Mittwoch (Wednesday)

            I’m always waiting for myself to come up with a good introductory sentence to each of my blogs, but that has yet to happen. I just finished Skyping with my grandma and Uncle John. It was grandma’s first Skype experience. I think she’s a natural. I miss helping her with her gardening and listening to her tell her stories. I found out my schedule today for when classes start in a couple weeks. It really seems like the perfect schedule. I’ll be able to have a Psych class for my major, an art class for my minor, I’ll be able to continue with my service work through a public service internships, and surprisingly enough I’ll be taking a “Music in Performance” class. The music class was totally spontaneous because it was the only one that wouldn’t conflict with the others that I needed to take.

            I have so many thoughts spinning in my brain about this whole experience. It doesn’t feel real, but at the same time it feels all too natural to be living here. For instance, walking around the house in my PJs, grabbing a glass of wine, and sitting down to work on homework, I feel as though I have been living this way for years now. I also don’t feel like I should be living this way. I keep thinking back to my study abroad in Cambodia and India. These worlds are completely different from Europe. I love Vienna, but I fell in love with Cambodia. All I want to do here is smile at everyone I meet, but no one smiles back. I understand it’s the way of life here, but these are the moments when I wish I were back in Cambodia, where everyone smiles and they are the biggest smiles you have ever seen in your life. I don’t mean to be sappily nostalgic or to paint a picture that makes it seem I wish I weren’t here in Vienna. Sometimes I just feel confused. I have a habit of comparing my different travels, when I should be living each as a wonderful new adventure. From here on I shall make it my daily goal to do so.

            I had told you in an earlier post about going to the Hundertwasser Haus. This evening IES took a group to check out the Kunsthaus museum, where we looked at Hundertwasser’s paintings and building plans for environmental lifestyles. I’ve never been a fan of modern art, which is what I would call Hundertwasser’s work, but I did enjoy taking in his appreciation for nature through his paintings. I can’t get over how originally his mind worked. I’ve never seen such unique style in an artist’s work. I was thinking of Molly Moriarty the whole time I was walking through the museum. (She’s one of my best friends from college.) I think she has a mind like Hunderstwasser, in terms of art. Check it out, Molls! J

"A Rainy Day with Walter Kampmann" by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, taken from google images.

            So, onto a new day tomorrow. My group in German class must go to the Naschmarkt (outdoor market) tomorrow morning to buy fruits for class, while using our newly acquired German speaking skills for buying produce at the market. Then, we have to present our dialogue representing a potential buy at the market. Should be interesting. I should probably go memorize my lines.

Guten Nacht!