Journal by Nichi Schupp
September 12, 2009
So today is my first full day in Linz, Austria. My trip to Europe began two days ago in Frankfurt Germany. It was awesome! Two of the guys and I got off the plane at Frankfurt airport at around 8 a.m. (2 a.m. back in the US). We got a little lost in the airport trying to get to baggage claim and find our way to the train. After what felt like an extensive tour of the airport lugging around two huge suitcases and a backpack we finally found our train and were off to the city center. The trains here are amazing. You can get anywhere by train. We pulled into the main train station in Frankfurt after about fifteen minutes and found our way to a tourist information center. They helped us book a hotel a couple blocks from the train station and we made reservations for our train the next day before finally heading out to the streets of Germany.
Germany was amazing. There were people everywhere bustling around on bikes and street cars and on foot. All of the buildings are really old looking and at the bottom of all of them are little shops, or pubs, or salons. After checking into our hotel and taking a quick nap. The three of us headed out to explore the city. We decided to get on the public train. It acts kind of like our metro and goes all over the city. We rode it all through Frankfurt taking in the sights. After arriving in what appeared to be a suburb of the city, we changed trains and headed back to the center of Frankfurt. We got off at this huge square. It was packed with people. We found a little German deli and got our first authentic German meal. I got sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and some kind of pork. It was delicious, and I washed it all down with my first ever real German beer. Yum! After dinner we were all getting tired again so we made our way back to the hotel for some shut eye before the night's activities. We all got up and got ready and headed out for some bar hopping, German style.
The next morning we all woke up at ten thirty so that we could pack up and get to our train to Linz. Checking out of the hotel and finding our platform was pretty easy, but once we got on the train things were a little difficult. You always have to be ready to get on the trains over here. They don't waste any time and some of the doors will close in less than a minute. So, we ended up getting on the train way too far up, close to first class, and then had to pull our huge bags through the crowded cars until we reached the back. It was kind of stressful but we finally managed to find seats. It was supposed to be about a five and a half hour train ride from Frankfurt to Linz. Our train, however, ended up arriving over an hour late. Even though the ride was long, it gave me plenty of time to sleep so that when my REFI mentor, Florian, met us at the train station, I felt ready to go.
We crammed all three of us and our nine bags into the car and made the 15 minute drive to Johannes Kepler University. It was so exciting. After dropping our stuff off in our rooms we all met back down in the lobby for a tour of the campus. It was a lot smaller than UC's campus, but at least that will make it easy to navigate. After that, Florian took us into downtown Linz on the tram and we had a real authentic Austrian meal. It was so good! I had something called biergulash, which was like a beef stewed in beer sauce. Yummy! We also sampled the restaurant's (Josef's) best house brewed beers. Florian took us to a local students bar as well to try rice beer. I thought it was pretty gross. Finally, we took the tram back to the university and got some sleep.
Today, we are going to go to the grocery store to pick up some things since everywhere will be closed tomorrow. Then, we are planning on going downtown again for a festival that going on. I'm so pumped! Well, I'm going to go grab my stuff and head out. Wish me luck!
September 15, 2009
I'm settling in nicely here. All the stress and mayhem from the first few days that resulted from scrambling around trying to open bank accounts, get ID cards, and navigate the campus of Johannes Kepler University is starting to fade away and everyone seems to be getting more used to one another. I started out the day doing a tour of the city of Linz that was organized by REFI. It was pretty cool. We rode big buses around to see the modern part of the city and saw its computer museum and administration buildings. It's so cool that some of the buildings around here change color at night. We also drove up to old part of the city and got to walk around and see the astonishing views from atop of some of Austria's surrounding hills. I took tons of pictures of course. Finally, we ended up in the city center and then got back on the buses to return to the university.
When we arrived back at the library on campus, a big group of us went over to the Mensa to have lunch. They have both two four course “menu” meals as well as a buffet style selection section. I had spinach pizza and some kind of strange Austrian soup. It was all really good. It's kind of confusing there because the items at the buffet are all written out in German and therefore made it difficult for me to guess at what the price of meal would be. Luckily for me though, one of the Swedish exchange students helped me to figure it out.
After lunch we headed to orientation for my first ever class abroad: German. I got put into a class called absolute beginner (because I know absolutely no German) with all of the other students from North America. We learned things like how to ask about people's names and locations. It will definitely come in handy around Linz this quarter. The class is three hours long for the next three weeks. After class ended I went and purchased notebooks and pens from the shop on campus and then went to dinner in the Raab-Heim. Tonight we are all getting together to watch Old School and maybe play some soccer in the gym. Right now though, I'm ready for a nap. So as they say in Austria, “Baba!”
September 19, 2009
Today I went on a REFI organized excursion to Hallstatt. It was by far the prettiest place I've ever seen. The bus ride there was about two and a half hours long (which worked out nicely since I was so tired). We wove around the sides of steep hills and cliffs until we finally reached it. Hallstatt is a little town carved out of the side of a mountain which opens up into a huge clear lake. It was gorgeous! The entire lake was surrounded by these high peaks. When we got off the bus we had about an hour to wander into town and grab something to eat. Then, we returned to the waters edge and boarded a boat to get a better look at the place. There was an awesome little castle on the other side of the lake and I took loads of pictures. We docked the boat after a bit and then split into two groups for a guided tour of the city. We walked through a couple of very old, ornate churches and then into the town square. It was just what you might picture a European town square to look like. They even have a little waterfall that streams down from the mountain and through the entire town. We saw the towns cemetery, which is very different then what you might picture a cemetery to look like in the U.S. and the area in front of each headstone was like a mini garden, full of flowers and other plants. One of the coolest, and also the creepiest, things I got to see in Hallstatt was this really old crypt sort of thing. The entire inside was filled with painted human skulls. The guide explained that it was a huge honor for your skull to be placed in there and that the painting of them had been done by one family for generations. It was so crazy! Both groups met up again back in the city center and then we had another hour or so to explore on our own before boarding the bus and heading back to the Raab Heim. Next weekend we head to Oktoberfest in Munich. I can't wait!
October 5, 2009
This weekend I went with all of the Americans to Berlin. It was the best trip I've been on so far. The train ride was extremely long; eight hours to be exact, but we passed the time with multiple games of euchre. After an hour delay in Nuremburg, we transferred trains to the one heading for Berlin. It was around 11:30 p.m. when we finally arrived at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station). After getting directions, we quickly found our hostel and checked in. For the night, we were staying in a 32 bed coed dorm. It was definitely an experience. The beds weren't bad, but I definitely could have done without some of the snoring. However, before long I was asleep and it was morning before I knew it.
We agreed to just start the day by walking the couple miles to the city center. As it turns out, we came on a very good weekend. October 3, 2009 was, in fact, the twenty year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was a crazy experience. Per tradition, the Berliners commemorated the day in a very interesting way. There is an old story in Berlin about a girl who is living in West Berlin, whilst her father is trapped in East Berlin. The girl gets on a boat and searches for her father and on October 3, the two are reunited on a bridge over the river. To visually display this, the Germans brought in a 30 foot puppet and put it on a boat that was on top of a truck. They had about ten puppeteers controlling the puppet as she searched Berlin for her father on a boat. There were all kinds of music playing and the whole thing turned into a kind of moving festival that families followed around the city. It was awesome.
At the end of the day we returned to our hostel for some much needed shut eye (this time in a nine person coed dorm). The next day we set out once again for city center and headed to the museums. I saw the Pergamon museum which was doing an exhibit on ancient Greece and Rome. We then went to the German History Museum. It was really cool to see that because it was from a completely different perspective than I'm accustomed to seeing. Luckily for us, because it was a huge cultural celebratory weekend, admission was free. After the museums we walked around the city to take in all the major monuments. Berlin is probably the most historically rich city I've ever seen. I got to see the part of the Berlin Wall that still stands, Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, and the spot where Hitler's bunker was when he committed suicide. One of the coolest parts was this old church that had been seriously bombed during WWII. To help preserve the history of the city, the people of Berlin left the Church half in ruins, as a constant reminder of their dark past. There were patches all over some of the other buildings in the city, where they had been forced to patch up bullet holes left in some of the walls and pillars. It was crazy getting to see a city where so many important events in human history had occurred.
We finally headed back to the train station and braved the eight hour train ride back to Linz. I loved seeing Berlin but it's definitely great to be back in Linz, and in my own bed. Classes start on Tuesday so I think I'm going to rest up Monday and get ready for that. I don't feel too homesick yet. I've been here almost a month now and I have to say that I've loved almost every minute of it so far. This is by far the best thing I've ever done for myself. And next weekend I'm off to the Czech Republic to check out Prague. I'll keep you posted. Chao!
October 19, 2009
This weekend I traveled with a group of people to Budapest, Hungary. It was the first country I've been to on this trip besides Austria and Germany so I was so excited to see and experience the differences in culture there. The train ride wasn't bad at all (only about 5 hours) and I used all that time to catch up on my sleep since we left very early in the morning. This trip definitely didn't go as smoothly as some of my other ones but I had a seriously awesome time.
When we got off the train we navigated the city looking for the hostel we had booked. There was a problem with this: the hostel address actually turned out to be the address of a McDonald's restaurant. We were so confused. As it turned out, the owners of the hostel had lied about the address in order to make it appear to be closer to the city center like we had wanted. However, since it was getting dark, we decided to stay at the hostel anyways even though it was not at the location we had wanted. Actually, the hostel itself turned out to be quite nice inside so we dropped off our bags in the room and went out to find some food. We ended up at this authentic Hungarian restaurant called Prince Aryan. It was delicious! I especially liked their goulash soup and the nut and honey filled crepe type thing for dessert. We all went out to some club after that, but I was so tired that I didn't stay too long at all. Some of the others and I all grabbed a cab and headed back to the hostel to crash for the night.
The next morning we got up around eleven and headed out for some sightseeing. We wandered along the Danube just to see what was there. The owners of our hostel told us about this hill on the Danube that was one of the highest points in the city so we decided to check it out. Man was it a hike. We were all sweating and panting by the time we got up to the top, but I have to tell you the view from up there made the whole trek worthwhile. You could see the entire city! It was awesome. After catching our breathe we headed down the other side and towards the Buda Castle. It was gorgeous, of course. Then from there we kept wandering past all these old churches and monuments. I have to say I was getting really tired really quickly after that. We walked back across the Danube to see the Parliament and meet up with some of the other exchange students before taking a break to grab some dinner.
After resting up and filling our stomachs we headed back to the hostel to get ready to go out. I went to the hostel of some of the other exchange students and from there we walked to this club a few blocks away. It was really awesome. It was like a crazy underground club that if you didn't know it was there, you would walk right past the entrance without a backwards glance. So we stayed there and danced until the early hours of the morning before returning to the hostel for some more shut eye.
Sunday was probably my favorite day of the trip. I signed up at my friend's hostel to do a group excursion to the Budapest caves. We had to get up kind of early to get there but it was totally worth it. Budapest has miles and miles of caves running underneath the city. When I signed up for this trip with my friend Ronan I thought it was just going to be walking around and looking at crystals and stuff. I seriously had no idea what I was in for. When we got to the place where we were supposed to meet our tour guide, they gave us all overalls and helmets fixed with mining lights. We then walked across the road to the entrance of the caves and climbed down a ladder into the first tunnel. It was crazy. We had to climb through tunnels nicknamed things like “the wedgie” and “the birth canal”; basically places that if you just looked at you would never guess that any person could fit through. Some of the tunnels were so tight that you would have to turn on your side, put your arm over your head, turn your head to the side and wiggle yourself through because or else you wouldn't fit. We got to go over 50 meters under the surface of the city. You had to climb, slide, jump and contort yourself to get through the caves. And when everyone would turn out their helmet lights, it became so dark that there was no difference if you closed your eyes or kept them open. After about 3 hours though, we finally made it through and exited the caves. My shoes are now totally wrecked. Ronan and I had to quickly shed our overalls and hats and run for the train back to Linz.
All in all, Budapest was a great experience. Now, however, it's back to school and classes and homework. I swear sometimes I have so much to do that I don't know where to start. Tonight I have to do a case study and a five page write up on an emerging technology and I have to shower, eat, and finish my laundry. It's all worth it though when I look through all the pictures from all the cities I've gotten to see so far. And next weekend it's Venice, Rome, and Naples!
October 27, 2009
This past weekend I went with a group to Italy. It's by far the farthest place I've visited since I came to Europe back in September. The night train we took to Venice took about ten hours. A couple of other Americans and I reserved seats so that we could all be in one of the compartments together. Boy were we underestimating how close you would have to get with your neighbor. The seats in the compartment all folded down into a bed that was probably about the size of a small queen back in the US. And that small queen sized bed was shared by six people. It was almost comical. There were feet and bodies in your face everywhere you turned. Needless to say, the six of us didn't have the best sleep of our lives. Finally, however, we arrived in Venice around eight o'clock in the morning. It was kind of a shock coming out of the train station because right in front of it was the Grand Canal. It was definitely something to be seen. Now, one the interesting parts about being in Venice is that you definitely have to pay attention. Everywhere you walk, you must go through narrow alleyways. And, if you aren't paying attention to the direction which you turn, you will get lost and you will be doing circles all day long. Also, the only signs you can follow are the ones that point you to the most famous place in Venice: St. Marco's Square. Don't let these signs lure you into a false sense of security though because there won't be any signs pointing you back to the train station, so you have to be paying attention.
So, with all that in mind, we took off across the bridge in front of the train station and through the winding alleyways of Venice. After what seemed like a good thirty minutes of twisting and turning we ended up in a sizable square with an old clock in it. It wasn't St. Marco's square but it led us to something really cool: the fresh market that takes place every day on the canal. They sell fresh fruit, and vegetables, and have one of the largest arrays of fresh seafood I have ever seen selling everything from crab, swordfish, and clams to squid and eel. It was amazing. After picking up some fresh blueberries, we all continued on to find the square. After walking for another ten or fifteen minutes we ran into a gondola driver who convinced us to take a tour of the canals with him. It was definitely a typical tourist thing to do but I'm glad I went. It was also a nice 40 minute break from walking. However, after arriving back on the street we continued yet again for St. Marco's square; and this time we were successful. The square was huge. As we pushed our way further into the square, we noticed that everyone was walking on these raised platforms. I was confused at first until I saw that the square itself was partially flooded, which is apparently a common occurrence. So we hopped up on the platforms and walked out towards the Adriatic Sea. It was definitely beautiful. Afterwards we milled around the hundreds of shops in Venice to get gifts for family and friends before heading off to dinner on the canal. I had my first authentic Italian meal: ravioli with mushrooms and crème sauce and a couple glasses of delicious red wine. It was very good, albeit overpriced. After dinner we couldn't think of much else to do in Venice. I really liked the city and it was worth seeing, but you didn't need to spend more than a half day there. Most of the shops sold the same items, and there were only so many different views of the canals you needed to get the feel of the city. Therefore, we all decided to leave Venice a bit early and take a train to Bologna.
Bologna wasn't that far from Venice (about 2 hours) and it was on our way to Rome. So we got into Bologna around nine p.m. and were going to stay there until we had to pick up our train to Rome at two a.m. Exiting the train station we found a little Irish pub and stopped to get drinks. A couple hours later we set out to find the city center. It was pouring down rain, and I, like an idiot, forgot to pack my umbrella. Therefore, by the time we found the city center I was soaked and ready to go inside and dry off somewhere. We wandered into the heart of the local college area and found a bar. We stayed there until we had to get back to the train, celebrating one of my friend's birthdays. The train ride to Rome after that seemed all too short.
We arrived in Rome at 7 a.m., just five hours after leaving Bologna. I was exhausted. However, I was in Rome and I was not about to start complaining. Our first stop was Vatican City. We paid for a three hour tour. I was a little skeptical at first about whether it would be worth the money, but in the end I'm glad we paid for the tour. I feel like if we had just gone on our own, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much out of it. The tour guide was hilarious and she took us through the entire place, including the overcrowded Sistine Chapel. It was actually a lot smaller than I had imagined it but it was incredible to see. I couldn't believe that one man did that entire thing. After the tour ended, our guide told us about the best place to get real Italian pizza and, of course, gelato. The pizza in Italy is different than back home but I absolutely loved it. Stomachs now full, our group split up to see the different sights of the city. I went straight to the subway to get to the Coliseum. It was by far the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life. You walk out of the train station and there it is; just like in the movies. I was almost giddy with excitement. I opted to pay the 12 euro to get to see it from the inside. It's something I will never forget. All the history of that place was completely fascinating. After I left, one of the other Americans and I decided to go see the ruins of the old city. It was like a maze. I didn't intend to be there long, but we ended up wandering around in there for hours. There are so many different paths, and tunnels, and roads to take that there's no way you can ever see it all. It was gorgeous and I must have taken half a million pictures of it. Randomly meeting up with some of the other people in our group we walked together back to the Coliseum to meet up with the rest. Rome was by far my favorite trip so far, but it was also my most expensive. Therefore, in order to save money, I decided to take a night train home to Linz that evening. We had our last Italian meal before saying goodbye to Italy and hopping on the train.
Now, I think I'm adjusting rather well to living over here and I'll tell you why. On the way home from Italy, we discovered that the train didn't go through Linz, so we were going to have to get off the train at Innsbruck and pick up another to Linz. However, it was a long train ride so we all spread out to different compartments so that we could get a better night's sleep. Well I, being the ill prepared person that I sometimes am, didn't have a watch. So, I didn't notice when we were getting close to Innsbruck. In fact, I ended up sleeping right through the stop and ended up in the Munich train station all by myself. Now, after I got over my initial fifteen minutes of panic at being left on the train, I was able to keep my head and decide on a course of action. I've gotten so used to these trains that I knew I'd be able to get one back from Munich to Linz in a matter of hours. So that's what I did. I hung out in Munich and got breakfast and browsed around in their book store before hopping on a train back home. That's a feat I never would have been able to do a month ago. I'd have probably broken down and cried, actually.
So, here I am, back in Linz having navigated the train station successfully by myself for the first time. I didn't get to see Naples this trip, but it was still a success in my mind. Also, I fully intend to return to Italy soon (hopefully during this trip abroad if my budget allows). I spent over 200 Euros this weekend, and that was without having slept in a hostel at all but it was totally worth every penny. Tonight is the Mediterranean Stammtisch, which is kind of a big party in the LUI where the students from the Mediterranean region cook some of their native dishes to share. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it actually. Well I have to start on my portfolio project for Germany now but I'll keep you informed on the goings on in Linz. Until then, chao!
November 3, 2009
This was one of the first weekends I decided to stay here in Linz. I decided to postpone my trip to Switzerland in order to save money for the weekend coming up. My sister is flying into Linz on Thursday and we're going to be traveling to Amsterdam and then to Prague. I'm so excited! I haven't seen her in almost two months and, if you can believe it, before I came over here we hadn't been apart longer than ten days in our entire life. I probably miss her more than I miss anything else from back home.
I didn't do much of anything this weekend. On Friday night, I packed it in a bit early because the next nigh was Halloween and I wanted to be ready for that. Over here, on the weekends, all of the Americans and Canadians disappear on various trips traveling around Europe because of the limited time we have to do so and this was the first time I wasn't with them. However, on Saturday for Halloween we decided to get dressed up (as much I suppose as you can when they don't celebrate Halloween too extensively or sell costumes). I got a package from my dad earlier in the week. He is such a big Halloween freak he decided to send me a costume. And guess what it was: none other than an Uncle Sam costume complete with hat and bow tie. I was a little nervous about wearing it out in public at first, but everyone finally convinced me to wear it. So, I ended up playing some drinking games with everyone in my room before heading downtown to the bars with a gangster, a hippie, a Scot, and a French maid. We were quite a site in the bars, let me tell you.
We started out at a bar called Sky Bar, which is in the Arts Electronica Center right on the Danube. It was gorgeous, an actually one of the cheaper bars I've been to in Linz. I got really tired when we were there and decided to call it a night a bit early while the rest of them went down to the club Remembar. So I got a cab (which is really difficult to do when you're dressed as one of the symbols of America…haha) and fell asleep.
The next two days were probably my most difficult in Linz primarily because of boredom. I don't have a phone over here so I rely heavily on Skype to figure out what's going on and where everyone is in the Raab Heim. However, if people aren't on Skype, I really have no idea what anyone's doing and then if they aren't in their rooms I'm definitely out of luck. So, because of these limitations I had difficulties finding anything to do. I watched a ton of movies, got even farther ahead on my homework, and played around on the internet. After a while though, I was starting to get cabin fever from being in my room and I started to get a little homesick. My roommate goes home on the weekends so I was the only one here and really couldn't find anyone to talk to. I'm not used to having so much free time because back home, when I'm not in class, I'm working at one of two jobs and have been since I was fifteen. This is the first time I haven't had to work in like six years and now I really don't know what to do with all that extra down time. I kept really busy over the past two months and so I haven't even really had time to feel homesick or bored.
I suppose it could be worse though. I could have no time for anything. Oh well, I just have to keep thinking that my sister will be here in two days and then I'll get my little taste of home. I can't wait!
November 19, 2009
I just had the best two weeks since I've been here. They went so fast it was incredible! Sammie and I went to five different countries in less than two weeks. The first weekend we visited Amsterdam and Prague and the second weekend we went to Ireland, Munich, and Salzburg. Amazing!!!
The trip to Amsterdam was a long one; almost fourteen hours. It wasn't too bad though because Sammie and I had a lot of catching up to do. We must have talked for hours before finally nodding off to sleep. When we finally arrived we wandered around the canals until we finally found our hostel. Amsterdam is definitely something to see. The canals are gorgeous and the architecture there was really intricate and old. We went to see Anne Frank's house on our second day. We also went to this really cool ice bar. The entire bar was made of ice, from the glasses and chairs to the floors and ceiling. We also managed to find one of the biggest markets in Amsterdam and I stocked up on some Christmas gifts for my family. When we left Amsterdam on Saturday I was sad to go, but I was also really tired and my pockets were considerably lighter. We took the train to Munich and then hopped on another one headed for Prague.
Prague was incredible. We saw the castle, the square, the clock, the WWII Jewish Cemetery, and a load of other stuff. We also got to go to a huge market on the main street where we stocked up on loads of gifts and souvenirs. It was amazing. I know my sister really enjoyed it. We finally got back to Linz on Monday and got some much needed rest.
The trip to Ireland was my favorite part. Sam and I missed our train to Memmingen because we overslept and I had trouble locating my passport. However, after an anxious train ride and a hundred and twenty euro cab ride, we managed to get on the plane right before take-off. The flight wasn't bad; only a couple hours. A friend of mine was living in Dublin and was nice enough to pick us up from the airport when we arrived. We ended up staying in a hostel in Temple Bar, a huge bar district right next to Trinity College. Awesome! The first night Sam and I got a tour of the city before heading off to see a concert at the “O2”. It was amazing. After some recovery from that excitement, we met up with my friend Conor who took us out to the seaside and through the country. My goodness it was green. We got to see an old country estate, where we got lost in a maze, before heading back to downtown. We just so happened to be there the night that Ireland was playing France in Dublin for the World Cup qualifiers. It was absolutely nuts! Everywhere we went was standing room only as the Irish supporters were out in droves. It was over too soon, though, and the next day we boarded the plane back to Germany. We made our way into Munich where we got to see the original Hofrauhaus. The food and beer were amazing. Then we stopped at Salzburg where “The Sound of Music” was filmed. The fortress was really cool but after such a long weekend it was quite a hike and Sam and I were both exhausted by the time we got on the train headed back to Linz.
The next day, I helped Sam pack up all of her stuff before taking her to the airport for her flight back to the States. Having her in Europe was absolutely awesome, but it did make me miss home a little more. I know it's going to be a bit tougher getting through this last month now, especially with Thanksgiving coming up. Oh well, just one month left!
November 26, 2009
I found Thanksgiving to be my hardest day in Europe so far. My friend Nate and I went on a hunt all over Linz to try and find a turkey. However, we had no such luck. We ended up settling for six chickens. All of the Americans, and a select few other international students, met up and threw together a giant feast. We roasted the six chickens, made mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, mac ‘n cheese, dinner rolls, and I made the stuffing. It was really good and I had a great time hanging out with everyone else. However, when I called my family later that evening, they were all really busy and had little time to talk on Skype with me. My mom and sisters were all making dinner and it made me wish I was there with them. It got better though. All of the American students here were in the same boat, so we all met up after dinner was cleaned up and went out in downtown Linz to celebrate.
I'm starting to feel the crunch with school. Over here we have a lot of group assignments and projects due and I really need to get on top of it. I love getting the opportunity to work with people from all different backgrounds, but it can be a bit frustrating at times. I am in a group for a presentation with a girl from Greece and a girl from Russia. They are both very hard workers, but the girl from Russia doesn't speak very good English, so it can be challenging getting all of our work to flow sometimes. However, with a bit of patience and a lot more focus I know I can get this project done on time. I've actually got to get to work on it. See ya!
December 3, 2009
I've had the best time hanging out in Linz. The weather's getting colder and the Christmas markets are in full swing. They are amazing. I got some serious Christmas shopping done. We take the train down to city center where they have tons of little booths set up selling all kinds of gifts. They also have delicious food and grülwein, or hot wine, which is yummy and helps keep your hands warm as you walk around. I've been to the one in Linz four times now and I still love going back. Many of the students I came with, myself included are running low on travel funds, so a lot more of us are hanging around Linz on the weekends. This is awesome though because we get more time to spend with everyone there since it feels like we're getting so close to the end of the trip. I only have two more destinations before I travel back to the states: Vienna, and the ski trip to the Alps. I am so excited for both. I'm thinking about traveling to Vienna this coming weekend. I've heard that their Christmas markets are something to see. The ski trip is organized by the international student group REFI. It should be awesome! I've only ever skied once though so it might be disastrous. Anyways, I'm really excited. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Later!
December 17, 2009
The last two weeks have been some of the best I've had. I took my trip to Vienna, which was definitely something to see. It was my first solo excursion though, so I was a little nervous at times. When I got off of the train I found tourist information (you become real familiar with them if you do a lot of traveling) to see if I could get a map. My German is still shaky and I had some issues understanding the directions I was given to the city center. However, I decided to just exit the train station and use the map to guide me in the right direction. Little did I know that this was one of the most detailed maps I'd seen. It took me a solid 45 minutes even to find my location. At one point I thought about just returning to the train station and heading back to Linz. But, my desire to see Austria's capital eventually overcame my trepidation about determining my location. Vienna was gorgeous. The city architecture is so intricate it's amazing. I saw the government buildings, the cathedral, the opera house, the palace, the gardens, and did a little more shopping in the Christmas markets there (with the help of a bosner and some grülwein of course) before slowly making my way back to the train station, and back to Linz. I think it shows how much more independent I've grown that I was able to go there by myself. At the beginning of my quarter abroad there was no way I ever would have had the courage. When I finally got back to the Raab Heim, I worked a bit more on some of my end-of-term papers before calling it a day and going to bed.
The school week was a bit hectic, with everything starting to wrap up. I had several projects due, as well as a group presentation that managed to keep me pretty well occupied throughout the week. Then, almost before I knew it, it was time to head off on the REFI ski trip. I think that trip was one of my favorites. We stayed at this ski resort hostel called The Cube. It was very modern, and very neon. The first day we all collected the ski gear we would need for the morning, ate dinner, and then headed to a party in the club there. It was so much fun! The theme was “pink” so we all dressed up and spent the rest of the night downing beer and shots and dancing with the other study abroad students that had joined us from Gratz. The next morning I took the 45 minute gondola ride up to the top of the mountain. I quickly discovered that I really had no idea how to ski. And believe me, in the Alps their skill level designation for each slope is a bit different than ours. I spent the day on one that was supposedly a blue. Ha! Not a blue in my book. I was a long way from Perfect North. I stuck with a few of the Irish guys who were at about my level of skiing for most of the day. I must have fallen 2,000 times. By the evening, I was tired, cold, and it looked like someone had beat me over the legs with metal rods. So, I limped back to The Cube, took a shower and then joined all the other students for dinner and a nap before another party in the Club Cube. That night didn't have a theme, but it was a blast none the less. I must have stayed up until 4:30 in the morning. I felt like I had just closed my eyes to sleep when my alarm was going off to get an early start back up the mountain. I decided that I wasn't going to let my skiing failures of the previous day stop me from giving the Alps another go. A couple of my more experienced friends stayed with me this time and helped teach me a bit more technique. Personally, I think they stayed with me as long as they did because they enjoyed watching me face plant into the snow every two hundred feet or so, but I was grateful anyways. By the end of the day I was able to successfully ski down some of the intermediate slopes. I'm really glad too because I got to see so much more of the mountains. At one point, we had taken the lift up so high that on the way down I had to ski straight through a thick cloud. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. It was so crazy! We finally turned it in around four, returned all of our ski gear, and loaded up back onto the bus for the trip home. Despite some humiliation and major bruising I cannot wait to ski again.
December 21, 2009
I feel so sad. It is my last full day in Linz. Tomorrow I have to take the train to Frankfurt and catch my flight back to Columbus. I've started attempting, in vain I might add, to shove everything that I've accumulated over here into my luggage. I had no idea how much stuff I picked up just being here for three months. My roommate has gone home and now I'm sitting here, staring at my half empty walls, wishing for more time. I feel like I just got here. These past three months have been some of the best of my life. I have learned so much about myself it's ridiculous. I always thought that I was a dependent person; someone who didn't really ever feel the need to leave their comfort zone. But I feel different now. I feel a lot more independent. I have made so many friends here as well. At home I have a very well-defined, close-knit group that I hang out with, and I hadn't really had to be proactive in meeting people until I came to JKU. I can't believe how awesome everyone has been. I definitely am going to make an effort to meet more people while I'm still at UC. I have been saying good-bye to everyone these past few days and although it's really sad I know that I have made friendships that will last. I have even been considering doing another study abroad next fall. I cannot even express in this journal how great my time abroad was. I got to meet new people, experience new cultures, see the living history that's all over Europe, and learn about business from a multicultural point of view. I can't believe how lucky I am to have gotten this opportunity. I am forever grateful and will never forget it. On a happier note, I am excited to get to see my family. Skype just doesn't do everyone justice (although without it I may have died). So at this point I'm looking forward to new adventures back in the States. Next stop, Cincinnati!
