Vienna: Tuesday

Good things about today:

1) I got to talk to my amazing boyfriend for 15 minutes this morning before dashing off to catch the tram to school. He can make me feel better no matter what, even from 5277 miles away. Tomorrow marks day 60 until he finally steps foot in Vienna. I can not wait for that moment.

2) I got finally to wear my new striped skirt and light jacket... it's finally SPRING!! (I also broke in my new black flats. No more band-aids on my feet!)

3) We got to have class outside today AND my students were engaged and talkative! (Awesome student quote of the day: "Alysha, I do not to be seeming cheeky, but your blouse is false." Which made me crack up, because, hello, those buttons are meant to go up the back!)

4) I got to meet up with my good friend Elisabeth and soak up the sun on the steps of the library in Vienna with all the other cool step-sun-soakers. We've been dreaming about that all winter.

5) My new haircut. The dead ends are gone and my new leave-in conditioner should help. :o)

6) Chai Latte with good friends: strategized our upcoming trip to Italy (which is already on Sunday!!! Pisa, Lucca, Florence... here we come!)

7) Chatted with my sister Miss Amy Lee and one of my best friends, Katie (who I've been chatting with more often lately - it's awesome! She makes me feel less homesick. Thanks Katie!!) ... and saw new pictures of Hudson, Suzie and Andy's perfect new addition to their family. Seriously, the cutest baby I've EVER seen. I'm just so happy.

8) A stranger talked to me about my book today in the train: I was reading Biss zum Morgengrauen (Twilight)... but she was disappointed to hear that I'm not actually a huge fan and am reading it for german practice. :o) Although I've thought about reading the sequel next... maybe I've been bitten?

9) US health care reform passed... and thank god for those websites who spell it out for you, what the bill is all about. Making me consider rescinding my ex-pat status, America.

10) The new Cold War Kids Behave Yourself EP... Audience is one of my new favorite songs.

Bad things about today:

1) There was no certain email in my inbox when I really wanted there to be one.

2) I got stuck walking behind two very very slow old ladies in the subway station at Karlsplatz and missed my train.

3) My dad has to have surgery this week (he has his doctor's appointment today), my mom has to have surgery soon on her back, and Colin gets his wisdom teeth out soon (and I won't be there to nurse him to health...)

So, considering my "good" list heavily outweighs my "bad" list, I'm thinking this was a pretty good day, as far as Tuesdays go.

Vienna: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spain/Austria/Germany/Hungary: 5 Months Down... 4 to Go!

Woah, it's been a while since I last blogged. So much has been happening, filling up my time to the last second. Luckily, being home sick from work today gives me some time to get caught up on important things like posting a new blog. :o)

Since Christmas at home and returning to Vienna, I've been keeping pretty busy:

Madrid, Spain (with my roommates):

{Madrid Street}

{The Roommates}

{At the Sunday Market}

"Prom" in Perchtoldsdorf:

{My students "opening" the Ball}

{With Monika, one of my most favorite teachers}

TU Ball in Vienna:

{The Girls}

{Hofburg Palace}

{With Gergely, Ball-Date and Dance-Partner}

Trip through Southern Germany (The "Andi" trip):

Munich:

{Train travel}

{With Colin's Uncle Andi}

Füßen, Germany:

{Lech River in Füßen}

{At Neuschwanstein Castle with my friend Alice}

Tübingen, Germany:

{Neckar River in Tübingen}

{Me and my good friend Andi}

Stuttgart, Germany:

{Visiting with my old friend Andi and his girlfriend Ruth}

Visit from Joanna and Darin:

{Me, Darin, Joanna in front of the Hofburg Palace}

{Valentine's Day Coffee and Cake with Jo at Cafe Zentral}

Budapest, Hungary:

{Buda and Pest and the Danube}

{Walking along the Danube: Lenna, Elisabeth, Me, Rachel}

{Turkish Baths}

Random Fotos from the last few weeks:

{The "Kiss and Ride" at the Prater}

{The "Watch Out, Roof Avalanche" signs scattered around Vienna}

{The actual chunk of ice that fell off a roof and almost killed me.

That's why they have signs, I guess!}

School is also going well. Along with normal duties, I'm still tutoring and I've started my 4 lessons a week of "english in conversation" classes. I've only got 10 more weeks of school left, and lucky me, this semester is scattered with breaks, so there's lots of time for trips. So far planned, or "in the works":

1) Pisa, Italy

2) Ljubljana, Slovenia

3) Salzburg, Austria

4) Bratislava, Slovakia

5) Split, Croatia

6) Stockholm, Sweden

7) Brno, Czech Republik

Sounds like a lot, but most places are really close by and can be done on a weekend. In addition, my friends Susanne and Philipp are coming for a visit in April and my wonderful, handsome boyfriend Colin is coming at the end of May! Lots of things to look forward to this spring :o)