Soccer, Football, Fußball

The countdown of my time in Austria is coming ever closer to its end. In the past week, my semester exams came and passed, and I saw the United States get knocked out of the World Cup. In spite of the loss, it was great to see the positive effect the team had on a newly-fashioned soccer nation. I did my part from across the sea by cheering loud and being the lone singer of the national anthem among 1000s of Austrians and Germans, a couple Brits found their way into the crowd too. That's right, I stood up and sang our country's song in Klagenfurt's main square where the games are being shown live on a huge screen with lots of local vendors supplying food and drinks. It was fun, and for the first time in awhile, I felt happy to be American. It's not often that I say that, but I guess that's what soccer, football, Fußball does to you.

Other than the World Cup and school, I've been trying to prepare myself for my return back to the US. Of course, I haven't started packing or anything, but I'm getting ready mentally. It's going to be strange, but I think it will be great. For a long time, I kept telling myself that I didn't want to go back. My life in Klagenfurt is wonderful. It's been similar to a 6-month vacation, so I guess it's time for it to end.

In a couple days, I have to move out of my dorm because my time is up. I will then have 7 days with all of my stuff and no place to stay. I might make a trip with a friend of mine to Ljubljana and Venice, but who knows. These 6 months have been an adventure of unknowns, and those 7 days are a great way to end a semester of confusion. I'm excited to see both Ljubljana and Venice because they are so close to Klagenfurt. It's only a couple hours trip to both cities by bus. The weather is really perking up too, so it will be a great last week in Europe.

Lastly, I have to report on the most important thing that happened to me recently. I got the chance to Skype with my family yesterday before the soccer game. This was an extra special conversation, though, because there was a special guest in the office on the other side of the screen. When the video chat started to work, a big smile, with lots of teeth too, greeted me from a very little girl. Zoe was there with her little pig tails. We talked, and at the end, she blew me kisses and gave me a big virtual hug. It doesn't get much better than that. If there is one thing easing my return back to Iowa, it's her big smile. Unfortunately, it is still one month before I get back to Cedar Falls. Before I go back, I imagine a lot of crazy things will happen as I travel around.



10 days. That's it, 10 days. I can't believe it.

Smile

I like to smile, and I often end my posts with a short message telling you guys to smile. Whether you smile buy yourself in your room or to a stranger on the street, you are probably helping somebody with the simple beauty. I found this article on a friend of mine's page, and I think it's worth reading. Smiles really are great, and they really do save

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37670329/ns/world_news/.

3 weeks left in Austria. Crazy.

Hello Hello

Hey hey, I found 100 euro on the ground today at school. It was great because I found it right before I gave a presentation about Iowa (I think everybody wants to visit now). I was supposed to go to Venice last week, but a life-threatening illness (just a bad cold) kept me from swimming through the gondola-filled canals. We had the hostel booked and train tickets bought, so it was a big bummer. Oh well.

I would like to be telling you guys about something exciting I did since the last time I wrote, but there is really nothing to write. Since last Tuesday, I have been forced to stay inside by one of my friends in order to get healthy. It's taken quite some time, and I've been pretty bored for the past week, but I'm finally starting to get better. I need to get better by the weekend because my crazy friend Michael DiMarco is finally coming to Klagenfurt on Friday. He is studying in Italy, and if you've read my blog for awhile, you know that I went to visit him in February. I'm very excited that he's going to come see Austria.

I guess there is one little thing I could tell you about. I went swimming yesterday for the first time in a long time. Klagenfurt is located on a huge lake called the Wörthersee. The crazy thing is that you have to pay to swim in the lake or even lay on the beach. I'm not down with paying for things like beaches (or toilets), so some friends and I went to a little-known river that leads into the lake. It was a hot day, and the sun was shining, so I decided to swim despite being sick. The water was absolutely freezing, but it was a blast. The river was spotted with groups of people also unwilling to pay the fee to enter the beach. There was a tree to jump off of and a rope swing, which we put to great use.

No, that's not me in the bikini. Nor is it me in the water underneath. I'm somewhere else, but those are two friends of mine. We swam for awhile, realized the water was really really cold, then went to the park to enjoy the rest of the sun. I think it was the sun that started my recovery. Everybody needs the sun. It makes you happier. Nobody should ever say their goodbyes to the sun.

That's all for my short update. Actually, here is something I wrote a couple days ago that maybe you would like to read:

One of the things I've been realizing lately, through a number of friendships and experiences, is that no matter how far apart we live, how much our cultures differ, or how different our languages are, it's not the differences that our pulling this world apart, rather, it's the commonalities that are holding us all together.

We need each other in order to live, just like we need the sun. According to my Mother, who paraphrases Alexander Supertramp, happiness is only real when shared. Thank you Mom. I love you. Have a good week.