Classes..

I'm sorry I've been bad about updating! There has just been so much to do and see!!!

Our group has meshed really well and went out on Saturday to the 1st District to meet up with the two guys who live over there. Cyd (my roommate), her boyfriend Ian, and his roommate Andrew, and I got on the wrong bus trying to get there. So we got off and decided to take the U-Bahn, which is the subway. Well 10 minutes on the U3 and it broke down. Since we were already running late to meet up with the group, we went upstairs and took the correct bus we were supposed to take in the first place, and then another U-Bahn, that eventually put us in the 1st District (or Erste Bezirk).

We found the rest of the group near Philharmonikastrasse near the outdoor Opera. After buying a Pizza and 2 Gösser biers, I sat down with the group at the back and watched. After it was over we wandered around for a bit and went to a couple bars.

Overall a fun night and stayed out late enough that Cyd and I were able to sleep in until 11am (we had been waking up at 6:30am consistently).

School started this Monday, and while I'm not looking forward to being in a classroom instead of out wandering the streets of Vienna, I like my classes so far.

I'm taking History on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is mainly about the Habsburg Empire and Austria. We get to watch old movies and I think write a research paper on one of them. Mon/Tue/Thurs I have German class with 3 other students. My teacher is really nice and since the class is so small, I think everyone will try really hard. On Tue/Thurs I have International Organizations and get to tour many of them in Vienna, like Amnesty International and the EU! We have to write a paper and do a presentation on it to the class, which I am not looking forward too. My summer INTL 399 Human Rights class gave me leg up in class, which is nice for a change.

Everyone has to take this Cross-Cultural class every two weeks and the teacher is lame. She always seems bored and doesn't really seem interested in what we have to say. I think she is more of a researcher and less of an instructor because she just did not mesh well with our class.

Vienna has been great this past week. I've continued to get lost a couple times but now know my way to school and back and can now use most public transportation without panic ;) I found great grocery shopping deals at Hoffer, a local store. They don't have as much organic and fresh fruits and veggies as Spar does, but I got a bag of bread for under a Euro. I've pretty much been surviving off sandwiches but I finally went to Spar and got a head of broccoli and some rice so I'll have stir-fry for dinner tonight.

I love my hostmom Bibi and my roommate Cyd! I couldn't have asked for a better set up and agree with mom that it is our good host karma! We spend a lot of time talking about cats, babies, and of course, videos on youtube.

Tonight a group of us are going to see an Opera! Its only 3 or so Euros, so probably not the best singers in the world, but after watching the outdoor one last Saturday for a little bit, I definitely want to see one again. Its at the Volksoper Haus.

Oh, I do have a phone number while I am here (on a very old school Nokia brick phone;) but I think its too expensive for anyone to call or text, so please add me on Skype if you want to talk :) My username is Lydia.Bolton.

That's all for now since I need to get ready for the Opera! ;)

Tschuss!