This past week we were given a break while we recovered from intensive German and prepared for normal classes to begin. I took advantage of that time by visiting friends and places! I traveled to London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. On the first stretch of my trip, I had a plane ride from Linz to London. The Vienna airport doesn’t have Ryan Air, which for students without an income is a disappointment. Because of this, I had to take a train from Vienna to Linz early on a Saturday morning. This became an interesting experience!!

After taking the U-Bahn (vienna’s underground transportation) to the Vienna Hauptbahnhof at 6 am, I had found my platform and was ready to go. Having paid an extra 3 Euros for a seat incase it was filled, remembering to pack food for the airport, and strategically wearing my heaviest outfit, I felt very prepared!! My train was scheduled to leave at 6:44. At 6:40, the train pulled in. People began to file in, but I walked from door to door, trying to figure out where my unnecessarily bought assigned seat was. At 6:43, the doors began to close. I panicked and ran to the train, slipping in just as the train began to move. Ironically enough after worrying about where I would get a seat, the compartment I entered was completely empty. I stored my luggage in the overhead bin and sat down. At this point, the train was well on it’s way out of Vienna. My ticket was not checked until 20 minutes into the ride.

After this, the trip passed without any hitches. I am not trying to capture an audience with uniqueness and creativity with this story, because I’m sure it is a typical one. I would rather like to focus on the universality of trying things for the first time, that thing mostly being the ÖBB train system. I was shocked that I got on the train without someone first checking my ticket, assuring them that I am not stealing and also reassuring me that I picked the right train! I talked to friends who traveled by train multiple times throughout the week, and discovered that of the ten train rides they took, their tickets were only checked at all on five of them!

As this was my first time traveling truly alone- where there were no family members or student groups waiting at my arrival gate, I learned a lot! At the top of the list is definitely the realization that navigating English speaking countries is exponentially easier than German, regardless of how far my linguistic talents have progressed.

I’ve been struggling to find a blog-worthy topic. I have been waiting for a life directing epiphany, an “ah-hah” moment when it finally hits me that this incredible city is my home. So far, my only epiphany has been realizing that I am far from this realization. My walk to school is an architect’s dream. I attend class in an 18^th century palace. Last Friday my class enjoyed drinks and pastries at one of Vienna’s Coffee Houses during lecture time in order to practice ordering in German. I am still in awe of this life and remain a tourist in the best sense of the word. I prayed in the Mariazell Basilica, which remains one of the top pilgrimage destinations in Europe. I have stood in the room that holds the file used to assassinate Elizabeth or “Sisi” of the Habsburg Empire. I have admired the gardens of Prince Eugene’s summer guesthouse and questioned what a Melange is. I have partied in a nightclub in the basement of an art museum.

Amidst my tourism, I have managed to notice noteworthy information about the culture of Vienna. Firstly, this country has managed to accomplish a fascinating balance between tradition and progression. 61.5 percent of Austria’s population is Roman Catholic and tradition shows in everything from their refusal to enjoy “grab and go” coffee to the patriarchal theme of Viennese Balls. Despite this, or maybe because of it, Austria’s society is present in and aware of the 21^st century in a way I have yet to see displayed in American government. Prostitution is very legal and very regulated, both heterosexually and homosexually. Sex workers pay taxes, are tested regularly, and have the right to sue for unpaid services. Even better, it is strongly enforced that prostitutes must be their own employees; no one can collect money from another person’s body. This is one example of a socially complex country that I adore being a part of!

And while I may not yet feel like a local, I now know where to find Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter cup ice cream on a continent that doesn’t believe in Reese’s Cups AND which grocery stores tend to keep their Milka bars at the optimal temperature and away from contaminating flavors. I’d say that’s a pretty good start!

This is my apartment building… quite a transformation from The Collegian on South Atherton

The second I entered international security, though still at an American airport, I began to feel like I was leaving what I knew. The family behind me through the checkpoint lines was speaking rapid German. By rapid I probably mean normal paced, but compared to my audio retarded recordings in introductory German classes, it was fast. I am excited for everything ahead of me, but the language barrier seems to bring the most apprehension. After three semesters of college German and the first half of the first disk of Rosetta Stone (who knew it takes longer than a week to complete the whole thing?), I do not feel adequately prepared to find my way through Austrian culture.

With language on the mind, I began to notice language barriers that are inevitable no matter how hard someone studies. There are sayings and implications that simply do not make sense in other tongues. I noticed this specifically during finals week at Penn State. I had been up early enough to get a desk in the library during its busiest time of the year. When I had finished studying and was starting to pack my things, there was an international student hovering beside me. He clearly was looking for a seat and as I was packing I told him “Oh just hold on a minute I’m leaving”. I, and presumably every other American, would take this to mean that I am offering him my seat. Instead, he stares at me blankly before releasing a genuinely surprised smile and asking, “Can I sit there?”

There are better hypothetical examples than this, but the above story is the moment when I began considering these examples. Others that came to mind include “It should be under…” when looking up names, “I was heart broken” without any physical injuries affecting the heart, and “what a joke” referencing an instance lacking intended humor. Translated literally, none of these make any sense. Even if I succeed in becoming fluent, it will be in a very Amelia Bedelia sense of the word.

I am excited to reach Vienna and plan on spending time both discrediting and reaffirming stereotypes. Mostly, I’ll let you know if people really walk around in lederhosen. I also plan on exploring the people and comparing their mannerisms and values with those of Americans. Come explore the city of Wien with me!