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 27th
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 28th
My daily routine is as follows:
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 29th through Thursday, June 30th
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!
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
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 4th 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….
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