It's been a while...

So...I am still alive! :)

I just realized today, sitting down at my computer, that it has been over a month since I have posted something. -- My apologies. It just seems like it has gotten to the point where my day-in and day-out of my life really doesn't change all that much. Spring break ended up bein ga lot of fun. I spent 5 days with my roommate at her house and then I came back and celebrated Kirsten's 20th birthday with her! We threw a big party and introduced the Austrians to jello shots!

Since then, I've just turned into a student again. It seems like the last couple weeks it's just been test and presentations. And it will be like this for the next couple weeks. June should slow down a bit with just finals here and there, but not any presentations, which is nice. I'm still enjoying my time here in Graz, but I'm getting ready to come home. I miss my family and friends and anxiously awaiting to see their faces again. :) It will be sad to say goodbye to my friends here, but we're making plans to see each other again, so I know it's not a goodbye forever.

I've also realized in the past couple weeks here that I want to do my graduate study work in Cross Cultural Management. I find the field very interesting and very essential in the ever-changing, fast-paced globalization that is occurring. There's quite a few programs out East and specifically, there is one at University of Maryland that I'm going to look into. Hopefully I'll be able to find some sort of research assistant position and have my schooling to help be paid for.

I hope everything is going well back home! The weather has finally gotten nice here in Graz and it looks like it is finally getting nice back home! Have a great beginning of summer! I'll see you in less than 7 weeks! :)

Spring Break so Far

So, I am 6 days into my spring break and it really hasn't been boring at all. I resolved my issues with my wallet being stolen -- after cancelling all my cards and spending 2 hours at an Austrian police station. I got my new Uni Graz ID card, so now I don't have to always carry around my passport. At this point, I'm just waiting for my new credit/debit cards to arrive. Meanwhile, I have been enjoying Graz with my Austrian friends.

Saturday, I spend the day in the city drinking coffee and doing a bit of window shopping. Sunday, I went to the best little cake shop with my Austrian friends and then we watched a couple movies that night. Monday, I spend the day in the park and then had an Austrian BBQ. I knew that Austrian men could eat a lot of food, but this was about an hour and a half of boys eating. It was quite impressive. The food was really good. Tuesday and Wednesday were lazy days and today I went shopping at H&M. I got 3 new shirts and a dress for summer. I just cannot believe how cheap the clothes are at H&M. Not to mention, it is really nice having 2 H&M's about 5 minutes about from each other isn't bad either. I, then, went and had a smoothie with a girl on my floor.

I also realized today, that I need to go grocery shopping because everything -- including restaurants -- is closed all weekend because of Easter. A lot of places are actually closed through Monday because of Easter Monday. I don't know how people do this. What happens if you forgot to buy something for your Easter dinner and you don't realize it until Saturday???!!!

I don't have a lot of plans for the weekend. Tomorrow, I am cooking dinner with a friend and then the weekend will be full of surprises. I have about 100 pages of Austrian history that I have to read through. I suppose I could do that. (If I become motivated.)

Well, that's about it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the weather back home. It's warmer there than it is here. Have a great Easter!

Lessons Learned While in the Last Day

So, in the last 24 hours I have learned a few lessons that I thought I would share, due to my wallet being stolen in a foreign country:

1.)There is no reason to bring your U.S. Social Security card to Europe. I will now have to watch my credit for the rest of my life. (70+ years)

2.)Even though cash is used pre-dominately in Europe, never carry a lot with you. Thank goodness I didn't have a lot in my wallet.

3.)Put your pin number for your Austrian bank account in your phone. Do not keep it in your wallet, thinking that your wallet will never be stolen.

4.)Bring 2 credit cards and a check card to Europe. Keep the check card and 1 credit card in your wallet, but keep 1 at home just in case the other two are stolen, you are not without some form of money. I didn't have a 2nd credit card.

5.)Only take out necessary identification. There is no reason to carry around 2 school ID's and your driver's license in a foreign country.

6.) The only insurance card you need to carry around in Austria is your Austrian Health Insurance. There is no logical reason why a person should be carrying around her U.S. health insurance card.

7.) Make copies of all the above documents. I did not.

8.)I am lucky that my passport was not stolen and I am physically fine.

And the most important lesson I learned in the last day,

9.)You are always going to need your mother. I am so thankful for mine. I have the most wonderful mama in the world, who will wake up at midnight to answer the phone when her only daughter calls her crying about her wallet being stolen in a foreign country. Even more credit to her that she doesn't panic and just tries to calm her daughter down.

I will keep everyone being posted on how I get this situation figured out.

New Pictures

A beautiful picture of Graz with the Alps in the distance. One of the sunniest days yet!

Me at the top of the hill!

Another pretty sunny picture in a park in Graz. That's a church in the distance

This is the picture of the circle outside my dorm. Monday, it was 60 degrees and sunny. The best day yet!

Me on my first day of school! (I had to take this one for my Mom!)

Another Beautiful Day in Graz

I would just like to start by saying that it is the third day in a row here that it has been about 55 degrees. People here are starting to believe that Spring is here. :) I saw that it is quite cold back home. :(

I'm still doing well here. I'm finishing up my German Intensive Course this week. I have my written and oral exams tomorrow. They shouldn't be too difficult, just a bit time-consuming. Also, our Austrian friends finish their exams tomorrow, so we'll probably be going out with them.

Nothing exciting is really happening here. I feel like I am finally adjusted to life here, although it is hard to look at the same four walls all the time. I was just never a dormitory person. It's nice though, now that the weather is better. That's all for now. :)

Guten Tag from Graz!

I apologize that I have not been blogging as much as I though I would have time for. I feel that I'm on the go all the time and when I am in my room, it's to sleep for a bit and get up and do it all over again. With that said, I am still having the time of my life. This has been the best experience. I'm still meeting a lot of new Austrian friends. In the last few days, I've met a girl named Lisa, and I'm pretty sure that she'll probably be my best friend that I make here. She is such a sweetheart.

Yesterday, we celebrated Fasching. In English, Fasching is Carnival. It's like Halloween. We were able to dress up and go out with all of our friends here that we've made so far. And once it got dark, there was a big party in the middle of downtown. They had multiple stages with music set up and light shows. It was a lot of fun.

This week we have a lot of orientation stuff and learning how to enroll in our classes. It is not the most exciting of afternoons. Tomorrow, I'm meeting a couple of my Austrian friends for coffee who are international business majors, so they're going to help me pick out classes.

I'll try to keep up on my posting better. I hope everyone is doing well on the other side of the pond. Skype is probably the best way to get a hold of me if you ever want to chat! Just remember the 7 hour time difference!

A Few More Photos to Share

Architechture in Graz

The Opera house in Graz

All of us out at Propellor enjoying the super bowl

The main square of the city

Architecture and the mountain in the background with a fresh layer of snow