Arriving in Vienna

I´m here! I overpacked. Embarrassing for someone who prides herself on the lightness of her day to day needs. Oh wait, I don´t actually pride myself on that. I am perplexed, however, by the heaviness of my bags combined with the strange omissions from my clothing repertiore. I only packed one pair of pants, for instance, and only two long sleeved shirts.... Oh well, a good excuse to check out the boutiques here in Vienna!

So, you can imagine the picture I made, schlepping a ginormous backpack (borrowed from the lovely Catherine! Thanks, dude!), a rolling suitcase, a smaller backpack and a huge whole foods bag, full -(Í kid you not) of books. I am a huge nerd. I nearly collapsed on my commute from the airport from the weight of my summer reading list. I packed five guidebooks. And I wouldn´t have it any other way, I love guidebooks! My roommates gave me a Let´s Go travel guide for Eastern and Western Europe before my departure, and I absolutely love it. I read it on the plane ride over for almost the entire time. I am so excited for more travel this summer! Maybe to Eastern Europe, maybe to Norway!

I knew that the Heim St. Genveve was a community for women run by the Catholic Church, but I didn´t realize that nuns still lived in and oversaw the day to day operations of the convent. I was met at the door by a real, habit-wearing sister! I feel like a dolt for not knowing German, and most of the women here do speak some English, but she spoke very little. However, she was so kind to me and I feel like this is the perfect atmosphere for the summer. The women who live here are very nice, no one locks their doors, it´s quiet and the food is good and cheap. It´s the most economical option for sure.

It is, however, a pretty big departure from my former suburban lifestyle. I won´t lie, as I finished my shower in the dorms last night, I was missing the privacy (and luxury) of my Bethesda abode. Don´t get me wrong, the streets and cafes of my neighborhood are adorable, and they beat the cookie cutter cleanness of my former commute hands down, but it´s going to be an adjustment, and that´s okay.