Arrival in Graz

On Tuesday I left New York for Graz. Thanks to some amazing help (and some extra prayers for my luggage to arrive with me!) I was able to get there easily and on time and with everything I needed. This is the first time I've been back in Austria since I left in 2004 after 11 months as a study abroad student; during the trip over and for my first couple days here, it was really surreal to me that I was returning, and it still hasn't entirely sunk in.

I will certainly write more later about being in Graz, but I just wanted to officially announce that, yes, I made it in without any problems.

A couple notable sidenotes for the flight over:

• I flew with Aer Lingus, which is an Irish airline with a great name...but that's about it. Upon liftoff, we were promised dinner and then a breakfast shortly before we landed, and the pleasant airline attendants with the nice accents wished us a pleasant journey. However, there was a long, dark hair in my dinner (and HOW exactly does a hair get into pre-packaged airline food?!), there was a puddle of standing water that was literally a couple inches deep in the bathroom, and then they never served us breakfast as promised and never mentioned it again!
• Every time I travel abroad--without fail--an item of luggage has been lost. It seems hard to believe, as that is certainly supposed to be the exception rather than the rule. But usually one or both of my bags are lost...Austria, Australia, Romania...you name it! This time, before I set off, we prayed specifically that my luggage would arrive, and it's like God overcompensated in his answer to prayer since not only did *both* of my suitcases arrive, but that were the very FIRST ones onto the conveyor belt and were right next to each other! Amazing!!

Noteworthy in Graz:

• FRESH AIR!! The weather here is about the same as it was in New York when I left--crisp and cool, like fall. But the major difference is, the air here is so amazingly fresh, it's unbelievable. It's a noticable difference, this clean mountain air! It's the kind of thing where I just stand outside, breathing deeply, and looking like a fool until my roommate pulls me away.
• Quiet! I'll write more about my new place later, but it amazes me that there's a tram stop right outside my window, and yet I don't really hear it. In New York there was a bus stop outside my window, and it was always incredibly loud as the brakes squealed to stop and the engine revved to pull away. Here, the tram is like the gentle whoosh of the wind through hollow reeds. Yes, gentle whoosh.

As soon as I have my room unpacked and organized, I'll post the grand tour. But until then, know that I am here safe and sound, and thank you so much for your comments and emails!

Servus!*

Welcome to my latest venture into long-distance correspondence. Many of you viewing this page will remember the days of old when I was a little study abroad student sending frighteningly long emails without paragraphs. After some "feedback" from those who bravely attempted to read them in their entirety, I began to use proper indentation and spacing, but the format of the mass email remained the same. This time around I'm going to try something new and perhaps a bit more with the times: a Blog.

Rather than routinely crowding your inboxes with novellas of my European escapades, I will be keeping a Blog. This way you are free to read and browse at your own pace. I will include photos in my posts, but many, many more photos are to be found on the Flickr link to the right. I'm of course open to feedback, and I apologize in advance to those of you who prefer mass emails (and there are a few of you)...

As I prepare to leave, I find myself in a state of suspended reality. I'm going through the motions of getting my life in the US in order (and fitting my life into 2 suitcases and a carry-on--quite a challenge!) before going back to Austria, but it hasn't really hit me yet what I'm about to do. This will be my third time living in Austria, so I should already be quite familiar with the process. Yet I find myself again in the pre-departure stage where I already miss what I'm leaving behind. This is not to say that I'm not looking forward to Austria--on the contrary, there are quite a few things that are well worth looking forward to: my new apartment with friends, my favorite ice cream stands in the city, working only 12 hours a week, and infinite travel opportunities...just to name a few.

I look forward to switching directions entirely and teaching, and have absolutely no idea what to expect! Reality may finally sink in as I'm standing in front of a class of teenagers on October 1, thinking, 'What in the world have I gotten myself into?!'

...And until then, keep checking back for updates!


*Servus: a typical Austrian greeting

P.S. A big fat shout-out to Angie for helping me come up with the name for this Blog! :)