Orientation = Complete

I'm sitting in my apartment, preparing to embark on a 10-day tour of Italy, France, and Germany. Reflecting on the past 4 weeks of orientation and intensive German class, it's hard to believe that it has really only been 4 weeks since I left home. I feel much more at home here every day as I find more things to do.

My friend situation is still my main worry at this point. When tagging people in my Vienna facebook album, I was a bit alarmed to realize that the only people in my pictures are the kids from DePauw, and I asked myself, "Am I being social enough? Do I need to branch out more?" And my conclusion at this point is: no. I am having a lot of fun and discovering a lot about myself, and while I do intend to become friends with people in the program, it is not my top priority. I've never been one to "try hard" to fit in. I just sort of let it happen over time. Which can be a blessing and a curse. In the long run, it's always a blessing, because the people I have called friends over the years are of very high quality. I know that Emily, Jorie and Dil will continue to be good friends in the next few years when we get back to Greencastle, so I am very happy to be strengthening those bonds. This is not to say that I have no other friends here, I just don't know anybody else very well at this point.

Enough on that topic. Like usual, here are some highlights from this past week:

Monday, September 7th: I went to the Prater with Emily, Jorie and Dil, and saw the Riesenrad, Vienna's famous Ferris Wheel. It's expensive, so we did not actually go on it...yet. We had some great DPU bonding time. Afterwards, I decided to explore the town a bit by myself. I saw some new areas of Vienna, and gained confidence in the fact that I can navigate a big city on my own. Granted, Vienna is very safe.

Tuesday, September 8th: Opera #3, "Manon Lescaut." Jorie and I stood in the Balcony.

Wednesday, September 9th: I went out to dinner with Emily for her birthday. We went to a Biergarten and I ate some delicious Spinatstrudel (spinach strudel). Dil joined us later that night as we went to a place called "Voodoo Lounge," recommended by my cousin Jessica.

Thursday, September 10th: While I probably should have been studying for my German final, I decided to hit the town with my RA, Matthias. We met a former IES student, who now lives in Vienna, at a Chinese buffet in the 19th District. We then went to a Heurigen (wine garden), where we talked and watched a busload of Japanese tourists make fools of themselves.

Friday, September 11th: I completed my German final in good time and have started packing for the trip. We leave tonight on an overnight train to Venice!

I love you all.