The Beginning of the End

I am currently flying over Montreal on my flight home.  Marcus is sitting next to me watching some action packed movie, Kai is doing something similar, Ginger is passed out cold, and my parents are enjoying themselves in Business class and sending us drinks and snacks periodically. (Again, thanks a lot!!)  It’s been a whirlwind of 4 months.  Time hasn’t gone faster, or slower, at times.  I have gone through the motions today, traveling, layovers, delays, luggage, things you just do.  I haven’t really thought about the fact that this chapter of my life is closing.  I have talked about studying abroad since high school.  I knew it  was something I wanted to do.  Heck, I applied to two schools IN EUROPE for college.  I knew I was supposed to go back at some point.  After falling in love with school in South Carolina, I never thought I could leave school there and enjoy another place, knowing my friends and life would continue there without me.  But I did.  And I loved it.  I don’t know if I have “changed” abroad but I certainly learned a lot about myself.  Many people have told me that I wouldn’t want to come back.  Two weeks ago, I would have told them they were wrong, I was ready to see my family and I was ready to have the certain luxuries of being home.  But after having my family in Vienna, everything changed.  I love that city.  I love being able to walk everywhere.  I love the historical buildings, the self-confidence people exude, wearing whatever they choose and not thinking twice about it.  The individuality and different cultures you experience around each corner.  Life is always interesting.  Never the same, never ordinary.

But at the same time, I hated missing my close friends, my family and my life in South Carolina.  I missed my Delta Zeta sorority functions; I miss driving down the streets of Columbia, blasting country music with the windows down.  I miss the southern hospitality, the friendliness of a stranger, and the smiles from acquaintances.  I look forward to being back there come August. But I also know thatI will appreciate those things more, and similarly, I will miss parts of Vienna.  I will miss sitting on Maggie’s balcony in he morning, enjoying a big cup of coffee.  I will also miss my close group of friends in Vienna.  The fact that we would do anything for any one of us, and that we never got sick of each other.  Vienna has made me appreciate the little things in life.  I hope I do not get sucked into the fast pace of a fully scheduled life again.  I want to enjoy a big cup of coffee outside, I want to eat a fresh breakfast, and walk round a city with no list of errands to complete. 

I hope to take the experiences from Vienna and incorporate them into my busy life at school.  I hope to make my senior year the most unforgettable. 

As for the summer, AKA the next six weeks before my drive down to Columbia, I hope to recuperate, unpack and purge the excess in my life that I haven’t missed over the past four months, and enjoy my summer with my family.  This will probably the longest time that the five of us will be “the five of us” under the same roof.  Ever.  Kai is starting school in Miami in the fall, and I will be graduating from my undergrad in June.  I don’t know what my next step will be, but I am spending time this summer prepping for the GMAT to take in the fall and apply to grad schools.  Marcus will be a freshmen in high school.  Oh, and Marcus did, indeed, pass me up while I was gone.  I’m now the shortest child and the second shortest in my family of giants.  CRAZY. 

I know that this blog was for my time abroad, and I didn’t do the best job consistently updating it, but I hope to create a new blog this summer and continue blogging. If this actually happens, I will make a post on Vienna or Bust to redirect you.  Blogging helps me reflect on my life, and appreciate the experiences I have had. 

All for now, thanks for following :)

Familie

My two brothers, amazing Family and Ginger (Kai’s girlfriend) arrived in Vienna  a week ago.  We had the busiest week and my hottest week in Vienna!! Another amazing surprise, my grandparents flew in from Germany for two nights and one full day in Vienna to see me. Talk about feeling loved J I am so blessed to have such an incredible support system in my family.  We had a jam-packed “Wiener Woche” and had so much fun together!

We went to Schloß Schonnbrunn (did the tour), Palace Belvedere (Saw Gustav Klimt’s “Der Kuss” and Mom about DIED) , Museums Quartier (More Klimt and other incredible artists), Julius Meinl Café, Hotel Sacher, Staatsoper, St. Stephans Cathedral, Figlmüller (best Wiener Schnitzel), to the Donau, to a Schwimmbad near Prater, and of course a big dinner at Mariahilferbrau and an little visit to Travel Shack. We had a jam-packed week but we did exactly what I wanted to do my last weekend in Vienna.  It was so hot and not many stores/restaurants/my apartment have air conditioning, so I am looking forward to this luxury when I return home.

Wind it up...

Its amazing how fast time can fly.  One moment I am returning from Spring Break, starting my semester of classes abroad and the next I’m running from my last class at WU to the Vienna Airport to pick up the family for a week in Vienna before returning home.  I feel like I have really come full circle this semester.  I am so thankful for this experience.

So I guess classes had to wind up before they could wind down and end.  The classes this semester have been interesting.  All of my courses in Vienna were block courses.  So I would have one class for 2-3 weeks, meet for about 6 or 7 times but totaling like 25 hours of class in that time.  Some classes were day long seminars, others met consistently for 3-4 hours 3 times a week for 2 weeks and then they were over.  Because of this, I had “sprints” and “spurts” of classes, and then nothing.  Which is great for studying abroad, but I would have a hard time doing this for all four years of college.

The last two weeks (first two weeks of June) were crazy.  I had two group projects, two presentations (one in German) and two research papers.  On top of it, I was in classes for at least 4 hours daily during those two weeks.  But it was a SPRINT, and it was over quickly!! The classes offered more experiences and learning than strictly textbook knowledge from books and lectures.  I learned so much from the different professors, some guest professors only in Vienna for 3 weeks to teach a block course and then return to their home countries.  I had two Austrian professors, one Croatia professor and one Pakistani professor.  They offered different perspectives from their host countries, especially cultural differences that  I am personally interested in. 

In the middle of the craziness, we had the biggiest birthday celebration this semester.  Miss Maggie turned 21 on the 8^th of June and we had a true birthday bash.  I made birthday Jell-O Shots and lemon drop shots and Picture Props.  We decorated  Maggies room with neon streamers and balloons  and I painted a giant wine glass for Maggie’s birthday goblet.  We got all dressed up and Maggie fashioned a cute “Birthday Girl” pin.  We went to Volksgarten, a big club in Vienna that was SO COOL.  Thanks to Brandon, Maggie and I were on the guest list so we didn’t have to pay a cover to get in, and we all had a great night together.  It was a great last hurrah with all of our friends before we all started to head home at different times.  I already look back on that night and smile, and I know that I will only become more fond of the memories as time passes.