I am in Vienna?

I cannot say exactly how many times I have asked myself or the person next to me this question in the last forty-eight hours. I am simply in awe. I don't know what to say to convey exactly what these two days have been like, but I guess I will try. So here goes.....
The plane ride was actually my first taste of European culture. The plane was huge, with five relatively large bathrooms downstairs (I greatly appreciated that, just so you know). Every seat had its own screen with TV, music, and movie options. The staff served us good meals... Over all, the entire experience was several steps above any American Airline I have ever been on, including the plane I flew on to Hawaii.
We spent day one trekking about the city, discovering some of its wonders. Unfortunately, my jet lag prevented some of those wonders from sticking with me, but I do remember that we visited our school, saw the Stephansdom (the most famous church in Vienna), and ate gelato at the best place in town, Tichi ice. I will probably go there at least every other day, and that is no joke.
Today, we went to the Naschmarkt, which consists of hundreds and hundreds of booths and little restaurants all lined up down a mile-long stretch. Most of the booths sell cheap and delicious food, though some have great scarves and clothes just waiting for me.
The most moving thing we have done as of yet was to visit the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapburgs. Today I have stood in rooms where Napoleon walked. I stood in the very room where Mozart gave his first concert as a six-year-old boy for the Empress Maria Theresia. The architecture and decor was absolutely stunning, but the most incredible part was the knowledge that generations of legendary men and women have stood in those halls, men and women I have read about my whole life. I think the whole Mozart thing was what really got to me.
In general, I feel about Vienna the way I felt about the plane- it is several steps up. Not that Europe is better than America, because that is not the case. Europe, or at least Vienna, is much more formal, however, and their standards are higher than ours in certain areas.
For example, the streets are amazingly clean, as is our hotel. The public tranportation system is phenomenal. The Viennese value manners and propriety much more than we do, and I have become increasingly aware of some of my more annoying habits. My annoying habits include: elbows on the table, talking in a very loud voice, laughing loudly in public places, not maintaining certain standards of cleanliness in the hotel, etc. In America, this wouldn't faze anybody, because most of us would not consider these things a huge problem. Noise is a big deal here though.... we are a group of college students, mostly girls, and by American standards we are extremely well behaved. However, we were told after breakfast that we had been too rambunctious in the dining room, and we needed to try to lower our voices. Very interesting to me...
I am surprised by two things. Number one: we are very much like the Viennese. Number two: we are so different from the Viennese. Tonight I was sitting in a restaurant eating pizza, laughing with friends and joking with the waiter, and I felt like I was in America. Then we went to a coffee house and ordered cheesecake and a water, and I knew I was not in America. First of all, the Viennese do not eat as much sugar as we do. Nothing is nearly as sweet as it is in America, even the desserts. And I don't know what they do to their cheesecake, but it tasted pretty good. Secondly, they bring you teeny tiny cups of liquid with no ice when you order a drink. There are no refills and sometimes they will not bring you free tapwater, so you have to pay.
I do like the Viennese, though. They have been kind and helpful, very forgiving of my poor German and very willing to speak to me in English. When you really look at it and pull away the layers of small drinks and odd cheesecake, they are just like us. That is comforting to me, and I feel surprisingly at home here. I live in Vienna, for three months at least, and for three months I know I belong here. Who would have thought.... I am actually in Vienna.