What am I doing in Austria?
I mean, some of you know because I may have told you or you found out from somebody else. I think there are several of you who don't know exactly what's going on, though. That is my fault, because I haven't clearly stated what's happening here. That includes where here is, what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. Maybe, I can explain so that you can know better. I think that even those of you who know what I'm doing here don't even know exactly what I'm doing right now. Where do I start? First, I'm in Klagenfurt, Austria. Klagenfurt is the capital of the province of Carinthia. It's a relatively small city with a large history that includes a constant tug-of-war between Austria and Slovenia about who really owns this land. For the record, I'm in Austria, not Slovenia, although I'm very close to Slovenia. Actually, how many of you actually know where Slovenia is? Do you know the capital? Do you know anything about it? Probably not, google it. Ok, so that is where I am. Before I was here, I was in a magical village called Herrnhut. Herrnhut is in Germany. I was in Herrnhut only for 2 weeks. It was sort of a buffer zone I had planned between Cedar Falls, Iowa and Klagenfurt, Austria. In Herrnhut, I was staying at a YWAM base where I met so many amazing people. Read my previous posts to find out about what I did there. Now, for what is currently happening. I am living in Klagenfurt in what is similar to a student dorm. This semester, I'm going to be studying at the University of Klagenfurt. I will be studying German: linguistics, grammar, translation, and so on. The semester doesn't start until March 1, though, so right now I'm in an intensive language course held at the university for foreign exchange students. I go to class every day. The goal of the class is to prepare us for the upcoming semester that will be held in a language different from our mother language. It's a great class filled with people from all over the world; seriously, there are people from every continent in my class except Africa. This class goes for 2 more weeks before I have a week off to further prepare myself for the start of the semester. The semester will run from March until the end of June, with a break in the middle for Easter. Ok, so that is where and what that I've answered; time for why. I feel like I've already answered this question in a couple essays, but it's important to tell you too. I'm studying in Austria simply because it is an amazing opportunity. In America, I study Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and German is kind of tossed in there. I decided to study here because I am hoping to further my abilities in German. All of my classes will be in German, so I think that I will be able to take plenty away from this semester pertaining to classroom education. I came here for more than just school, though. I came here because I love to experience new things. I love to be in situations that aren't always easy peasy routine. I like to be challenged and to live a life outside of my comfort zone. Those are some pretty dangerous statements that I just made, and they could come back to bite me but I think it would be worth it. I like the unknown. Austria, to me, is unknown. I knew nobody when I came here. I knew nothing. All I knew is that it was time to get out of Iowa again to explore this big world around me. The opportunity arose to come here to learn German and experience new things, so I took it. My plans, while I'm here, are to study during the week in Klagenfurt and travel on the weekends the rest of the world that seems to be within a couple hours reach. Austria is fairly centrally located, you see. It touches Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, and Slovakia. That's a lot of countries, and I plan on seeing them all.
Now you know what I'm doing. I am studying German, living in Austria, meeting new people, traveling to crazy places, and every step of the way, learning to live a better life. I have met many people so far, and I've been to so many new places. I've only been gone for 4 weeks. Who knows what will happen in the next 5 months? I hope something sweet.
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