Awake Daze.

So by some small miracle, not only am I probably going to be released tomorrow, but I also have managed to stay awake all day! So in my hospital boredom (and procrastination from doing German homework) I put up those photos (first from a rest stop we parked at for half an hour, and the second at the hotel Mads and I stayed at) and I made this video. It is very simplistic and about as much as my video editing software will allow of me, but I'm still veeeeery pleased. :) Enjoy! (also, feel free to click on the video, which will take you to the youtube site and you can watch it in a bigger format.)

Getting Oriented

I was hoping this first post would be able to document the orientation weekend that starts the semester in Vienna. And the day and a half of said Orientation I attended was great: there is so much information, such a lovely hostel, and so many friendly people. However, if you're me, you get sick the second day and go to see the doctor and get antibiotics and painkillers. Then you stop being able to get out of bed for 2 days, a different doctor comes to see you, and you end up in the hospital in Graz with Mono and a secondary infection. So this post is going to be more about Austrian hospitals than the splendid town of Deutschlandeberg (with castles and vineyards and a quintessentially European feel).

All I can say, is this hospital is great!

The nurses are very friendly (and why not since they're sporting very comfy looking Birkenstocks). Even though I only speak minimal German, they're able to communicate in English and they understand my Deutschlish. I've bee prescribed a special kind of tea to gargle with to help my throat and none of the nurses can figure out the English word for gargle (understandably so, it is sort of specialized), so I've gotten to hear all the nurses do their impressions of gargling. Also, the language barrier isn't such a terrible thing; I asked for ice cubes the other day and got ice cream instead, and I'm sure not complaining!

The room I'm sharing with three other women is bright yellow with nearly floor to ceiling windows, and bright orange and yellow curtains over them. It is very bright and cheery in here. It isn't cold or sterile like an American hospital would be. IES has been really wonderful about my illness. There is always someone here to keep me company, and they took care of insurance stuff and school stuff.

Now that I'm actually on the mend, I'm getting more excited about being in Austria. When I was dying in the hostel basement, I didn't want to be here at all, but now that everything is clearing up, my attitude is also more optimistic. I know this is wreaking havoc on my poor mother too, but alas, I'd much rather she visit when we can enjoy Vienna together and not have to lay about in my house. It would be one thing if I wasn't improving, but I am, so I think it is best that she stay in the States.

So don't y'all worry. I'm swallowing beverages and eating food again and slowly gaining back my strength. I'll be ready to face Vienna in no time at all.

I've Arrived

Here I am in Vienna, waiting creepily by the baggage claim for mi amigo Maddie to arrive in about an hour. So I thought, what the heck, I'll make a blog post. I'm sure I'll take photos during Orientation, so those will be up in a day or two. But for nowwwww.....

Top 5 Eurofaves so far:

5.) Being Legal to Drink. If I want a beer, I can damnwell get one, and no one will look at me funny or ANYTHING!

4.) German. The Viennese don't give a crap that I don't understand German. All the signs are in German, and I, being lucky, get to follow the pictures. I did figured out that the WC is the bathroom (water-closet anyone?) And found my way to the baggage claim, so I'm feeling pretty accomplished already.

3.) The Amsterdam Airport. It was just so classy! They had a Mac makeup counter and stores of perfume and hugo boss and electronics and AWESOMENESS! Also, all the information was given in dutch, then in the language of the country the flight was going to, then in English. It was awesome.

2.) Men In Suits. Pretty much every man over the age of 25 is wearing a suit. In the airport. Not sweatpants or something else foolish. But they travel in style, at the very least they're wearing tailored, pressed jeans. I could get used to this.

1.) The descent into Vienna. Desending into Vienna was absolutely incredible. I attempted to get some footage, but the woman next to me kept giving me weird looks and I didn't have the window seat. :c It was cloudy, but SUPER sunny above the clouds, so as we descended through the clouds, beams of gold and pink light were shining through. The ground was a patchwork of green scattered with so many windmills it would put Judith gap to shame. The mountains were glowing in the distance and it was so so so sooooo beautiful. Despite my discomfort, I may already have fallen in love with Austria.