Exchange Rate

I just wanted to share the wonderful wonderful happenings that are going on right now.. if you haven't been paying attention, but since I have been in Europe, the Dollar has appreciated by 44 cents.  I'm really really thrilled about this... And just wanted to tell the world :)

now, just wait, because I posted this, tomorrow it's going to shoot back up to 1.68.... sigh..

Things I Love about Vienna

That every weekend is a three day weekend :)
It's really green here, even in the middle of the city.
Public Transportation.
The new and the old intermingled throughout the city.
Schönbrunn Gardens.
The Zoo, especially the seals.
Stephansdom.
That each district makes you feel like you are in a new city.
Maroni on every street corner, aka, roasted chestnuts.
The way everyone avoids looking at each other to whatever extent necessary on the subways.
Coffee.
Getting to speak German.
Meeting some really interesting people from all over the world.
The city at night.
That in a hop, skip and a jump I can go to about 10 different countries.
All the parks.
The surprising amount of peacefulness in the middle of the city.
That I am getting to experience more than just summer.
That it has already "snowed." Well, Texas snowed, we saw a snowflake :)
How much more efficient everything is.
Local Markets instead of giant grocery stores.
No wal-marts.
My waltzing class.
My Theology class.
My lit class.
My hilarious little lit professor.
The fact that text books can be checked out of the library for the semester and don't have to be purchased.
That's a good list of things... I'll probably come up with some more later :)

Now that it has been a million years since I updated...

Okay, sorry it's been so long, I've just been really busy. Three days a week I have over 10 hour days, so I am pretty exhausted by the time I get home at night, so I do homework, eat dinner and crash. But Wednesdays are my mostly free days. yay!
So last week was pretty good, the trip to Schwabisch Hall was absolutely fantastic! It was so good to see everyone even though it had only been two weeks since I had last seen them, but nevertheless, it was really rejuvenating to get to hang out with some familiar faces after I couple of difficult weeks acclimating to living in Vienna. Saturday we also went to Mainz to go see Lena and Nathan, from AC, Lena was our language resident for the last two years and Nathan is living in Mainz studying abroad this year. It was a lot of fun to see them, we went to a mexican food restaurant owned by San Antonians! That was pretty cool, wasn't the best though. Anyway, so that weekend was good, but it was really hard to leave again, knowing this time there are people I won't see again. 5 of them are coming here at the end of November for a weekend, and I'm sure it'll be even harder when they leave, but I"m looking forward to that.
So that started off a good week, classes went well, theology got easier, I understood a little more because i took my computer with me and looked up a bunch of the things he was saying that confused me because I didn't understand words, so that helped a lot. I finally started making some friends in class, so it's nice to be able to talk to people outside the Central group and my roommate. People also seem to be finally coming out of their rooms from hiding and are hanging out in the kitchen more often, so I'm meeting some people in my dorm too. Friday Nicole and I went out to Schonbrunn Palace, it was absolutely beautiful and on a fantastic day, we just walked around the grounds and walked through a hedge maze and took a lot of pictures. I think it's probably one of my new favorite places in the world. We are going back to go to the Zoo this weekend, I'm really looking forward to that.
We also went to Graz this weekend with the school, it was alright, we didn't do much because we were only there for like 36 hours, we took a tour of the Southern Wine Road, that was absolutely spectacular, I loved it. We toured a winery and go to have some traditional Austrian foods and wine, it was fun. Then Sunday we took a city tour, but it really wasn't much different from any of the other places we have been, basically just one of the districts in Vienna. Still nice though. But it was good to get back Sunday night.
So I've been just trying to keep up with my school work and sleep and exploring Vienna a bunch. I'm really loving it here, the city is fantastic, and life is starting to get a bit easier.
Also, Coffee in vienna is wonderful, I'm addicted. The Melange is my new bff.

I finally posted some more pictures, not many, but if you want a looksie...
http://freshbakedbread.shutterfly.com/

love you all, hope all is well!

First Real week of Vienna

So things have been pretty eventful this last week. Classes officially started last Wednesday, but I did not have most of them until this week.
Monday I have International Econ, which is in English and 4 hours long. When we got there (Stacy is in my class too) we could only find seats in the back and had resolved ourselves to sit in the front next class because he was talking so quietly that we could not hear him. Well like 30 minutes into class he asks if anyone is an American, so stupidly we raise our hands and then from that point on in the lecture he moves closer and closer to us all class, lecturing directly to us, until he ends up about 10 feet away lecturing to us as if it is our fault the American economy is failing. It was nice because we could finally hear him, but I think I am going to have study about 8 times harder than anyone else in order to be able to argue with him about things. After that I have a Music in Vienna course with the Central program. that looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, the prof is really cool and I think I'm going to learn a lot in that class.
Tuesday I have my internship from 9-5. Tuesday was okay because for a while they didn't have anything for me to do except for work on the computer, but my account wasn't set up so I couldn't do it. So I pretty much did busy work like filing things and reshelving books while IT set up the computer for me. Then I spent the rest of the time making pamphlets for my division in 6 different languages. It was pretty cool. After work I have my German Lit class with Central, I'm pretty stoked about that too. We are going to be reading a lot of different things and I am really looking forward to getting to read some actual German classic literature.
Wednesday is a very easy day for me. I don't have class till the afternoon, but I have what will be my hardest class, The Theology of Martin Luther, in german. I pretty much just sat there eyes terrified, mouth gaping the entire time, but the kid that sits next to me emailed me his notes, so that was helpful as I only understood about one tenth of what was going on. Now it makes more sense, and I really think I'm going to enjoy it.
Thursday we have our Austrian context course. In the morning we go out and do something in the city to experience Vienna, yesterday we went to the Museum of Vienna, it was alright. Nothing too exciting. I have my internship again in the afternoon where I spent the entire time typing call numbers on labels on a typewriter. It was miserable. I hate typewriters. After that we normally have the history portion of our context course, but our teacher was sick, so we didn't. So Pat and I tried to go to the music store across the street in order to play guitar and ukulele, but they were closed by the time we got there.
Friday is my wonderful day off and I already love this. 3 day weekends every weekend, so I can travel and sleep. whoo hoo! The only time I don't have Friday off, of course, is my birthday. I have my econ final and I'm already really angry about it. But today I am off to Schwabish Hall for the weekend with Nicole. I'm really excited to go back, I miss everyone there already and it's going to be a super fun weekend. It'll be nice to get a break with some friends after such a long week here. So we are off to gets some Burritoes and then to Germany!
love
Ann

texas=cowboys vienna= wiener schniztel

Well I am finally moved into my for realz dorm. I really like it so far, it's pretty big and for the all of 5 minutes I talked to my roommate before we both dashed off in different directions she seems really nice, all I know is that her name is Kristina and she is from Western Austria. I think she has an exchange student roommate every semester, so that's a good sign. But anyway, the dorm is nice, I think I'm going to enjoy it here, it's not too far from the city center or school or anything really.
This last week in Vienna was pretty eventful, we figured out what classes we will most likely be in, I'm for sure taking 3 classes with central, austrian context, german literature and then either music in Vienna or grammar and stylistics- those are all in german and are taught more similarly to classes in the states, except that they are only with other kids from my program. Then I'm also taking International econ, and then either the theology of Martin Luther, or Europes Political Economy, those are all classes at the University, so that's going to be an adventure. I am also taking a beginning dance class to like, 10 different dances among them Viennese Waltz, slow waltz, foxtrot, salsa, merengue, tango, cha cha cha, rumba, boogie and samba. whoo! That's going to be fun!
I had my interview with the UN yesterday, well it wasn't so much an interview as hi, I'm your boss, when can you work. But Anadin and I will be the "research specialists" for UNCITRAL which is the United Nations Commision on International Trade Law. That'll be fun I hope!
That's all really from here, we have just been getting to know Vienna, signing up for train passes, subway passes, living here, etc etc etc, it's crazy all the things we have had to do in the last week, it's made me dead tired. But this is a pretty easy week, classes "start" today but all I have is my stylistics class, if I decide to take it, today is a come in, we will sit and decide what this class will be based on those who want to take it, if you like it, take it. And then our mandatory Austrian Context class tomorrow which is a history and Viennese Sightseeing class. It'll be fun.
I'm loving it here, Vienna is wonderful the people are really nice and I'm really looking forward to my classes starting.