Want to hear a fun fact? Thanksgiving week last year, I read The Martian by Andy Weir. It’s an excellent book, I highly recommend it. Well, this year, the day after Thanksgiving, I finally watched the movie. I noticed it on Netflix, and the timing just felt right. Now I’m wondering if I should make this some kind of personal Thanksgiving tradition. Every year watch or read The Martian. I don’t know, but it’s an idea.
It’s business as usual here, for the most part. I go to class, I sit in the library and do homework. Occasionally, I’ll watch a movie with other people in the castle.
I’ve also joined the chorus group at the castle. At first, I was a little worried, because the last time I was in a chorus was in middle school. I’d never been very good at sight reading music to begin with, and was certain I’d forgotten what little I had known in the time since. However, I found myself surprised by how quickly it came back to me. I don’t fully remember the names of all the symbols, or what note corresponds with which line. But I remember what each symbol is telling me to do, and that’s the important bit.
I’m really enjoying being part of a chorus group again. I’d forgotten how much fun it had been. It’s a little funny to me — I’d stopped taking chorus when I went into high school, because I could either take the chorus elective or the German elective, and now I’m doing chorus in German.
A picture of me in the castle garden, courtesy of my friend Dottie!
The semester has officially begun in Marburg! A lot of my time during these first couple of weeks was spent going to class and doing class work, but I’ve also been getting to know the other people in the castle.
It’s all been a little overwhelming, to say the least. Being surrounded by native speakers of German 24/7, in class and in the dorm, has really shown me just how much more German I have to learn. To be clear, I was using German a lot in Vienna, too. But most of the other people I spoke with were also just learning the language, and were at the same level as me.
So it’s been a minute.
It’s been two weeks since I last posted, but in my defense, I’ve moved to another country and had a week packed with a college orientation program. Next week, I’m starting classes at the university, so I will probably switch to a biweekly schedule of posting until things cool off a bit more.
The Bratislava Castle!
Knowing that I leave Austria soon has really activated my “do as much as you possibly can while you still can” drive. I’ve done a lot this week, from going to the theater, to travelling to Bratislava, to visiting an aquarium. It’s part of the reason why this post is going out a little late — I didn’t get a chance to sit down and finish writing the post until pretty late.
Belvedere Palace
German classes at IKI have been going well, and I’ve been getting all of my ducks in a row to start classes at Marburg next month. It’s been a little stressful, picking out classes and figuring out which ones I can get credit for at Etown. But things are slowly coming together.
It’s strange, to think about how I’ve been in Vienna for a month and a half. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here that long. I’m just now really getting the hang of living here and yet in just a week and a half I will leave. While I’m sure Marburg will be fantastic, I know I’m going to miss Vienna.
An off-center selfie of us in front of the Liberty Bridge in Budapest!
My new favorite thing about being in Europe is that I can just decide to go to another country for a day.
Early last week, some friends and I decided we’d like to take a day trip to Budapest, Hungary on Saturday. Budapest is only two hours away from Vienna by bus, and the round-trip tickets only cost 18€ ($21).
The trip was fantastic. Not only did we get to see the sights in a beautiful city, but one of my friends I made at IKI last month, Orsi, lives there and was able to spend the day with us!
As of this past Thursday, I have officially completed my first course! I even got a nice certificate to show for it. Tomorrow, I will be starting the B1+ German course, which is the next level up, and by the end of September I will (hopefully) be well prepared for my classes at Marburg.
Here’s a bit of a shorter, earlier post today. This week hasn’t been super busy, but tomorrow I’m going on an all day trip with IKI to Krems and Dürnstein, and know I won’t have the time or energy to write up a full post. I don’t know whether I’ll make a post just about the Wachau trip or if I’ll wait and just include it in next week’s post.
I’ve been going to the same Imbiss stand for lunch the past few weeks after class and trying a new sausage each time. It’s cheap, and it’s letting me try out a lot of different foods. It’s also next to the Opera House, and buses of tourists will file off and eat there too, making it crowded. The benefit of me going to the same one every day despite the frequent crowds is that I am establishing myself as Not a Tourist. The workers recognize me now and remember that I don’t like mustard, only ketchup. They remember that I take the receipt. It makes my life much much easier, and the fact that I’m a recognized regular is really nice.