Weirdest feeling ever? Walking up the stairs to my room after finishing my last final this morning. Now that I have no more classes or exams I have two days to wrap up good ol' life in Austria.
Is this the place where I insert some sappy, reflective essay on the experience of a semester in Europe? That I can do. Contrary to some people’s belief, my heart is not permanently made of stone.
For starters, I can't believe how much I managed to write down here...and yet how much there is still to tell or can't be told for lack of words.
To say this semester was emotionally charged would be the truth. It wasn’t in that teenish angsty way but a…this-is-life sort of way. I have yet to live the rest of my life, but I think being here in Austria has put a lot of it what will happen in the future into perspective. No matter what happens, I will always have this time to look back on and draw from. Given the broad spectrum of experiences, these past four months will no doubt be the semester that keeps on giving.
My philosophy class alone has shown me victory and defeat, confusion and superactual understanding. There you go, I just used the word superactual in a sentence…It might be best to leave now after all. The rest of Europe has shown me everything from the horrors of Auschwitz and the misery of oppression in Poland…to the glory of Rome, the beauty of Italy, and the profound mercy of God. There have been ups and downs from missing trains to witnessing miracles…and many, many more.
And the food! Europeans know how to eat, I tell ya. The chocolate is to die for (Teej, I stand by my claim that you’re out of you mind, but I have Italian AND Austrian Nutella for you), the pasta is outta this world. Everything! Everything! The kebabs! The coffee! The wine! The cheese! (Yes, I’m still lactose intolerant, but I will say that brie here is better than it is in the states). Life is so good here!
I will miss a lot of things, maybe not the Mensa food or zimmels, but definitely the view I wake up to every morning:
..and military time! I’ve really become fond of military time.
And the community. The community at the Kartause has no equivalent. You walk around this ex-monastery and you can just feel the how much every person here craves to experience life…from jumping in the freezing creek across the street at midnight (in the snow no less), to spelunking in the mountains…to dance parties in Rome… and Philosophy what-the-heck-was-Dr. Harold-talking-about sessions in the tea kitchens over coffee. Really that’s just a taste, because the list goes on and on. Life does too. I know that every person here will walk with a special place in his heart for home sweet Gaming. I know I will.
I’d say Austria was a success. It’s bittersweet to leave, but in a few days it’ll be time. The rest of today, tomorrow and Wednesday will be spent cleaning and packing…actually no…most of it will be spent in the mountains. Most of procrastination for final studying was packing, so there’s really not much left to do. Thursday we have our closing mass at 00:01 followed by a bonfire…before we head to the airport where we must wave this glorious semester goodbye…or should I say Auf Wiedersehen!
Thanks to everyone who made this semester so incredible…and everyone who stuck with me on the blogosphere. You rock. See you soon!
God bless,
Mary
