First Acceptance!

I was accepted to the Vienna study abroad! It's going to be so much fun and I really feel like I made the right choice, so that is incredibly comforting.

I have a friend who is there right now and is keeping a blog about her experience (She's a music major studying opera there). Below is a list of things she created about what's she has learned of Vienna so far. It sounds so exciting.

1. People will actually speak German to you if you try, even though they totally know you’re American.

2. They drive on the right hand side of the road. Not the left like I thought they would.

3. The city feels safer than I thought it would.

4. The Danube is not brown and disgusting.

5. Little kids who speak German are really cute.

6. You actually can find food for less than 5 euro. Praise!

7. I can actually survive in foreign country by myself. Who knew?

8. Foreign ATM’s aren’t as scary as I thought they would be

9. No one here drives SUV’s (I kind of knew that already).

10. The tap water is DELICIOUS!!!!

11. The chocolate is also amazing, of course!

12. Austrians love lemon and raspberry flavored things.

13. They love tons of herbs on their food.

14. Every Austrian I have come in contact with is very knowledgeable about classical music. They take their heritage very seriously.

15. Austrians love traditions.

16. The bread here is awesome.

17. The yogurt is great, and I don’t even like yogurt! I had an apple yogurt today, and it was amazing.

18. The paper size is different. It is long and skinny. Weird.

19. Buildings are heated by radiators as opposed to central heating.

20. Punctuality is extremely important to the Viennese. Britain and I were late for dinner once, and it was bad news.

21. The people here are absolutely not afraid to give you a really nasty look if they think that you are being too loud on the subway, which happens all the time with a group of ten American musicians.

22. The desserts are epic.

23. They put salami on pizza instead of pepperoni.

24. There is this drink called Almdudler, and it is sooooooo good! It’s like this weird spiced lemon soda. I don’t actually know what’s in it, but it’s oddly scrumptious!

25. When the hot water in the shower runs out, it’s not coming back.

26. Don’t run for the U-bahn. It’s just embarrassing, and people laugh at you.

27. Take music history before you come, or else your crazy German teacher will be very upset.

28. Johann and Richard’s last name is SSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTTTRAUUUUUOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSS!

29. It’s great when people “remember” to do things.

30. Crazy wallpaper is a way of life.

31. It’s Danke, not Daaaaahnke.

32. Bring napkins for when your yogurt explodes all over your avocado while you’re waiting in line for tickets to the Staatsoper. Very important.

33. Scarves are the best.

34. Always run for the Strassenbahn when there’s a flock of pigeons close by, but only then. Otherwise, you look silly.

35. Old fashioned keys are still very much in style.

36. The Opera Toilette in the U-bahn station scares me. It smells really weird, and bad, and has classical music emanating from its depths. Creepy.

37. Vienna is a good hair city.

38. Ketchup costs twenty cents a packet.

39. Prepare yourself for European smells.

40. It’s not Leipzig, it’s LEIP-ZIG!

41. They have gigantic dogs here, and they come on the U-bahn.

42. They also have some tiny dogs.

43. The police sirens are even musical!

44. Trash men wear bright orange uniforms.

45. Fur coats are awesome, especially on really old ladies.

46. Billa is my friend.

47. There is a real Danube and a fake Danube.

48. Don’t call an Austrian a German.

49. Don’t call a German an Austrian.

50. The police don’t really like it when you eat Weiner Schnitzel on the floor of the U-bahn station late at night.

51. The transportation system rocks.

PS I promise to provide better picture than google image. FYI.