English as a Foreign Language?

Recent Events

Everybody around here is ON THE MOVE, taking trips to this and that place, and boy am I jealous! A few guys from our group have already been to Hungary, Romania, Linz, Germany, the Czech Republic, Salzburg; Istanbul, Hamburg, Munich, and Paris are on Spring Break lists for some others. I'm still rather timid about traveling alone, but that's the result of not enough research rather than actual fear. Last week a friend told me this as she recounted a trip to Italy that she took by herself: "I missed so many trains and busses and didn't have a phone or anything with me. The coolest thing is to wake up in a totally new and different city, and then realize, 'No one in the world knows where I am at this very moment. No one.'"
Sounds scary? Well, I'm ready. I nearly had a cow when I had to fly to Munich and back by myself, and I'm up for a thrill again. I plan to book train tickets to Salzburg in the next few days, and some friends and I will head out on Saturday and check out Austria's main attraction.

This week overall has been pretty relaxing. On Wednesday I went out to coffee with the young woman that I met in the Strassenbahn, and we had a great time. We, both being expats, wanted to find out more about how the experiences of Vienna is going so far. We went out again on Saturday, shopping near Stephansplatz, enjoying Sachertorte at one of Vienna's most well-known cafes, quickly passing through the Spanish Riding School area and the Hapsburg Palace, and turning to blocks of ice in this wind!

The ease with which I can go out, meet up with folks, join in on this or that activity, is something that I've never experienced in the States. Back home, for me to get together with someone or take part in this or that, it seems to be such a hassle. The spontaneous nature of get togethers here in Vienna is something that, for those who like concrete plans for each day, is a bit hard to get used to. Getting past that feeling of "Can we just make a decision now and stick to exactly that?" is indispensable. Often times, I realize, I've felt bogged down because of the scheduling of events, and at last! liberation has come!! The public transportation is to thank for such liberation; freed from the hassle of finding a ride, or allowing two or three hours travel time for a 10-mile distance, going out on the town is EXCITING.

Valentine's Day was this past Saturday, and although it was as big a celebration as in the US, it was still a neat thing. My boyfriend and I spent the day together the day before, lucky for us becuase the weather was actually pretty nice. He also has introduced me to the church here that he attends - the International Baptist Church of Vienna - which we've gone to together for about a month or so. To find a church to plug into was one of my main priorities after getting myself settled. There are people from all over the world at this church - and I do mean all over the world. There are folks from China, Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, the US, Portugal, Brazil, and many many other countries. It's just the type of church that I've always wanted to go to. There are also quite a lot of students, many of whom study at the Viennese universities. A great group of individuals who love God, love to worship Him, and are serious about His place in their lives.

Thoughts

Something that I also find interesting: specialization. As far as my knowledge can tell me, businesses in Europe are more specialized than in the U.S. A grocery store is just that: a building which holds foodstuffs and perhaps a few home goods. Clothes are not included; neither are pharmaceuticals. A pharmacy, or Apotheke, is exactly as the name implies: a business which specializes in medical goods. Same goes for florists shops, gas stations, Tabak shops (tabacco, newspapers, and sometimes subway passes), stationary stores, and so on. In other words, I have yet to see a "mega supercenter" of any kind, and I am enjoying the time away from such supercenters. I prefer to walk to a store, quickly locate what I need, and be on my merry way; rather than walking twice down each aisle and being confronted with enough merchandise to almost erase your original thougt/need for coming in the first place.

English is also beginning to sound like a foreign language to me. I remember very distinctly: I was taking the U-Bahn on the way to a concert with some friends. Someone was talking in English a few rows down, and I stopped, dropped all thoughts, and stared ahead. I just sat, trying desparately to figure out what was happening and why that language sound so strange and out of place. I hung my head in shame when I realized that it was in fact English I was hearing, and moreover, the speakers were part of our little group on the way to the concert. Unlearning English or German overload? I don't know; you decide.