My First Full Weekend in Wien

Every now and then, I catch myself stopping and saying aloud, "This is the most incredible life ever." I think I am experiencing what they call the "honeymoon stage" of living abroad. Everything seems wonderful, and I can find almost no fault with the world. Even the things that might usually bother me are easily disregarded and forgotten. I still am not a huge fan of the food, however, but the more different places I try, the more I find dishes that I really enjoy.
Saturday our wonderful German teacher from school divided us into groups and sent us to explore different shopping areas of the city. In America, I love to haggle at flea markets and bargain for the best price, so I asked to be in the group that went to the Vienna flea market. I thought it would be lots of fun... when we arrived however, it was an entirely different story. I felt complete cultural overload for the first time. Hundreds of people were pressed in tightly around me, speaking German and quite frankly smelling like body oder. Unlike our flea markets, this one offered a plethora of goods that I would never consider buying... such as gas masks, for example. Many of the booths were filled with antiques of one sort or another, but my eyes are not trained to look for treasures in places like that, and so everything for sell looked like junk to me.
Afterwards we ate in the Naschmarkt, one of my favorite places in all of Vienna. The food there is diverse, cheap, and good. Later that night we visited the Prater, an amusement park in the heart of the city. The rides are more like the ones found at a state fair than the ones at six flags, but they were actually lots of fun. I rode the swings with Leah- it was basically a date.
On Sunday we went to Stephandom Cathedral for mass. The experience was unvelievable. Unfortunately I sat behind a huge pillar, so I couldn't see anything happening on the stage, but I did get to sit next to the orchestra and the choir. When those people opened their mouthes, I literally thought I was in heaven. I have noticed that the Austrian people have a deep respect for classical music and classic singing that we in America sorely lack. The Stephansdom choir, I am sure, is well respected, but they are not considered to be "great" by European standards. By American standards though, they were pretty incredible.
After church we ate lunch at a harvest festival. I ate my very first bratwurst with mustard. Then we took the train to the very outskirts of Vienna and stood on a huge hill where we could see the whole city. Vienna is stunning and HUGE. For some unknown reason, I feel so comfortable here that the city feels small to me. When I saw it from the top of the hill, however, I realized what a huge Metropolis I live in.
We hiked down the hill (after losing half of the group and missing the important devotional in the vineyards) and somehow made our way back to the hotel and supper. The day was beautiful.... everyday here is like a dream.
Today was our first day of school. We had our first German lesson with our Austrian teacher, whom I really liked. He was hilarious, though seemingly quite distraught at our lack of German knowledge. After class I went to the park with my roommate, and then we ate goulash at a small cafe near the hotel. The best part of the day, believe it or not, was the trip to H&M we took tonight. I hate shopping, repeat HATE shopping, but for some reason I went nuts in that store. I bought the most adorable little black dress you have ever seen. I want to spend about 300 euros in that store, but I am resisting the temptation.
I just don't understand why everything can be so perfect. I am blessed beyond belief, and so undeserving of all that I am experiencing. I feel like I will learn a vast amount here, and I hope that somehow I can use my personal growth to bless others here and in the States. God has given me much more than I even asked for, and I don't want to waste it. I also don't want to get so wrapped up in Vienna that I forget the One who created it all. I know that I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime... everyday I am reminded of God's extreme mercy and love. He is taking care of me each and every day.