Week 8
We took the train to Bratislava during the weekend for a day trip, and it was a pretty good time. The weather was rather dull, rainy and cold, but the city was overall relatively small and conducive to just walking around. It was four of us, and no one had done any research prior to our trip, (and of course we couldn't speak a word of Slovakian) so it was indeed an interesting experience. I bought a map at a small shop, but it was all in Slovakian and therefore didn't serve us much good. We ended up walking around the city, eventually running in to a small outdoor market (where I bought a few souvenoirs) , a mall, some neat buildings, and an extremely good restaurant. By 7pm or so it was beginning to get dark, so we decided to head back.
And then came all the studying!! This was the last week before Spring Break, meaning that we had midterms. All of my classes are concentrated on one day, Tuesday, which makes studying for midterms and finals an absolute nightmare. Somehow I made it through...
My German final test for the Austrian Literature course was not as bad as I expected, although it was still a tough lesson to sit through. We identified the main frustration for us students of German: the gap between what we want to say and what we actually can say, given our current language competencies. I went away from that class extremely "enttäuscht", dissappointed. But I suppose such dissappointment is the first and possibly most painful step in preparing for a long process such as learning German.
For some odd reason unbeknowst to me, my classmates in the Intro to Critical Thinking course decided to take the midterm after the break. I could have died! It would have been much easier to study hard to Tuesday and Wednesday, take it on Thursday, and be completely worry-free during Spring Break about the midterm. In this case, however, the majority ruled. Friday evening of Spring Break will be spent studying for my midterm on the train to Prague.
The midterm that I was the most worried about, Political Theory, was not as I imagined it to be. I have more of a photographic memory than conceptual, and to my disadvantage, much of the midterm dealt with political concepts rather than easily accesible dates, lists.
By Wednesday, all exams were finished, and I had the day to begin planning for Spring Break and to go see Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Volksoper. I am very familiar with the music and songs from many of Mozart's operas, but hadn't seen the actual operas on stage. The Volksoper's performance of "The Magic Flute" was fantastic - lots of talent in the cast - and it was also very cheap. Following my teacher's advice, I bought a ticket in the Stehplatz (standing) section for only Euro 1,50, and because there were tons of empty seats, I got to sit and enjoy the show...and see EVERYTHING!
Thursday was a pretty packed day. In the morning I met up with the friend, Stephanie, that I'd met in the Straßenbahn a few weeks prior. We went to the bookstore and I bought the whole place! I got the following: Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams from My Father," Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, and the recent big hit, "Der Vorleser" (The Reader). I met up afterwards with some friends for a Bible study and we had very interesting discussions about heaven, hell, and other such topics. After class ended at 5.30, I went to the world-famous "Musikverein" and saw Joshua Bell performance. It was absolutely phanomenal! He was an extremely gifted musician and violinst and played with a passion that I've never seen before, and I left the hall in awe.
Friday was spent getting prepared for my Spring Break trips to Switzerland, Münster, Brussels, and Prague. I also hung out with Bright and we had dinner together at his place while discussing politics - it was very nice. Planning for such a trip was definitely a bit stressful, but for at least one thing I am grateful: that I purchased a Eurail Pass. It saved me hundreds of dollars, and gave me the most flexibility in when and how I can book my trains. Friday I packed up my things, including all the books and homework for the 10 hour train rides, and prepared to leave for Switzerland early Saturday morning ....
Spring Break 2009
This year is the first time that I've ever done any thing for Spring Break. In high school when everyone's locker proclaimed warm destinations or service trips, I simply had nothing. So here's my itinerary for Spring Break:
It's taken months of hearing others talk about their new sense of freedom and independence while travelling for me to gather the strength to do this! It's scary, and the thought of going alone is a bit unnerving, but as my friend described: "Waking up in a new city, and hardly anyone knows where you really are at the moment, is a thrilling feeling." Sooo we'll see how this goes!! Find photos that I took during my trips by clicking here: Spring Break 2009.
[Photos: 1. Main train station in Bratislava, Slovakia; 2. Musikverein, performance of solo violinist Joshua Bell and the Minnosota Orchestra; 3. Switzerland's flag blows proudly in the mountain breeze]
We took the train to Bratislava during the weekend for a day trip, and it was a pretty good time. The weather was rather dull, rainy and cold, but the city was overall relatively small and conducive to just walking around. It was four of us, and no one had done any research prior to our trip, (and of course we couldn't speak a word of Slovakian) so it was indeed an interesting experience. I bought a map at a small shop, but it was all in Slovakian and therefore didn't serve us much good. We ended up walking around the city, eventually running in to a small outdoor market (where I bought a few souvenoirs) , a mall, some neat buildings, and an extremely good restaurant. By 7pm or so it was beginning to get dark, so we decided to head back.
And then came all the studying!! This was the last week before Spring Break, meaning that we had midterms. All of my classes are concentrated on one day, Tuesday, which makes studying for midterms and finals an absolute nightmare. Somehow I made it through...
My German final test for the Austrian Literature course was not as bad as I expected, although it was still a tough lesson to sit through. We identified the main frustration for us students of German: the gap between what we want to say and what we actually can say, given our current language competencies. I went away from that class extremely "enttäuscht", dissappointed. But I suppose such dissappointment is the first and possibly most painful step in preparing for a long process such as learning German.
For some odd reason unbeknowst to me, my classmates in the Intro to Critical Thinking course decided to take the midterm after the break. I could have died! It would have been much easier to study hard to Tuesday and Wednesday, take it on Thursday, and be completely worry-free during Spring Break about the midterm. In this case, however, the majority ruled. Friday evening of Spring Break will be spent studying for my midterm on the train to Prague.
The midterm that I was the most worried about, Political Theory, was not as I imagined it to be. I have more of a photographic memory than conceptual, and to my disadvantage, much of the midterm dealt with political concepts rather than easily accesible dates, lists.
By Wednesday, all exams were finished, and I had the day to begin planning for Spring Break and to go see Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Volksoper. I am very familiar with the music and songs from many of Mozart's operas, but hadn't seen the actual operas on stage. The Volksoper's performance of "The Magic Flute" was fantastic - lots of talent in the cast - and it was also very cheap. Following my teacher's advice, I bought a ticket in the Stehplatz (standing) section for only Euro 1,50, and because there were tons of empty seats, I got to sit and enjoy the show...and see EVERYTHING!
Thursday was a pretty packed day. In the morning I met up with the friend, Stephanie, that I'd met in the Straßenbahn a few weeks prior. We went to the bookstore and I bought the whole place! I got the following: Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams from My Father," Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series, and the recent big hit, "Der Vorleser" (The Reader). I met up afterwards with some friends for a Bible study and we had very interesting discussions about heaven, hell, and other such topics. After class ended at 5.30, I went to the world-famous "Musikverein" and saw Joshua Bell performance. It was absolutely phanomenal! He was an extremely gifted musician and violinst and played with a passion that I've never seen before, and I left the hall in awe.
Friday was spent getting prepared for my Spring Break trips to Switzerland, Münster, Brussels, and Prague. I also hung out with Bright and we had dinner together at his place while discussing politics - it was very nice. Planning for such a trip was definitely a bit stressful, but for at least one thing I am grateful: that I purchased a Eurail Pass. It saved me hundreds of dollars, and gave me the most flexibility in when and how I can book my trains. Friday I packed up my things, including all the books and homework for the 10 hour train rides, and prepared to leave for Switzerland early Saturday morning ....
Spring Break 2009This year is the first time that I've ever done any thing for Spring Break. In high school when everyone's locker proclaimed warm destinations or service trips, I simply had nothing. So here's my itinerary for Spring Break:
- Saturday - leave Vienna, arrive in Luzern, Switzerland
- Sunday - leave Luzern, take the Panaramic trains through what is known as the "Golden Pass," and get a firsthand look at Switzerland's extreme natural beauty, mountains, forests, and lakes; arrive in Montreux, Switzerland
- Monday - leave Montreaux, arrive in Münster, Germany; my friend is preparing for study at the University of Münster and agreed to let me come and check it out with her, since I am also interested in studying at a German university
- Tuesday & Wednesday - stay in Münster and explore the town and univeristy atmosphere
- Thursday - leave Münster, arrive in Brussels, Belgium; a sister of my friend lives in Belgium and plans to meet up with me while I'm there; I hope spend the day during "touristy" stuff and then meeting her family
- Friday - leave Belgium, arrive in Prague
- Saturday - spend the day exploring the oh-so-famous city of Prague! It looks like others will be visiting at the same time so if it works, I'll get to meet up with them
- Sunday - leave Prague, arrive "home" in Vienna, Austria; I'm going to be exhausted, and SLEEP will be the utmost priority!
It's taken months of hearing others talk about their new sense of freedom and independence while travelling for me to gather the strength to do this! It's scary, and the thought of going alone is a bit unnerving, but as my friend described: "Waking up in a new city, and hardly anyone knows where you really are at the moment, is a thrilling feeling." Sooo we'll see how this goes!! Find photos that I took during my trips by clicking here: Spring Break 2009.
[Photos: 1. Main train station in Bratislava, Slovakia; 2. Musikverein, performance of solo violinist Joshua Bell and the Minnosota Orchestra; 3. Switzerland's flag blows proudly in the mountain breeze]
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