lost+found

Let me start this post off by explaining the situation that happened Sunday night when we arrived back at our hotel from Prague. Around 10pm, I was unpacking from the weekend and noticed that my money belt (with my Passport, debit card, credit card, license, euros, U-bahn card, etc.) was not in my backpack where it was supposed to be. I searched high and low in our hotel room in hopes that I would find my black REI money belt, but to no avail. Then came the panic attack. I sprinted downstairs to the Swann's room, hoping/praying they had somehow come across it. Because they were just as oblivious as I was, Mrs. Melissa and I began the process of canceling my cards, gathering information about contacting the US Embassy in Vienna, and retracing my steps from the moment we got off the bus from Prague until arriving back at the hotel. I was stressed, to say the least. Not just because of this incident, but I also had an important Humanities test the next morning, which I couldn't concentrate on studying for. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very much or very well Sunday night. I woke up the next morning confident that God was going to let everything "work together for His good." And that He did!!  Before German class started Monday morning, I was informed by the Hortons and Swanns that Daniel (our travel agent who was our sponsor for the Prague trip) had located my money belt on the bus we had taken this past weekend to the Czech Republic. The overwhelming sense of relief and joy I felt at that moment was more than I believe I have ever felt. Let's just say, I have learned my lesson and am now more cautious than ever before that I keep close tabs on my money belt AT ALL TIMES.

Having said that, the rest of Monday was much more pleasant than expected, considering I went to sleep the night before thinking to myself, "I wonder how terrible this next day will be."Our Humanities test went well...hopefully we will find out our grades soon! After class, Ricki and I headed straight to the grocery store to buy some food for lunch. Now that we are settled in and beginning a routine, we have decided to keep our eating-out adventures to a minimum to save money. Over the past 10+ days, we've been eating out a lot to experience the culture and find places to frequent, in hopes that we can form relationships with the waiters/staff. I didn't think I would buy groceries here simply because I wanted to eat at different restaurants and cafes as much as possible, simply because I had felt like if I didn't eat out, I'd be missing out on a big part of Viennese culture, which I have now realized is not all that true. Plus, we still plan to eat out several times a week. After we finished grocery shopping, some of us girls met back at the hotel and ate our lunch on the back porch of the hotel. Afterwards, Kat, Amy, and I walked to the Belvedere Palace to read/ be productive, while also enjoying the beautiful weather. I was planning to run there as well, but got a call informing me that I had to rendezvous with Daniel to retrieve my money belt. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice 4 mile run (while listening to Hillsong United...always a good choice for running music) around the 1st district of Vienna, venturing on new streets I had yet seen. This city is just so beautiful. I still can not grasp my brain around the fact that I LIVE in Europe. Crazy. The rest of the night was spent doing homework and reading, then off to bed around 10pm, the earliest bedtime for me since arrival. I figured this would be necessary for my mind+body, considering the stressful/frustrating situation I had been in the night before.

Today (Tuesday) has been wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed both classes today: German and Christianity in Visual Arts (our Bible class). I'm beginning to feel like I have a better grasp on the German language, and Professor Horton never bores me with his lectures on the influence Christian artwork has had in the formation of society's current understanding of Christianity. My knowledge has already expanded vastly, and we've only been here 2 weeks! But, I certainly agree with the famous saying, "The more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know." Upon completion of class, several of us ventured off to the train station to seek some guidance on reserving seats for this weekend as well as planning our fall break route. I spoke to several people  in the information center, and they were of minimal help. We left frustrated and more confused than when we arrived. Guess we learned our lesson. We ate lunch back at the hotel since we have lunch meats, cheeses, bread, fruit, chocolate, etc. that we had purchased at the Billa (common grocery here, similar to Kroger) a block away. Then, Sarah and I had the ingenious idea to Skype call Daniel to discuss our goals/ideas for our fall break travels. He is so wonderful and caring, always very eager to help. Although we did not book any flights/ trains/hostels, he did give us some crucial advice as far as the best, most efficient way to travel to and spend time in all the cities we have on our list! Then, we got ready to go out for Cari's 20th birthday. First stop:  La Venezia, a local Italian restaurant that I had the opportunity to try one of the first nights upon arrival in Vienna. About 15 of us went to dinner, which was fun, since hanging out in big groups of people is not typical or realistic since we are done with the orientation aspect of our trip. After our delicious meal, in which Cari and I split a 4-cheese pizza, (one of those cheeses being bleu cheese...still not sure how I feel about that), the group split off in which some people returned to the hotel to make some progress on homework, while the rest of us headed to the Opera House, to stand in line for tickets to the well-known Opera, Madame Butterfly by Puccini. Like we had done for the ballet last week, we waited in line for nearly an hour to purchase our standing-room tickets for just 4 euro. To my knowledge, this is the first Opera I've ever attended. I wasn't sure what to expect, but to be honest, I didn't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much as I did. Sung in Italian, the Opera House does provide screens with English/German translations which was very helpful. If I had not known what they were singing, my attention span would have been shot. If you don't know anything about Madame Butterfly, I suggest you read a brief synopsis of it on Wikipedia or another internet source. Fascinating and beautifully directed, Madame Butterfly has inspired me to delve more into the realm of classical music. I decided that attending one Opera a week here (when possible) should be a goal of mine! After the 2 1/2 hour Opera, we went to a local spot to enjoy our new favorite food: gelato! Then, back to the hotel, where I greatly succeeded in procrastinating doing homework, and instead, talked to several good friends from home on Skype! I miss everyone very much, but knowing I will see them in a few months after 85+ days of incredible once-in-a-lifetime adventures and experiences in a foreign environment is not only comforting but also thrilling to me!