So, classes here started on Monday. It's very odd to be back. I mean, it felt kind of like intense reverse culture shock at first, but I guess I got used to it relatively quickly. This is probably because the first few days were incredibly busy. I think I was at Walmart or on a bus 7 out of the first 12 hours. Craziness. This semester, I am only taking one actual accounting class (principles of taxation or something... awesome) so it technically should be easy, but I am seriously lazy and I have no desire to do anything. However, despite the fact that I am still a bit uncertain about my decision to push back the next accounting courses I must take until next semester, I am mostly pleased with my choice. This semester, the majority of my classes are for my (hopeful) Scandinavian Studies minor. I'm taking a course on Scandinavian history/culture and viking mythology (och svenska, naturligtvis) and despite the fact that there are a billion books to read, it seems okay so far (yay).
Anyway, the point of this entry is to mention something that I don't think I've mentioned here before. In Austria (and Germany, I believe -- any Germans want to correct me on this?), you er... knock on your desk/table with your knuckles to thank the professor/teacher after a lecture or class. Applause is for non-academic environments. I keep randomly having urges to do it but then I'm like, "WAIT. That's weird. This is America..." Haha. I think if I did, the teachers would be like "What the...?" Part of me wants to do it anyway though. Maybe it will become a trend.
24 August 2011
14 August 2011
Copenhagen & Update
School begins again NEXT MONDAY. What the heck? I forgot what it's like to be living on campus and going to classes erm... on a regular basis, haha. I don't think I'm ready to go back. It's weird to be packing up yet again. I would enjoy it loads more if I knew I was packing to go to some new and exciting place but... school? Meh. Ah well, we shall see what this year holds.
Anyway, the bulk of this entry (and the next few since I thought it would be easier to separate them) is going to be dedicated to Copenhagen, southern Norway, and Stockholm (and London, I guess...) because those are the last things that I have to really blog about in regards to my European adventures.
Honestly, most of the time I was in Copenhagen, I spent in the airport haha... However, I did have 1 full day to explore the city. Unfortunately, I did not get to explore as much as I had hoped because my shoes were in a dire condition and I seriously needed to replace them before the sole totally detached itself from everything else. Thus, much of my time in Copenhagen was spent wandering on Strøget, or the main shopping street. It was okay though because Strøget is really famous and a huge tourist destination. It's also in the middle of a lot of other interesting stuff (it's right by the famous amusement park, Tivoli, for example). Also, I did manage to find acceptable shoes.
If you walk all the way down Strøget, you'll reach Nyhavn -- a.k.a the most photographed place in Copenhagen. Not even kidding. If you don't know anything about Copenhagen, you probably still recognize Nyhavn (and maybe the mermaid statue, which is REALLY SMALL, by the way). Overall, Copenhagen was really expensive (just like all the other Nordic cities) but it was quite beautiful... though not as great as Stockholm or Bergen, haha! Oh, and I forgot if I already wrote about this or not, but the overnight train from Utrecht to Copenhagen was really nice. Definitely pay the extra money for a couchette as opposed to a seat if you ever have to take an overnight train -- it is totally worth it. I felt super rested even though the Danish authorities came and did passport checks at freaking 5AM. Interesting thing about the relations between Scandinavian languages -- the dude on the bunk across from mine was a Swedish business dude, and he didn't bring his passport because he didn't think he needed it since he's Swedish and all. However, he DID need it so he and the passport lady started arguing for a while -- him in Swedish and her in Danish. Obviously, they still somewhat understood each other (despite the fact that Swedish and Danish are actually not as mutually intelligible as Norwegian and Danish, for example). It was amusing.
Anyway, the bulk of this entry (and the next few since I thought it would be easier to separate them) is going to be dedicated to Copenhagen, southern Norway, and Stockholm (and London, I guess...) because those are the last things that I have to really blog about in regards to my European adventures.
Honestly, most of the time I was in Copenhagen, I spent in the airport haha... However, I did have 1 full day to explore the city. Unfortunately, I did not get to explore as much as I had hoped because my shoes were in a dire condition and I seriously needed to replace them before the sole totally detached itself from everything else. Thus, much of my time in Copenhagen was spent wandering on Strøget, or the main shopping street. It was okay though because Strøget is really famous and a huge tourist destination. It's also in the middle of a lot of other interesting stuff (it's right by the famous amusement park, Tivoli, for example). Also, I did manage to find acceptable shoes.
If you walk all the way down Strøget, you'll reach Nyhavn -- a.k.a the most photographed place in Copenhagen. Not even kidding. If you don't know anything about Copenhagen, you probably still recognize Nyhavn (and maybe the mermaid statue, which is REALLY SMALL, by the way). Overall, Copenhagen was really expensive (just like all the other Nordic cities) but it was quite beautiful... though not as great as Stockholm or Bergen, haha! Oh, and I forgot if I already wrote about this or not, but the overnight train from Utrecht to Copenhagen was really nice. Definitely pay the extra money for a couchette as opposed to a seat if you ever have to take an overnight train -- it is totally worth it. I felt super rested even though the Danish authorities came and did passport checks at freaking 5AM. Interesting thing about the relations between Scandinavian languages -- the dude on the bunk across from mine was a Swedish business dude, and he didn't bring his passport because he didn't think he needed it since he's Swedish and all. However, he DID need it so he and the passport lady started arguing for a while -- him in Swedish and her in Danish. Obviously, they still somewhat understood each other (despite the fact that Swedish and Danish are actually not as mutually intelligible as Norwegian and Danish, for example). It was amusing.
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| Guards at the Amalienborg Palace |
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| Nyhavn |
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| Some park. The light was nice. |
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| Some church at some park |
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| Rosenborg Castle |
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| Strøget |
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| The Little Mermaid |
23 July 2011
I don't know what to do with all the random papers, maps, ticket stubs, etc. I have. I know it's been quite a while since I returned to the States, but I'm still "unpacking." I still have this brick of a Ziploc bag filled with random paper-type stuff and another pile of other notebooks and papers...Yikes.
On another note, I realized I have too much stuff. I really don't like having tons of stuff, yet, somehow I do. How does this work? Then again, I think I do have less stuff than some people because I try to get rid of it all the time, but there is still more than I would like to have. I wish all the stuff I owned was just the stuff I had in Vienna. That would be amazing.
On another note, I realized I have too much stuff. I really don't like having tons of stuff, yet, somehow I do. How does this work? Then again, I think I do have less stuff than some people because I try to get rid of it all the time, but there is still more than I would like to have. I wish all the stuff I owned was just the stuff I had in Vienna. That would be amazing.
06 July 2011
Tuition
So I decided that I will take BADM 310 and my last gen-ed (non-western) online because I might as well do something productive with what is left of my summer, right? Currently, I'm going through the registration process and I'm finally at the last page. Naturally, this is where they tell you how much everything is going to cost (eurgh). $2134. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?! That is a freaking huge amount of money for two measly classes. Does this qualify as culture shock?
At the WU:
At UofI:
The cost of higher education here continues to astound me.
At the WU:
Standard tuition (per semester): € 363.72
Compulsory membership to the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH): € 17.00
At UofI:
BADM 310 A | Mgmt and Organizational Beh. | $ 1067.00
ANTH 103 A | Anthro in a Changing World | $ 1067.00
The cost of higher education here continues to astound me.
05 July 2011
Oh heck. I'm just going to keep updating this blog (for now) because there are things I can write about that relate to Austria (Europe?), even though I'm not there anymore. And actually, there are still quite a few posts that I kind of want to write, even if it is just for myself (e.g., some stuff about London/Norway/Stockholm).
Anyway, last night I went to the kitchen to get some ice for my water (how American? Haha...) and then I saw that House Hunters International was on TV. Naturally, I had to see where in the world they were doing some house hunting this episode and, since the world is crazy and full of coincidences, this episode was about house (well, apartment) hunting in VIENNA. I had to watch it, obviously. I think the first apartment they were looking at was in Neubau (7th District) and the second one was in Wieden (4th District). I have no idea about the last one since it was 4 miles outside of the city or something.
Also, today I was just reading some stuff online, like I normally do. I came across this thing written by an Austrian who has also lived in the US/England about the things he liked and did not like about living abroad. In one part, he mentioned how Austrians are way ruder than people in the US/England. I realize that there are billions of people in this world so it would make sense that our experiences are different, but I seriously didn't notice extremely rude people when I was in Austria -- not even in Vienna, where people are supposed to be significantly more rude or something. In fact, one of the first things I noticed upon returning to the States was that people are way ruder here! When I was at Navy Pier the other day, I accidentally brushed some lady and was like, "Sorry" and she freaked out. She was all like, "UH, THE PROPER WORD IS EXCUSE ME!!" Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Of course, I suppose this was probably just an isolated incident, as Americans are generally known for being (obnoxiously...?) friendly -- like, to a point where it scares people.
Anyway, last night I went to the kitchen to get some ice for my water (how American? Haha...) and then I saw that House Hunters International was on TV. Naturally, I had to see where in the world they were doing some house hunting this episode and, since the world is crazy and full of coincidences, this episode was about house (well, apartment) hunting in VIENNA. I had to watch it, obviously. I think the first apartment they were looking at was in Neubau (7th District) and the second one was in Wieden (4th District). I have no idea about the last one since it was 4 miles outside of the city or something.
Also, today I was just reading some stuff online, like I normally do. I came across this thing written by an Austrian who has also lived in the US/England about the things he liked and did not like about living abroad. In one part, he mentioned how Austrians are way ruder than people in the US/England. I realize that there are billions of people in this world so it would make sense that our experiences are different, but I seriously didn't notice extremely rude people when I was in Austria -- not even in Vienna, where people are supposed to be significantly more rude or something. In fact, one of the first things I noticed upon returning to the States was that people are way ruder here! When I was at Navy Pier the other day, I accidentally brushed some lady and was like, "Sorry" and she freaked out. She was all like, "UH, THE PROPER WORD IS EXCUSE ME!!" Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Of course, I suppose this was probably just an isolated incident, as Americans are generally known for being (obnoxiously...?) friendly -- like, to a point where it scares people.
03 July 2011
I thought I wouldn't have jet lag since I didn't sleep until a "normal" time the night I got home, but I was wrong. I still get kind of sleepy later into the day (like when it's the middle of the night in Austria).
Today I went through all my photos (I think?) and I am finally going to upload them onto Facebook... maybe.
Apparently Chicago decided not to have fireworks tomorrow, like they do traditionally, because of the budget or something (typical). However, when I went to the city today for a friend's birthday, we caught the ones at Navy Pier, which was nice.
I don't know if I should even bother updating this anymore, since exchange is over and all...? Hmm.
Today I went through all my photos (I think?) and I am finally going to upload them onto Facebook... maybe.
Apparently Chicago decided not to have fireworks tomorrow, like they do traditionally, because of the budget or something (typical). However, when I went to the city today for a friend's birthday, we caught the ones at Navy Pier, which was nice.
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| Ahh Jamba Juice xD |
I don't know if I should even bother updating this anymore, since exchange is over and all...? Hmm.
01 July 2011
Home...?
After traveling for a very long time (basically 24 hours), I am finally back in Illinois. The journey back took much longer than anticipated due to various delays. UA blamed the weather in Chicago, but I'm pretty sure that's only half the story. Typical, haha.
At the moment, I am extremely tired so I don't really know how I feel about anything (in detail, anyway). Generally, it just feels really strange. It feels odd seeing all the monotonous houses, the neon signs, and giant SUVs. Actually, just sitting in a car is really weird. It's strange that the land is so flat. Hearing English all over the place confuses me. I really miss how German sounds. My own house feels weird too. Why is the bathroom so bright? Why is my bed so high up? Hmm. I'm not sure what to think at the moment, but I can already tell re-adjusting will be quite... interesting, to say the least.
I hope that it will be better after a good night's sleep.
At the moment, I am extremely tired so I don't really know how I feel about anything (in detail, anyway). Generally, it just feels really strange. It feels odd seeing all the monotonous houses, the neon signs, and giant SUVs. Actually, just sitting in a car is really weird. It's strange that the land is so flat. Hearing English all over the place confuses me. I really miss how German sounds. My own house feels weird too. Why is the bathroom so bright? Why is my bed so high up? Hmm. I'm not sure what to think at the moment, but I can already tell re-adjusting will be quite... interesting, to say the least.
I hope that it will be better after a good night's sleep.
30 June 2011
In a few hours, I will be heading to the airport. I feel kind of sick. I don't want to think about it. At the train station and in front of Haus Erasmus, I saw all the new exchange students (for the summer programs, I think) and I kept thinking about how for them, the adventure was just beginning. Everything is just starting for them. For me, it is ending and that is sad. Of course, everything has to come to an end, but when it is something amazing, endings suck.
Today, I went to Hallstatt to meet my tandem partner. We were supposed to meet on Monday before he left Vienna to go home, but... well, that kind of failed. Thus, it was decided that we would meet in Hallstatt because it's right by where he lives/the same town he went to high school and it's also a place I've wanted to go for a while.
In case you didn't know, Hallstatt is a very famous town (if you can even call it a town since it only has 500 actual inhabitants or something) because it's basically stuck in the side of a mountain. In fact, you generally have to take a boat to get there. In other words, it is freaking picturesque.
Unfortunately, I had to meet my bank lady this morning at 10AM to close my account. It literally only took 3 minutes, but she wouldn't let me come earlier so that kind of sucked. I had to take a "late" train which sucks because Hallstatt is in the middle of nowhere and all the trains that go between there and Vienna are at awkward times. Anyway, the trip normally takes about 3.5-4 hours BUUUT because I'm super unlucky, there was a random accident/FIRE on the tracks somewhere so I was stuck in the train between Amstetten and St. Valentin for a bit over an hour. This meant that I also missed the connecting train. It ultimately took over 5 hours to get to Obertraun where my tandem partner was picking me up (driving to Hallstatt from Obertraun means that you don't have to take a boat/is more efficient). Since the last train that went back to Vienna was at 6.36PM, there wasn't much time to actually explore. This was kind of sad, but oh well. At least I got to see a lot of Austria on my last day.
When I was coming back to Vienna, I just watched the sun set and Austria fly by. There was such a strong sense of finality in those moments. It was also some of the saddest hours of my life. I can't believe it's all over. I'm not ready to leave. I am so grateful for this entire experience and I am so happy to have met so many wonderful people. Every time I think back to all the things I've had the chance to do this semester, I have trouble believing it. Everything was so amazing. I don't want to leave it all behind. Now I just have hundreds of pictures and lots and lots of memories. I suppose that's enough, eh?
But... I'm afraid to feel like a stranger in my own home. Where is home anyway? I have no idea anymore.
PS: Sorry if this is all over the place and a bit of a downer. In case you can't tell, I'm rather sad at the moment =/.
Today, I went to Hallstatt to meet my tandem partner. We were supposed to meet on Monday before he left Vienna to go home, but... well, that kind of failed. Thus, it was decided that we would meet in Hallstatt because it's right by where he lives/the same town he went to high school and it's also a place I've wanted to go for a while.
In case you didn't know, Hallstatt is a very famous town (if you can even call it a town since it only has 500 actual inhabitants or something) because it's basically stuck in the side of a mountain. In fact, you generally have to take a boat to get there. In other words, it is freaking picturesque.
Unfortunately, I had to meet my bank lady this morning at 10AM to close my account. It literally only took 3 minutes, but she wouldn't let me come earlier so that kind of sucked. I had to take a "late" train which sucks because Hallstatt is in the middle of nowhere and all the trains that go between there and Vienna are at awkward times. Anyway, the trip normally takes about 3.5-4 hours BUUUT because I'm super unlucky, there was a random accident/FIRE on the tracks somewhere so I was stuck in the train between Amstetten and St. Valentin for a bit over an hour. This meant that I also missed the connecting train. It ultimately took over 5 hours to get to Obertraun where my tandem partner was picking me up (driving to Hallstatt from Obertraun means that you don't have to take a boat/is more efficient). Since the last train that went back to Vienna was at 6.36PM, there wasn't much time to actually explore. This was kind of sad, but oh well. At least I got to see a lot of Austria on my last day.
When I was coming back to Vienna, I just watched the sun set and Austria fly by. There was such a strong sense of finality in those moments. It was also some of the saddest hours of my life. I can't believe it's all over. I'm not ready to leave. I am so grateful for this entire experience and I am so happy to have met so many wonderful people. Every time I think back to all the things I've had the chance to do this semester, I have trouble believing it. Everything was so amazing. I don't want to leave it all behind. Now I just have hundreds of pictures and lots and lots of memories. I suppose that's enough, eh?
But... I'm afraid to feel like a stranger in my own home. Where is home anyway? I have no idea anymore.
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| Last moments in Austria |
PS: Sorry if this is all over the place and a bit of a downer. In case you can't tell, I'm rather sad at the moment =/.
29 June 2011
Last Day.
Holy crap. I can't believe it, but it's here. This is my last day in Austria, and I'm not even spending it in Vienna. Somehow, that feels sort of wrong but oh well. I will explain later.
Basically, I my stomach is in a knot right now (I can't tell if it's because I've literally been eating only microwave food for the past days or because I'm going home tomorrow... or a combination of both). I can't believe it's all over already.
Keeping it short because I have to go to the train station in a few minutes. Today, I went to Bank Austria to close my account and when I left, my bank lady was like, "Well, have a nice life." Haha... I don't know why, but that made me laugh. It would be funny if I ever went back to Austria. I'm going to make it a goal to find her and be like, "Hey, remember me??"
Basically, I my stomach is in a knot right now (I can't tell if it's because I've literally been eating only microwave food for the past days or because I'm going home tomorrow... or a combination of both). I can't believe it's all over already.
Keeping it short because I have to go to the train station in a few minutes. Today, I went to Bank Austria to close my account and when I left, my bank lady was like, "Well, have a nice life." Haha... I don't know why, but that made me laugh. It would be funny if I ever went back to Austria. I'm going to make it a goal to find her and be like, "Hey, remember me??"