The pizza struggle

I guess every study abroad ends up having at least one interesting food experience. Ours was today! We went to a pizza shop and thought we'd try the mozzarella pizza, sounded great. Not so fast. It was the messiest pizza of all my life. Scott and I did our best to not get covered in pizza but seriously, it was quite the struggle. I'm not sure the picture even does it justice, this pizza was like half liquid and when you picked up a piece, almost everything fell off. We sat down on a bench and when we opened the box we both just laughed because man I've never seen such liquified pizza before but, nonetheless it still tasted great. As you can see, the struggle didn't end there but only continued when we attempted to throw the box out. We finished up by having some struggle free ice cream!!

A highlight from this week was that I had my first organ lesson! The Jesuitskirche is so beautiful, I can hardly believe I am having lessons there. My teacher is very talented and intelligent. The language barrier is a bit hard at times but he is extremely knowledgable about the organ. We worked on improvisation which was a new experience for me. I had always thought of it as really intimidating before and had no idea how to start, so that was fun to try. We started working on a new piece and I also played some pieces that I was familiar with for him. I also got a practice organ figured out so that was a relief. I'm going to practice at one of the LDS chapels and it's great because the missionaries just let me into the building in the mornings and I'm able to get a lot done. 

Es ist alles so schön

I am still loving Vienna and everything I see is so beautiful! On Friday we all went to the Wien Museum which was great! We had an introduction to the Art and Architecture History Course which is part of our program. I am really excited for that class because I have never really learned much about it before so I think it will be really interesting. We had a transportation rally after the museum where we were put into teams of three and had to leave and come back to the same spot after using four modes of transportation, which were going on the Straßenbahn (streetcars), Autobus (bus), U-Bahn (subway), and the Schnellbahn (railway). My team came in second place so we were happy about that. We came home after that and our host had made us wiener schnitzel which was really sweet. The next day we went to the Ephesosmuseum and the Römermuseum. At the museum they had works of art and architecture on display from Ephesus which was located in what is now present day Turkey. Since 1895, archaeologists have been excavating the ruins of Ephesus and many of the objects are now in Vienna at this museum. We learned about a lot of Greek and Roman art and architecture while we were there and had an assignment to do a formal art analysis on one of the works we saw. We also saw the Mozart Memorial, which is in the Ringstrasse. Afterwards, a few of us went to a store called Primark, which is kind of like H&M, but way inexpensive. It is awesome, I so wish they had these in America!! Later that night we went to a friend's house to watch Eurovision! Okay, so I hadn't heard about this until I got here but it's a European song contest where each country sends their best singer/band and they put on a huge show, I guess it is similar to American Idol, but with many countries and more enthusiasm! It is a big thing in Austria right now because last year Austria won with the singer Conchita Wurst, which, just to give you a nice mental image, is a transgender guy who looks for the most part like a woman but still sports a beard. Google images can help you out with that one. On Sunday, I went to church with my host and it was really fun. I wasn't able to understand a lot but it was great to see how strong the members are here. I was also able to talk to the missionaries a little bit which was great. This morning I was able to go find the Jesuitenkirche where I will be having my organ lessons, I will have my first one tomorrow! Then, we went to Naturhistorisches Museum: Venus of Willendorf. It was a fun Museum and there was so much to see! They have casts of dinosaur skeletons, a large display of skulls that show the history of man, lots of gems, prehistoric sculptures and extinct birds and mammals. I was able to meet some family friends for lunch which was wonderful, it is great to have some connections here. Tonight, we are going to Die Fledermaus, which is an Operetta by Johann Strauss. Bis später!

Ich liebe Wien!

So...where to start. Vienna is everything I imagined it would be, and more! Wow. I feel like I am walking through a painting all the time because seriously it is so beautiful. When we arrived yesterday we had a quick tour of parts of Vienna and then checked in to the Amerika-Institute where I will have classes. Some highlights of where we went yesterday and today were the Burggarten, the Austrian National Library, the Naschmarkt, the Mariahilferstrasse, the Wiener Staatsoper, and Vapiano. Yesterday and today I was able to learn a lot about the public transportation here. It was incredibly intimidating at first but I am already starting to get the hang of it. Then again, I thought I knew where I was going at one point and discovered a whole new section of the U-Bahn that I didn't know existed! It will come with time I am sure. I also had my very first wienerschnitzel!!! So good! I have a really great group that I am here with, everyone is so fun. We all have gone down a nostalgic path back to the age of flip phones! I'm weirdly so excited about this and it actually makes me miss having one as my normal phone. It's great though because now we all have Austrian phone numbers and are able to easily communicate with one another. The only thing that is a little stressful at this point is still the public transportation at times and ordering food/talking to people in stores in German. But, both are easy fixes as it will all get easier as time goes on. I love my host and I have a great roommate. We share a cute room and also live with a Hungarian which, naturally, I was so excited about!!! That is all I can think of for now, so much has happened and I'm sure there's more but I am still jet lagged and should try to get on a regular schedule. I have my first organ lesson on Tuesday which I am so excited about! 

Tschüss!

Auf wiedersehen Amerika...or should I say viszlát!

I have boarded my flight and am ready to take off. I am so so excited for this! While waiting in line to board the airplane, I heard the lady next to me say she did not speak English and that she only spoke German and Hungarian. I was able to talk to her (in my broken German) about Hungary! Turns out she lives in Hungary. It was a short conversation but she was so excited to hear I was going to Hungary and that I was learning Hungarian. So neat. If you haven't heard, I will be serving an 18 month mission for our church and I've been called to serve in the Hungary Budapest Mission. I am so excited and I leave in October. Anyways I am off and will update my adventures here! 

Ich bin begeistert!

So, I'm leaving for Vienna, Austria in 15 days, but who's counting! I've had a few people ask if I am going to have a blog while I'm there, so here we are. I will be posting about my study abroad whenever I have a chance so if you're interested in what I'm doing over there you can check it out! Here is a preview of where I will be taking organ lessons, it is called the Jesuitenkirche and located in the center of Vienna. I am so excited for this opportunity!