Basically...

School is the definition of amazing! I adore every single person in my class and they are extremely helpful. It's really silly I know, but I was walking home the other day and one of my classmates yelled at me from across the street and told me have to a good afternoon. It made me happy! They are all like that though... everytime I see someone from class they stop to talk to me or smile and say HALLO. I feel kinda bad though because almost everyone in the 7th year knows who I am and they say hi to me, but I don't ever remember meeting half of them. Today I got to meet the other "Amies" (American exchange students from St. John's Prep in Minnesota). It was Harold, Dan, Andrew, and I never caught the fourth guy's name. They are really cool and I am going out tonight with them and some of my classmates. Tomorrow night is the Matura Ball which is basically like prom so I'm really excited to get dressed up. I still don't know for sure what my weekly schedule is because the first couple days this week were mixed up and I never understood when the teacher read it out loud to us. His name is Herr Profesor Pilecky by the way, and he's awesome! I know I promised to upload some pictures of my school, but I haven't really had time to take any yet. I took a couple today, but I want to upload them all at the same time, so give me another week.

It is so cool, because on Monday even though we are scheduled to have school Herr Profesor Pilecky planned an outing for our class (7D). We are skipping lessons all day and walking around the city. We are all bringing a sack lunch and then we're going to play beach volleyball and soccer somewhere near the Danube. Apparently it is common for teachers to plan these sort of days during the school year. My teacher also had the brilliant idea to take pictures of each of my classmates and print them onto a sheet with their names for me. It was very nice and I now know all of their names. Their are 28 students in the class, but we split into two groups for about half of our lessons. In my group there is only one other girl, Katarina, and she is super nice!

Last night while I was shopping for school supplies one of my future host sisters called to see if I had plans. She picked me up and took me into town to get some eis (ice cream) and then we walked through the city and down to the Danube. It was a really great evening.

Oh, another thing. It is already starting to get cooler here! I have to wear a light jacket and scarf when I walk to school in the morning. And at night I sleep with all the windows closed and socks on... it is so CRAZY! Everyone here thinks that it's awful how hot Texas is right now and can't believe that it doesn't get cold until late into the year. It's really kinda funny. I also keep forgetting that I am older than all the students in my class. The 18 year olds are usually in the 8th year class, but that is the year that they take all their insane tests so the Direktor and I felt the 7th year class would be best for me. Whenever someone learns that I am 18 their eyes get really big and they think it's the coolest thing ever... it makes me laugh. They also think it's really cool that I am finished with school back home and that I have been driving for two years. The other night I met the daughter of my host mom's friend, Rosina. She wanted to know if our school buses were really yellow... I guess I never really think about things like that, but everyone over here has an image of the USA from the movies that they have seen.

But basically, I love every second of school! I don't ever want it to end.

First Day of School!

Today was my first day of school and it went well. We only had class from 3:00 - 5:00 because all we did was meet our "homeroom teacher" and find out what our weekly class schedule will be. Unfortunately I didn't understand what he told us so I will have to copy it off the wall tomorrow morning before class starts. My "homeroom teacher" is very nice (I don't remember his name though) and my class seems to really like him as well. For the rest of the year class begins at 7:45 which means that I will leave my house at 7:15 so that I arrive slightly early each morning. I sit beside a girl named Vicky who is very nice and another guy whose name I have forgotten. However before school today I knew one guy named Rudy from some family friends. He is in my class and met me before it started. He introduced me to some of his friends and then to the rest of the students in the class. They are all very nice and were interested to learn that I wasn't a cowgirl... lol.

I will have more to report at the end of the week once I have gone through the entire schedule. I will also try to take pictures of my school because it really is incredibly breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it before and I am still in awe everytime I walk through the halls and different rooms.

Bregenz

Jackie and I arrived in Bregenz Friday afternoon around 3:00 and had to walk to our hotel which was downtown. Unfortunately we went the wrong direction so we walked an extra 45 minutes in the rain with our luggage. We found our hotel shortly after turning around and heading back past the train station the other way though, and then we were able to change into some dry clothes. That evening we took our dinner out to sit by the lake but the second we got there it began to rain. We thought that we would just brave the weather but then it became so windy it was blowing us off the bench as well as all our food. So we decided to run back to our hotel and chill in our amazingly warm room.

The next morning we woke up early to take the cable car up Pfänder, a mountain in Bregenz. The view was absolutely gorgeous and we were able to see Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Austria all at the same time. I guess kinda like the four corners in the USA but this is four countries!

Once we reached the top of Pfänder we walked around the paths for a while to admire the animals and the views. Unfortunately it was FREEZING cold up there so we went into the restaurant for a couple cups of heiss Schokolade (hot chocolate) and to eat our packed lunch. Afterwards we began our decent down the mountain into even colder air because the trees blocked out all the sun. I was soooo cold and I had on a long sleeve shirt with my jacket. Jackie however, who is from Canada, was wearing a short sleeved shirt and was perfectly fine. I think I'll stick to the hot weather, thank you. Anyways we hiked down slowly and made a two hour trip out of it. When we reached the city again we did some leisurely shopping before getting ahold of Zach, another exchange student that was living in Bregenz. That night we met him at the beach to watch the sunset (which was beautiful) and then we met up with some of his new friends after that.
Sunday morning we had to wake up at 6:45 in order to finish packing, eat breakfast, and make it to the train station on time. The whole way home we shared a compartment with this adorable little boy and his father. So I got to play cars with him when I wasn't sleeping... I loved it! He tried to tell me about his other trucks and cranes back at home. I could understand a little of what he was saying because he spoke very slowly and his father helped me on the rest. When I reached St. Pölten I had to catch the smaller train to Melk and then walk to my house because my host father had the car in Germany for the weekend visiting a friend. It was quite a good distance, especially with a heavy backpack and suitcase to carry along...

Pläne für das Wochenende!

I get to go to Bregenz this weekend!

There is another exchange student here from Canada that has invited to me to travel with her to Bregenz for the weekend. Bregenz is a city in Austria that lies directly next to Switzerland, Lichtenstein, and Germany so it is a very lively and cultural location in Austria. We will travel by train early Friday morning and arrive that afternoon. Our hotel is in the pedestrian only zone in the heart of the city and is walking distance from the train station, lake, National Museum, and various other attractions. We will spend all day there on Saturday and return Sunday afternoon so that we can prepare for our first day of class on Monday.

I went to meet with the director of my school today and we determined that I should be in Klasse 7D which specializes in math and science. I was really hoping that I would be in the same class as Marlene, however her class, 7A, has many language courses including Greek and Latin which I know nothing of. Yet I will still know one student in my class. His name is Rudy and he is a friend of Simon's, my host brother that is doing an exchange in Illinois, USA this year. I met him for a few minutes about two weeks ago and he offered to help me out at school. My director gave me a quick tour of the school today and the only words to describe it are... HOLY CRAP!!! I think he recognized the amazement on my face because a couple times he mentioned that this must be different from our schools back in the USA. I will be sure to take my camera with me on Monday so that I may show to everyone just how incredible these buildings and rooms are. I felt like a VIP while I was walking around because the section of the monastery that is for the school is barricaded from the public by glass walls and doors. They can see that we are there and we can see them, but the public has noway to get into our area of the buildings. I also have to purchase some "house shoes" to wear while I'm in school. They have six large rooms at the entrance to the school where the students are required to change into their school shoes and may hang up their winter coats. All of the classrooms have wooden floors and apparently there was a problem when pebbles would get stuck in people's shoes and scratch up the floors. So now everyone is required to purchase a pair of school shoes that they leave at school all year long and wear during school hours.

I just got back from school shopping with meine Gastmutter (my host mom) in St. Pölten. It is a city about 15 minutes away from Melk and has a very nice shopping area. I got my school shoes, a rain coat because the weather in Bregenz this weekend is not supposed to be very good, a new scarf, a purse because has a hole in it, some new sunglasses because mine are broken, and two sweaters because it is already becoming fairly chilly when the sun goes down. There are many stores here that are ridiculously expensive but there are also very many that are possibly even cheaper than back at home in Texas.

Sprachkurs was wonderful!

I wasn't able to update my blog while I was at the Sprachkurs (language camp), however I did write in my journal multiple nights so here is a little taste of what you would have seen...

23. Aug. 2009 (Sunday)

I arrived at Language Camp in Altmünster one week ago and already a lot has happened. There are about 40-50 exchange students from both Austrian districts here. We are staying at a boarding school and have classes each day except for Sunday. Our daily schedule is as follows:

7:15 am 8:00 am -- Frühstück (breakfast)

8:00 am - 12:00 am -- Unterricht (instruction)

12:00 am - 1:00 pm -- Mittagessen (lunch)
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm -- Unterricht (instruction)

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm -- freie Zeit (free time)

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm -- Abendessen (dinner)

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm -- freie Zeit (free time)

10:30 pm -- Gute Nacht (good night)

On Saturday we only have classes in the morning, but the teachers had an outing planned for the remainder of the day. We took a boat tour on the Traunsee, which is the lake in Altmünster. During our free time we are allowed to do pretty much anything. Most of us walk down to the lake and sit along the beach all day or we have even walked to the neighboring town, Gmunden, because it is a little bigger and has some good shops. At the beginning of the Sprachkurs I was in the Beginner class, however I was moved up after four days to the Intermediate class. As far as the homesickness is concerned I have been doing really well. This afternoon was the first time that I really missed everyone back home. There were a couple hours that were really hard so I walked into town with a friend that I had met, Jackie, and she helped me to feel better. Earlier today a few Rotarians and our teachers took us to a town about 30 minutes away called Hallstatt to tour a salt mine that has been in use for over 3000 years. The salt mine was really cool and the town was adorable. We were able to walk around for a couple hours before we drove back to Altmünster.

(here are a few pictures)our group taking a cable car up the mountain

walking through the salt mine tunnels

view of Hallstatt as we came down the mountain

28. August. 2009 (Friday)

Today was another great day! I woke up at 6:00 am to work out with Chantel (Canada), Jackie (Canada), Martha (USA), and Josie (USA). During class Doris, our teacher, taught us about the command form and reflexive verbs, two things that I didn't know. Derrick (USA) and Nolan (USA) sit beside me in class and they are excellent at keeping me entertained whenever class gets boring. A few people get fairly annoyed with Derrick because of his constant energy, but he reminds me so much of Mason that I love spending time with him. I'm positive that if him and Mason met they would get along perfectly. They think so alike it's crazy. We received our tests back and I did much better than I was expecting. Most of my errors were because I didn't know the vocabulary and not because of grammar. Unfortunately the vocabulary is going to take monotonous memorization, but I am determined to do it! After class I played volleyball with Ben (Canada), Carlos (Mexico), Jackie, Libbi (USA), Martha, Josie, and Charlotte (Belgium). Then we all walked down to the beach for some amazing Austrian ice cream that is so much better than anything back in the USA. After dinner Zach (USA), Derrick, Libbi, Chantel, Mark (USA), Jackie, Raquel (Brazil), and Martha went to the lake and sat on the dock for about half an hour. Before we returned to the school we decided to have a race so we spun in circles for a minute and a half and then ran to the playground to see who could make it first without falling over. I almost face planted into somebody's bike. By this time it was almost 9:00 pm so the boys were hungry again. We met up with Carlos, Nolan, and Ben on our way to a little cafe where we all ordered baguettes. Once we reached the school we listened in awe while Carlos played piano for half an hour. He is absolutely incredible! As we were walking up to our rooms Jackie and Chantel somehow managed to convince me to sing a Canadian folk song with them in the talent show the following night. The song was in French though so I had zero idea what I was singing about... lol

30. August. 2009 (Sunday)

Today is Mason's 16th birthday! Right now I am sitting back in my own bed at home. Yesterday after class we had a really great time. Even though it was raining and cold, Jackie, Raquel, Libbi, and I decided to walk to Spar (Austrian grocery chain) so that we could stock up on food for our train rides the following day. Afterwards we went to the beach and watched all the ducks and swans on the lake. Once we returned to the school we began to practice fervently so that we wouldn't forget our words later that night during the Talent Show. Our singing group consisted of Chantel, Martha, Jackie, Libbi, and I. Plus Aiyana (USA) was playing guitar for us. Chantel really wanted to get dressed up so we all wore dresses, did our makeup, and put Canadian tattoos on our faces. We actually sounded pretty good except for one line when the majority of us forgot our lines, but everyone loved it. The song was called Un Candien Errant and was really pretty. I have already downloaded it to my iPod. The rest of the talent show went really well. I had no idea how talented and gifted most of those people are. Nearly everyone performed and did superbly. Afterwards we had a big dance party in the girls' lobby and the teachers ended up extending our curfew to 12:30 am which was really nice. This morning Libbi, Jackie, and I woke up at 6:00 am so we could walk to the lake one last time and watch the sun rise. It was beautiful but freezing cold! After breakfast we finished packing and got a ride to the train station where I bought a Summer Ticket which allows me to travel on any train in Austria for free until September 13th. Unfortunately there was damage to the tracks so we had to take a bus to the next station and we ended up missing our train so we had to wait another hour. I was travelling with Bailey (USA), Jackie, and Max (Mexico). This is my last week of summer break before school starts so I need to do some shopping for clothes and supplies before the week is over. I might end up going to visit Jackie in Wien sometime later this week so that we can do some shopping together.

...as for today (Monday) my host parents threw a bar-b-que for me so that I might meet my other host families. All of the parents seem very nice and I got to spend the evening with four of my new host sisters. They are great and took me out into town for a couple hours. They are all around my age and I will most likely be in the same class as one of them, Marlene. I cannot wait to get to spend more time with all of them because they seem really amazing and I've never had a sister before.

Updates... finally

Sorry this has taken me so long to write. I haven't really had that much time though...

My flights from San Antonio and DC went well. I actually slept most of the way to Vienna so I didn't feel that horrible when I arrived. I was met at the airport by my host father, club Counselor, club President, and her daughter. My host mother was still at home setting up for a breakfast that they were having for my arrival. Later that afternoon I went into town to set up my bank account and register with the city. So I think that means that I am an Austrian for the coming year because they said I still have to de-register when I leave! But I don't know...
On Saturday my host parents took me to a small village about five minutes away to see an Austrian folk group perform for the evening. Apparently they were really funny, unfortunately I couldn't understand anything. However there was one point when they performed in English, but the accent was a mess!

Right now I am in Altmünster for my German language course. (That's why I haven't updated in forever). I have been here for a week so far and I'll be here another week trying to learn as much German as I possibly can. I've met some amazing people and I know without a doubt that some of these other students will be my friends forever after this year. I have to go though because there is only one computer and other students are waiting. I'll write more when I get back to my host family's house.

letzten Tag in den USA... (last day in the USA)

Today is my very last day in San Marcos, Texas before I leave for Melk, Austria! I cannot believe how quickly it has come. There are a few things I need to run into town to get, but other than that I am just going to have a swell day. Kaitlin and Rissa are taking me to get Deblazios (YUMMM) and then we're heading out to watch the varsity volleyball game. Andrew is going to tag along so we can give him a hard time, lol. Then my brother promised to make me his absolutely AMAZING hamburgers for dinner, since I'm not sure if I'll find one outside of a McDonalds.

I talked to Katherine (she was the exchange student to Austria this past year) yesterday and had the few questions I had answered. Just talking with her has made me soooo incredibly excited for this experience. Every time I talk to a Rotexer or a fellow outbound student, I cannot begin to describe the excitement and other feelings that well up inside of me. This is going to be the best year of my life and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to live in such a stunning country with such rich history. Hopefully whenever yall see me next time I'll have an Austrian accent and will constantly be going back and forth between English and German.

I want to thank everyone that has made a difference in my life leading up to this point. I have the best family and friends and I love all of yall so very much. Good luck in the coming year. I know most of my friends are going off to college and moving away from home. Yall will all do wonderful this year so don't worry too much. Please keep in touch and let me know how everything is going. I would love to hear about all the horror stories of the weed-out classes and how Atkin's class really was harder than any college class we'll ever take.

AHHHHH...... I am soo excited!

Uh oh...

I just found out today from my Deutsch tutor that she has to make an unexpected trip to Minnesota for at least zwei Wochen on Montag (2 weeks on Monday). This means that my last EVER German lesson will be this Freitag (Friday)! So on Friday we are having a crash course over city terms, grammar, pronouns, and a review covering everything we've done in the past two months. Ms. Laumer has been absolutely amazing and has taught me more than I had even hoped to learn during this short period of time. I know without a doubt that my exchange will be more enjoyable during the first few months because of her time and effort.

I leave in two weeks by the way!!!

15 more days :)

In 15 days, 5 hours, and 45 minutes I will have boarded the plane for Wien and will be looking out the window towards DC for my last time in 11 months. I cannot begin to explain the feelings that I have felt these past few weeks. There have been days of giddy excitement, nervous anticipation, and nearly everyday I have wondered what challenges and incredible opportunities will be awaiting my arrival in Österreich.
As of yesterday I officially have all the paperwork that I need to obtain my VISA once I reach Wien. The final document was a background check that is required for all students over the age of 17. So many people look forward to their 18th birthdays, but how many of these people get the chance to travel halfway across the world to emmerse themselves into a culture without any ties to their family or friends? I am trully blessed and incredibly lucky to have been presented with Rotary Youth Exchange and to have been selected as an exchange student on top of that. I am thrilled to be a student ambassador for the United States, but even closer to home, Texas.

Final Preparations...

So far there isn't much to report. Just that I am a little more than slightly nervous about the coming year. I have been in contact with my first host father multiple times; he and his wife seem very nice and extremely willing to help get me situated into their culture. however I also feel that they will be somewhat strict with my language usage (which is probably going to be beneficial in the long run). In case any of yall don't know the plan, I leave on the 12th of August from San Antonio. I'll fly to Washington DC and then straight to Vienna from there. The town I will be living in, Melk, is about an hour and a half west of Vienna, or Wien, and located right along the Danube River. I will go to the local gymnasium (college prep school - our high school equivalent) called Stiftsgymnasium. My first family has two sons, Lukas and Simon, however neither of them will be at home while I am there so I will be an only child for the first time in my life and they will have a daughter for the first time in their lives.

I can't think of anything else at the moment. If yall have any questions, please just ask. I plan on uploading pictures and I will try my best to keep this up to date. Unfortunately I am not the most diligent at keeping any sort of journal...