WOW! I'm sorry I am just now writing my first journal entry, but I've been so busy. I arrived on February 5th, and the flight over here was quite an adventure. The plane from Kansas City to Washington DC was very small- only 4 seats across. I was sure I was going to puke, but it was too late to ask for a barf bag because we were getting ready to land. The plane was so small that it couldn't even hook up to a terminal, so we exited down a ladder onto the runway. In Washington DC I had a 3 hour layover, which I spent talking to my friend who came to the airport to visit. She gave me the greatest gift- the Rick Steves' Germany & Austria book! I am really looking forward to reading it because I came here now knowing anything about this place. The flight from Washington DC to Vienna was much better! The reality hit me when I arrived at the Austrian airport. I was surrounded by German speakers, billboards, and signs. I had no clue where to find the baggage claim. By the time I found it, the luggage had just started arriving. I collected one of my suitcases and was still waiting on the second. I stood there for 20 minutes, just staring at the empty conveyor belt, and hoping that it would appear. No luck. So then I had to haul my luggage (I didn't have any euros yet, so I couldn't rent a luggage cart) into the office to report my suitcase missing. They said they would notify me if it arrived, but could not guarantee anything (I ended up getting it the next day). Eva, my buddy who picked me up from the airport, was very nice and helpful. Things finally started looking better! On the way to the dormitory we stopped by a market so I could get some food. When I tried using my credit card, they laughed and said "that's an American thing". I arrived in the morning, but it still felt like 2am to me. I ended up sleeping the entire day. The next few days were spent getting to know the other exchange students. There are about 60 of us- students from Mexico, U.S., Canada, Spain, Netherlands, England, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Japan and Poland. My suitemate's name is Ai, and she is from Japan. We get along very well, and it's interesting living with someone who comes from such a different culture! The other day she was disgusted by the fact that I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which she had never heard of before. She refused to try one, but I think I will be able to get her to by the end of the semester. The school is also very different here. There's no campus really, just two connected buildings. My buddy showed me around and mentioned that some students get lost, but coming from Wichita State's campus I don't think that was going to be an issue. I am taking 8 business classes, beginner's German and Advanced Spanish. Although it seems like a lot, I feel like I'm never in class (which is a good thing!). I rarely have classes on Fridays or Mondays, so the long weekends will be perfect for traveling! Last weekend I went to Venice, last night I went to Vienna for the first time, and this weekend I'm not sure where I'll go yet. I will post more journals soon about everything I've seen and done so far... but for now, I'm tired of writing!

Oh yeah. I was so excited when I went to the bakery and placed my order in German.. but when she confirmed it, I accidentally responded in Spanish. German has been more difficult to learn than I thought because I can't get out of my Spanish mindset. But I will work on that..