*Our Little Talks gives me a warm welcoming embrace.*
Thanks little bliggity. Missed you too, honestly.
It's only fitting that I come back to my old blogging ways. I have to tell you about my Extravagant Journey (Thanks for the words, Mary Oliver). And thanks for the funds, mom and dad. And thanks for the call to adventure, God and various instagram accounts!
What: I am studying abroad in Austria for a semester.
Who: Just yours truly. And 50 other random kiddos who I am coming to know and love.
Where: Salzburg, Austria. The city where the Sound of Music was filmed and the home to Mozart. The quaint mountain town on the Salzach River. My daydream in a city, essentially.
When: I arrived in London February 6th and spent the weekend there. I arrived in Salzburg on February 8th and I will be here until May 26th.
Why: Hmmm.
I don't know when I decided to study abroad. I just always knew I would. I walked into my first advising appointment as a freshman at Xavier and I asked Dr. Browne to please set aside some gen ed courses so I could get easy credits abroad. I always knew I would be in this position. I just never thought it would come this quick. And I never thought it would be this magnificent.
Here's the thing. We all crave some sort of adventure. We all have that daydream in mind. A dream vacation, or a goal to achieve, or something. For some, it'e more specific than others. For me, I just wanted to see the mountains. It was kind of impractical, as I don't hike, ski, rock climb or live in a city, state, or part of the US with ANY sort of elevation! I think that if I had to pick something that inspired me to go to the mountains it would be the boat trip I went on with my aunt and uncle or spending a week in Park City, Utah. That was the closest I've come to just pure nature.
Common insulting conversations:
me: Yeah, I'm studying abroad next semester!
x: Oh where?
me: Austria
x: (laughs) you seem like the Paris type
me: I'll be abroad in Austria next semester!
x: Why Austria?
me: Uhm, I just wanted to go see the mountains.
x: hahahahaha okay?
It's all hard for me to explain. All I know is that I've only been here for 26 days and it already is the adventure I had been craving and more. I've been on 6 separate excursions with bunches of brilliant new friends and it's a dream come true. This is just an introduction before I explain the rest of my adventures in better detail. I can already tell you that I will never forget how it feels to drive through the mountains, the site of deep green snow powdered pine trees, mountains with their feet in emerald lakes, laughing with new beautiful friends. My breath is constantly being taken away. But standing in front of all these magnificent and natural structures....ughhhh how can I explain?? It's beauty in its truest form. And it's desolation at its deepest root. And it's God's exquisite masterpiece. While my pictures won't do any of it justice and words fall far from truly explaining, I can say with certainty that I will try my hardest not to take a single moment for granted.
I am so thankful for this Extravagant Journey.
(More to come on my first weekend in London, a sleigh ride in Filzmoos, a day trip to Munich, a Sound of Music hiking tour, a hike in Koniggssee National Park, a weekend in Budapest, and of course the beautiful city I now call home, Salzburg!)
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