In the Final Stretch

Well, it hardly seems possible, but in 6 days I will be on a plane back to the States! This is a very exciting prospect, but also a bit overwhelming. I'm trying not to think about it too much yet, because I still have 6 full days in Europe! I'm just hoping to really soak it all in this week.

This morning I had my first Final Exam, which went fairly well. I have 2 more on Monday, and one on Thursday. Unfortunately, that means I will most likely spend tonight studying. It's my last Saturday night here, and it depresses me to think I will spend it at home, so hopefully I will be efficient so I can hang out with friends later on. Tomorrow I'm taking a day-trip to Budapest, so that's why I need to do my studying now.

Here are some highlights from the week:

Sunday, December 6th and Monday, December 7th: My choir had 2 Christmas concerts. They both went very well, and I'm proud to say that I have now performed "The Messiah." After the second concert, I had to say my first goodbyes of the semester to some fellow choir members, which was harder than I expected because I really hadn't done anything with them outside of choir. It was just a weird feeling to say goodbye to someone I will most likely never see again. I can't imagine how hard this week will be in terms of goodbyes!

Tuesday, December 8th: I had been wanting to see what the movie theaters are like here, and I finally went to see one. Emily and I saw "Whatever Works," a Woody Allen movie. Two things were noticeably different from American theaters: there were assigned seats (with reservation), and the concession stands sold beer.

Wednesday, December 9th: One of the most stressful days I have had in Europe. I was a co-manager for our final Music Performance Workshop concert, and Wednesday was our 4-hour dress rehearsal. I was at IES from 8:00am-9:00pm. I didn't even go outside, because I packed my lunch.

Thursday, December 10th: Another busy day. The concert went very well! I did a scene from "Grafin Mariza" which involved a dialogue in German and then a Hungarian dance. It was a lot of fun. After the concert, IES threw a party with champagne and finger foods. Then most of the musicians went to The Travel Shack to celebrate being finished.

Friday, December 11th: I slept in, which was wonderful. Then I did some studying, which was not so wonderful.

Here's hoping that my final week in Vienna is amazing, and that I can make the most of it.

I love you all.