more important because I had to get on one train, then switch trains, get off that train and on a bus, get off that bus onto another bus...and I had no idea where I was going or which stops to get off at. That paper told me where I was going. Therefore, I literally sprinted home, snatched the paper, sprinted back to the train station, and caught my train with about three or four minutes to spare. Thank heavens I did, otherwise I know I would have gotten lost.
From there I had one of the prettiest train rides ever. It was through a lot of foresty area and I got a great view of the Austrian countryside. I'll admit that until I arrived at the castle, I was completely nervous that I was going the wrong way, that I had missed my stop, that something would go wrong, everything. I couldn't relax until I was finally off the last bus.
When I got off that last bus, it was FREEZING outside. I got there before Kelsey, so I decided to explore some gift shops and touristy things like that. I bought myself a ridiculously overpriced hot chocolate and waited for Kelsey.
When Kelsey finally came she explained that she had overslept and that's why she was late, but it all turned out just fine. Mainly because she met some Australian guys on the train that were part of a tour group and they told her that we should tag along with them and just tip the tour guide at the end. So that's what we did. I need to take a side note here and describe to you our tour guide. He sounded EXACTLY like Norm MacDonald, and the more you listened to him the more he started to look like Norm MacDonald. Kelsey hit it right on the nose by saying "He's the American that American's make fun of." He would use all sorts of phrases that nobody in the States really uses seriously such as, "Let's boogie," and "Come here, Ladies and Germs," and "this is a hoot and a half..." and things like that. He talked way too much, but it made for a really good memory.
As for the actual tour of Neuschwanstein...holy cow. That place is incredibly beautiful. We hiked up to the castle and we were surrounded by trees that were changing colors and the temperature was perfect. We talked with the two Aussies, Matt and Brody, and we also met a couple, Roxy and Sammy, from California who had been backpacking through Europe for three months. We walked through the castle, which was really cool. King Ludwig II died while they were building it and they so stopped building right after his death and the castle is still unfinished. That made the tour a lot shorter than we all expected. That's okay, because the best part in my opinion was looking at the castle from the outside. We hiked to this bridge packed with people that looked out over Schwangau (the town) and waterfalls, and the castle. Breathtaking. Then we hiked further down to more waterfalls and streams and awesomeness. Gosh. It was amazing. I was so content.
From there we took a train back to Munich with the tour group we were with. It was about a two hour train ride back, but Kurt, our tour guide, talked to us almost the whole way back about the controversy surrounding Ludwig's death. It was pretty entertaining. We also discovered that Matt was staying in the hostel right next door to us, Brody was leaving on a train late that night, and the Californians were in a different hostel and were leaving for home the next day.
When we got back to Munich, we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags off, and met up with our friends for some dinner at an Italian place. It was interesting because we were in Germany, at an Italian restaurant, and the waiter kept speaking French to us. Multicultural dining, folks. After dinner, we exchanged information, said goodbye to our new friends, and decided to walk around Munich at night. It's a really cool city, and it was foggy which made the visual even cooler. All my pictures I took from that night look really creepy. We found the Hofbräuhaus, a really famous bar in Munich, and went inside for a little while. It was soo crowded, but we got a taste of classic Bavaria. There were women dressed in traditional German outfits carrying several hug mugs of beer, the floors were sticky, there was a Bavarian band playing, and people singing drinking songs...it was awesome. Since it was so crowded and we had already eaten, we decided to go back the next day for dinner.
So, we went back to our hostel. Lucky for us, there was a crappy Finnish cover band playing that night! Even more lucky for us, we were in a room with a terribly patched hole in the ceiling, so we could hear the music loud and clear as we tried to fall asleep. It was louder IN our room than outside of our room. I was really tired, so I didn't have that hard of a time falling asleep once I put my headphones in.
We woke up the next day and headed out to the city to walk around and take some more pictures in the daylight. We were planning on taking a tour of the concentration camp Dachau, but the tour didn't leave until about 11:15. It was a Catholic holiday so most of the churches were having mass. It was actually really cool to walk in and kind of watch some of the things that were going on inside the churches.
Then, we met up with Matt, our awesome Australian friend, and found the tour group. I ended up paying only 18 Euro for transportation there and back as well as a tour of Dachau. Pretty stinkin' good deal. I need to find more of these tour companies when I travel other places. We took a train, and then a bus up to Dachau. Kelsey and I sat next to these two Italian guys on the bus that knew VERY little English or German. So, he kept saying things like, "Italiano! Spaghetti! Si! Lasagna! Bella!" and we just laughed and repeated everything he said. It was really quite entertaining.
The tour of Dachau was something I'll never forget. It ended up being about a three hour tour or so. Our tour guide was this small little Irish guy that was very knowledgeable and had a very good way of explaining everything in the camp. It really was a spiritual experience being there, and it's kind of hard to explain the way I felt there, and I'm so glad I had the chance to go.
We didn't have too much time left after we got back because Kelsey and I both had trains to catch that night. We decided to head back to Hofbräuhaus to eat and then take off. Matt came with us and we all enjoyed a great, traditional meal together. Kelsey and I got great pictures of us drinking our non-alcoholic beverages (water for her, apple juice for me). Then we kind of lost track of time and ended up running to catch my train. I made it just fine, had a pleasant ride back to Innsbruck, and slept like a rock that night.
So there you have it! One of my adventures while being here. It was a really great trip. And in other news, I'm doing very well here. The homesickness is very, very minimal now and I'm going to be incredibly sad to leave this place. I'm only a few days away from the halfway point, which is crazy. It's a good thing I've got some pretty great things waiting at home for me, or I'd probably never leave.
Auf wiedersehen! :)
So, earlier this week I went to Neuschwanstein castle and München! Or Munich. I'm just trying to sound like I speak a little German. My friend Kelsey Barker from high school is studying in Germany so we met up in the middle at Neuschwanstein and traveled around together.
My first day started off a little hectic. I woke up with plenty of time to catch my train on Monday morning, got to the train station at around 6:15 (my train left at 6:35) and realized that I had left a very important paper at my apartment approximately 10 minutes away. This paper had a list of exactly every place I was supposed to transfer trains or buses. This is even more important because I had to get on one train, then switch trains, get off that train and on a bus, get off that bus onto another bus...and I had no idea where I was going or which stops to get off at. That paper told me where I was going. Therefore, I literally sprinted home, snatched the paper, sprinted back to the train station, and caught my train with about three or four minutes to spare. Thank heavens I did, otherwise I know I would have gotten lost.
From there I had one of the prettiest train rides ever. It was through a lot of foresty area and I got a great view of the Austrian countryside. I'll admit that until I arrived at the castle, I was completely nervous that I was going the wrong way, that I had missed my stop, that something would go wrong, everything. I couldn't relax until I was finally off the last bus.
When I got off that last bus, it was FREEZING outside. I got there before Kelsey, so I decided to explore some gift shops and touristy things like that. I bought myself a ridiculously overpriced hot chocolate and waited for Kelsey.
When Kelsey finally came she explained that she had overslept and that's why she was late, but it all turned out just fine. Mainly because she met some Australian guys on the train that were part of a tour group and they told her that we should tag along with them and just tip the tour guide at the end. So that's what we did. I need to take a side note here and describe to you our tour guide. He sounded EXACTLY like Norm MacDonald, and the more you listened to him the more he started to look like Norm MacDonald. Kelsey hit it right on the nose by saying "He's the American that American's make fun of." He would use all sorts of phrases that nobody in the States really uses seriously such as, "Let's boogie," and "Come here, Ladies and Germs," and "this is a hoot and a half..." and things like that. He talked way too much, but it made for a really good memory.
As for the actual tour of Neuschwanstein...holy cow. That place is incredibly beautiful. We hiked up to the castle and we were surrounded by trees that were changing colors and the temperature was perfect. We talked with the two Aussies, Matt and Brody, and we also met a couple, Roxy and Sammy, from California who had been backpacking through Europe for three months. We walked through the castle, which was really cool. King Ludwig II died while they were building it and they so stopped building right after his death and the castle is still unfinished. That made the tour a lot shorter than we all expected. That's okay, because the best part in my opinion was looking at the castle from the outside. We hiked to this bridge packed with people that looked out over Schwangau (the town) and waterfalls, and the castle. Breathtaking. Then we hiked further down to more waterfalls and streams and awesomeness. Gosh. It was amazing. I was so content.
From there we took a train back to Munich with the tour group we were with. It was about a two hour train ride back, but Kurt, our tour guide, talked to us almost the whole way back about the controversy surrounding Ludwig's death. It was pretty entertaining. We also discovered that Matt was staying in the hostel right next door to us, Brody was leaving on a train late that night, and the Californians were in a different hostel and were leaving for home the next day.
When we got back to Munich, we checked into our hostel, dropped our bags off, and met up with our friends for some dinner at an Italian place. It was interesting because we were in Germany, at an Italian restaurant, and the waiter kept speaking French to us. Multicultural dining, folks. After dinner, we exchanged information, said goodbye to our new friends, and decided to walk around Munich at night. It's a really cool city, and it was foggy which made the visual even cooler. All my pictures I took from that night look really creepy. We found the Hofbräuhaus, a really famous bar in Munich, and went inside for a little while. It was soo crowded, but we got a taste of classic Bavaria. There were women dressed in traditional German outfits carrying several hug mugs of beer, the floors were sticky, there was a Bavarian band playing, and people singing drinking songs...it was awesome. Since it was so crowded and we had already eaten, we decided to go back the next day for dinner.
So, we went back to our hostel. Lucky for us, there was a crappy Finnish cover band playing that night! Even more lucky for us, we were in a room with a terribly patched hole in the ceiling, so we could hear the music loud and clear as we tried to fall asleep. It was louder IN our room than outside of our room. I was really tired, so I didn't have that hard of a time falling asleep once I put my headphones in.
We woke up the next day and headed out to the city to walk around and take some more pictures in the daylight. We were planning on taking a tour of the concentration camp Dachau, but the tour didn't leave until about 11:15. It was a Catholic holiday so most of the churches were having mass. It was actually really cool to walk in and kind of watch some of the things that were going on inside the churches.
Then, we met up with Matt, our awesome Australian friend, and found the tour group. I ended up paying only 18 Euro for transportation there and back as well as a tour of Dachau. Pretty stinkin' good deal. I need to find more of these tour companies when I travel other places. We took a train, and then a bus up to Dachau. Kelsey and I sat next to these two Italian guys on the bus that knew VERY little English or German. So, he kept saying things like, "Italiano! Spaghetti! Si! Lasagna! Bella!" and we just laughed and repeated everything he said. It was really quite entertaining.
The tour of Dachau was something I'll never forget. It ended up being about a three hour tour or so. Our tour guide was this small little Irish guy that was very knowledgeable and had a very good way of explaining everything in the camp. It really was a spiritual experience being there, and it's kind of hard to explain the way I felt there, and I'm so glad I had the chance to go.
We didn't have too much time left after we got back because Kelsey and I both had trains to catch that night. We decided to head back to Hofbräuhaus to eat and then take off. Matt came with us and we all enjoyed a great, traditional meal together. Kelsey and I got great pictures of us drinking our non-alcoholic beverages (water for her, apple juice for me). Then we kind of lost track of time and ended up running to catch my train. I made it just fine, had a pleasant ride back to Innsbruck, and slept like a rock that night.
So there you have it! One of my adventures while being here. It was a really great trip. And in other news, I'm doing very well here. The homesickness is very, very minimal now and I'm going to be incredibly sad to leave this place. I'm only a few days away from the halfway point, which is crazy. It's a good thing I've got some pretty great things waiting at home for me, or I'd probably never leave.
Auf wiedersehen! :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Life is a Crappy Love Song
So, I'm kind of sure most people have been reading my blog lately to hear about my Austrian adventures (even though I'm terrible about posting them), which makes sense. But that means I need to give this post a disclaimer:
1.) This isn't going to be about Austria (which I am loving, by the way). I'll get back to that soon, I promise.
2.) This post is going to be boiling over with cheesiness, so if you hate love or hearing about love...don't read. You've been warned.
So. On with love.
Being 5,500-ish miles away from Kameron has been pretty tough. I don't regret coming to Austria one bit; I'm having the time of my life. But I wish he was here with me, experiencing all of these amazing places. However, as much as I wish he was in Austria right now, this whole experience has been incredible for me and for us. I feel like I appreciate him so much more than I did before I came. It has also been incredible that I haven't had to worry about how this trip will affect my relationship. I told that to my brother Chris and he said, "That's how you know you're in a real relationship." And I am. Basically, I thought the decision to marry him had already been confirmed to the highest extent. Then I came to Europe and it's been confirmed even more. I'm supposed to marry that curly-haired, goofy, happy, handsome man I have waiting patiently for me at home.
I'm usually not one for cliches. At least I try not to be. The only times I ever really use them (them = lovey-dovey cliche phrases) is when I'm saying something to Kameron in an email, text, or something and I honestly can't think of a better way to something I'm feeling. They're easy to fall back on (and sadly, they're usually very true). So instead, I found a couple quotes that say things much more eloquently than I could ever hope to. But, guys. I'm in love. In a really big way. And I want to tell you about it. So whether you read it or not: here are my amped-up cliches.
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are." --Captain Corelli's Mandolin
I love this quote. I still very much have times where I'm that stupid, giddy, excited girl in love. But I'm starting to feel that real love, which to me is much deeper. It's constant and it lasts. The only way I can think to explain it is complete comfort. I trust Kameron and I'm excited to work together in our marriage and have a blast in the process.
"Love is friendship set on fire." -Jeremy Taylor
Simply put, Kam is my best friend. We laugh at the stupidest things that I'm convinced NOBODY else in the world would find funny. One of the initial thing that attracted me to him was our ability to be completely sarcastic with each other. I'm always content doing absolutely nothing with him, and he's always the first person I think to tell if something funny/lame/sad/awesome happens to me. I'm pretty convinced we're going to have the greatest life and coolest family because we have so much fun together.
"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." -Sir Hugh Walpole
I didn't go looking to start dating Kameron. I had just BARELY gotten out of a relationship, and I wasn't really looking for anything. Yep...that changed, and it changed pretty quickly. I stumbled upon this love that has become a core part of my life now, but it wasn't an accident. Someone's looking out for me. Like I said earlier, I'm so excited to grow with this man.
"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." --Sam Keen
One night as I was falling asleep, the thought hit me how lucky I was to find a man that loves me despite my imperfections. Sometimes I'm hard on myself. I think I'm not good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, creative enough, kind enough...the list goes on. But despite these faults I find in myself, Kameron still loves me with his whole heart, sincerely. That's the biggest confidence booster a girl needs. Kameron isn't a perfect person, but he's the perfect person for ME and, in my opinion, that is perfect. We get to strive towards perfection together.
Thanks for reading my cheesy post, folks. I let Kameron know on a daily basis how grateful I am for him, but I think it's time I let everyone else know how crazy in love I am. I'm in a perfect place in my life right now, and I've never been happier. And in a little less than three months, I finally get to marry the man that's responsible for it.
Praise the heavens.
1.) This isn't going to be about Austria (which I am loving, by the way). I'll get back to that soon, I promise.
2.) This post is going to be boiling over with cheesiness, so if you hate love or hearing about love...don't read. You've been warned.
So. On with love.
Being 5,500-ish miles away from Kameron has been pretty tough. I don't regret coming to Austria one bit; I'm having the time of my life. But I wish he was here with me, experiencing all of these amazing places. However, as much as I wish he was in Austria right now, this whole experience has been incredible for me and for us. I feel like I appreciate him so much more than I did before I came. It has also been incredible that I haven't had to worry about how this trip will affect my relationship. I told that to my brother Chris and he said, "That's how you know you're in a real relationship." And I am. Basically, I thought the decision to marry him had already been confirmed to the highest extent. Then I came to Europe and it's been confirmed even more. I'm supposed to marry that curly-haired, goofy, happy, handsome man I have waiting patiently for me at home.
I'm usually not one for cliches. At least I try not to be. The only times I ever really use them (them = lovey-dovey cliche phrases) is when I'm saying something to Kameron in an email, text, or something and I honestly can't think of a better way to something I'm feeling. They're easy to fall back on (and sadly, they're usually very true). So instead, I found a couple quotes that say things much more eloquently than I could ever hope to. But, guys. I'm in love. In a really big way. And I want to tell you about it. So whether you read it or not: here are my amped-up cliches.
"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are." --Captain Corelli's Mandolin
I love this quote. I still very much have times where I'm that stupid, giddy, excited girl in love. But I'm starting to feel that real love, which to me is much deeper. It's constant and it lasts. The only way I can think to explain it is complete comfort. I trust Kameron and I'm excited to work together in our marriage and have a blast in the process.
"Love is friendship set on fire." -Jeremy Taylor
Simply put, Kam is my best friend. We laugh at the stupidest things that I'm convinced NOBODY else in the world would find funny. One of the initial thing that attracted me to him was our ability to be completely sarcastic with each other. I'm always content doing absolutely nothing with him, and he's always the first person I think to tell if something funny/lame/sad/awesome happens to me. I'm pretty convinced we're going to have the greatest life and coolest family because we have so much fun together.
"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life." -Sir Hugh Walpole
I didn't go looking to start dating Kameron. I had just BARELY gotten out of a relationship, and I wasn't really looking for anything. Yep...that changed, and it changed pretty quickly. I stumbled upon this love that has become a core part of my life now, but it wasn't an accident. Someone's looking out for me. Like I said earlier, I'm so excited to grow with this man.
"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." --Sam Keen
One night as I was falling asleep, the thought hit me how lucky I was to find a man that loves me despite my imperfections. Sometimes I'm hard on myself. I think I'm not good enough, pretty enough, funny enough, creative enough, kind enough...the list goes on. But despite these faults I find in myself, Kameron still loves me with his whole heart, sincerely. That's the biggest confidence booster a girl needs. Kameron isn't a perfect person, but he's the perfect person for ME and, in my opinion, that is perfect. We get to strive towards perfection together.
Thanks for reading my cheesy post, folks. I let Kameron know on a daily basis how grateful I am for him, but I think it's time I let everyone else know how crazy in love I am. I'm in a perfect place in my life right now, and I've never been happier. And in a little less than three months, I finally get to marry the man that's responsible for it.
Praise the heavens.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Vienna and Some Other Things
Hello, my dear blogging world!
It's been a little while (or at least it feels like a little while) since I've blogged. And let's face it, my last blog post was a little depressing.
Let it be known that I'm doing SO much better. I'm really beginning to love it here and it's starting to feel like home. I'm starting to really understand what an amazing opportunity this is and that I need to take it in while I can or I'll regret it.
One thing that really helped me come to this realization was traveling to Vienna. This was the first time I've left Innsbruck since arriving, and heaven knows I needed to travel. I love Innsbruck, but I was starting to spend time in my apartment more than the city because I didn't know what else to do. So Marissa and I hopped on a train and visited Wien for a couple days.
We wanted to spend as much time as we could in Vienna, but didn't actually have that much time. Therefore, we woke up at 4:00 am on Friday morning to catch a 5:00 train. The train ride (my first!) was about four and a half hours, and I did my best to sleep the whole way there.
We got to Vienna around 9:30, ate some breakfast in the Bahnhof, and attempted to understand where to go and what to do next. We didn't really have much of a plan other than directions to the apartment we were staying at that night and a list of sites to see that my wonderful roommate wrote down for me.
We ventured outside and found the subway system. It's super easy to use, which was very nice. Our plan was to find the apartment, and then go site seeing. After getting on the wrong subway once, we finally found our way to the right stop and tried to find the apartment by foot. We walked for probably a good half hour, only to find out that we had been walking parallel to the right street the whole time. We backtracked, found the apartment, rang the doorbell...and nobody answered. We resolved that we would just come back at night and go find some sites.
Our first stop was Stephensdom. Man, this place was awesome. We came up the escalator from the subway and immediately saw this HUGE cathedral. It was amazing. We walked inside (equally awesome) and saw that there was an English tour in three hours, so we decided to come back later for that.
We walked outside, where we saw a bunch of horse carriages. We figured we'd be touristy and take a short city tour. Well worth it. Vienna is an incredibly beautiful city. Our driver (is that what you call them?) was a really nice guy that asked us all about where we were from and what we were doing in Austria.
Next we decided to just walk around and explore. We found more awesome buildings, awesome street performers, and I found some hot chocolate because I was FREEZING. Then we made our way back to Stephensdom for the tour. However, instead of THAT tour we changed our minds really fast and decided to take a different tour of the catacombs underneath the cathedral. SUPER creepy, but also really cool. During the time of the plague, they would just throw bodies down there because people were dying so fast. But then it started to stink really bad so they had to clean it up a little, but there are bones of over 11,000 people down there and they stacked all the bones up. There was a little room where the entire wall was just bones. It was insane and so cool.
Then we made our way to Schloss Schoenbrunn, which is a pretty sweet castle. Okay, it's more than pretty sweet. However, everything was already closing by this time so we decided to come back the next morning and instead just find our way back to the apartment.
We found the apartment and people were home this time. (By the way, we stayed with the girlfriend of a guy in the branch here. Her name is Melissa and she and her roommates were so nice and wonderful.) They were having an Institute activity so we went with them and played games with other YSAs and it was really fun. When we got back, some of the YSAs came over and they started to make plaster masks, but I was so incredibly tired that I ended up just going to sleep.
The next day we went back to Schloss Schoenbrunn and spent a good couple hours there. We got a tour of the palace, walked through a maze, got an incredible view of Vienna, and wandered through some gardens. We had to catch a train not too long after we finished, so we just went back to Stephansplatz and walked around until we headed back to the train station and made our way back to Innsbruck.
I really wish we would have had more time in Vienna. It was sooo amazing and there was so much to see that we just couldn't fit in. I definitely want to go back if time and money allow.
One great thing about going to Vienna was coming home and feeling like Innsbruck was home. It was a city I was familiar with. It felt good to finally feel at home here, you know? We got in at around 9:00 pm, I walked home, and promptly went to sleep. It was a great weekend to be sure.
In other news, I had my very first presentation today for one of my classes. I feel like it went really well, and I got a lot of really kind comments afterward. One of my classmates said, "Well, I can't even give a presentation now because it won't be that good." In all reality, I feel like I have a huge advantage because 1) My first language is English and 2) I've been analyzing literature for at least two years. Most of the students in my class can't say that. So, I was able to focus on the text instead of focusing on my English. All I know is that it feels good to get one done and over with. Three more to go! (With four more long papers due as well, but...let's not dwell on those.)
In conclusion, this place is amazing. I got the first hint of "I'm really going to miss this place" this week, which is a good sign. One thing I'll miss for sure is the food. More on that another time. Kudos for reading this far. I'll try to do better about blogging.
I'd post pictures, but I'm falling asleep writing this. They're on Facebook. Check them out there. I'm lazy, I know.
Anyway, I love you all. See you in 7 1/2 short weeks.
Tschüss!
It's been a little while (or at least it feels like a little while) since I've blogged. And let's face it, my last blog post was a little depressing.
Let it be known that I'm doing SO much better. I'm really beginning to love it here and it's starting to feel like home. I'm starting to really understand what an amazing opportunity this is and that I need to take it in while I can or I'll regret it.
One thing that really helped me come to this realization was traveling to Vienna. This was the first time I've left Innsbruck since arriving, and heaven knows I needed to travel. I love Innsbruck, but I was starting to spend time in my apartment more than the city because I didn't know what else to do. So Marissa and I hopped on a train and visited Wien for a couple days.
We wanted to spend as much time as we could in Vienna, but didn't actually have that much time. Therefore, we woke up at 4:00 am on Friday morning to catch a 5:00 train. The train ride (my first!) was about four and a half hours, and I did my best to sleep the whole way there.
We got to Vienna around 9:30, ate some breakfast in the Bahnhof, and attempted to understand where to go and what to do next. We didn't really have much of a plan other than directions to the apartment we were staying at that night and a list of sites to see that my wonderful roommate wrote down for me.
We ventured outside and found the subway system. It's super easy to use, which was very nice. Our plan was to find the apartment, and then go site seeing. After getting on the wrong subway once, we finally found our way to the right stop and tried to find the apartment by foot. We walked for probably a good half hour, only to find out that we had been walking parallel to the right street the whole time. We backtracked, found the apartment, rang the doorbell...and nobody answered. We resolved that we would just come back at night and go find some sites.
Our first stop was Stephensdom. Man, this place was awesome. We came up the escalator from the subway and immediately saw this HUGE cathedral. It was amazing. We walked inside (equally awesome) and saw that there was an English tour in three hours, so we decided to come back later for that.
We walked outside, where we saw a bunch of horse carriages. We figured we'd be touristy and take a short city tour. Well worth it. Vienna is an incredibly beautiful city. Our driver (is that what you call them?) was a really nice guy that asked us all about where we were from and what we were doing in Austria.
Next we decided to just walk around and explore. We found more awesome buildings, awesome street performers, and I found some hot chocolate because I was FREEZING. Then we made our way back to Stephensdom for the tour. However, instead of THAT tour we changed our minds really fast and decided to take a different tour of the catacombs underneath the cathedral. SUPER creepy, but also really cool. During the time of the plague, they would just throw bodies down there because people were dying so fast. But then it started to stink really bad so they had to clean it up a little, but there are bones of over 11,000 people down there and they stacked all the bones up. There was a little room where the entire wall was just bones. It was insane and so cool.
Then we made our way to Schloss Schoenbrunn, which is a pretty sweet castle. Okay, it's more than pretty sweet. However, everything was already closing by this time so we decided to come back the next morning and instead just find our way back to the apartment.
We found the apartment and people were home this time. (By the way, we stayed with the girlfriend of a guy in the branch here. Her name is Melissa and she and her roommates were so nice and wonderful.) They were having an Institute activity so we went with them and played games with other YSAs and it was really fun. When we got back, some of the YSAs came over and they started to make plaster masks, but I was so incredibly tired that I ended up just going to sleep.
The next day we went back to Schloss Schoenbrunn and spent a good couple hours there. We got a tour of the palace, walked through a maze, got an incredible view of Vienna, and wandered through some gardens. We had to catch a train not too long after we finished, so we just went back to Stephansplatz and walked around until we headed back to the train station and made our way back to Innsbruck.
I really wish we would have had more time in Vienna. It was sooo amazing and there was so much to see that we just couldn't fit in. I definitely want to go back if time and money allow.
One great thing about going to Vienna was coming home and feeling like Innsbruck was home. It was a city I was familiar with. It felt good to finally feel at home here, you know? We got in at around 9:00 pm, I walked home, and promptly went to sleep. It was a great weekend to be sure.
In other news, I had my very first presentation today for one of my classes. I feel like it went really well, and I got a lot of really kind comments afterward. One of my classmates said, "Well, I can't even give a presentation now because it won't be that good." In all reality, I feel like I have a huge advantage because 1) My first language is English and 2) I've been analyzing literature for at least two years. Most of the students in my class can't say that. So, I was able to focus on the text instead of focusing on my English. All I know is that it feels good to get one done and over with. Three more to go! (With four more long papers due as well, but...let's not dwell on those.)
In conclusion, this place is amazing. I got the first hint of "I'm really going to miss this place" this week, which is a good sign. One thing I'll miss for sure is the food. More on that another time. Kudos for reading this far. I'll try to do better about blogging.
I'd post pictures, but I'm falling asleep writing this. They're on Facebook. Check them out there. I'm lazy, I know.
Anyway, I love you all. See you in 7 1/2 short weeks.
Tschüss!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Home Sweet Home
Hey friends. Just a heads up: This isn't really a "Tell you of all my travels" post.
Today has been a homesick day. Only, it's my fault because I haven't done anything but sit in my room and study. It makes life so much easier if I'm out and about doing something in the city or even going to class.
I don't want to seem like a downer. I'll preface this post by saying that I'm so grateful that I'm here. I have already learned so much, and this place is beautiful. I am loving it.
But I'm allowed to have hard days.
Right?
I keep struggling with this. I am in an amazing city, learning a new culture, making friends, and I really am loving it. So why do I constantly want to come home? Why can't I go through one day here without saying, "Alright...I've been here X amount of days, which means X amount of weeks left. I can do this." It is seriously the weirdest mix of emotions. I am in love with this place...but want nothing more to leave it and come home.
How does that work?!
In all reality, if someone said, "You can go home right now!" I don't think I'd go. I have a lot I still have to do here, learn here, and I have to grow a little bit more. (Now if someone said, "We're flying Kameron to Innsbruck!" I'd have no objection. At all.) And in all reality, when people ask me how I'm doing, I can honestly say I'm doing well. Really well. I'll never regret coming no matter how many of these tough days I have.
Time.
The way we view time can a strange thing. This is what I mean:
If I think, "I've been here two weeks." That feels like I haven't been here long at all and that I have forever to go.
If I think, "I've been here half a month." It seems like SO much longer than I've actually been here and I only have to/get to do that four more times...much more bearable.
If I think. "Two more months." That is killer and seems like forever.
If I think "Nine more weeks." It doesn't seem bad at all.
But it's all the same amount of time.
And speaking of time, I know everyone says that time goes faster when you don't count down. But that's like telling someone not to think about a penguin. As soon as you say, don't think about a penguin...they think about a penguin. So, any time I think about NOT thinking about how much time I have left...that's all I think about. But if I say, don't think about NOT thinking about it...well then I still think about it. It's very complicated, you see. Basically, I'm pretty sure I'll be counting down the whole time I'm here. Deal with it.
Now.
Here is where I just talk about Kam. So, tune out if you want.
The hardest part of this whole trip has been to be away from Kameron. I knew it would be difficult. Of course it would be difficult. But I figured that since I only got to see him on weekends anyway, it wouldn't be AS difficult. In some respects, it probably is easier than if I saw him every single day. But this is in NO way easy. I only get to talk with him once a day if I'm lucky, and it has to be at a specific time due to the time change. I miss the simplicity of being able to pick up my phone and text him whenever I want. I wake up every morning in the hopes that I have an email from him or that he's still awake and online late at night. I'm trying not to have my time revolve around when I can talk to him, but...that's hard. I'm quite fond of him. :) But I've been so INCREDIBLY blessed that he has been supportive as he has been. He doesn't ever really tell me if he's having a hard time with it (which, maybe he's not, but I don't think he'd ever let on to it either way) and I appreciate that. I honestly feel guilty for leaving, especially when I know at least six people that got engaged after us that are getting married before us. I feel selfish at times. Because I needed to take this time to learn and grow at his expense. He has to wait for me. And that's a hard thing to stomach sometimes, especially when I miss him like crazy.
The point is, though, that he's been so good about it. It helps me focus on what I need to focus on here. And then I get to go home and get married to him and spend the rest of eternity with him. And the greatest part is that I get that AND I get this experience, all because I chose a man that is willing to put my needs before his own. I'm eternally grateful for him.
To sum things up:
This is is the greatest thing I've ever done.
This is equally the hardest thing I've ever done.
Time will pass, and I'll be home soon.
I'm engaged to the most understanding, kind, loving, incredible man out there.
And he'll be there when I get back. Win-win.
So bring on the next two months.
Today has been a homesick day. Only, it's my fault because I haven't done anything but sit in my room and study. It makes life so much easier if I'm out and about doing something in the city or even going to class.
I don't want to seem like a downer. I'll preface this post by saying that I'm so grateful that I'm here. I have already learned so much, and this place is beautiful. I am loving it.
But I'm allowed to have hard days.
Right?
I keep struggling with this. I am in an amazing city, learning a new culture, making friends, and I really am loving it. So why do I constantly want to come home? Why can't I go through one day here without saying, "Alright...I've been here X amount of days, which means X amount of weeks left. I can do this." It is seriously the weirdest mix of emotions. I am in love with this place...but want nothing more to leave it and come home.
How does that work?!
In all reality, if someone said, "You can go home right now!" I don't think I'd go. I have a lot I still have to do here, learn here, and I have to grow a little bit more. (Now if someone said, "We're flying Kameron to Innsbruck!" I'd have no objection. At all.) And in all reality, when people ask me how I'm doing, I can honestly say I'm doing well. Really well. I'll never regret coming no matter how many of these tough days I have.
Time.
The way we view time can a strange thing. This is what I mean:
If I think, "I've been here two weeks." That feels like I haven't been here long at all and that I have forever to go.
If I think, "I've been here half a month." It seems like SO much longer than I've actually been here and I only have to/get to do that four more times...much more bearable.
If I think. "Two more months." That is killer and seems like forever.
If I think "Nine more weeks." It doesn't seem bad at all.
But it's all the same amount of time.
And speaking of time, I know everyone says that time goes faster when you don't count down. But that's like telling someone not to think about a penguin. As soon as you say, don't think about a penguin...they think about a penguin. So, any time I think about NOT thinking about how much time I have left...that's all I think about. But if I say, don't think about NOT thinking about it...well then I still think about it. It's very complicated, you see. Basically, I'm pretty sure I'll be counting down the whole time I'm here. Deal with it.
Now.
Here is where I just talk about Kam. So, tune out if you want.
The hardest part of this whole trip has been to be away from Kameron. I knew it would be difficult. Of course it would be difficult. But I figured that since I only got to see him on weekends anyway, it wouldn't be AS difficult. In some respects, it probably is easier than if I saw him every single day. But this is in NO way easy. I only get to talk with him once a day if I'm lucky, and it has to be at a specific time due to the time change. I miss the simplicity of being able to pick up my phone and text him whenever I want. I wake up every morning in the hopes that I have an email from him or that he's still awake and online late at night. I'm trying not to have my time revolve around when I can talk to him, but...that's hard. I'm quite fond of him. :) But I've been so INCREDIBLY blessed that he has been supportive as he has been. He doesn't ever really tell me if he's having a hard time with it (which, maybe he's not, but I don't think he'd ever let on to it either way) and I appreciate that. I honestly feel guilty for leaving, especially when I know at least six people that got engaged after us that are getting married before us. I feel selfish at times. Because I needed to take this time to learn and grow at his expense. He has to wait for me. And that's a hard thing to stomach sometimes, especially when I miss him like crazy.
The point is, though, that he's been so good about it. It helps me focus on what I need to focus on here. And then I get to go home and get married to him and spend the rest of eternity with him. And the greatest part is that I get that AND I get this experience, all because I chose a man that is willing to put my needs before his own. I'm eternally grateful for him.
To sum things up:
This is is the greatest thing I've ever done.
This is equally the hardest thing I've ever done.
Time will pass, and I'll be home soon.
I'm engaged to the most understanding, kind, loving, incredible man out there.
And he'll be there when I get back. Win-win.
So bring on the next two months.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
One Week Down
Oh hey.
I've officially been in Austria for a week now. Kind of crazy.
I've finally begun to get the hang of how things work around this place. I still can't understand what anybody is saying around me, but that doesn't really bother me anymore. I'm sure it will be a super weird thing to come back to the States and hear English everywhere. As creepy as this is, I miss eavesdropping. Sometimes people watching is more fun if you understand what they're saying.
Anyway, on to some adventures.
Mostly this week has been spent on my feet walking around this beautiful city. I live really close to my favorite part of town, and it's nice to just walk around and look at all of the old, colorful buildings. I've gotten to taste some local Austrian food, which is delicious! I have to be careful because 1.) I need to save my money to travel to more awesome places, and 2.) I have a wedding dress I need to still fit into at home.
We've done some more exploring as well. Marissa, her roommate and I all ventured to a castle here called Schloss Ambras. We didn't get to go inside because everything was closed, but the grounds are HUGE. It's kind of a hike to get to the actual castle, and there are trees and grass everywhere. The day was beautiful and once we got to the top we could look out on the city. Pretty sweet.
We also went with our Austrian friend Evelyn up part of the mountain. Eventually I want to take the cable car all the way to the top, but we just took the bus part way up this time. There is also a zoo on your way up, which is something I must see before I leave. Here is a view of my beautiful city:
Yesterday, we went with Elder and Sister Glover to Kristallwelten, or Crystal World. It's the factory for Swarovski crystal, but they have this exhibit you can walk through with a lot of (very modern) art and whatnot. Here we are outside the "Giant" before the entrance.
As you can see, it's cold and rainy here. Even though it was like 75 degrees the day before. Kind of like home. :)
My homesickness is less frequent now. I still miss home a lot, but I'm doing a lot better. It helps if I keep myself busy. I'll probably be traveling in a few weeks. I still want to get a little grounded here before venturing. School starts Tuesday, so that's good! I'm anxious to see what the classes are like on this side of the pond. It should be an adventure.
Ten weeks left. But I'm not counting.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Put Another Shrimp on the Barbie
Dear Blogging world,
Sorry I haven’t been blogging since I arrived in Austria. This will be a long post, for sure.
The truth is this: coming here has been a lot harder than I imagined. I have been very homesick (mostly for Kameron, I think. Sorry everyone else.) I basically came here all by myself, so I felt very alone with very little contact to the world back in the States. Everyone around me was speaking German and it was easy to feel like there was nobody to relate to in this city.
So let’s start back to the first day.
I flew from Salt Lake to Chicago, Chicago to Frankfurt, and Frankfurt to Innsbruck. Loooooong flights. I tried to sleep on my longest flight to Frankfurt, but despite my greatest efforts, it didn't happen. Which would explain why I was (and still am) so jet lagged. I arrived in Innsbruck at around 10:00 am, and was picked up at the Airport by Andreas (our program director here). He is an extremely helpful guy. He helped me buy sheets. But then I was left on my own. I had no internet connection, no phone, no idea where I was, and no roommate yet.
It. Was. Terrible.
I have never felt more alone in my life. The internet was the one way I had planned on talking to people once I got here, including the senior missionary couple I had been in contact with. I had no way of telling my mom I was safe, no way of finding the church, and I didn't know what I was going to do about it. I walked all around the city looking for some place with a wireless connection, but no luck. Finally, I came back to my building and found a very nice girl that lives on the floor below me. She let me use her computer to email Kam and my mom, and then let me use her phone to call Elder Glover. So, prayer answered. From there I tried to sleep, but that was off and on. But I had made it through my first day.
The next day was Sunday, and also General Conference. The Glovers offered to come pick me up and take me to the church. So, I got to watch the Saturday afternoon session and the Sunday morning session...in English! Woo! Conference is amazing. It was nice to be around people as well. The elders showed me that night where to buy a bus ticket, how to get back to the church and how to get to the University the next day. Again, prayer answered.
Monday was the absolute longest day. We (me and the other girl from USU, who has become a good friend now) had to get registered at the school, with city hall, sign contracts for housing, get an ID card, set up a bank account...everything. So we ran around town for most of the afternoon. There were a few issues with the bank account, but hopefully everything is worked out now. I went to FHE that night, and while most of it was in German, it was still nice to be around people and feel welcomed.
Then yesterday was the best day. We did so much walking and exploring around the city. Marissa, the other girl from USU, had met a girl from Innsbruck on a website for writers. We met up with her in this awesome cafe called Triebhaus. She brought a friend and we talked with them for about 3 hours. They were very nice, offered to help us with anything, and their English was very good. After that, the Glovers took Marissa and I to buy phones, or as they call them here, Handys. We found a good deal, purchased them, and then the Glovers took us on a little tour around parts of Innsbruck. We ate dinner, (I had a Sandwich Kebap, which is hard to explain but also one of the most delicious things I've eaten) got some history lessons from Elder Glover, and then got some gelato. So overall, a very good day.
School doesn't start until Tuesday next week, so we're trying to find things to do with our time before school starts. More exploring, most likely. I think we're going to wait to travel until we've gotten settled a little bit. It's a lot to take in. I'm getting less homesick, which is good. I still will have waves of it where I miss people and home incredibly much, but overall, I'm doing much better. And it will only get better from here. :)
I love you all, and bless your hearts if you made it through this whole post. It will probably be more of a journal for me than entertainment for you. I've posted pictures on Facebook, so check those out. For now I'll leave you with one or two of my favorites I've taken so far. :)
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