Well hello again!
I'm so happy that you came back to check for an update. I know, I know. It's been a while. However. I have identified and corrected the issue: my main problem was posting too much at one time. So what can you expect in the future, dear reader? More regular posts (ahem, once a week) but perhaps shorter.
A sincere apology for not having kept you more up to date, but as I have turned over a new leaf, I am going to reset the clock. I might have the chance to fill you in on what happened in the gap between my last post and this one, but for right now let's focus on what has happened in Austria in this last week.
As you can imagine this last week was very busy. As are most first week's of school, I suppose. Austrian schools finish a lot earlier than we do in Canada but it is still exhausting trying to figure out where I need to be and when and listening to German all day!
Despite the struggles of adapting to a new school I have met a small group of Austrian teenagers who seem more than willing to help me out. I'm doing my best to get to know them and they seem more than happy to share details about their lives with me.
This arrangement is very good, considering my spoken German is still shaky. The more talking they do the better! Outside of school I have made myself busy exploring the Museumsquartier and Mariahilfestrasse.
The museums are free to anyone under eighteen, but Mariahilfestrasse is a shopping district and requires a little more cash.
Vienna is a very safe city and I am super comfortable with taking all forms of public transit now. Tram, subway, bus, you name it. It is very well maintained and very efficient. Austrians like to be on time and so do their trains.
Although there appears to be many traditional culinary delights, Vienna is a city of diversity and there is all sorts of tasty cheap food available. I have been introduced so far to Japanese cuisine and Turkish cuisine but am looking forward to exploring a little more!
This weekend was very relaxing. On Saturday I visited the Nashmarkt, and discovered the kind of craziness that arises from having so many people packed into tiny streets. A good kind of crazy, though. Smells of smoked meat, pickled vegetables, baked goods, spices, accompanied with shouts of vendors announcing sales and swarms of people bustling around was so new and exciting but also crazy. Definitely crazy.
After having spent the night at a friend's house in Klosterneuburg, we went on to visit the Art Brut Center Gugging, which showcases a variety of beautiful artwork from individuals with mental illness and disability; some of whom even have residence near the gallery itself.
Having bid farewell to my friend later in the afternoon, I moved on with my host family to go swimming in the Danube, which was nearby. Although the water was cold at first, the weather is so unusually hot for September it was easy to warm up. All in all it was a good week. Filled with lots to do and lots to look forward to.
Pictures are to follow soon. With not only this past week's photos but ones I have not uploaded since I arrived.
Thanks for reading! :)
-Ashley
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