Time to Travel

My friends, I'm sorry it's been so long (according to my Mom) since my last post. I know you've all been rushing to your computers the moment you get home everyday to check if I wrote anything that day, so I'm sorry you've been let down by me. BUT that's actually a good thing for me. I used to update this blog everyday because I had nothing to do. I had nobody to talk to, nowhere to go, nothing to do. Now, I have things to do. I've made friends in my intensive language class and from my dorm hall. I've been going on class field trips, just like junior high school, to different places like the local television station, radio station, Chinese restaurant, Fasching celebration, and the Catholic High School. Those are strange places to visit for field trips, I know, but they were all amazing. Not necessarily the places, more the people I was going with. Today was the last day of my intensive course. For the past 3 weeks, I've been going to German class with the same 11 people 5 days a week for 3-5 hours each day. If there's one word to describe it, it'd be intense. We went over a lot of information in a very short amount of time. During these 3 weeks, we spent a lot of time together, and, naturally, got to know each other. We learned about the different places each of us comes from. More importantly, we learned about each other. We were always doing interviews asking questions about previous jobs, future goals, family, friends, studies, and discussions always came up about really important topics. In short, we got to know each other very well. We started off as complete strangers, but I would say now that we are all very good friends. I've never been in a class like this before where we hang out together on the weekends, or go to our professor's house to eat, or visit a classmate's apartment to have an end of the course celebration with all of the students and professor. It's been really great, and today was the last day. The past few days, we spent a lot of time talking about our own lives; the things that have been big influences on each of us. Many times, it's been relationships, but also beliefs, conflicts, personality traits, and whatever else. I really can't tell you enough how different this class has been from any other class I've had. Our professor was the key. He brought us all together. Someday, if I'm lucky enough to be a teacher, I'd like to be able to create a classroom atmosphere like he did. An atmosphere that is non-judgmental, makes you feel important, and thought-provoking. He did an excellent job. The class was wonderful. Now, I have one week off until the semester actually starts. Tonight, around midnight, I'll be taking a train to Florence, where I'll catch another train to Perugia to see my friend Mike. We'll see how it goes. I don't know much Italian, but I'm hoping the name Panicucci will help me. I should be arriving in Perugia tomorrow morning around 10, and I'll be there until Thursday. Thursday is a big day because I have to make my way back to Klagenfurt from Perugia, and I also have a meeting with an adviser to set up my classes. I'm afraid that I won't have my computer with me in Perugia, so, my friends, you are going to have to wait at least 5 days for my next update. I'll try to get on sometime between then to let you know that I made it ok, but I have no guarantees. Think happy thoughts for me about getting there.

I forgot to tell you one thing. After our last class today, some of us went out to eat with our professor because he invited us to a buffet. At lunch, he told us how much he had learned from us. The main thing we taught him (a man who speaks 8 languages, has seen more than 3/4 of the world, been a journalist in Kosovo, Afghanistan,and Pakistan, and continues to amaze students semester after semester) was to have hope. I thought that was cool. He ended the conversation by telling us all of the nicknames he had in his head when he thought of us. Many of the girls were famous actresses or characters from books. I was the preacher.