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.