Farewell...

Here it is, my last post and the end of a very pleasing chapter of my life.  I am leaving Vienna.  It has been an incredible 3 months, and throughout my time here I have grown to love this City.  No longer is this love a shallow infatuation, but rather a deeper love and understanding of a unique way of life.  Its been an eventful journey to come to this understanding.  Nothing is more frustrating, as a foreigner, to always feel like you have no clue about your surroundings.  You always feel like you're on the outside.  I can't say with any confidence that I ever gained access inside, but perhaps over the past three months I've managed to get my foot in the door.  I've been able to sample what it is to be an Austrian.  I will never be able to express how much it has meant to me to have been here.

So... Let's talk about the beginning.  I mentioned a list of things I wanted to accomplish in coming here.  Is anyone curious about how I did?  1. I wanted to learn German - Well I have certainly improved my language skills, but I am no where near being fluent.  Am I sad? - No... I don't think fluency has anything to do with having a successful study abroad.  2. I wanted to make friends, both Austrian, and America. - I have made friends with some of the greatest people I've ever known, all of which are members of my group.  I have not made Austrian friends.  Do I regret this?  No, because I am not the type of person who can carry a relationship on Facebook.  3.  I think I said something about becoming more outgoing. - At this point I really don't give a shit about being outgoing.  I am as sociable as I'll ever be, and its a very comfortable level for me.  This level requires my friends to exert more effort in gaining my love and trust, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I may have fewer friends by the end of my life, but those friends I have will be far more meaningful. 4.  I wanted to return a changed person. - Has Vienna changed me? - The answer is yes, but not like I would have thought.  Spiritually, I have had experiences that will undoubtedly change my life in the Church.  I have had a lot of time to think about my life, and where I want its direction pointed.  I owe this change to Cindy, and to the countless blessings I have recieved over the course of this trip.  Along with spiritual change, I have also undergone an attitude change.  I have so many possibilities ahead of me, and I'm ready to let go of my fear and take them.  I'm ready to embrace my talent and become the singer I have always dreamed of being.  I'm finished labeling myself.  I'm going to think of myself as being many things, instead of only one.  So Vienna has changed me, because it has opened my eyes to the many opportunities that lie ahead. 

So... What will I miss?

- I'll miss living on my own.  Its not just the added freedom, but the joy that comes without having the added complications of family life.  I've been able to evaluate myself here, and that would not have been possible at home.

- I'll miss the many opportunities for culture.  I've been able to see so much here.  Utah can't compare in the slightest with the plethora of choices Vienna has for an Art lover.

- I'll miss the public transportation.  I'm sure you've heard it before, but Vienna's public trasportation is amazing!  Its easy, convenient, and very affordable.  The only drawback is that it ends around midnight.

- I'll miss the people in my group I have grown so fond of... especially Emily and Michelle.

- I'll miss the European awareness.  People here don't wear a piar of goggles when they look at the world... It makes them seem so much less self-centered than Americans.  

- I'll miss living in a beautiful City.  Orem isn't beautiful... not in any degree.

- And finally,  I'll miss German.  I know that I would have come to know it if I had had more time here.

What won't I miss?

- I won't miss the food... not the greatest, and Austrians don't like spicey food, which has meant my diet has been lacking in heat.  The service in restaurants is also very poor.

- I won't miss the inconvenience.  They don't really have a concept one-stop stores here.  Everything is bought seperately.  Also, everything here closes at 8pm, and grocery stores are not opened on Sunday. 

- I won't miss being a tourist.  You don't forget you're a tourist in Europe, because the moment they recognize your English accent, they begin treating you like a tourist. You can't escape it.

- I won't miss their lack of satisfying salty-snack options.

My Favorite Trip: Its a four-way tie between Dorfgastein, Prague, Italy, and Greece.

Least Favorite Trip: Budapest... only because it was hard to find beauty within it, though I don't doubt that would have been easier if we had stayed longer. 

So there it is... all I've experienced essentially summed up in one blog post.  I'm sad to being ending this wonderful adventure, but I am grateful to have had it.  I anticipate a very strange return home.  Its hard to think about returning to my life in Utah.  It almost feels as though I'm becoming a foreigner all over again.  It may be a difficult adjustment... something like a reverse-culture-shock.  Hopefully I'll make the adjustment smoothly.  Farewell Austria! I will never forget the impact you have made on my life.  American here I come...Tuesday morning.