The flight was rather long, naturally, and I didn't sleep much (of course). My partner from the buddy system, Eva, was also at the same time en route to Vienna from the States, so her mother picked me up. We went to their family home, where I talked to Eva's funny younger brother Andreas and we waited for Eva. Eva and Andreas both attend(ed) the American International School, so their English is almost native, and they understand slang and sayings. After Eva arrived, she drove me to my dorm, Haus Erasmus.
My dorm is not too bad - the beds aren't that small or bad, there's a huge desk along wall with two chairs per person, several shelves and cabinets and a wardrobe, and our own bathroom/shower. Each floor has a kitchen - but no microwave. But that's ok, really, because it's not like they have spaghettios or microwave meals anyway. And my roommate likes to cook and she's made me almost every meal since I've gotten here.
Speaking of my roommate - her name is Tina. She is 24 and from Georgia the COUNTRY. She's loud and crazy.
We started german class/orientation yesterday. First we took a placement test, and I'm in an advanced class (level 4 out of 5) while I think most people are in beginner or advanced beginner (1&2 of 5). I'm the only American in my class, which makes me embarrassed (for my country) and proud (for me). The professor speaks in german the whole time, of course, and I understand most of it, probably because he is trying to speak clearly. The people on the street, on the other hand... let's just say they're not. It all sounds like garbled up words to me. I catch words and phrases.
The city is really amazing, though. And different. So different! For example:
>>On the Ubahn (subway) to the Uni, I pass at least 6 sex shops & strip clubs. Meaning there are at least 6 of these on a MAIN STREET, with nice BIG signs reading "Erotik Shop" or "Peep Show." Um, ew.
>>People here smoke. All. The. Time. I see like 14 year old kids walking down the street smoking.
>>U-bahn (subway). Strassenbahn (trams). Bus. That's just if you're going around in the city. The trams are kinda scary, though. I really feel like I'm going to get run down. It's also weird, because it's different from both Munich and Berlin, where the Ubahn is (duh) underground, while the Sbahn is on the ground but kinda like a train in America (not a tram).
>>People here smoke. All. The. Time. I see like 14 year old kids walking down the street smoking.
>>U-bahn (subway). Strassenbahn (trams). Bus. That's just if you're going around in the city. The trams are kinda scary, though. I really feel like I'm going to get run down. It's also weird, because it's different from both Munich and Berlin, where the Ubahn is (duh) underground, while the Sbahn is on the ground but kinda like a train in America (not a tram).
>>In Texas, sometimes you just smile at a person you walk past on the street. We're friendly. But here? Nuh uh! I've been told that the Viennese are cold people, where old ladies yell at kids on the bus.
>>Everything is closed all the time. Things close really early, like 4-6ish. And stores are closed on Sundays. People go strolling all down the shopping avenues and just look in the windows. Seriously! Restaurants are mostly open (thank God), and so is the gas station. The food stands on the street (Imbiss) and some of the stores in the larger train stations (like the Westbahnhof by my dorm) are also open, but for limited hours.
>>All the buildings are connected. You tell one building from the next by the change in color or even architecture. And I pass two huge gothic churches on my way to school, and there's another at the end of my street. Huge gothic churches, like the kind you visit when you want to be touristy - three of them! And that's not including St. Stephen's, which is the main one people visit. Actually, the churches are not connected to other buildings, so there's something.
>>Everything is closed all the time. Things close really early, like 4-6ish. And stores are closed on Sundays. People go strolling all down the shopping avenues and just look in the windows. Seriously! Restaurants are mostly open (thank God), and so is the gas station. The food stands on the street (Imbiss) and some of the stores in the larger train stations (like the Westbahnhof by my dorm) are also open, but for limited hours.
>>All the buildings are connected. You tell one building from the next by the change in color or even architecture. And I pass two huge gothic churches on my way to school, and there's another at the end of my street. Huge gothic churches, like the kind you visit when you want to be touristy - three of them! And that's not including St. Stephen's, which is the main one people visit. Actually, the churches are not connected to other buildings, so there's something.
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