Day Trip to Vienna

On Saturday, Franciscan University made its day trip to Vienna. At 10AM our buses arrived at the church Kapuzinerkloster in old Vienna where we then had Mass. The student body then split into groups and we began our walking tour of Vienna. As we walked through the city Father Seraphim Beshoner, head of our group, pointed out the most notable features, most important of which was probably the Irish pub (and I don't say that to trivialize all the other notable features. The Irish pub is just that

important). We stopped and toured several churches and historical buildings including St. Stephen's cathedral and the Hofburg imperial palace. Also, I met Sammy, the 7 year-old son of one of the FUS staff, on this trip. Sammy's pretty cool: he can speak German, English, and Slavic (though being bi- or trilingual isn't uncommon here like it is in the United States), and he's very witty as well.

Sammy (left), Father Seraphim (right)

We then ended our walking tour with lunch around 2PM at Melker Stiftskeller where I got to try their house beer, Hofbrauhaus Traunstein . . . at least, I believe that's what they call it. Once we concluded our lunch I was on my own until the buses departed at 8PM. Wanting to see the Schonbrunn palace I joined a group of about a dozen other students and together we hopped on the underground and emerged twenty minutes later outside the park that surrounds the Schonbrunn itself. Here we were able to walk the gardens, get an excellent view of the city below, and tour the palace itself. We eventually got lost in the park as we tried to find our way back to the underground but eventually we found our way . . . only to get lost again in the city looking for the Opera house - which is where we were to meet the buses. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to stay for the Opera or stop at that Irish pub we walked directly past (the very same Father Seraphim had pointed out earlier) so we got some food to go before returning to Gaming.

Steve and I enjoying our lunch

Outside the Greenhouse at the park

brother and sister household

looking down on Vienna

Today, the students finally had an opportunity to tour the Kartause itself. The Architect, who not only owns the Kartause but was responsible for its renovation over twenty years ago, gave a talk in the church highlighting the importance of the Kartause from its conception to its present day. I don't know his name as he was introduced to us simply as The Architect. Even his secretary who has worked for him for over 25 years refers to him so. We also got to visit the bell tower, library, ballroom, and the three chapels present on the grounds - one of which is a beautiful Byzantine chapel with its religious icons hand-painted by the ITI theology students who used to stay there until last summer.

Apparently the Kartause monastery used to have a series of secret tunnels as well, until the Russians destroyed them during their occupation. Now, however, I must return to my studies as classes begin again tomorrow and I'm supposed to have the entire book of John read by that afternoon.

Oh, also, I was told today that I look like Peter Pan. I thought that was pretty hilarious.

8/27/09 First Day of Classes

Thursday was the first day of class so I awoke bright and early, donned my sweater vest, ate my German bagel, and heroically attended two classes, mass with Bishop Kung, then two more classes - all one almost immediately after the other. I have another full day of classes tomorrow to look forward to before a school trip on Saturday to Vienna . . . then about 150 pages of reading assignments to do by next week. After the first day of class. All those people who told me that "classes in Austria are chill, dude" lied to my face.

So, a breakdown for your convenience of the elaborate torture Franciscan University has scheduled for me over the next four months:

Christian Marriage with Dr. Asci

Foundation of Ethics with Prof. Seifert-Wolter

Philosophy of the Human Person also with Seifert

Intro to Scripture with Prof. Cassidy

History of Civilization II with Fr. Seraphim T.O.R.

But seriously, I'm excited about all my classes; not just because I have a penchant for torture but also because the prospect of learning all this cool stuff is pretty sweet. Also, my professors are what can only be described as awesome. So much so in fact that their lectures are like pure doses of awesome being injected directly into each students' bloodstream. No wonder FUS's study-abroad program is rated among the top five in America - we get our students high off of learning during class days and then send them across Europe over the weekends in this altered state of mind which can only be referred to as "enlightenment."

We are Guests in Gaming

A common topic of discussion among students here at the Kartause is how much the staff at the Mensa (the Kartause's dining hall) supposedly hate us. The staff seem to be easily irritated by our presence and apparently just changed the locks on the Mensa doors and they're the only ones with a key. This means that when staff forgot to unlock the doors this morning the resident assistants could only stand by helplessly as a crowd of students quickly massed for breakfast. Not even the resident director had a key and the student body had to wait half an hour before a local with a key could be found.

However, I don't think the Mensa workers hate us - though it may be possible that they dislike us just slightly. I find this perfectly understandable when I try to imagine working for an American cafeteria when suddenly my place of employment is flooded by nearly 200 Germans babbling in a tongue I cannot understand . . . and they're all wearing lederhosen. They say things in German and I don't know how to respond, they yodel, and they break all the rules out of ignorance. That seems like more than enough reason for me, the exasperated cafeteria worker, to resent these intrusive foreigners. Thus, I applaud you Mensa workers of Gaming, for putting up with the mass of American students galavanting around your home.

Americans like Steve Eskro

Tuesday, August 25th

Night came and morning followed. The second day.

My room has a large window. So large, in fact, that the sun, peaking over the foothills of the Alps, poured copious amounts of light into my room at 5:30AM. Unable to sleep any longer I rose, too deep in a mental torpor to feel anything. That is, until I clumsily pulled back the curtains and saw this:

Thus began my second day in Austria.

At 8AM Dr. Franz Schneider gave the entire school a talk on just about everything there is to know about the country Austria. Immediately afterwards the whole student body crammed into four buses and we drove to the nearby monastery Melk in the valley by the Danube river. This is Melk:

Fun-size!

This is Melk before mass:

After a guided tour, lunch, and mass at Melk we then travelled to Durnstein, a town of enchantment dubbed by the inhabitants of Austria as "the most romantic place ever." With only little over an hour in Durnstein we practically ran up a mountain in order to walk among the ruins of Durnstein's castle - where, coincidentally, King Richard the Lionhearted had once been imprisoned by the king of Germany.

it's no wonder that King Richard didn't stay imprisoned for long. I mean, look at the place.

After racing back down the mountain so as not to miss the buses we actually had a few minutes to spare. Hot from our hike we decided that logically the best course of action would be to jump in the Danube. However, still missing my bags I had only the clothes on my back and decided that just wading up to me knees would be sufficient. Although I still plan on jumping head first into the Danube river some other time.

Then, that evening after returning to Gaming, Christmas had decided to come early. Leaving the Kartause for only ten minutes to go on a short walk, simply because I had nothing else to do, I returned to the lobby to find that my luggage had been secretly delivered in my absence. Maybe I should have jumped in the Danube after all.

me not jumping in

After checking to make sure that my extra crunchy peanut butter had made it through security it was time to go the local tavern, Urs, for the first time. This mad adventure was lead by none other than the glorious Steve Eddleson, with Will Goggins, Julian, and myself along for the ride. We all ordered half liters of Stiegal - except Will who got some girly drink I can't pronounce or spell. Not too long after drinking my Stiegal (which turned out to be the equivalent of two American beers) I decided to go back to the Kartause and go to bed. I also decided to start a beer diary. So far I've tried: Kaiser beer, which I didn't like; Weisenburger beer, which was better than Kaiser; and of course Stiegal beer which is the best I've had yet.

Day One in Gaming

At 3 PM Saturday my plane took off from Detroit and my trip to Gaming, Austria began. It was the smallest plane I'd ever been in, seating around 50 passengers. As the earth shrank away below me an ever expanding landscape became visible until we were engulfed by Michigan's overcast sky. Moments later we emerged to a crisp blue sky and bright sun complimenting the haphazard terrain of the clouds below.

After an uncomfortable flight on that cramped plane we landed in Washington D.C. little over an hour before my next flight was to take off. Approaching the gate I recognized the crowd of FUS students already waiting to board. After just enough time elapsed for me to exchange hellos with everyone I knew the plane began boarding and I went from experiencing flying in a plane smaller than any I'd been in before to the largest. After finding my seat I was immediately traded spots with another student so my neighbor could sit next to her friend. /the flight attendant explained that our flight from D.C. to Vienna was over 4,400 miles and soon after we were in the air.

My new neighbor, Sarah, a junior education major, and I talked awhile before dinner. Then, after eating I tried to sleep. No luck. Playing music, watching TV, and adjusting to every position imaginable didn't help either. Giving up on sleep, I decided I would accept a friend's challenge and thus ensued two-and-a-half hours of trying to beat Greg Hurst's record accomplishment of reaching level 49 on Gobbling Snake. However, my controller was on the fritz and time and time again my snake would spontaneously go in all sorts of directions I never told it to go in - this almost always resulted in the death of my snake. It was over two hours of pure insanity. But, let it be known, that despite a whacked controller I beat level 49 and made it all the way to level 50. Greg, I saw, I came, and I succeeded; your challenge has been beaten. However, I must say that, in order to make it all the way to level 49 on the horrible, horrible game, you must have the patience of a Carthusian monk, the skills of a ninja, and the good looks of Brad Pitt.

Sick of Gobbling Snake and with nothing else to do I spent the final hour of my flight in a sort of tortured daze, staring into the back of Matt's head. However, we finally landed and I somehow made if off the plane alive . . . only to be knocked senseless by Steve Eddleson's tackling hug at the baggage claim. After those first few very exciting moments where Steve practically yelled "HEY MAN! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU!" and I checked to make sure all my appendages were still attached I waited to claim my luggage. And waited. "I bet United Airlines lost my luggage," I said jokingly as we all waited for our bags. An hour later I could be found in Lost & Found filling out paperwork for my missing bags. Yes, United did in fact lose my luggage. Right now all I know is that one bag is still in D.C. while the other is still unaccounted for. Meanwhile I was left with only the clothes on my back, 100 Euros, and my carry-on consisting of a couple textbooks, my computer, and my camera. Bring it Austria!

After taking the bus to Gaming it was time to clean up before Mass, and of course the most logical way to do just that when you have no clothes, no soap, and no towel is to jump in the river outside the Kartause - which is exactly what I did. It was cold. That evening the FUS staff hosted a social with free beer, and thus did I get to try my first alcoholic beverage. Now, I'm back in my dorm room hoping that by the time I wake up tomorrow I'll be over the jet lag - I haven't slept in 32 hours.

UPDATE:

I apologize if this post is incomprehensible. I was essentially in an exhausted stupor when I wrote it, posting it the next day without evening proofreading it; so it's pretty rough.

Two Days

The countdown until I board that plane continues and while my excitement about landing in Vienna is growing exponentially I'm currently more enthusiastic about this blog. Yeah, I'm going to freaking Austria for four months but I'm preoccupied with something that only exists virtually. In a few weeks I'll probably be standing atop some snow-capped mountain peak but I'll be too busy scribbling away in some tiny little notepad to even notice.

For those of you who don't know, writing was essentially my life in high school. I was even going to major in English and make writing a career. However, I then discovered that crazy thing called Science and now as a nursing major my writing has been postponed indefinitely. That is, until now. So, maybe my excitement over some blog that doesn't actually exists except as a bunch 1's and 0's, which I might as well mention can be deleted with the mere press of a button, isn't quite so pathetic. Because, see, this whole writing gig is kinda my childhood dream. So now I've just gone from pathetic to sentimental.

Three Days

So, three days until I board my flight to Vienna, Austria and begin a new semester . . . practically on the other side of the world. That's pretty exciting. However, there are a few things left that need to be done before I go. There are a few financial things I need to take care of, I need to buy a new shaver so my face doesn't look like Papa Smurf after the first month, and I need to get a haircut for similar reasons, but most importantly I need to find my extra crunchy peanut butter. Because I am not leaving this continent until I have my Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter!

This only worked in Steubenville because there was nothing worth seeing

I have a lot to look forward to this semester: traversing across Europe by train, gracing the local pub with my presence and being able to legally drink, taking theology, philosophy, and history classes in a renovated medieval monastery, and seeing old friends after a long summer apart. It should be one long four month experience to remember forever - and hence this blog, to document the whole adventure for posterity's sake.