Awkward

Stress. It's losing your passport, spraining your ankle, preparing for two exams, taking said exams, spending lots of money to replace the lost passport in question, and not getting any sleep. But I digress...

In between all of this, I did have some fun. The Juli concert on Monday night was just what I needed! My first German concert...who better to go with than Christine? For dinner we ended up at one of the shittiest cafe's in Munich, as almost everything was closed. Thank you Germany for that.... Although I will say that our incredibly ADD waiter was worth the price of the bill. If she fixed our menus one more time until they were "just so" I think I would've killed her.

Anyway, the concert was in a small place that had more of a bar/disco type feel. After two wine spritzers I was ready to dance, and we enjoyed ourselves, despite the couple in front of us. At one point I considered throwing up on them.

After the concert Christine drove me to the Youth Hostel that I was staying at. When I stepped in I felt like I was in America. Everyone there was from one state or another, and even the receptionists were American. When I went into my room it didn't look so bad. Four other students, all from either Brazil or China, were sleeping there and they were very nice and respectful. However, I still had trouble sleeping, as the floor below us housed the youth hostel bar, where apparently everyone besides us were partying well into the night. I finally fell asleep around 3 or 4am, only to woken up at 8pm by the people in the next room, who were having the loudest sex I have ever heard. Awkward. I could have killed them for making me lose an hour of sleep.

Life abroad is entertaining.

Pride

I saw her again the other day. She was looking through garbage cans by my current home and I just wanted to cry. I tried to give her money but she wouldn't let me. I'm sure she was just too proud.

Be happy with what you have, and be compassionate of others. You never know what kind of crosses that they have to bare.

Cue the music....

I used to think these type of things only happened in movies. Apparently not....

The other morning, on my way to catch a bus to Salzburg's main station, I was in a hurry. I had to meet the church group there that I was traveling to Vienna with. Of course, the bus station by my place is closed down due to construction, so I went to the stop next to it: one I wasn't familiar with. I ran to catch the bus, one that I had thought was traveling to the Salzburg train station. About 10 minutes into the ride I realized we were going in the wrong direction. I had to get out of the bus and run like a mad woman until I got back to the street by my apartment. Now I was still a 20-minute walk away from the main station and it looked like I had run out of options, so I went through my backpack, trying to find the group leaders' numbers so that I could call them and inform them that I wouldn't be able to make it. After all, I had to meet them there in 5 minutes. Then, with a sudden burst of inspiration, I waved frantically for a cab, despite the fact that it's hard to catch one where I lived. As if out of nowhere, one stopped and I got in quickly. He asked me if I was in a hurry and I confirmed I was. I had to make it to the main station: and quick! He told me not to worry--he had worked in Paris as a cab driver and was used to driving fast. He drove quickly but skillfully, and I arrived on time. A miracle.

Fast forward to that afternoon: our group toured the United Nations in Vienna, went to a "Schickimicki" Kaffeehaus for apple strudel and coffee, and even went to the Christmas market in front of the Rathaus that evening. Simply amazing. Until....that next morning in the hotel. Having gotten up for breakfast at 8:30, I looked like death as I walked down to meet the others. I sat with them at a table but was not taking part in the conversation. After having eaten a sandwich I went up to get coffee and yogurt. I grabbed what I wanted, and, hands full, tried to walk back to my table. As if out of a movie, I tripped over the step, and twisted my ankle as the dishes flew in the air. Everybody gasped and there were immediately at least 4 people at my side, helping me to get up and back to my chair. Embarrassing doesn't even begin to cover it. It was unreal.

Now here I sit, in my room, with a twisted, swollen ankle, a headache, and a pissed out outlook on life. Did I happened to mention somehow in the past few days I have also lost my passport?

Oh the joys of living abroad...no matter what, I wouldn't trade this whole experience for everything. At least these types of stories will add to the book I am going to write someday.

Here's hoping I make it through the next few days without incident.

Love, Molly

Visiting the Deuke's

I spent Thursday-Sunday with my favorite host family, the Deuke's. I ended up hanging out with a friend of mine from my program in Tübingen one night, babysitting the kids on the other, biking along the Isar with the entire family on the other, and studying for exams.

One day I went shopping with Susanne and I got Frauke's kids their Christmas presents.

All in all, it was a good time :)

Love, Molly

University

These past 5 weeks in Austria, as I've been sitting in my Erziehungswissenschaft course, I have been observing the overall learning environment. Here are a few things (although they may simply be generalizations) that I have found:

1) Students are actually paying attention. I have seen maybe 1 person text during class, but that is a rarity. If students have computers with them, it's usually to take notes and not to simply socialize on Facebook.

2) The professor asks the students questions and waits a while to give the students a chance to think, rather then giving the students the answer if they don't answer within a few seconds.

3) If the professor doesn't know the answer to a question, he admits it and asks the students if any of them are able to explain something. Thus, he doesn't act like a no-it-all and isn't afraid to admit when something isn't his area of expertise.

4) If the professor does not agree with a student's answer, he says so. In America, the professor would most likely say, "Hmm. That's a good point, but actually I was looking for something else...."

I am not criticizing American universities, I am simply writing down observations, having studied in both countries.

Appreciation

Everyday, as I step out of the former convent that is now my home, I pass a shop with the most beautiful, stylish leather jacket I have ever seen. It's calling my name. I want it; I have to have it. But my eyes always wander to the pricetag: 161 Euro. As much as I want it, that's my food allowance for more than 2 weeks, and I know that I can't afford it. I then get annoyed that I don't have more money, instead of appreciating what I have.

The other day, however, that all changed. On my way to the bakery to get my usual breakfast, I noticed a small, gray-haired woman bent over a trash can. She was looking through it, trying to find something in there to eat. It tore on my heart strings, so I went to the bakery and bought something for her as well. When I went back to give it to her, she was already gone. It made me really think about what I have. No, I can't afford an expensive leather jacket, but wasn't that just a want and not a need? I have food, shelter, and good friends. And that happens to be a lot more than some people have.

So just for today, I'm going to be thankful for what I have.

Really?

As I look back at the expectations that I had for this year, I have to laugh. I had expected meeting people to be so easy, and thought that I would be speaking German every second of everyday.

It is not easy to meet new people. Developing friendships takes time, as hard as it is for an impatient person like me to admit. It is even more difficult in this situation, being a foreigner and often ending up around the students I came here with: Americans.

It's lonely at times. But it makes me appreciate what all of those ex-pats that I have met over the years have been through. And I know that this experience is making me a stronger person.

She wasn't much of a traveler...

My late grandmother wasn't much of a traveler, as I found out when I heard that she had only been to one place in Europe: England. When she passed away, I got to keep 2 of her passports, and was surprised to see that she had been to London, England, at least half a dozen times. I wondered why, given the chance, she would choose to go to London again and again instead of trying different cities.

This past weekend, my question was answered when I visited London for the first time. It was a spontaneous trip, driven more by the fact that it was close by than a huge desire to go there. My admiration for Princess Diana is really the extent to my connection with the city. However, that ended when I actually reached the city of London. Everything about it is elegant and centered around the Royal Family. Everything from castles to churches to, believe it or not, mailboxes and trash cans, this city is a mix of old-fashioned flair and modern convenience.

I visited nearly everything a tourist has to see in just 3 short days. I saw Westminster Abby, Windsor Castle, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Kensington Palace, and so much more. However, what had the biggest effect on me was walking along the pond in front of Kensington Palace, where Diana spent her year's as a royal.

Diana died at just 36 years old in a tragic car accident in Paris in 1997. Dubbed "the people's Princess" for her charity work, I have much admired her since reading her autobiography as a 15-year-old high school student, though not for the reasons one would expect. She herself dealt with depression and anxiety issues, and I admired her courage and strength in trying to deal with them, all while in front of the public eye. She was a selfless woman who threw herself into her charity work in third world countries, going as far as to shake hands with a man with AIDS. Even today, unfortunately, some nurses refuse to touch AIDS patients, even though they should be well aware that AIDS is not transmitted simply by touch. She was truly an inspiration to the world and died much to soon.

As I walked and thought about Diana and her contribution to the world, my thoughts drifted to my Grandmother, also an avid Diana fan. I felt so connected to her at that moment. I finally understood why she loved the city so much. Not only was it beautiful, but it still contained the soul of an amazing woman who died well before her time. My grandmother may be dead, but she is not gone. I feel her every time I read the countless letters she used to send me, or I hear my father talk about her. She is ever-present, watching over me. I've never felt more connected to her than I do right now.