Last post.
So weird...
I've put off this post for nearly a week. Not because it is the ending of the trip, but simply because I'm not sure how to wrap everything up neatly.
Isn't life wonderful?
Even though my trip is over it's not done changing me.
I love Europe. I love nearly everything about it: the way it moves and speaks and even the way it smells when it doesn't smell great. And I love America in all its familiarity and drive.
I'm a little nervous about getting back into the swing of school.
I'm a little nervous about friends and jobs and money- because, hey, I'm a nineteen year old girl.
And mostly I'm nervous that I'll forget that spirit that said, "Get up! Today is not just another day! It is a chance to see, and to experience something significant!" Because the day-to-day will be overwhelmingly day-to-day if you let it be.
But then I remember.
LIFE IS WONDERFUL.
I know it will be hard to be content sometimes, but it'll be alright.
I'm not worried.
"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."
:Robert Louis Stevenson
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
HOME.
I'm home!
In fact I've been home long enough that the family is making me do chores again AND I've had my wisdom teeth out.
But on with the end of the story! The finale!
So four thirty in the morning rolls around and we are all awake and ready to go on the seventh of December.. travel day! Mostly awake anyway... Abigail got us oranges and cereal bars for breakfast which was nice even though it was early. I saved mine. The first plane ride was short, three hours and the layover in Heathrow was just long enough to say goodbye to Bruce and Sheryl who were flying straight home. It was the first goodbyes. The ten hour flight found me stuck between two middle aged women who apparently had desk jobs based on the amount of times they needed to get up ((none)). I felt like a little soccer playing boy as much as I fidgeted. Luckily I watched a couple movies ((Last King of Scotland and Death at a Funeral being the two worth mentioning)) and journaled to pass the time.
Customs at O'Hare. Back in America.
I got in the shortest line and of course, the short line curse hit me and I get stuck behind a Mexican man who is flying to Houston and driving to Mexico ((which, in the customs officer's defense does sound suspicious...)). But I ended up switching lines and still getting through faster! I was nervous so when the officer asked me the purpose of my visit to Austria I said,
"School... Learning.... Education!" He just laughed at me and said.
"Whoa. Okay." Could I look any more foolish? Any toilet paper stuck to my shoe? Also he was the cutest guy! Then he winked at me and I was transported back to the fourties. Weird. So I kept going.
There was dirty snow at the airport, but the quantity made up for the quality. We said goodbye to the OC kids quickly because of their flight and the number of them, then more slowly to the Rochester group, then finally Danelle and I were left, the Northwest kids. By this time it is sevenish at the O'Hare airport but in Vienna it is two am or some ridiculous time. We had been awake for hours upon hours, days upon days. I flew to Portland by myself ((Danelle flew right back to Seattle)) so the end of the day found me alone on a plane looking crazy. How do I know? Because the old women across the aisle from me asked me if I was okay SEVEN times. I guess I should explain a little. The plane was freezing so I was shivering and my eyes were glassy cause my contacts were still in after all the flying, and I was trying not to fall asleep so I could sleep when I got to Portland which meant I was half asleep the whole flight. Plus the women on the inside of me had soccer playing boy syndrome and made me get up half a dozen times. It was a very surreal plane trip. But then I was home! Kinda.
Because of the weather in the Northwest the roads to Seattle were closed so I stayed with the Shoemaker's. Lovely family. After two nights I got on a plane that seated 39 ((including pilot, co pilot, and one flight attendant)) and landed at Sea-Tac. REALLY HOME! Then I waited for forty five minutes because my family and I just missed each other. The trip home was a mini version of the entire trip: being together and splitting apart, long trips, laughter, embarrassing moments, and nothing going as smoothly as planned. It was fantastic.
my mom and i.
In fact I've been home long enough that the family is making me do chores again AND I've had my wisdom teeth out.
But on with the end of the story! The finale!
So four thirty in the morning rolls around and we are all awake and ready to go on the seventh of December.. travel day! Mostly awake anyway... Abigail got us oranges and cereal bars for breakfast which was nice even though it was early. I saved mine. The first plane ride was short, three hours and the layover in Heathrow was just long enough to say goodbye to Bruce and Sheryl who were flying straight home. It was the first goodbyes. The ten hour flight found me stuck between two middle aged women who apparently had desk jobs based on the amount of times they needed to get up ((none)). I felt like a little soccer playing boy as much as I fidgeted. Luckily I watched a couple movies ((Last King of Scotland and Death at a Funeral being the two worth mentioning)) and journaled to pass the time.
Customs at O'Hare. Back in America.
I got in the shortest line and of course, the short line curse hit me and I get stuck behind a Mexican man who is flying to Houston and driving to Mexico ((which, in the customs officer's defense does sound suspicious...)). But I ended up switching lines and still getting through faster! I was nervous so when the officer asked me the purpose of my visit to Austria I said,
"School... Learning.... Education!" He just laughed at me and said.
"Whoa. Okay." Could I look any more foolish? Any toilet paper stuck to my shoe? Also he was the cutest guy! Then he winked at me and I was transported back to the fourties. Weird. So I kept going.
There was dirty snow at the airport, but the quantity made up for the quality. We said goodbye to the OC kids quickly because of their flight and the number of them, then more slowly to the Rochester group, then finally Danelle and I were left, the Northwest kids. By this time it is sevenish at the O'Hare airport but in Vienna it is two am or some ridiculous time. We had been awake for hours upon hours, days upon days. I flew to Portland by myself ((Danelle flew right back to Seattle)) so the end of the day found me alone on a plane looking crazy. How do I know? Because the old women across the aisle from me asked me if I was okay SEVEN times. I guess I should explain a little. The plane was freezing so I was shivering and my eyes were glassy cause my contacts were still in after all the flying, and I was trying not to fall asleep so I could sleep when I got to Portland which meant I was half asleep the whole flight. Plus the women on the inside of me had soccer playing boy syndrome and made me get up half a dozen times. It was a very surreal plane trip. But then I was home! Kinda.
Because of the weather in the Northwest the roads to Seattle were closed so I stayed with the Shoemaker's. Lovely family. After two nights I got on a plane that seated 39 ((including pilot, co pilot, and one flight attendant)) and landed at Sea-Tac. REALLY HOME! Then I waited for forty five minutes because my family and I just missed each other. The trip home was a mini version of the entire trip: being together and splitting apart, long trips, laughter, embarrassing moments, and nothing going as smoothly as planned. It was fantastic.
my mom and i.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
der ausklang
i was thinking of the movie waking ned devine today...
"Michael O'Sullivan was my great friend. But I don't ever remember telling him that. The words that are spoken at a funeral are spoken too late for the man who is dead. What a wonderful thing it would be to visit your own funeral. To sit at the front and hear what was said, maybe say a few things yourself. Michael and I grew old together. But at times, when we laughed, we grew young. If he was here now, if he could hear what I say, I'd congratulate him on being a great man, and thank him for being a friend."
how true. how funny that the people we apprecciate the most are the people we most neglect in encouragement.
its my last full night here and im finishing a paper and packing and making comments about MI:III which is playing loudly downstairs... philip semour hoffman deserved his oscar, hes such a good creeper. totally off subject.
im so glad that this trip happened and that the people on this trip happened. we couldnt have asked for better people to travel the world with, no joke. bryant with his, "could life get any better? i submit that it could not!" channeling brian regan. susy appearing in my room and freaking me out every time, and us never getting anything done but having the best time. josh always sidling up to me with big eyes begging me to go do something when im already in pajamas... jordan racing me to the computer lab after breakfast before he has to go to school.
the von trapps. doing kp. ALL THE TIME.
so many fun times.
finishing my paper and then going to bed- big day tomorrow! last day tomorrow.
the von trapps in front of the schloss. have i mentioned that means castle?
Monday, December 3, 2007
christmas markets!
today its our christmas dinner celebration time... the man who runs the restaurant down the street is cooking a feast for us. im so excited.
FEAST RESULTS- amazing! the sponsors on the trip bought us all ornaments and wrote vf07 ((vienna fall 07)), and we all drew names out of hats and talked about why we love people. i got leighton and i mentioned a quote that he said yesterday... one worth repeating here:
we were riding the tram and we girls were talking about how we felt fat cause we couldnt fit into dereks 28 jeans and leighton, leaning back in his chair goes, "i popped the button off these 36's back in my fat days." we all stop talking and look around. "just trying to make you feel better." i havent laughed that hard so early in the morning ever.
joseph chopping up some meat for us... it was such a good meal!
after the meal i went to a concert at the rathaus christmas market. it was the same band that played the football game i went to. i thought that was neat... also, another embarrassing story. the christmas markets are really crowded at night and i was weaving my way through the people a woman bumped into me and i looked down at my feet to keep my balance. of course im still moving briskly forward and i glance up just in time to run straight into a chest. there was no reaction time... it was full frontal run-intoage. of course its not some nice old lady but three boys my age. humiliating, especially cause i tried to move out of the way but i was still a little topsy turvy yeah? and the cute boy with the striped shirt rested his hands on my shoulders, stilled me, steadied me, and then sent me on my way.
this story could end there and it would be bad enough right? but then on my way back to the tram i pass them again and his friends laugh and he tips his hat ((literally)) at me. i almost died.
so yes. but about the christmas markets... every major shopping street and historical place has a market set up: little wooden booths that sell ornaments and chocolate and hats and toys and jewelery and hot drinks. its wonderful. its christmas everyday from nine to nine anywhere worth going in vienna basically.
also something else i noticed about the christmas season is they dont have bell ringers like we do in front of stores. instead every once in a while i see paramedics in the streets with their hats collecting money. i like that idea becuase here youre never sure who youre giving money to and if they are truly who needs it.
the rathaus and its christmas tree! and an advent calendar in the windows!
an isle at the market...
FEAST RESULTS- amazing! the sponsors on the trip bought us all ornaments and wrote vf07 ((vienna fall 07)), and we all drew names out of hats and talked about why we love people. i got leighton and i mentioned a quote that he said yesterday... one worth repeating here:
we were riding the tram and we girls were talking about how we felt fat cause we couldnt fit into dereks 28 jeans and leighton, leaning back in his chair goes, "i popped the button off these 36's back in my fat days." we all stop talking and look around. "just trying to make you feel better." i havent laughed that hard so early in the morning ever.
joseph chopping up some meat for us... it was such a good meal!
after the meal i went to a concert at the rathaus christmas market. it was the same band that played the football game i went to. i thought that was neat... also, another embarrassing story. the christmas markets are really crowded at night and i was weaving my way through the people a woman bumped into me and i looked down at my feet to keep my balance. of course im still moving briskly forward and i glance up just in time to run straight into a chest. there was no reaction time... it was full frontal run-intoage. of course its not some nice old lady but three boys my age. humiliating, especially cause i tried to move out of the way but i was still a little topsy turvy yeah? and the cute boy with the striped shirt rested his hands on my shoulders, stilled me, steadied me, and then sent me on my way.
this story could end there and it would be bad enough right? but then on my way back to the tram i pass them again and his friends laugh and he tips his hat ((literally)) at me. i almost died.
so yes. but about the christmas markets... every major shopping street and historical place has a market set up: little wooden booths that sell ornaments and chocolate and hats and toys and jewelery and hot drinks. its wonderful. its christmas everyday from nine to nine anywhere worth going in vienna basically.
also something else i noticed about the christmas season is they dont have bell ringers like we do in front of stores. instead every once in a while i see paramedics in the streets with their hats collecting money. i like that idea becuase here youre never sure who youre giving money to and if they are truly who needs it.
the rathaus and its christmas tree! and an advent calendar in the windows!
an isle at the market...
black friday austrian style...
so saturday was the first of december... something i didnt realize when i left the house because ive been diligently avoiding the calendar since i came home from my trip to the uk. so weeks and weeks ago.
anyway, i went out to finish my shopping ((which didnt actually didnt happen until today)) and i was walking down the main shopping street for maybe fifteen minutes before i figured out something was up.
there were so many people! and they were EVERYWHERE! the road had been blocked off so people could walk on the street and milka chocolate was three for a euro! sales and chesnuts roasted over a fire ((i know!)) and winter nipping at my nose, it was excellent. i was sad about missing black friday but this was almost better. i didnt have to get up at five and drive anywhere! advent should be a bigger deal in the states, i like it. i made an advent calendar when i was in elementary school and i hang it up every year. the pictures arent colored very well. meh.
so that was saturday.
sunday i saw the vienna boys choir. only i didnt actually see them until after the service because they sing from a balconey in the back and i was standing underneath them. but they sounded lovely! it was a great day.
anyway, i went out to finish my shopping ((which didnt actually didnt happen until today)) and i was walking down the main shopping street for maybe fifteen minutes before i figured out something was up.
there were so many people! and they were EVERYWHERE! the road had been blocked off so people could walk on the street and milka chocolate was three for a euro! sales and chesnuts roasted over a fire ((i know!)) and winter nipping at my nose, it was excellent. i was sad about missing black friday but this was almost better. i didnt have to get up at five and drive anywhere! advent should be a bigger deal in the states, i like it. i made an advent calendar when i was in elementary school and i hang it up every year. the pictures arent colored very well. meh.
so that was saturday.
sunday i saw the vienna boys choir. only i didnt actually see them until after the service because they sing from a balconey in the back and i was standing underneath them. but they sounded lovely! it was a great day.
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