You Know You're in Europe When...

You Know You're in Europe When...
Every toilet is a new experience which involves figuring how to turn the light on and flushing it...keep in mind most have two buttons to flush...you figure it out
Peanut butter is impossible to find
You get excited when you hear English
German is a familiar language
There is no such thing as a line in stores
Everyone dresses nicer than you
Everyone knows more about American Politics than you do
Your German teacher can tell you who the secretary of transportation is
The only fast food restaurant is McDonald's and people have business meetings there because it is not anything like McDonald's in the US
Europeans would never be caught dead in a McDonald's in the US
People give you dirty looks on the U-bahn if you do anything but sit there
All the drugies are contained in Karlsplatz
You know that the people with blue mouths are high but you can't figure out if it is from a Slurpee or crack
You have to buy your own grocery bags
Any cold beverage is bad for your health
Ketchup costs money!
You start to think in Euros
The apartment you live in is 300 years old
New buildings are older than any building in the US
You can go to a world famous opera for 4 euros
You can be in 3 countries in 1 day
Transportation shuts down at midnight in order to conserve
There is no such thing as a light that stays on all the time
People flush leftovers/scraps down the toilet
The toilet and the shower are in 2 separate rooms
There is only 1 bathroom in any apartment, house, or other establishment
You have to pay money to use the bathroom in a public location
You get different answers when you search different googles...yes there are differnt googles
The internet is a luxury...hence my lack of blog updates...

Europe is for the Birds

I was looking through my pictures and realized I have a ton of me feeding various types of birds in various cities. Birds in Europe are gutsy. I almost was decapitated by a pigeon when I walked around the corner on my way to school. I was bit by a swan in Prague (which was entirely my own fault but completely worth the kodak moment), actually come to think about it I was bit twice in Prague. The pigeons in St. Mark's Square will land on you. I am not going to lie, it freaked me out. I didn't think it would but it did. I screamed when it landed on me and shielded my face purely out of fear. We found the ugly duckling (okay so it was a swan) in Prague. We went down to the water to feed the birds and all of a sudden they started coming out of the water and began to mob us. It was terrifying. Pigeons are such a threat to artwork (outdoor) that they have everything covered with nets so as to prevent them from landing on it. Apparently their poop is acidic. Bet you didn't know that and yes that is what I am learning here in Europe...how acidic bird poop is. I promise I have now seen the damage they did to St. Stephen. Poor guy, they took of his arm and melted his face off! Birds are brutal and deadly to anyone who is solid stone and hangs out on the outside of buildings. You should all keep that in mind.

Outrage in it's Purest Form

So I went to see the new James Bond movie last night. I know it is kind of lame to see a movie when I am in the center of culture however, sometimes you just need a movie. Anyways...I myself do not claim to be a die hard Bond fan nor am I an expert by any means. So I went with some students that are studying as well here in Vienna. After the film we were discussing our thoughts. Most people did not like it. I was entertained but it wasn't the greatest movie I have ever seen. I suddenly became outraged however when the people who were with me objected to the movie because Bond only sleeps with 1 woman rather than the typical 2. I was disgusted and outraged. I cannot even tell you how much restraint it took on my part to keep my mouth shut and be nice. I was so disappointed at what has become "manly" in this world. You are manly if you treat women like hunks of meat and sleep around?! I was also appalled at the fact that this was being stated by (I will be honest) not my favorite person but someone I thought had values. I was so tragically disappointed in my generation. I was so saddened that people my age just don't get it anymore. Sex is not a way to define yourself and when taken lightly it will destroy your spirit. I refuse to accept the idea that sex sells. Maybe it does but that is an indication of just how backwards we are. What we value is a statement of who we are and we should value members of the opposite sex in a way that is respectful. Love is a beautiful thing and should be treated as such. I am not a hunk of meat nor will I be treated like one.

Ich mag Deutsch gar nicht

So I have thinking a lot lately about the need to communicate. I have often characterized myself as one who does not necessarily communicate very well. Now being in a country where I have to communicate in another language has compounded the problem. Today is one of the frequent days where I go to German in a relatively good mood and leave in a particularly sour one. I get a sick feeling in my stomach and I think "oh great, another day of humiliating agony." I have come to truly envy those who grew up speaking two languages. I also have a new found respect for missionaries. I normally attend a German speaking ward on Sundays but this week I decided to go to the international ward where they speak English. I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I was at the prospect of being able to raise my hand and participate in the lesson. I could communicate thoughts and emotions and I was understood! I am so embarrassed that throughout the world as an American I expect people to speak English. I expect them to cater to me and my needs rather than making the effort to learn their language. I was thinking about how at home there are often signs in Spanish and before it always kind of bothered me. I thought "if someone lives in America they should learn to speak English." Now however I understand the pure delight that can come from hearing or seeing something in your own language. I get excited when I see a sign in English, my face lights up when I hear someone speaking English, it is so refreshing when someone asks me something in English...I am truly humbled when someone half my age speaks a language fluently that baffles me. Just when I start to understand it, right when it is in the grasp of my fingers, it laughs in my face and runs away singing "nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah..."

The City Itself

So I realized I have not really posted much on Vienna itself, mostly just the other places I have been. I normally spend about a week in Vienna for every week of travel. So I really have not been here a whole lot but I am starting to notice the subtleties and nuances of the city. I love it. It is fall now so all the leaves are golden yellow and when the wind blows they slowly float down to the ground. I love walking around and kicking up leaves as I go. It is still warmer here...well warmer in the sense that it is not below 50 degrees yet. I really like it though. A typical day consists of me going to class and I am usually done with that by 2. My fine arts class is my personal favorite. Some days we are in an actual classroom and other days we are in a cathedral, museum, or palace or such. I love being able to talk about something in class and then being able to go and see it. I try to go to an opera once a week and I am getting quite proficient in my standing room tactics. My school is right across from the Staatsoper so I can watch the line while I am in class. I have seen Simon Boconagra, Capricio, Faust, and The Marriage of Figaro. The Marriage of Figaro was my favorite. It has beautiful music and a really fun plot. I have seen a couple plays here in German and it is really hard to understand.
My German is improving but slowly. It is difficult because most of the time if I speak in German at a store or anything they reply in English. I try my best to continue to speak German.
Anyways Vienna is marvelous and I love it!

Don't be Confused...I really am in Vienna, not Venice

So I am so neglecting my blog. It is hard to update it frequently with the life I lead these days. It is an excellent way to live if I may say so. I spent last week exploring Florence and Venice. I hesitated to post pictures of Venice because it should not but often is confused with Vienna. I really am on a study abroad in Vienna, Austria, I promise. We just took a trip to Italy because we can . It was by far one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my entire life! I saw tons of artwork that I have studied in so many classes. My favorite by far was David. The statue is both beautiful and flawless. I stood in awe. You could see every vein, every tendon, all the glory of the moment. It was truly beautiful. I also went to the Uffizi and saw so many Botticelli’s I thought I had died and gone to heaven. We climbed up to the top of the Duomo and took in the view of both Florence and the Tuscan countryside. It was beautifully rustic and inviting.
I also developed a horrible addiction while I was in Italy. I am now going through gelato withdrawals. The first time I got it in Florence I wanted mint chocolate and nutella flavored. The sign said menth and coco. I thought coco meant mint chocolate. So I ordered coco menth and nutella. Coco is coconut so I ended up with a massive amount of gelato with an odd combination of flavors. As I stood outside waiting for my friends to finish ordering theirs a small Italian woman stopped, stared at me, and then said something in Italian that I gathered meant “you are so small and your ice cream is so big.” It was really funny.
After Florence we headed to Venice. I love Venice. I am going to live and/or have a summer home there. I could not believe how unique and charming and just downright cool it was. Can you imagine crossing a bridge to get to your front door? Or how about taking a boat to work? Crazy! We took a water bus out to Murano where they make glass. We watched a man make a horse in about 30 seconds. It was incredible. After Murano we continued on to Burano where they make lace. Unfortunately the lace factory was not open so we did not see that but the island itself is charming, full of brightly colored houses and cute little alleys. We also saw the filming of a bollywood movie. It was so funny. We took a ton of silly pictures and basically had a wonderful day. Our addiction to gelato was also fed…I think I had at least 6 scoops a day every day I was in Venice. My friend just kept saying “don’t worry it’s water based!” I think for my sake I will believe her. Now that we are back in Vienna we have scoped out a good and cheap gelato place and don’t worry I have already paid them a visit.
We leave for Prague on Wednesday and I am actually going back to Italy at the beginning of November. I am headed to Milan and Rome so I am sure you will hear all about it!
I miss you all!