Miss A's Adventures: I've been to Slovakia!

Mittwoch, September 17te 2008
Liebe Familie,
Ah! I adore my life here! It's SO much more organized than Berlin, I love it. Of course, it's a lot of work, but I am enjoying it so immensely. I wish I could stay for winter too...take all of my German classes here instead. After a very long struggle, which included calling Mommy and begging her to decide for me, I decided on taking the Fine Arts class, and the Opera Class. Even though neither will speed my graduation process in the least, there is no where else I could take these classes, so I'm taking them. I will never graduate. Ever.

The most disappointing part of the program is actually the other students. There are far more than I expected who came directly after 101, and I've heard at least 2 say that they have no desire to learn German at all, and only came for the fun experience abroad. Luckily, I'm beginning to make friends in the Institut here, so hopefully after a time I'll be spending most of my weekends with native Austrians.

Our Fine Arts class involves going to loads of museums, we walk around, and take notes as our professor lectures throughout the museum. I've learned so much about Austrian history, it's fascinating. That professor, as well as several other people I've met, whether in a store or at Institut, have complimented me on my German, which of course, makes me feel ridiculously proud of myself. The real problem is that I can speak well, I just have no technical base, I do not know grammar thanks to the lack of it taught in Berlin. I haven't learned German grammar since 102. Ridiculous, I know.

It's a lot more expensive to eat here than Berlin was, so I'm spending more money, but at the same time, the Euro has been better the last week—although it's going to go up in the next week for sure. I cannot get over how dissimilar Berlin and Vienna are from each other! I expected the two countries to be fairly similar, but I think it's more like comparing the U.S.to Mexico (difference wise, not saying that one is poorer than the other) rather than the U.S.to Canada. Of course the food is fairly similar and everything, but Hungary and Austria have had a long connected history, and it really affects Austria, just as being under Communist rule really affected Germany.

I just want to live here my entire life.

I've been pretty busy with classes and homework, so I haven't really seen that much of the city, but I'm going to try to get up early before breakfast tomorrow to go running and explore a bit. In the Fine Arts class we visited the “Wien Museum” yesterday, so I got to see it for free, and it was really interesting. We learned all about the First Turkish Siege, and the Second Turkish Siege. I really wish I was taking the Austrian history class, but the times were just weird and I couldn't really fit into it. Maybe I'll someday be able to do an independent study about Austrian History or something...it's so cool! And living with nobility and all, as well as a Hungarian cook, it'd be cool if I knew more of it.

Last night we had our first meal with our host parents. Haha, I am not sure if I could describe them very accurately. They're ex-aristocrats, who have many friends, and occupy their times throwing parties, attending them, going to the opera, and as extras in films. Because they have loads of time on their hands they are part of a big group of the old nobility here who dress up regularly to be extras in films. One of their films is playing on TV in October, and I REALLY want to see it. Granted, I am FAR more comfortable with Ava, the cook than with them, but they are really very nice people. More of their grandchildren are coming this weekend, and staying in the “Kinderzimmer,” which I didn't even know existed, but sure enough, there's a big room with several beds, and the same antique furnishings that the rest of the apartment has. Our apartment building actually doesn't have very many apartments, if any other than ours. All of the floors below us are businesses, and I've never heard a sound from above, so I'm inclined to think that one is too. But that means I can sleep at night, which I greatly appreciate.

Monday I went to Familie Heim Abend at the Institut. For 2€ we can eat a warm, home-cooked meal, and practice our church vocabulary, and meet other YSA. I adored it, and will definitely be going weekly for all of the Mondays we are in town.

I've read Nathan der Weise again, this time for my Opera/THeater class, and I'll see it on Saturday. My seat was 7€--granted it was in the very back of the theater, but still! That's less than $10.50! Who cares about standing room tickets when you can sit down for a 3-hour long play for about ten bucks?

I've been reading my scriptures in German since I got here, and it's getting much simpler. You know, once you learn to recognize the words “destroyed,” “murmur,” and “obey,” you've got First Nephi covered, which I happen to be in at the moment. Of course it takes MUCH longer to read it than it would otherwise, but I'm really enjoying it, and am determined to keep this up the entire trip. I just want to come here on my mission.

Stake Conference was on Sunday, so I still haven't seen my ward, but we're really excited to on Sunday. I kinda hope I'm asked to speak...I'd get 20 points of extra credit in my conversational class, and it'd be a really good experience. Of course it'd only be about 5 minutes or something, but since I have yet to speak at BYU, it'd be cool if I got to speak in Vienna.

Brother Brewer flew in from military service in the Middle East today, after being there for four months, so we're starting our religion classes this Sunday.

On Saturday we rented a boat on the Donau, so we went paddling around, but it was far too cold to go swimming, and I was one of the few people who didn't bring a swimsuit apparently. Weird, huh? After that we wandered around the Donauinsel, or island. We saw a Triathlon there, and I would so LOVE to do that someday! They were really intense though, they were teams from ALL OVER Europe, no one was speaking German, it was all Polish, and Russian, and French and such. In the night we went on the “Prater,” a humongous Ferris Wheel that is VERY famous, as it's in many films. It was ridiculously expensive, but the rest of the group was doing it, and now I can boast of having ridden on it. Oh well...

Last Friday we spent in Bratislava, a cool city in Slovakia, just an hour's train ride from Vienna. We got lost, so we got to see loads of it. However, I do not recommend Slovakian food to Americans at all. It is so thick, and full of fat, than all of us felt sick after only a few bites. Their “bacon” is about 10% meat, and the rest is fried fat. Their ice cream is cool though. It's really different tasting, but still good. I may perhaps have given in to some ornaments there, but they were cheaper than in Germany anyway, because the Kronen is worth so much less than the Euro. That country is not looking forward to switching to Euros in January...

Ok, I need to finish my homework and go to bed so I'll get up to go running tomorrow, have fun, think of me, and good luck with work and school everyone!

Deine Anna