Week 2 and Prag

As I’m sitting in my Viennese bedroom, it comes to my attention how extremely far behind I am. Time really flies! It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted and I’ve only got another week before I fly home so…I had better get to typing!

July 5^th through July 8^th

The week is normal so far. The students have adjusted to being in Europe but have not quite adjusted to having no air conditioning. On Monday, it’s great to hear what they did over the weekend. Many of them are adventurers. I hear stories of trips to Bratislava, Bruno, Dublin, and so many more. Some of the students even did some sightseeing in Vienna on their own. I love hearing things like that. It makes me happy! The class schedule goes as last week and the culture class goes to the following:

The Imperial Crypt: This is where the Hapsburg family is buried. The family is quite large as are the coffins. The last member of the family buried there is Zita. She died in 1989. It’s kind of surreal to know that the ruling family you’ve been learning so much about is in coffins right in front of you...kind of strange but exciting at the same time.

Schloß Schönbrunn: Now imagine having a summer and a winter home in the same city. This is something no one ever thinks about. I often think of lake cabins or condos on the beach as something similar but NNNNOOOOO…this ruling family had massive residencies for both the winter and summer seasons. This gorgeously yellow palace is their summer residence. We took the morning to take a tour of approximately 42 rooms as well as to see the magnificent gardens surrounding the palace. In the afternoon, we met our culture professor in the winter residence gardens for a picnic and a class discussion.

http://www.schoenbrunn.at/

(Sorry I don't have a picture to post. I find myself forgetting my camera which is bad. I have discovered it's because I've been to several of these places before...still no excuse. Sorry!)

State Hall and National Library: As one of the students put it so eloquently, “This is where Belle fell in love with the Beast.” Once you set foot inside the State Hall, you can believe it. It’s absolutely breathtaking. The Hapsburgs were known for many things and one of them was education. They had an extensive library and it is still one of the largest today. We even got an exclusive tour into the heart of the library. Not only did we see what the common folk see, but we also got to see the inner workings of the stacks. It was kind of cool to feel special =)

Austrian Folk Museum: This particular museum is quite interesting. It shows us how the people of Austria lived long before our time. There were items such as furniture, tools, kitchen utensils, etc. On a scale of 1 to 10, it ranked low on the students list of favorites up until this point. Either way, it’s always cool to see what people did before electricity, cars, and other modern conveniences.

July 9^th through 11^th

Friday morning is an early one. It’s off to Prag and our train leaves fairly early. The students are not excited about being up so early but I know they’ll survive. Prag is a wonderfully old city. Not much of it was destroyed during WWII so many of the bridges and buildings are in their original state. I saw the city last year and was looking forward to seeing it again. The history is interesting, the food is delicious, and the shopping is worth its while. Once we got off the train, we headed for our hostel to unload our stuff. There we met our tour guide, Lucia. She guided us through Prag last year and we loved her so much that we requested her services again. It was great to see her!

She took us on a walking tour of the city, both the old and the new. As she went along, she gave us tons of historical information. Much of it I can’t remember but I did my best to retain what I could.

Most of the students did really well. I mean, it was 100 degrees out and the tour lasted 3 hours. The really sweet thing was that Lucia made us a reservation at a restaurant after our tour. It was great!! We were all ready for a cold drink and some food. After dinner, it was free time for the students until 9 am the following day. My colleague, the camera crew, and a couple of students went for ice cream before heading back to the hostel. Oh yeah…I should have mentioned the camera crew. There were 4 people from media and marketing at the university who met us in Prag to video us for the next week. They are doing a video for our study abroad program…Time to start showering and putting on makeup =)

Saturday morning came earlier than I wanted it to but I was up, ready, and had breakfast before 9. Most of the students were ready and on time. There were only 2 that chose to disregard our requests to be respectful and on time. We had to go upstairs and get them downstairs while the group waited on us. Once they made it down, it was off to the castle. We had a tour of the castle, the basilica, and one more round through the gardens before breaking for lunch. It took about 3 hours which was all we could expect of our students. We all broke for lunch. Most of the students wanted a Mexican restaurant which is strange in the Czech Republic but oh well. My colleague and I chose to do some shopping first. We had carried a sandwich for the tour so we didn’t need lunch right away. I got a good bit of Christmas shopping done at the market and even bought myself some clothes at one of my favorite stores. We then were ready for some ice cream so it was back to our favorite place. Two scoops of yumminess and then it was time for dinner. Lucia had recommended this restaurant with really good prices and excellent food so we decided to try it out. She has good taste because it was great! I was stuffed. By the time we finished eating, walked around a little, and then got back to the hostel; it was time for the soccer game between Germany and Uruguay. This game was to determine 3^rd place so I changed into my German soccer jersey, ordered a cold drink, and watched the game with my colleague and a bunch of Swedes. Lucky for us, Germany won!!

Sunday morning was another early one. We were to meet in the lobby before 9 am with our luggage and prepared for a tour of the Jewish Quarters. Most of the students were ready and had their stuff locked in the luggage room. I had to go upstairs to nicely persuade our 2 rebels to come downstairs. I was NOT happy. Once the 2 slow folks made it downstairs, it was off for our tour. I always find this to be extremely interesting. The Jewish people are always thought to be mistreated by Hitler and his people. While this statement is true, it is also true that it had occurred long before he came along. I always find this to be a cruel reminder about how little respect groups of people have for one another. It was a long hot tour but I was proud of 99% of the students. They followed along, kept up, and at least pretended to pay attention. Once the tour was over, they were free until time to meet at the hostel to head for the train station. My colleague, a couple of students, and myself chose to have lunch together. After a nice salad and some potatoes, we decided to hit the market for any last minute gifts. While walking around the market, we all made a group decision to have just one more trip for ice cream before we left. It was a great decision!!! You can’t go wrong with ice cream. In fact, every time I have a scoop or two, I think about my friend Kelly who can put away ice cream without a thought. Can’t wait to get back for a blizzard but have to admit that I am loving the gelato!!

We got back to the hostel to find all the students there and ready to go. When we got to the station, we still had some time to kill before our train left so we let them roam free just a little longer. They spent their time in Burger King =( We then found that our train would be delayed…now that’s no fun when you’ve got ornery students on your hands. Many of them were mad because we would be on a train during the World Cup Finale which to be honest didn’t matter since Germany lost to Spain. Either way, they made it back for the last few minutes of the Spain versus Netherlands game…sadly though, Spain won =P Before making it back though, I have to report on our train ride. It was MISERABLE!! The air was broken and this train had no windows to open. It was almost unbearable. Several students found comfort in a car farther up but had to be back to our car around 9 because the train would split. A good number of the students opted to tough it out and stay in what they later deemed, “Dante’s Train”. I would have to agree with them. It was definitely NOT a comfortable ride but we all made it safely back to Vienna which is what truly counts!

When I got back to my place, the first thing I did was take a cold shower. It was the best thing since sliced bread…until I started sweating again =( Oh well…time for some sleep. I have a long week ahead of me…

Bonjour Paris

July 1^st through July 4^th

You know, Paris was one of the many cities I had never really thought about going. I have always wanted to see Rome, Sydney, Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and other great cities but Paris was never really at the top of my list. For some reason, I made the decision to plan a weekend trip to Paris. My rationale was a little crazy, “I’m 30…I need to do something fun for myself.” Not really the greatest reason in the world but a reason all the same. Once I booked the trip, my excitement grew. Little by little, I began thinking about all the fun stuff there is to see in Paris. I made myself a list: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee, Versailles, and the list goes on. I was excited about the trip but not excited about having to speak French…mainly because I can’t. One of my friends and colleagues, agreed to go with me. She studied French for quite some time so she was definitely a good companion. Not only for the language, but also because she’s a fun person to be around.

We left Vienna headed on a plane bound for Paris. The flight was no fun. It was delayed a little and then we had to hurry for our transfer in Frankfurt. Luckily, the flight there was also delayed so we had nothing to worry about. We had reserved a shuttle from the airport since our arrival was pretty late. The driver was extremely nice and helpful. He had a van waiting for us and he had a couple other people to pick up as well. Before we knew it, we were a van full of people rolling through Paris at night. It was absolutely beautiful! The sights were amazing to see but the driving was an experience in and of itself. There appear to be no rules what so ever. And the pedestrians are the craziest. They simply walk out in the middle of the road with no attention to the cars coming at them at 60 miles an hour. Now, I enjoyed seeing the sights but I was more than ready to be dropped off at my hotel. I was on the fast track to becoming motion sick…and for those of you who understand…it’s not a fun track to be on. Fortunately, we arrived at our hotel and check in. It was a quaint little hotel not far from the Republique. We were anxious to get to our rooms and get some sleep…little did we know this was going to be a task. We walked into an extremely small room with a temperature of at least 100 degrees if not more. Once the windows were open, it dropped to a cool 95. The heat was something that could be dealt with but once we laid down on the bed, we found another problem. The bed was as comfortable at a hard wood floor. Either way, we knew we had a lot to accomplish so we needed some sleep. I put my earphones in and did my best to sleep.

The alarm was set for an early 6:45 am. Amazingly, the room was actually a bearable temperature since we were able to leave our windows completely open. There was only a wall in front of us so there was no chance of anyone seeing us nor getting into the room. The first thing on our list was breakfast with a cup of coffee. We found a cute little café on our way to the subway. I had a true French baguette in France. It was delish but the coffee was lacking. Once the caffeine began to take effect, we made our way to the underground. It’s a strange feeling…not knowing what type of ticket we needed for our day. We took the time to play around with the automat before deciding to talk with information. Of course, “talk” is relative. As we walked up, I was hoping one of 2 things would happen: 1. my colleague would remember her French or 2. the person at the counter could speak English…fortunately, both happened. She was able to remember enough to ask for help in French. Then he spoke enough English to point us in the right direction...Versailles. We headed in what we thought was the right direction. It’s extremely unfair to compare the French train system to that of Germany and Austria but I have to do it. We were standing on the platform for 30 minutes and missed 2 trains. Now it seems like something stupid to do but the problem was simply that the signs were extremely unclear. One time the sign said platform 1 so we went to platform 1 only to miss the train on platform 2. This happened once more before we simply decided to get on the next train no matter where it was headed. Luckily, it was headed in the right direction. We made it to Versailles and began our tour. I cannot begin to describe how beautifully extravagant this palace is. Learning about the “Sun King” in class was nothing compared to seeing this work of art in person. I can now fully understand why the country of France went bankrupt. There was gold, velvet, and crystal everywhere.

We took a self guided audio tour through the palace and were not alone. There were wall to wall tourists. After 3 hours in the walls of the former residence of the king, we decided to head out for some fresh air and something to eat. On our way back to the train, we found a crepe place so why not. Baguette for breakfast and crepe for lunch…it’s French right!? Of course, we also took the time to do some shopping before heading to our next destination…Arc de Triomphe. Before getting on the train, we decided to buy a sandwich for a picnic on the Seine. We took a hot train back to town and wound up at the Arc. As we came up the stairs, there was a thunderstorm brewing. The wind was blowing and the clouds were extremely dark overhead. As soon as it began to rain, we headed for cover. We were fortunate to end up in the coverings of a movie theater. Considering this a sign, we decided to take a break from sightseeing and watch a film until the storm blew over. It worked out perfectly. After the movie, the rain and wind had let up and it had cooled down so we were able to stroll down the Champs Elysee. Before we knew it, we were almost to the Eiffel Tower. At that point, we decided to power through and walk to the tower instead of hopping on the subway. One of the streets we chose was the “Rodeo Drive” of Paris. We passed Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc. Unfortunately, the stores were all closed so I had to wait to do my souvenir shopping =) We made it to the Tower but decided not to go up just yet. The crowd was OUTRAGEOUS. We opted to have our picnic by the river and head back to the hotel to plan the next day’s events. On our walk back, we discovered a forgotten fact about Paris; the death of Princess Diana. We happened to cross the street upon seeing a flame much like that of the Statue of Liberty so we wanted to take a closer look. Once standing in front of the flame, there was a photograph of Diana with flowers all around. That’s when we remembered. People had come to leave letters and write on the wall which was over the tunnel in which the accident occurred. That was an unplanned something special. I can remember watching the events on tv and here I was standing over where it happened. It’s a strange feeling which cannot be described with words. We took a few minutes to read the various inscriptions before making our way to the subway. At that point, we had calculated being out of our hotel 14 hours. It was bedtime!

Saturday morning was a tough one. I was so extremely tired and couldn’t tell you why. I actually slept the night before. Either way, I was REALLY slow getting moving but felt a little better after a cappuccino =) I was then headed to the Louvre.

My colleague had been before so she wanted to see another art museum but we had agreed to meet at Notre Dame at 1pm. It could not have been a more perfect day to see the Louvre. It rained most of the morning so there was no need to be out and about. I made my way to the ticket counter and was extremely impressed with myself. I actually asked for my ticket in French! Now, the guy behind the counter laughed but at least I tried. I made it through security, got my audio guide, and headed straight for….yep, you guessed it…the Mona Lisa. I figured I should see her first and then enjoy the rest of my time looking at the other works. It was a sight to see but she was not my favorite piece. She was also not as crowded as I had expected. I was expecting people to be wall to wall to see her but that was not the case. I must also take some time to make another France/Germany/Austria comparison…security. Before entering the museum, I had to have my purse x-rayed but when they say NO flash…they DON’T really mean it in France. People were using flash left and right. Try that in Germany or Austria. It takes all of 2 seconds for someone to walk over and say, “No Flash please.” There were security guards walking through the rooms but I never saw one of them use the famous German/Austrian phrase. Interesting…Anywho, after checking out Mona Lisa, I decided to browse some of the other famous artists such as Spitzweg, Friedrich, David, etc. I am always overwhelmed when I stand in front of the actual work of art which I had only seen in a textbook before…yeah, I’m a dork but it’s an amazing feeling. After several hours of looking at art, I was pooped. I got on the subway headed for Notre Dame. Upon arrival, I found my colleague standing in front of the massive cathedral. The line was wrapped around the block so I took a couple of pictures from outside before heading to the Latin Quarter. This particular area is well known for its wide variety of shops and restaurants for inexpensive prices. We had some lunch, did some shopping, and decided to try the Tower once more. Unfortunately, we would have been waiting in line over 2 hours to get tickets so we made a wonderfully executive decision…go back to the room to watch the Germany/Argentina game. I watched the game while my colleague slept. It was a relaxing afternoon. When she awoke, we decided to get out of the room again. There was another game on but we opted for some movement. We walked the streets near our hotel and agreed upon yet another crepe. The guys at this particular imbiss were nice so we decided to have a seat, eat our crepes, and watch the soccer match with them. They were pulling for Spain, who won, and we had a wonderful time watching them interact with one another. Of course, then it was off to bed. We had an early day ahead of us.

Since our first 2 attempts of climbing the Tower weren’t successful, we decided to get there first thing Sunday morning. Our flight wasn’t until later so we had some time to get ready, packed, and over there. Well, there were 3 extremely long lines and one fairly short one. The short one involved taking the stairs. Since we had rested the day before, we decided why not? I’ve got to do this before I leave or I’ll regret it. The line moved quickly and before I knew it I was climbing the stairs inside the Eiffel Tower. It was amazing. It looks as though you would never make it but it’s surprisingly easy to manage. The view was breathtaking! You could see all of Paris from up there. Josh, you would never make it. You can see underneath your feet and once you get up there, it’s apparent that you’re several stories above Paris. I thought of you as I climbed what came to be 40 some odd stories. Of course, sadly it was off to pick up our bags and head for the airport. Before leaving though, we headed to the Latin Quarter for one last crepe. I opted for chocolate and coconut while my colleague chose chocolate, banana, and whipped cream. It was a nice end to the Paris getaway.

As I waited at the airport for our flight time, I made some mental notes of what I would like to see the next time I come as well as what I would like to do again. I made my notes with several family and friends in mind. I can’t wait to come back! Now that I understand the transportation system and can use a few French phrases, I’m ready for a second trip...I would even stay in the same hotel again! After the first night, the bed grows on you! Au revoir Paris!

Welcome to Vienna!!

Saturday, June 26^th

Welcome to Vienna!! This morning I head to my “home” for 5 weeks. It has been an eventful and fun past couple of weeks but I’m ready to unpack for awhile. I am extremely excited because I am staying at the same place I stayed last year. “E” is a wonderfully sweet good-hearted woman. We got along great last year and I don’t foresee any problems this summer. I have made plans to be at her place around 12:30. I say good-bye to Andrea before getting on the train but I’ll see her again at the end of July. I arrived “home” on time. I heard the vacuum cleaner through the door so I left my suitcase in the hallway and decided to walk across the street for some groceries. When I got back, “E” had already put them in my room. It’s a shame she didn’t unpack for me. Either way, we sat together at the kitchen table and caught up a little. She has a date as well as preparing for her birthday party on Monday. I offer to help her do some last minute shopping before she gets ready for her dinner. It’s great to arrive to a place I am familiar with. There was less stress and I was completely relaxed. My room and the apartment are as I had remembered it from last year. She left for her date and finished unpacking. Of course, I begin thinking about the students. Several of them arrived yesterday and made it safely to their families. Most of them will be arriving any minute now. “B”, one of our contacts at the institute, is picking the students up at airport. I begin worrying about delays, if all made it on time, etc. I do my best to keep myself busy so I don’t think about it. Before I know it, it’s 11 and I’m pooped. It’s off to bed.

Sunday, June 27^th

This afternoon is our orientation session which will be the moment of truth. Did everyone make it to Vienna? I allow myself to sleep late which was the best thing ever! I didn’t even set an alarm. After I showered and got myself ready, I fixed myself a sandwich for lunch. Before I knew it, it was time to head into the city. I decided to go a little early just to take my time and walk around the city. I’m really glad I did because several of the students were wandering around in search of the institute. The funniest part was that they were within a block but had been walking around in circles. In their defense…the building is covered with scaffolding.

I was impressed!!! All 21 students made it and on time!!! It was really great to see them all and I was really looking forward to not only getting to know them but also watch them experience Austria. After 2 hours of orientation stuff, it was off to dinner. Since we were a group of 22, I had reserved a table for us. It turned out great! We went right in, ordered, and enjoyed a nice meal together. It was fun helping them translate the menu…well, often just describe what exactly the food item was. That’s really hard to do sometimes. Many of the students took the time to get to know one another and talk about getting together for some weekend plans. Many have family in Europe so they have already made plans. Several have never been to Europe so there is LOTS they want to see. They’re even talking about going to Rome. Even if they stay in Vienna for their free weekends, I am positive they will have an amazing time! Side note…Germany beat England 4-0! After dinner, several of the students headed out the Donau Insel. It was closing night for the huge music festival they have there every year so there were some experiences to be had. Other students decided to just walk around to get acquainted with the city a little. I opted to go home since tomorrow was our first day of class and I wanted to be rested. I was looking forward to the coming weeks. There is a great mix of students; not only male to female, but also by ages, experiences, and language. When you have a nice mix of students, it makes the study abroad experience even more fun. The group seems to blend pretty well so far. They are helping one another as well as getting to know one another in the process. This is going to be a wonderful group…I just feel it!

Monday, June 28^th

Alright, today is our first day of classes. I am going to try not to include every detail from this point on. It will get boring for you and extremely repetitive for me so I’m going to do my best to only include the more interesting/important stuff.

My daily routine is as follows:

(Prep time/coffee time at Institute around 10)

Teach German language course from 12:30-2:30. Attend culture course from 3:00-5:00.

Now this schedule doesn’t sound so bad but it is difficult. It always takes me a day or so to get motivated and into “teaching mode”. Of course, I teach but there is this realization that you’re not teaching at the University but in Vienna. It takes some adjusting for me as well as the students.

Today I decided to go easy on them. We reviewed a little vocabulary and worked on some concepts from the past semester. I also gave them some time to talk about how things were going so far. I am already extremely impressed with how much they’ve done and how much they’ve made an effort to speak German. A couple of students are upset because people speak to them in English even when they speak to them in German. Many of them are speaking German with their host families and have already made dinner plans with their families. Not everyone has the best start. A couple of the students are a little sick (home and tired from travel) while others are not quite sure what they’ve gotten themselves into. The reactions to the first few days are all different. We have fortunately had wonderful weather! So far, the days haven’t been extremely hot…that will come…and the nights have been cool.

When I got home, it was time to party! Today is "E"s birthday and she was having some friends over so I joined in on the fun. It was really great to get to know the friends of someone I consider a friend. It's also loads of fun to observe people. What's a struggle is testing my language skills with strangers. They were all great and did a wonderful job of using High German when possible. It was difficult to understand those in the dialect but they were all great sports about it. It was a great evening. We spent most of the night sitting on her balcony enjoying the food and each other's company. At about midnight, I had to call it. I still wanted to make some preparations for class before getting some sleep.

Tuesday, June 29^th through Thursday, June 30^th

These past few days have been unusual…mainly because it’s hard to get adjusted to being on a schedule again. The students are doing great! They have been working through sickness, their new surroundings, and the language differences quite well. I’ve been more motivated and am doing my best to educate them to the best of my ability =) The language class is hard because 2 hours is a long time to stay motivated. The good thing is they are a great class. I always give them a chance during the first week to ask any questions they have that I can help with as well as give them a few minutes to talk about plans they are wanting to make for dinner, concert, etc. Of course, we also do some German grammar and dialogues along the way. They are really experiencing quite a few new things. The food is different, they are sleeping in different beds, they don’t have their cars, they take the subway, and there is no air conditioner. Each one has a different experience which is amazing to hear. Several of them get lost but then find their way. It’s also really cool (and makes me proud) when they accomplish things on their own for the first time. I’m sure it’s the kind of thing a mother feels when she has done her best to teach her child how to speak and the word finally comes out. Now I know these aren’t my children but I often feel that proud of them!

Some of the sights we saw this week were:

St. Stephan’s Cathedral: It is an amazing work of art. The most wonderful part was having a guided tour by one of the most enthusiastic, intelligent women I know, Dr. O. She gave us more than just historical info; she pointed out some of the artistic points of the cathedral. www.stephansdom.at

Imperial Treasury: Now you can only imagine what is stored from this powerful country after so many years in power. There are crowns, jewels, robes, etc. One of the most beautiful pieces is the baby crib of Napoleon’s son. Now I know he wasn’t a very nice person but it’s strange to see a piece of the family’s furniture standing in front of you. http://www.khm.at/en/treasury/

ATIB:

Now this was one of my favorite things to do last year and it was even better this year. ATIB is a Turkish organization that helps with intercultural activities, integration, and understanding. There is a huge Turkish and Muslim population in Vienna so this organization is in a great place. We met with the prayer leader and one of the female students. We were given a tour of the prayer room and given some information about the Muslim faith. Now I remember learning about different religions as a child in Sunday School but to be in a prayer room with these individuals brings it all to life. As an American, I feel they are completely misunderstood. Of course, with good reason considering some of the things which have been done to Americans but these individuals were open to questions about their faith. I learned quite a bit and the students were in awe of everything. The prayer leader even read from the Koran in Arabic for us. What was interesting this year was having a woman in the room with us. Last year it was 2 men but to see her in contrast to the man was a visual understanding of their principles. We were shown how they pray, what they wear, what the organization does, and were given so much information. I think it was one of the highlights of the summer. There is often not enough cultural understanding between individuals. It’s not just Americans, but everyone. Whether it be religion, politics, or sexual preference, there is often an immediate judgment of the other simply because it’s different from our own beliefs. If we were all given the opportunity to learn about differences instead of fight, I think a lot could be accomplished for the better. Coming from a small town, raised in a Methodist family was a wonderful upbringing that I wouldn’t change for the world but…after coming into contact and becoming friends with individuals of other cultures, religions, political views, and sexual preferences has made me appreciate the world I live in even more. I was raised in only a VERY small portion of this huge world. There is so much to learn and see that it can’t be done in a lifetime.

Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox now but let me tell you…if you have a chance to interact and learn from someone totally different than you, DO IT!!! It’s the best feeling in the world!

Now it’s off to PARIS!!! Yes, you read that correctly. Traci and I are headed to Paris, France for the 4^th of July weekend. The students have already made a variety of plans and I am confident they will all have a safe, exciting weekend. I am REALLY looking forward to as well as nervous about Paris. I speak no French. You’ll have to stay tuned for the details from the French get-a-way….