In and about Vienna

I feel like I should take a moment to reveal some of the inner workings of my day-to-day life here in Vienna. I will walk you through a typical school day. If typical days bore you, skip this entry entirely. If not, then here you go.
I usually wake up later than I plan, and I rush to shower (sometimes) and then I go down to breakfast. Breakfast at the hotel is great. My favorite option is a plain white roll with brie cheese and apricot jam on it. It is INCREDIBLE! I could eat brie cheese every day of my life, and here lately, I do.
Then I take the U-bann to school. For some reason, the U-bann is ten times more fun in the morning than it is at any other point during the day. All the Austrians stand around waiting for it and reading their newspapers. Little kids hop on to go to school. The U-bann is busiest around this time of day, and it’s great for people watching.
Then we go to school. We have a devotional every morning from eight to eight twenty, and then we have German till nine forty-five. Then we get a fifteen minute break, after which we have either Humanities or Bible till twelve, but we usually get out a little early. Then we go eat. Sometimes I go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week and stock up on a week’s supply of lunch supplies. Sometimes I splurge and eat out; sometimes I get tomato soup or pizza from the Italian Restaurant next door to the hotel. The owners love all the Lipscomb students, and sometimes they will throw in a free drink or bread sticks.
After lunch, I go to do my “one fun Vienna thing” that I try to do every day, no matter how much schoolwork I have. Sometimes I go to a museum, or a play, or a concert; sometimes we just go to a new café to study and drink a cup of coffee. Every day, I try to do something new. This practice has been both stress-relieving and gratifying- I feel like I am seeing Vienna while still staying on top of my schoolwork and avoiding stress. I would like to bring this practice home to Nashville- everyday I need to do at least one fun thing, no matter how small it may be.
After lunch, I usually start doing homework. We try to do Pilates every afternoon. Sometimes, we do it in the gym next door, and sometimes we stay in our rooms. Every afternoon/night is different. I love when we have movie nights or when we all go try a new restaurant together. I have been constantly surprised at the wide array of culture available to us here. Culture in Europe is more accessible than it is in America. Tickets for concerts or events are cheaper, and you don’t have to plan such outings far in advance. Each day, I am blessed to learn something new, and to me, that makes the entire trip well worth while!