Days 1 & 2: Travel, Arrival, and Jet Lag

Arriving in Vienna
WOW! We made it. What a blessing. These 2 days have felt like one NEVER-ENDING day. By the time 9pm rolled around, I was so glad to finally be going to bed!

When we were finally finished with air travel, our bodies thought it was 1am, but on Vienna time it was a bright and sunny 8am. Surprisingly, I didn't feel too exhausted at this point, but was just excited to get my first experience of the Viennese way of life. I was greatly looking forward to the leisurely attitude and constantly reminding myself to live in every moment without getting too caught up in the tiny details. I have a tendency to be rigid on time, schedule, and structure, but I came abroad fully prepared to go with the flow and enjoy whatever opportunity comes my way.

Truthfully, I couldn't tell you much about the City Airport Train (CAT), except that its sole purpose to me was to get me one step closer to a place to ditch my suitcase and take a rest. We took the CAT for what felt like an eternity, maybe changed a line or two, and finally came to a flight of stairs. At this point, my first thought was the realization that I had been in Vienna for quite a while, but I hadn't even stepped outside! It was so refreshing to feel the cool, crisp breeze as we came upon the Vienna State Opera. What a beautiful sight! From there, we walked about a block to the Austro-American Institute. The building itself, an historic one-family home, is beautiful! Everyone there seems very kind and welcoming. One of the first things I noticed was an espresso machine, which I will certainly be using at least a few times during my time here in Vienna (only when I'm too feeling too cheap for coffee from a local shop)!


Host Family
My roommate, Sage, and I are being hosted by a very sweet woman who lives alone in a beautiful home on the outskirts of town. Per her preference, I won't give any personal details about her, but from here on out I'll call her AM (Austrian Momma!). She loves to travel, but when she can't, she enjoys having traveling students live in her home to get that sense of other cultures. When we arrived at her home around 4pm, AM encouraged us to take a 45 minute nap to help keep us awake until it was time to go to bed. An experienced traveler herself, she knew a few tricks to help us cope with the jet lag. After our nap, we took turns taking showers and sat down with AM for a delicious dinner of risotto with asparagus and salad. We then decided to wait on dessert, fresh and local strawberries with a dash of icecream, and take a walk around Lainzer Tiergarten, a large nature reserve just down the street from her home. This took us about 30 minutes, and after returning home and enjoying those PERFECT strawberries, it was finally time for bed.

And then I SLEPT!