So, I ended up not going to Croatia today. The prices were a little too expensive for just the 2 days on the beach that we would be there. But no worries, I am planning a trip to either Prague or Zurich for this weekend. I might end up going by myself, because everybody that I know is going to Oktoberfest. I wanted to see Munich, but since I hate beer, I figured that right now is probably not THE best time for me to be going, haha.

My friend, Ugur, and I are going to go to Switzerland in 2 weeks, so I am just going to have to hold out for that! Since this week is free, I am going to go to the zoo and an opera.

Today actually is the 1 MONTH AWAY FROM HOME mark of the trip, so I was a little sad about missing my family and friends (all of you fine people). :( This afternoon, though I expected it to be boring, since I wasn't going on the trip, was one of the most amazing afternoons ever. However, Amber and I decided to head out walking around some parts of town that we'd never seen before... in hopes to find a grocery store. Well, we never found a store that was open, because Vienna pretty much shuts down on Sundays. We walked along the streets, rather lost (as usual), and stumbled upon one of the most comforting sights ever.

A MEXICAN RESTARAUNT! Now I know that Mexican food doesn't exactly come from Berea, Kentucky, but we have 4 Mexican places in town.... so it felt just like home! Amber and I enjoyed one of the best Chimichangas that I've ever eaten, along with some chips and salsa AND a little side salad with real dressing. I've never been happier! :)

I wasn't sure how I would feel about being away from home this long, but I do really miss things back in Kentucky. I am having a great time, and getting to see a lot of Austria, and will soon get to see several other famous and cool places in Europe, but not being able to talk to my family every day is a little hard. I wish that everybody back home could see these amazing places with me. I was in awe yesterday when we were on top of the mountain in Graz, and there were perfectly defined rays of sun coming through the clouds over the mountains. I just stopped for a minute and thought about how lucky I am to be in this amazing country, and how beautiful of a world God actually created. The mountains around here remind me of home, and that added with my Mexican deliciousness comforted me today.

I'm always thinking about all of you, and I can't wait to see you at Christmas! Keep me in your prayers, and I love you!

The past 2 days were full of awesomeness! Friday was the last day of my intensive German class, and I was pretty sad. My instructor was such a good teacher, and the students in my class all really bonded together. We loved our class! I can understand some things that the Austrians are saying, and I feel very comfortable with getting around the city. I even talked to the waiter just a bit the other day. True, I got laughed at in my attempt to pronounce Entschuldigung, meaning I'm sorry, but wouldn't you have problems pronouncing a word with like 14 consonants put together? Yeah... I do my best! :)

After German class ended, the group went to the Schönbrunn Palace, where the emperor and royal family (including Maria Teresa) lived for centuries. My momma always taught me that money doesn't buy happiness, and that lesson takes human form with this family! They were SO messed up! Yes, this was the most incredible palace that I've seen, with hundreds of rooms and perfect gardens, but 1/2 of the family died of some dreaded disease, and the others were either crazy or anorexic. They did have some of the coolest hardwood floors that I've ever seen (again, mom.... you're influencing me all of the time!) After we went out into the gardens, we decided to run up the massive hill to get a bird's-eye view of Vienna, the gardens, and the palace. Even though I almost had a heart attack when we got to the top, it was definately the most spectacular view that I've had of the city so far. There were 8 girls and then Chad from New York, so we made Chad take pictures of us in "artistic" poses. He got tired of that really fast, but we got some great pics! :) Thanks, Chaddy!

Today was our last trip with the OK! Program. We took a 3-hour bus ride to Graz, the second largest city in Austria (next to Vienna). Graz was one of the only cities that Napoleon couldn't conquer. He tried three different times, and couldn't breach the mountain fortress, however, when he eventually took over the rest of the country, the Grazzians (I don't think that's what they are called, but it sounds good!) had to surrender. Napoleon blew up just about everything in the city, but the citizens bought the bell tower with all of the money they had left, and it still remains there today. We got a great view of the fortress gardens and bell tower when we hiked up possibly the steepest hill that I've ever walked up in my life. I seriously thought Patrick from Georgia was going to have to drag me up the rest of the way. I kept thinking that I was glad Coach Cress never took the soccer team here, because she'd have had a great time making us run sprints up this mountain (ah, the good old days of conditioning!). The view was incredible! We saw a very interesting art museum built like a blue kidney, some amazing gardens, the Arnold S. stadium, and the whole city.

Also, on the river that runs through Graz floats this concert hall and restaraunt. It is shaped like two halves of a ball placed beside eachother. The original designer wanted to put the ball completely under water, but didn't take into account the changes in water level, so he changed his design and made the ball halves float on top. Inside, the building is all blue and there are no straight lines in the design, to keep with the symbolic "flow" of the river. It was VERY cool.

Complete on the tour was another amazing meal. We had crepes soup, chicken salad, and tiramisu that was un-coffee tasting, so I really loved it! A+ on the food in Austria, let me just say!

Tomorrow, I think that I'm heading off to Croatia.... but I haven't completely decided yet. We shall see!

Okay.... so I think that I have stooped to an all-time low.
To do laundry in our building you have to have a laundry card... okay, fair enough. BUT, the office has been closed for the past several days. However, even if we DID have a laundry card, we would have to travel to a bank and put money on said card. This, too, is impossible, because the banks close early, and also don't speak English.... so you see the pickle that Amber and I have found ourselves in.

Well, in the spirit of culture, it looks as if we have decided to get in touch with our roots, and do things the old-fashioned way. Amber and I threw some t-shirts and such in the shower, poored laundry soap on them, and scrubbed.... really hard. Then, we started a rinse/ring out assembly line. As we speak, there are wet clothes hanging all over Amber's room and on the window.

Mom.... I need you and your High Entensity washer.... :(

I had an amazing and pretty religiously uplifting experience this weekend at Melk Abbey. So, when our leader told us that we would be getting to go to an art museum, I began to look forward to some Jesus paintings and some pictures of landscapes and bunnies. However, when we got to the Museum Quarter for our tour, I saw a huge sign that said, "Traum und Trauma," which translates to "Dreams and Trauma." That tipped me off right away that the next hour was not going to be spent looking at pictures of religious figures or trees. A lot of the "inspiration" for the exhibit was Freud's dream analysis and free association, which was another BIG indication that this art would be a little wacky.


AND TRAUMATIC IT WAS! This art exhibit (if you could even call it that) was completely about the shock factor. We saw some of the most gruesome and disturbing pictures that I've ever seen. Also, at one point in the tour, we came to a painting that was basically a big red splash with painted rocks at the bottom. According to our guide, this painting was inspired by the book Left Behind. She asked if anyone had ever read the book before, or if any of us were born-again Christians. Well, of course, I raised my hand..... and I was the only one who did! Right away, the guide pointed me out and said, "Oh, only one of you in the crowd. Well, would you explain to the rest of the group what the book is about? Something called the Rapture, right?" My heart skipped a beat. When I am first introducing the rather important concept of Christianity to a large crowd of people (which hasn't happened too many times), I usually don't start off with the book of Revelation. Telling them who Jesus is might have been a better starting point, but I went ahead and did my best to explain the concept of the Rapture. In my opinion, this piece of art was the furthest thing from a Godly painting, but... each to his own, I guess. Let's just say that Amanda Kalyn Tyree was glad to get out of that creepy place!



Yesterday, our group had a tour of the Ottakringer beer brewery. This beer is special and only brewed in Austria. The rest of the group was a tad more excited about this than I was, but I decided to go and attempt to be culturally stimulated in some way. Maybe after seeing this beer place, I would find out why the art people from the previous day were so messed up! The tour was actually pretty interesting, and we got to see how everything was made. Inside the fermentation room was about 100 degrees (F), so I almost died! The entire place also smelled like barley, which was pretty nasty, but it was pretty cool to see such a big part of the Austrian culture. I had a hard time concentrating, though, because our tour guide looked like Barbara Streisand with crazy hair gone bad (well, worse, haha), so I kept laughing when she'd talk. :)

Today, we went to the ORF, which is the Austrian news station. We got to go in front of the green screen and film ourselves. Three of my friends looked like they were riding a magic carpet, and then Connie and Nirveen were put onto the back of a cow in a pasture. It was halarious! They put me, Nirveen, and Connie in the middle of a yodel German dance hall, so we started line-dancing! Our tour guide made us a DVD of our performance, so I will definately bring that home with me! :)

I have recently been named the "Unofficial Chef" of the 4th floor. I think this is because some of the boys from the north east US saw me cooking pasta (really challenging, I know) one afternoon. Their only wish for this week was to be cooked a real "Kentucky style" meal. Amber and I successfully cooked chicken, potatoes, green beans, and garlic bread. They loved it! Nobody died or was poisoned (from what we can tell.... the side-effects might take longer than a few hours to set in.... time will tell), and our meal was called "absolutely delicious." Yay! Greg and Paul (both go to Bentley College in Boston, but Greg is from NYC) said that I should make dinner every night (maybe this is how I can make money over here!).

I have my first German language exam tomorrow! We are going to study a lot tonight, and hopefully they will allow me to stay in the country. I really like this German stuff, so I think that I will continue it even when I get back to UK. It's so much fun, and actually is a much prettier language than people think. German is just kind of hard to speak, because we don't have a lot of the sounds that they have, but I'm trying! Today on the city bus coming home from the TV station, there were about 10 or 11 young military boys standing all around where Amber and I were sitting. Then this little old lady got on the bus, and Amber and I offered to get up so that she could sit down. The lady insisted that we stay seated, and began talking to us in English, asking what we were doing in Vienna. All of the military boys (most of whom looked around our age) were listening attentively, we could tell. Then the woman asked me if I would say something in German to her, and the first phrase that I could think of was "Ich komme aus den USA," (which means, "I am from the USA.") All of the boys started smiling and laughing and I heard the word "American" and "English" come out several times. Then we got some kisses blown at us when they all got off the bus.... oh, Europeans! At least I said the sentence right!

Wish all of us luck on the exam! I'll keep everybody posted on how I do! :)

We had our first official "Day Trip" to Melk, Austria today! The group got up and met at the bus station at 8am... which was VERY early for us! :) Amber and I heard rumors that the weather was supposed to be in the 70's on Sunday, so we thought it would be suitable to wear shorts. We walked out to the bus, and everyone else was layered up in fleece jackets, jeans, and boots. Here come Amanda and Amber, the token Southerners, in their black shorts, flip flops, and cute shirts. Luckily, we both brought matching sweaters, in case of a slight chill in the air. Everyone else looked prepared for an arctic blizzard, and Amber and I were ready to go to the beach! Needless to say, we got several wierd looks from the other 100 people standing at the bus stop. We made it work, though, and the entire day made small comments like, "Wow, I'm so glad it's so nice out today. Pretty warm, huh" ... even if we stood huddled together for warmth. Maybe we'll start a trend!

The bus ride to Melk was pretty fun. Amber and I sat around Joe, Steve, Ralph, Ryan from Phili, and Andrew. We had a pretty good time, just laughing and talking about sports! Ryan from Philadelphia said he was very surprised that Amber and I knew as much about college sports as we did. We were pretty proud of ourselves! Then a guy a few seats behind us, Ryan from Oregon, wanted to know if Amber and I would come to this sports bar this week with him, because he wanted to talk football with somebody who knew what they were talking about. :)

We arrived in Melk, which is one of the cutest, most picturesque towns that I've ever seen. There were small cobblestone streets that slowly curved and winded up the mountains. At the top of the largest hill was the Melk Abbey, which is over 900 years old. The abbey is also still running, with around 30 monks that still work and study there. We went on a tour through the libraries, gardens, and rooms of the abbey. We got to see one of the ceremonial capes that the highest bishop wears during important events, and also one of the smallest little books I've ever seen! This book was about the size of my hand when it's opened, and contained the beginnings of all of the prayers and guidelines for the monks. None of the prayers contained inside were complete, because the monks were supposed to memorize them all! I thought that was very awesome!

In the library of the abbey was a very impressive ceiling. Painted on it were Greek mythological figures, which, we were told by our guide, were painted there because the rulers during the period that the abbey was built were obsessed with being like the Greek gods. They wanted to rule with the strength of Hercules and the wisdom of Athena, so they painted them everywhere. Also in the library were golden statues representing medicine, education, law, and music. They were amazing! The library was definately my favorite building of the abbey. The entire focus of the Benedictine monks life was to "work, pray, and study." I really liked this! This abbey was SO peaceful and really just a calming place. Our tour guide was also very fun and made this trip very worth our while!

After leaving the abbey, we went to eat a 3 course meal with the entire group. Mom would be happy, because this was probably the first proper meal that I'd eaten on the entire trip! oops! -- I ate Zander fish, salad, and apple strudel. Let me just say, that it was AMAZING! Amber and I sat across from Simone (from Italy) and Carlos (from Spain). Carlos tried to help us practice our Spanish skills by talking to us in all Spanish. He was impressed that we could understand some and say a little bit back. This dinner was SO much fun! We love these guys!

After a marvelous dinner, we headed off to a vineyard for wine testing and a tour. Now, I am all about being "one with nature," but none of us expected what we were about to experience.... the poeple who owned this vineyard were all about appeasing the wine gods (which apparently come in the form of a goat), so all throughout the wine cellars (which took about an hour to walk through), there were some very strange alters built to these goat people. There was some type of maze with shooting water and lights, built to keep the spirit of the grapes at peace.... come on now.... I don't think the grapes are going to get mad and refuse to be turned into wine if they don't get to listen to their favorite country music, do you? After we left the cellar, there was a room that displayed the three different situations where wine is important: birth, love, and death. In the section of this rather dicso-looking mirror room about birth, there stood a single table. Out of this table poked a little upside-down baby foot. (why is there the foot of a small child sticking out of a table deep in a wine cellar, you ask? We thought the SAME thing) You were supposed to tickle this plastic baby foot to symbolize drinking wine at a child's birth..... nooo thank you, weird wine people! This was the wierdest vineyard that I'd EVER been to, but by far the most entertaining. Amber, me, and our friend James from New Zealand laughed a lot at the crazy things around each corner of the cellar... this is an experience that I will never forget. I think the owners had one too many drinks of that wine, if you ask me!

Another Saturday in Vienna!
Today started out as another typical Saturday. The girls planned to go to the market and out to the shopping street for a leisurely day of bonding. Amber, me, and our newest friend Nicole (from Miami, Florida) set out with a mission to find Nicole and Amber some snazzy Austrian boots. First, we ate an actual meal at a little cafe on Mariahillfe Strasse. I ate some wonderful veggie soup and fruit. Yum! After lunch, we went into several shops, but it seemed like everything in the boots category cost a million euros.

We were just about to give up on the boot experience when we looked into the window of a very small French clothing store. I looked in, and everything in the store looked very nice, so I automatically thought that this would be just another one of those "look but don't buy" type things..... then I saw it. Red and glowing on the center table on the floor. My mother taught me that when you see something this extraordinary, no matter where you are, you must stop and take in the majesty. There it was..... a sale sign! 50% off shoes, as plain as day glittered up from a pile of boots. We walked into the store, and Amber found a wonderful pair of sale leather boots which, according to the friendly sales girl, came straight from Paris! Everything from this small store was bought during the manager's monthly trip to Paris. We were so happy! I also bought Bryce's birthday present, which is a phenomenal gift, I must say. Sorry, Bryce.... no stiletto boots, though. Maybe next year.

After we were finished with a very successful shopping experience, we headed off to the Flohmarket for a bit of grocery shopping. On our way, we passed by the Vienna Opera House, where several men dressed in Mozart costumes were passing out brochures about the latest Mozart concert. They do this regularly, so we didn't think much of it. Amber politely took a brochure from one guy, and we kept on walking and talking. After we got about 10 steps away, one of the Mozart guys, who apparently heard us talking, yelled after us. "Hallo, are you from America? Come back!" Oh, great. Another anti-George Bush questioning session from an angry Austrian..... We slowly walked back and stood in front of this 20-something guy in a fairly odd costume. He asked what part of America we were from, and then told us that he was from Kosovo, and that his "people" loved America and so he was happy to meet us. Well, I thought, that wasn't too bad. Then he looked at me and said, "What is your name?" I answered, and he started smiling. He said, "Ah, Amanda. I love you.... I mean, nice to meet you." Amber and Nicole stood back laughing hysterically, while this little Kosovo man in a crazy concert outfit (complete with coat, knickers, and a frilly shirt) held my hand and looked at me. I did everything in my power not to fall over laughing. I mean, he looked ridiculous and was confessing his love to me after meeting me for 3 seconds (someone had a green card on his mind....), AND he was about as tall as I am. Oooh, baby, let me tell ya. I thought that it couldn't get any worse, when he pulled out another brochure and asked me if I would message him on MSN, and gave me his messenger screen name. He wanted me to come out for drinks and dinner with him next week. I kindly took the brochure as I was shaking from laughing so hard and started to walk away. (Keep in mind that Amber and Nicole are standing about 2 steps to the side having a great time) "Amanda, wait," he said. I looked back at him through my sunglasses. "Can I see your eyes?" WHAT?!?!?! He can't be serious. "Can you..." I lifted up my sunglasses and put them on my head. "Ah, I love you. My name is Lili. Do message me soon!" "Okay, thanks..... um, talk to you later." I managed to get that sentence out with a straight face, and we walked away. -- Reflecting on what just happened, I thought to myself... what would people really think if on my wedding invitation, it said WE INVITE YOU TO CELEBRATE THE MARRIAGE OF AMANDA AND LILI, TO BE HELD IN KOSOVO BAPTIST CHURCH. hahahaha. No thanks.... I will stick with Bryce! :)

We finally got to the market, and I bought some Pink Lady apples, which are fabulous, a real loaf of wheat and molasses bread (that I cut myself into crude little slices), and some seedless grapes. I paid a little more for the seedless, but all of the grapes until now had me choking on about 15 seeds each.... so I was thankful.

Today was very interesting. There's no telling what will happen on our trip to Melk Abbey tomorrow...... only time will tell. :) Until then!

Hallo!
Today was definately a fun day! It was "Parliment/Government Day" for out group, so we got to learn all about the Austrian political system. I actually learned a lot (who knew!?). First, we had a lecture from a historical author about the history of Austrian political systems. We heard about everything from the Hapsburg regime to the forming of Austria as we know it today (it's been about the same since the early 20's). Apparently, Austria has several major parties, but the two main ones are called the Red and the Black (Conservatives/Religious and the Democratic Socialists). Austria has elections much like we have in America, but even when one party wins, that party doesn't really get the full control. They still have to work VERY closely with the other party. The lecturer also said that it would be like having two CEOs of a company. Can you imagine -- having George Bush and Hilary Clinton sitting next to eachother in the board room of a company? He said this often meant very heated discussions in the parliment room!

After the lecture, we actually got to go into the Parliment building, which was absolutely beautiful! We sat in the seats where the "deputies" go to work during the year, saw the imperial meeting room, and heard a lot more about it. A lot of the building was destroyed during the war from bombings, but the imperial meeting room, which had a huge ceiling made of Bohemian glass, was not hurt at all! It was absolutely beautiful!

I was introduced to my new favorite drink today! There is a cute little coffee/bagel shop right across the street from our university. It is the "original" bagel shop in Vienna, and is called The Roast. They have this hot fruit tea, and let me just say, that it was AMAZING! Tonight we are having a Welcome Party for all of the exchange students.

Who wants to be on my Christmas list? :)
I went to the largest Swarovski Crystal store (which is actually two stores across the street from one another) today! Our group of about 40 exchange students got a little tour from one of the store managers. I didn't know it, but Swarovski crystals are actually artificial! This way, they can make as many as they want, I guess. The crystals have a very high iron content (I think that's the mineral), which is one of the reasons they are so unique. The special cut of the crystals is also what gives them their status. We got to look around at all of the new designs, and I even saw a Crystal purse! I don't even have enough money to put in the purse, let alone buy it! Also very interesting were the crystals that came in different colors. I had seen the clear pieces before, but there are crystals ranging from hot pink to deep blue, to even lime green! I saw a rather large statue of a cobra that was green, blue, and red. It was very pretty, but I don't know what mom would think if I brought home a sparkling snake statue to use as the centerpiece for the dining room table that cost about 6,000 Euro (9,000 bucks!!!) There were also huge statues that sold for thousands upon thousands of dollars, also which I could never afford. However, I got really excited, because some of the jewelry is actually pretty affordable. So -- those who send me care packages might just get something shiny in their stockings! Ha ha.

We also got to see where Mozart lived, died, and made his music! It was very very cool. During the walking city tour of Vienna, we passed through a beautiful courtyard that was right below St. Stephen's Cathedral in the zentrum (center in German.... I'm trying!) of the city. This courtyard and the apartments that enclosed it, belonged to an ancient order of German knights. The people who live and do business there are more like monks now, though they still call themselves knights. I thought that was so interesting!

Since we are a group of business majors, we are always interested in how much things cost. We asked our rather eccentric tour guide how much one of these apartments would run per month, and he said that in the center of town (and in most of Vienna), the housing prices are charged by square meter. For those of us not on the metric system, I think that's about a 3 x 3 space. Our guide said that in this particular part of town, one square meter would cost you at minimum around 600-700 Euro per month. $900 for a little box! You'd have to sleep standing up! (Amber made us all laugh by reminding us of the movie Coneheads, where the people all sleep standing up) Since there's no way I can afford an entire room, let alone an entire house, I now have a new phrase. To those whom I really love, instead of just saying that I love them, I will tell them that I want to "share my meter" with them.... since that's all I'd be able to buy in Vienna! :)

On a side note: In the spirit of becoming cultured and broadening my horizons, I am attempting to break down the common stereotypes that I have of other cultures! For example, I have met some friendly French people, German is actually a very pretty language to speak, my friend from London rarely eats crumpets (though he's going to bring me some after he visits his family, since I don't know what they are), etc. I have several friends from Canada, and so I'm trying to learn a little bit more about our neighbors to the north. I always thought the whole "Canada people always say eh?" thing was just made up, BUT THEY REALLY SAY IT! There is no Myth Busters proof against that! My friend Nirveen from Vancouver said it about 5 times today! :)

Just something funny that happened today:

I was standing in line to register for the Austria Buddy Network trip to Budapest after German class today, and this girl came up to me. Her name was Julia, and she is from Canada, I think. She looked at me and said, "Hey, are you THE Amanda?" I thought to myself, I didn't know that I had a reputation! I answered, "Um, maybe?" Then she laughed and said, "All I keep hearing is 'Amanda and Amber, Amanda and Amber from Kentucky'."

I might be in a city of 3 million..... but this girl is making a name for herself! :) (Don't worry, Mom... It's a good one!)

I have completed my first 2 days of German class! It is, as they said, "intensive." Our class is made up of about zwanzig (twenty in German, haha) students, coming from all over the world. There are people from Spain, L.A., Italy, Oregon, Iceland, Russia, Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, Boston, and... of course, KENTUCKY! I knew a few people in there already, but I'm the only one representing our fair state.... I'll do my best! As for the professor -- she is quite capable of speaking English, but just chooses NOT to. The first 10 minutes of class yesterday proved to be quite a struggle, because I wasn't quite sure what on earth she was talking about. It's very interesting, though, and I am actually learning things. This immersion-type experience really forces you to listen and think.

So far, I have learned how to introduce myself and others, tell about my day, ask about people's names, countries of origin, age, telephone numbers (I guess they expect people to fall in love with foreigners or something, haha), occupations, etc. We also have been learning about the simple conjucations of verbs, the masculine/feminine articles, and how to count to 100! That's pretty impressive, let me tell you! I had to recite my phone number to the entire class, and I got a "sehr gut!" from the professor.... from what I can tell, that's praise, lol. Once we've learned a new Frage und Anwert (question and answer), we pass this little green beanbag worm around the room and ask and answer the other people in the class. We were asking our ages today, and one of the Russian girls in my class, Olga, tossed the wormie to our teacher and said, "Und du?" (which means "and you?") The professor simply said in German, "old." We all thought that was really funny. Also, apparently the word for CD-player (and other electronics) is masculine, and the word for University is feminine..... I take that to mean that men listen to a lot of music and watch tv, wasting their brains away to mush, while we women have deep conversations about existentialism and books. Way to go ladies!

After German class, we ate lunch at the Student Cafe, called The Menza. It's pretty cheap, and really tasty, so I was pumped. I had schnitzel again!

The wierd thing about European universities is that I have one, maybe two, classes per week. Some classes only meet 5 times the entire semester! I think that the idea is more of an independent study, where we will have a lot of work to do on our own, and not much "instruction." They just throw us in and expect us to swim, I guess! :)

I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty bummed about missing the UK game against U of L. I mean.... we OWNED THEM! Way to go, Cats! Amber and I got on ESPN's website and followed the game until 5am this morning. We are that intense of fans! I proudly wore my UK shirt today and ate dinner at the Vienna KFC, just to celebrate the awesomeness of our fair state! :)

Today, Amber and I woke up early and did a devotional together. Bryce sent me several verses the other day, so Amber and I read them together, prayed, and just discusses how God was working in our lives right now. This was a great start to the day, and I really enjoyed getting to talk about Jesus this morning! (We read James 1:5, John 15:4-8, 1 Peter 5:7, and Psalm 9:10) Thanks, Bryce!

After we did our devotional, Amber and I, along with Connie and Chad (from Long Island, NY) decided to travel to Danube Island, which is about 15 minutes from the center of the city. The island is basically just a big strip of land that is encircled by the Danube River in Vienna. The weather today was absolutely perfect, so we walked around for several hours, played with some geese, ate nachos, and explored along the river. This part of the city is out of all of the industry and shopping, so the walk along the river was quite peaceful... and absolutely perfect for a Sunday afternoon. I just imagined mom and dad driving their motorcycle at the same time, so it was nice!

After we ate lunch, we walked a little more, and saw some locals taking paddle boats out onto the river. We checked the price, and the four of us rented a boat for an hour. It only cost us about $3.50 each! Before leaving the dock, Amber jokingly asked the boat lady if people were allowed to jump in the river. She gave us a funny look, but said, "Of course you are allowed... but it is very cold!" So after paying the lady, Connie and I paddled our way out onto the massive river, with Chad and Amber sitting in the back. Our little boat looked kind of like a yellow VW Bug at first glance. It was so sunny, so being out on the water for the afternoon was so relaxing.

We had been out for about 30 minutes, and Amber brought up her crazy idea again. "Hey guys," she said, "wouldn't it be so funny if somebody jumped in?" Well, you know me -- the wheels started to turn. Before I left America, mom said something to the effect of "experience as much as you can." Well, mom..... I totally agree! This girl jumped into the Danube River! It was AWESOME! I've never jumped into colder water in my life. Chad didn't want to seem like a wuss for letting a 5'3 girl out-do him, so he jumped in as well, shortly followed by Amber. Connie had to navigate our little boat, so she stayed dry. I'm not sure that her little bitty body could have taken the shock of the water, anyhow. I can say with confidence that Amber and I have gone where no Kentuckians have gone before! The Danube is a pretty clean river, so I don't expect to sprout scales or turn green any time soon.... but in the event that this does happen, you'll have a good idea of why! :)

We got some Italian Gelato ice cream as we walked the rest of the way along the river, our shorts leaving a drip trail behind us. We got some wierd looks, but I definately feel like a champion! We showered right when we got back, because Amber said she had to "wash all of the duck mush" off of her.

Today was just great! We are going to take it easy and not try bungie-jumping off of the Hapsburg Palace until next week. lol. Actually, our German language course starts tomorrow at 10am, so we will try to keep ourselves alive until then. This trip is simply AMAZING!

Today was definately one of the coolest days in Vienna. We got up this morning, and just had a girls' day! Me, Nina (roommate), Amber, Connie (from Vancouver, Canada), and Elizabeth (from Penn) all went to this open-air market. It is a Vienna tradition that on Saturday mornings, the people get up and go to this market. There, they all eat breakfast and shop around. This place basically looked like a giant Berea yard sale!!! Just like home, haha. There were tents and tables lined up for blocks with everything from jewelry, to tablecloths, to antique glasses, to violins. If you wanted it, it was probably there. I even saw a 1980's Prince album at one of the booths.

Half of this giant market consisted of "stuff," and the other half was all food. Connie and I got seperated from the other girls, because they wanted to eat sooner than we did. We tried finding them, but the crazy yard sale was just too big... so the little Korean from Canada and I embarked on quite the adventure! While we were walking along the food part of the market, this fruit vender called us over to his cranberry stand. He said, "Hello, Asian beauty! Come here!" I don't think that he was talking to me, but I accompanied Connie over to the stand. After giving us some free cranberries, he made a proposal of marriage to Connie after trying to communicate in various Asian languages with her. The man said hello in Chinese and Japanese, but got the idea when I just politely said, "CANADA!"

Connie and I spent several hours in the market and also tried some strudel, which was great! After that, we decided to tour the opera house on a whim. We'd passed that building every day, but had never seen the inside, so we thought that we would like to get a little culture, since the weather was beautiful! The tour lasted about 45 minutes, and since we were students, we got a discount admission of about 3.5 Euros. That's great! We absolutely loved the tour, and are inspired to go see several operas while we are in Vienna. Students can get standing seats for 3 Euros. We think that we can deal with standing, because box seats are around 200 Euro.... no thanks!

We also just shopped around a little bit and then headed back to the dorm to cook dinner with the rest of the girls. Today was so much fun, and I just love my new friend! Maybe we can take a little vacation to Canada soon!

My roommate finally arrived! Her name is Nina, and she's from Slovenia! I really have no idea where that is, but I'm sure it's pretty cool. To get an idea of what she looks like, just picture the exact opposite of me! She's really tall, blonde, and quite skinny. We really get along well, though. We always talk, and she's really funny.
When I first introduced myself, she said, "Oh, where are you from? Your english is PERFECT!" Well, I guess it should be!!! :) I aint stupid. You learned me good, Mom! (just kidding!)

I had my first trip! A group of us decided to head off to Salzburg yesterday! The trip was incredible, seriously. There were 5 kids from Bentley College in Boston, 2 from University of Texas, and then Amber and me from Kentucky! We have all become really good friends, so the trip was sure to be fun!

The morning was a little stressful. I accidentally bought a ticket for the wrong day, so I had to convince the ticket supervisor to let me switch days. She must have thought that I couldn't read, but I explained to her that we had a group going, so she switched my date. Note to self: when buying online tickets, make sure that you don't click on the wrong date.... that's not good! :) After that, we realized that Joe couldn't read either, and that our train left at 9:30 instead of 10:00.... so we RAN to the train station! haha. All of that craziness aside, we finally got on our way and off to Salzburg.

Our group had to split up, since there weren't 9 seats all together on the train. Kelly, Kristine, me, Al, and Monica all sat together. We started talking to these two guys from Melbourne, Australia, who had been backpacking for about a month through Europe. They were so funny, and asked me if they could just follow me around all day and listen to my accent, because they'd never heard an American accent that was so pretty. (Props to Kentucky!) Amber and the Boston boys sat a little ways down the train, and met this guy who we think was on drugs. He kept eating these M&Ms that he dropped on the floor. Ironically, the crazy boy was sitting next to a priest! :) Oh, the people you meet on a train to Salzburg!

We arrived in Salzburg at around 1pm. Since the trip was the Kentuckians' idea, we were made the unofficial navigators of the journey. If anyone really knows Amber and me, they know that this was probably not a good idea. But fear not, we did Kentucky proud, and lead the group to the Cathedral in the center of Maribelle Plaza in Salzburg. I was very happy!

When we got on our Sound of Music tour bus at 2pm, we saw that we were the only people under the age of 40. Haha! I could tell that this trip was going to be interesting. Amber and I sat behind these two older ladies from Maryland and Virginia, who were reciting every line and singing every musical number from the Sound of Music by the time the bus even started up. It was also really funny, because Joe and Ralph (from Boston) had never even seen the Sound of Music.... boy were they in for an adventure. By half way through the trip, Ralph had already been taught the "So Long, Farewell" song by the old ladies of the trip. We laughed a lot at this! Ralph was a hit! :)

The tour took us all over Salzburg and through the lake district. We got to see where Maria and the VonTrapp children fell into the lake, the Abbey where the movie filmed some scenes (and where the real Maria first went to be a nun), the villas used for the VonTrapp family house, the gazebo used in "I am Sixteen, Going on Seventeen" song, the gardens where the children learned to sing, and, of course, the HILLS where Julie Andrews sang the opening number. This tour was incredible! Not only did I get to see where one of my favorite movies of all time was filmed and learn some behind-the-scenes info, but I also got to see some of the most breath-taking scenery that I've ever seen in my life. The small city of Mondsee, was probably the greatest! In this city, we got to go into the cathedral where Maria and Capt. VonTrapp were married in the film! :) I could seriously live here (don't worry mom... not without you!).

After the tour, we had some "crisp apple strudel" (also mentioned in the song "My Favorite Things") and headed back to Vienna. While on the train, of course, we made some more friends. One of the best things about this trip is the people. We meet random people wherever we go. We talked to a guy who is a professional photographer in Tokyo, his cousin who is a travel agent in Ft. Myers Florida, and their friend who is a local Viennian and the owner of a local coffee shop. We talked with them the entire ride back!

The trip to Salzburg was definately worth the morning stress and the several Euros that we spent. I'll never forget the perfect mountains and the crystal clear lakes! I was just so amazed by this amazing country that God has made. He really knew what he was doing when he made the Austrian landscape, and I was just in awe of that fact today. He never ceases to amaze me with the detail and perfection of nature. I also feel really responsible now. I planned and executed a successful road trip by myself! Yay!

I have a new hairstyle! I am very dark brown now. It's the "Euro Look," so I tried to fit in. :) The instructions to the hair dye were all in German, so I got Srdjan to translate them. When I went down to find him, I said that I was dying my hair. Innocently and in that same Serbian way, he said "But Kentucky, why do you want to kill your hair?" hahaha. Oh, Europeans.

Okay, so something really wierd happened today! Amber, me, and Birgit (a native to Vienna) were on our way to WU to register and get our student IDs made before going to the shopping street. I had to buy a new towel, cereal bowl, cup, and spoon. Cereal is a MUST for me, so I was feeling deprived.

At one of the stops while we were on the subway, a group of 4 or 5 of the scariest looking people that I've ever seen got on our car. They looked like gothic kids gone bad, for real! They all had crazy dreadlocks on parts of their heads, and then parts above their ears were shaved. To top off that remarkable hairstyle, their locks were dyed in various colors... such as LIME GREEN! Now what would Stacey and Clinton from What Not To Wear say about that?!? Each one of these crazies was also accompanied by a rather large, scruffy, and vicious-looking dog. 5 scary people.... 5 even scarier dogs. We three girls felt a little intimidated, but we did our best not to be noticed. I was wearing white and pink, Amber is blonde, and Birgit is 5' 10..... that was NOT going to be easy!

So we hurried off when the subway came to our stop, but our lovely friends just-so-happened to get off at that very stop, too. Maybe they were shopping for cereal bowls.... or machine guns.... I can't be sure. We were riding the escalator up to the top, and one of them turned around and goes, "HEY AMERICANS!" I looked around, hoping to find somebody wearing a cowboy hat, an American flag shirt, and spurs that stood out more than me, but nobody was there. I thought to myself.... I think they might be talking to us. Amber was closest to them, and just looked at me. Then the craziest-looking one of all yelled, "DO YOU LIKE GEORGE BUSH???" This is one of those 'honey, do I look fat in these pants' questions. We weren't about to start singing the praises of democracy right there, so Amber said shakily, "um... not really....?" Scary #2 then looked at all of us and said, "Yeah.... I hate him!" I think that experience just took about 15 years off of my life..... I wanted my mommy!

So.... interesting day so far! :) Let's see what the night has to offer. Amber and I are currently in the process of planning a 2-day trip to Saltzburg for the weekend. Then, Alyssa, Amber, me, and whoever else is interested, are going to be going to Milan/Florence in October! Yay!

The last few days have been pretty interesting! We almost got swept away in the rain! The weather here kind of reminds me of Kentucky weather, because it will be sunshine and warm one day, and then turn to rain and bitter cold the next! Just like home! :)

Yesterday, Amber and I went into the city and noticed that there were more people than usual walking around. Then we saw that a big stage had been set up in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral. There were tvs everywhere! I looked over at Amber and casually said, "Gosh, you'd think the Pope was here or something." Well.... it turns out that he was! We were very curious, so we stopped these two men and asked, and sure enough, the Pope was speaking at St. Stephen's that very night! That was so amazing!!!! We also got to go inside the cathedral. I had forgotten how incredibly beautiful the inside was. It never ceases to amaze me at how much time and effort this culture puts into its churches. I feel like I'm walking into, not only just a historical building, but into a building that honors God just by being there! It was a great experience.

Later that night, we went to the most famous club in Vienna, called Passage. It had some of the prettiest interior decorating that I've seen! There were white couches everywhere, and then the lights and music were great! I really enjoyed dancing there. We met several of our Persian friends there, so hanging out with them was also really nice. Farhad and Borhan are always a good time!

Amber and I learned how to play ping pong from "the world's best" today. I will admit that I am not good AT ALL! :) I also put my skills to the test when my German friend, Johann, asked me to edit one of his papers for a class. I think that I did a pretty good job! (and mom.... I had fun doing it.... you do turn into your mother, it's true!)

Today was my first full Sunday in Vienna, so I really wanted to try to find a church to go to. I didn't expect to find one right away that spoke English or anything, but just having the experience was something that I wanted to do. Since Srdjan has lived in Vienna for quite a while now, he took me to his church, which was on the complete other side of this very large city! (my feet hurt, but I wouldn't let the Serbian know that I was hurting, lol) We ended up in the 17th district of Vienna, in a small Orthodox Christian church. Again, the paintings of Jesus and the other saints/apostles was simply breath-taking. I was in awe for the second time in two days. The interesting thing about this church is that you don't walk in and have a "service" like I normally do in American churches, but you walk in and kind of have your own personal experience with God. Srdjan and I entered the main part of the building, and he explained to me what all of the alters and paintings meant... since they were not in any language that I recognized. It was mostly Latin, I think. Then, we bought some thin candles and went into a seperate room off to the side of the main sanctuary. There were two large shelves that circled the entire room. Each shelve held about 3 inches of water, where people had put the un-lit ends of the candles. Each candle sat in the water and burned there. It was very pretty, because all of the flames just reflected in the water. Srdjan explained to me that each candle represented a prayer for a person. The top shelf was prayers for the living, and the bottom shelf was for those that had passed away. How awesome! I only got one little candle, but said a collective prayer for all of you! After the candle room, we sat down in the main sanctuary room and prayed. I ended up in tears! I just sat there in this beautiful church and was able to have a completely personal experience with God. I'll never forget it!

After we left church, Srdjan took me on a different route back home. We walked along the Danube Island and along the Danube River. We saw a huge red and tan castle on a hill, which was amazing! I could have looked at it for days. Srdjan said that he'd never seen that castle before, which was one of the reasons that he loved Vienna so much. "There is always something surprising about this city, Amanda," he said. I am in constant awe, so I guess he's right!!! The weather was perfect today, so our walk was very nice.

Amber and I are planning a trip to Croatia. Ivo, one of our funniest friends here, is from there.... and he says the Mediterranean country comes highly recommended! :)

I am loving this experience so far.... I will keep you updated on where the wind blows me.... because the Vienna winds are pretty strong (as my poor little umbrella found out yesterday.... rest its soul).

Hello, Kentucky! I miss you! :)
Yesterday was so fun. Amber's "Austria Buddy" from the university took us on a tour of the entire city. We got to see St. Stephens, Freud's favorite coffee shop, Mozart's house, and the Danube. This city is home to around 3 million people, so it was a very big adventure. We also got to go see our university, which is called by the locals WU (prounounced like "vay ooo"). It is pretty nice! I really can't wait to start doing my classes. One of the funny things that I've picked up on so far, is that Europeans rarely use the word "study," but instead they say that they are going to go "learn." What does that say about the differences in the education styles of the two cultures? :)

It rained all day today, so Amber and I looked like wet American rats. We were troopers, though, and stayed out all day.

After we got back from touring around the city, we went downstairs where all of our new guy friends live, and met up with Farhad. He is from Iran, and doesn't speak a whole lot of English. He speaks fluent German, and a little bit of Italian and English, but it is a little hard to communicate. Talking with him is more like an extended game of charades! :) While we were hanging out in his room, he decided to get on his computer and play music. It was so funny, because the first song that he played was Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." He started singing the words in his little Iranian accent, which was so adorable! We understand Titanic, at least!

After we sang and danced (Amber and I danced to N'Sync.... Fahrad and Joe laughed), Fahrad, Amber, Borhan (another guy from Iran), and I went to Borhan's and watched tv and ate some traditional German kabobs! It was so good! We had such a good time getting to know these guys. On the way home, Fahrad taught Amber and me how to count to 10 in German, and we laughed a lot about that. This is just another blessing in my life, I think. Before this trip, I didn't know anyone from the Middle East very well, and now I consider Farhad one of my closest friends here. It's so exciting!

After we got back, Srdjan, Amber, and I talked to my parents and Bryce on Skype for a while. It was really funny. Srdjan didn't want anybody to see him on the webcam, because he said that he was shy! I've only known him for a week, but he is the least shy person that I've ever met! When I asked why he wasn't shy around us, he said, "Yes, cutie, but you are not someone's momma!" :) We talked for a while, and then he found my FCA bible sitting on my table. I explained to him that it was the regular bible that he also knew, but that it had applications specific to athletes in the back. I think that he understood. He also looked at the devotional book "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, and was very interested in that. We talked about Christian authors like C.S. Lewis for a while, too. It was a really good conversation.

Today, September 6, has been pretty slow. It continues to rain, so we all just hung out in the kitchen and I cooked pasta for us. Farhad didn't complain about the taste... but then again, he probably didn't know what to say! :) Tonight everyone should be back, and we are probably going to go out and explore, regardless of the weather. Joe went to Normandy today, so we haven't seen him yet. Srdjan wanted to go to KFC, but Amber and I are a little burnt out on that restaraunt.... maybe since it was invented right close to home! Before he left, he said, "Girls, what is 'Bucket of Chicken'? Is it good?" haha.

I actually DID homework today, everybody! I started an online class through UK before I left, so I already have homework to do for that.

I will keep the updates coming, but so far..... this trip is AMAZING! Pray for some sunshine! :)

Tuesday, September 4

Today was great! Amber and I woke up early and headed out into the city with our new friend, Joe, from Boston. It is mandatory that all exchange students register with the city, so we had to get our Serbian friend to draw us a map of how to get there. It was a success! I am beginning to understand the routes of the metro system, which they call the U, as well as the streets. Everything is organized into different numbered districts. I am in district 7 of Vienna. The city is that big! :) I'm not in Kentucky anymore, momma! :)

After we registered, we all came back to the dorm and took naps. Then, Amber, Joe, and I headed out to have dinner with our new friend Mac (nickname for a much harder to pronounce name) from Saudi Arabia. Mac's family are high up in the oil industry, and Mac is also studying petroleum management. He is very smart. It was funny, because to find our restaraunt, Mac pulled out his personal pocket GPS system... which took us right to the place. We ate ate Viapino, an Italian restaraunt that had the most interesting and wonderful inside design of any place that I have been to... even in the states. We had fresh Bruschetta and a ham pizza. After dinner, we all had Gelatto ice cream at a shop down town. We walked along the Museum Quarter and had a nighttime look at the parliment building and many beautiful gardens and cathedrals. Mac wants to take us to see the Spanish Riding School tomorrow, so we might meet up with him again.

One thing that I have already been able to take away, after only being in Vienna for 2.5 days --

I am learning SO much about other countries and their people. As a young person in today's society, I really feel like I am not exposed to other cultures, even though I have been abroad many times. Here, I am getting to sit down with people from entirely different backgrounds and talk about politics, our religions, music, and even just what we do for fun. We are so different, but really a lot alike, as well. The Serbian guys love the show South Park.... I don't really know why! :) The most surprising thing, though, is that the people I have connected the best with are people who I had previously believed to have nothing in common with me. Fahrad, from Iran, is probably the sweetest guy that I have met in a long time (except you, Bryce! lol) Srdjan, from Serbia, is very very smart, and I have talked to him about everything! He is so funny, and we're really a lot alike. We have so much fun with Surge (as we've affectionately named him)! Mac is also another surprise, but I really love that guy! He is so fun!

So far -- an amazing experience. I will keep you posted. Continue to pray for me, and I hope to have some great stories about our tour around Vienna for tomorrow!

Love,

Amanda

Hello Everybody!!!!

Vienna is even prettier than I remember. I really am in love with this city. It is one of the safest big cities in Europe, and it is incredibly clean. There is a park right beside where I live, and kids play soccer every day. I am trying to get up the nerve to go and play with them this week!!!!! It should be fun! I also survived my first grocery shopping experience, which was interesting. I thought that I was buying turkey, but it turned out to be ham.... close enough, right? :) I met a lot of people yesterday.

My roommate isn't here yet, but we met a ton of guys from the 2nd floor. This one guy, Srdjan (you say it like surgeon) from Serbia is probably my favorite so far. His english is perfect, so he is helping us around the city and teaching us how to say some things in German. He calls me "Cutie Kentucky" now. :) I can pick up on a few words and things so far. It's fun. We went to a club type thing last night called Keiko, and it was pretty neat.
I actually got to have a religious discussion with Srdjan last night. We talked about our beliefs. He is an Orthodox Christian, so it's similar to us. It was hard for him to understand the concept of praying to God about whatever you want. Maybe I can talk to him more about this kind of thing. I think that he is very receptive to it. He said that he used to be a refugee when the United States was bombing Serbia in the 90's. I told him "sorry about that!" He says he loves kentucky people, though.... so we're good! :)

Miss you so much. Thanks for the prayers! I thank God for you guys daily! :)

Love ya,