Tues, Feb 28th

Well, the past week or so has been filled with ups and downs.  The bed bugs situation has been such a mess.  Stina and I slept out on the floor of the family room for 5 days after they sprayed the room with insecticides.  It’s been hard because I haven’t been able to get much sleep out there, sleeping next to the kitchen that 25 people share with lights on and loud noises and people coming and leaving at all hours of the night.  I’ve had so many people tell me that I look tired, I want to tell them to stop saying that, it’s not a complement!  Haha…  But honestly, 48 bites later, I’ve truly been asking God, “What are You trying to teach me from this?” and I think that it’s definitely good for me.  Getting out of your comfort zone makes you stronger.  It’s helped me remember to put things in perspective, and think about how many people in the world don’t even have a shelter to live in, or blankets or a bed.  There are many, many people in the world who would love to get to sleep in my bed, bed bugs and all.  If bed bugs are the worst of my problems, I am a very lucky girl!

Friday was the end of the Intensive German course.  I am so glad it’s over!  German is so hard to learn. Albert Einstein even said that it was a dead language, because people die before they can learn it!  Gosh I wish it were easier to pick up on, but I’m working on it. I won’t find out my grade for the class til next week.  Monday, regular classes start. I’m still working on choosing classes. The way that the courses are set up is much different from home!  We’ll see what I end up in.

Saturday, we took a day trip to a castle!  I’ll post a picture at the bottom.  It was beautiful!  We brought food and backpacks with us, and hiked through some awesome trails, up to the peak where the view of the city was amazing. We went in the castle, and it’s so crazy to imagine what might have taken place there. Knights and horses and fighting and the whole deal. There’s still a flag on the top of the castle, proudly proclaiming their land. We ate lunch at the top of the castle, overlooking the town below. It was really neat. 

Sunday was Stina’s birthday.  In the morning, we went to Mount Schlossberg and  drank coffee/tea/hot chocolate. In the afternoon, we went to Mount Schoekel. We took a tram there, and then hiked toward the top. I’m not sure how high we made it, but it was beautiful. The weather was weird. It was sunny but snowing, and sometimes warm sometimes cold. Parts of the mountain were covered in snow and other parts weren’t.  We climbed up some really steep rocks because we got off the trails, and it was so cool!  We teamed up, and held each other’s feet to make safe holds as we climbed. So fun!  I’ll post a picture of the landscape we saw below. I felt like I was on top of the world! When we got home, we made dinner for Stina, and a big group of us ate together. We had vegetables and beans and potatoes, and then Robert made traditional Austrian dessert crepes. There was mandarin orange filling, pomegranate honey filling, nutella, vanilla ice cream, and homemade baked chocolate sauce on top. They were so, so good!!  Robert was so sweet to make them!  I want them for my birthday!  Anyway, we lit candles,  sang Happy Birthday to Stina, and enjoyed our time together. Our friend Four, from China, came over, and it was great to see her!  It was  a great day.

Monday, we had a chill day, and ran some errands. I went for a 10 mile mountain trail run- so fun!  It was actually very refueling (pun intended).  I’m with people all the time, which is great, but definitely enjoy my little bit of alone time when I run! It’s nice to just turn on my iPod and take a deep breath and get away from people sometimes- hahaa.  Melissa (my roommate) had been traveling for the month of February, and came back last night. She’s very sweet, I like her a lot. She’s very outdoorsy. We’re hoping to hike and raft and camp and stuff when it gets a little warmer.  She was here last semester too, so she knows the ropes. Good stuff.

This morning was a little rough. I slept by myself outside in the family room because of the bed bugs, and was woken up by Christina (mean Russian manager of the dorms; AKA Cruella Deville) and the cleaning lady, who has also been very mean about the whole bed bugs extravaganza. I’m half asleep, not wearing a bra, laying there, being yelled at in German. Christina was speaking some English to me, and told me that it was selfish of me to be sleeping in the family room, because I could spread the bugs to other people. If I would just stay in my room the bugs wouldn’t spread. She told me to stop just thinking of myself, and think of everyone else.  They told me that I had until 10:00 to have all my stuff cleaned and put in my room.  Eventually, other people heard the yelling, and my friend Robert came over to help defend me. They were arguing in German, and clearly talking about me. It was so awkward. Anyway, I went in my room and had a little cry session. It was needed. But then I got myself together and felt better.  Sometimes you need a few tears after the cleaning lady yells at you in a language you can’t understand. 

So I spent the next 6 hours cleaning the room. We vacuumed the bed, mattress, under the bed, floors, cleaned everything with soap and cleaner, put all my clothes away, and reorganized the whole room.  It took forever, but it’s so nice to be back in the room! Tonight will be my first night sleeping in the bed again- I’m pretty nervous!  If I wake up with new bites, I seriously might fly home. Hahaa.

We’re planning a trip to Budapest on Thursday maybe. If we go, it will be Thursday through Saturday or Sunday. We’re in the process of figuring out the details of the trip. Hungary is cheap, YAY!  But our plans always seem to change, so who knows where we’ll end up!  Alrighty, that’s all for now.  Time to go rub baking soda paste all over my itchy bed bug bites, and hit the hay!  Good night from Graz  xoxo

The Creativity and Diversity of God

I'm amazed at this.  Looking up at the skies, seeing the stars, and knowing there is so much more out there. He created millions of galaxies, many of which have been discovered only in the past few years, thanks to the Hubble telescope.  They’ve been in the universe for thousands of years without humans even knowing about them. Why would God create more than 350,000,000,000 galaxies that generations of people never saw or even knew existed? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, “Wow, God is so unfathomably big?” Or perhaps God wanted us to see these pictures so that our response would be, “Who do I think I am?” 

A caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head.  The average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it. Your own heart generates enough pressure as it pumps blood throughout your body that it could squirt blood up to 30 feet.  There are hundreds of different kinds of bananas.  There are 3,000 different species of trees within one square mile in the Amazon jungle. There are so many different kinds of laughter, different sounds of laughs: wheezes, snorts, silent, loud, obnoxious. Plants defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins.  This list could go on and on.  

Whatever God’s reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it is His glory. God’s art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

We are called to worship Him.  His art, His handiwork, and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him.   He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is and is to come.  How do we respond to God’s magnitude, in a world that is bent on ignoring or merely tolerating Him?  God will not be tolerated.  He instructs us to worship and fear Him.  

(I got all of these notes from a book called Crazy Love, by Francis Chan)

Give Me Faith

Last night, we slept on the floor of the commons room, but I hardly slept. I had the creepy crawlies, thinking about the bed bugs wanting their next meal, and people were coming home at all times of night from the "Carneval" festivities.  I was so itchy, and covered in baking soda to try to help with the itch. I laid there for hours, with these lyrics stuck in my head:

I need You, to soften my heart, and break me apart. I need You, to open my eyes, and see that You’re shaping my life.

All I am, I surrender.

Give me faith, to trust what You say, that You’re good, and Your Love is GREAT! 

I’m broken inside, I give You my life.

I need You, to pierce through the dark, and cleanse every part of me.

All I am, I surrender.

I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me!

My flesh may fail, but my God You NEVER will! 

("Give Me Faith" by Elevation Worship)

If the worst of my problems today is having bed bugs, I'm a very lucky girl  :)

BED BUGS

Well, I'm thoroughly disgusted right now. I've been developing itchy bumps, and waking up in the night super itchy for about a week now, and not known what it was. When my roommate started getting the same thing, we finally realized that BED BUGS are living in our dorm. Apparently, it was a problem last semester too.  Ewwww.  I have bites all over my hands, arms, legs, feet, and back.  I'm seriously so itchy!  We went to the store today, and our Austrian friend Robert came and helped us find some things that we might need.  We looked for rubbing alcohol, but couldn't find any.  We finally did find some baking soda though, which we can mix with water to make a paste to help the itching. We are trying to figure out what to do to get rid of them, but for now I am so grossed out there is no way I can sleep in my bed!  I slept on the floor last night, and still got bitten. I think we're going to try to sleep on the couches in the family room tonight, and wash all of our sheets and blankets and pillows and clothes in 95 degree Celsius water (almost boiling).  Apparently, it takes a long time to get rid of them, so I'm not sure what exactly we're going to do!  It'll all work out though.  It always does!  Well, good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!

Vienna Day Trip

February 20, 2012

Well this weekend was quite the adventure!  Saturday morning, we woke up at 4:30 am, caught the 5:20 bus, went to the train station, and asked for the cheapest round trip train tickets for a group of seven.  We didn’t know where we’d be going, so we all brought backpacks and food with us.  At first the guy was joking with us, and told us we could go 5 kilometers for 1 euro, 90 cents, and then he told us they had a deal for a group ticket to Vienna.  We each paid 10 euro each way, only 20 euro total, and onto the train we went!  On the way there, we sat in coach seats, in a little room with two benches. We passed through beautiful mountains on the way there, and watched the sun rise. Our group was: me, Stina, and Shelby (the three Americans), Tugba, Bendri, and Ozlam (the three Turks), and Toni (the lone Albanian).

When we got there, we found a map, and just started wandering around. The first place we went was to a palace. I can’t imagine living in a place like that! To imagine an actual family walking in the huge garden, and living in the massive palace, absolutely blew my mind. 

Then, we went to the city center, and stumbled upon all kinds of cool things! We went into a few different cathedrals. They were absolutely beautiful. I don’t really like the strong smell of inscents inside all of the Cathedrals, but it gives them a unifying smell. The details on the murals of the walls and the high ceilings were amazing. Our friends from Turkey are Muslims, and had a few questions about Christianity while we were in the cathedrals.  I got to talk to Tugba a lot about Christianity, and even had the opportunity to share the Gospel with her and share my testimony with her while we were eating lunch! It was such a blessing.

When we were walking out of the cathedral, she asked me if I had a Bible. I had mine in my backpack, so I went to pull it out and show her. She looked so confused when I went to hand it to her! “Can I touch it?” she asked. I was so confused by her question, “Of course you can touch it!” and I handed it to her.  She explained to me that with the Qur’an, there are specific rules about touching the Holy Book. You have to wash your hands, arms, hair, face, neck, ears, and feet, and be clean before you can touch it. Also, you have to hold it close to your heart. It isn’t allowed to go below your waist, so if you’re reading it you must prop it up on something to hold it above your waist. She was used to these rules, so when I just pulled my Bible out of my backpack and went to hand it to her, she couldn’t believe it! It looks worn, with a few pages folded over, verses underlined, and writing in the margins. Definitely different than what she was used to!  It was a funny scene though  J

She explained to me a lot of the Muslim beliefs, and answered a lot of my questions. It is definitely hard to communicate about “deep” topics and spiritual discussions with the language barrier between us. It is hard to explain words like redeem, savior, and grace, and is very hard to explain concepts such as the Trinity.  On the train ride home, she asked to read my Bible again, and we were talking about the similarities between the Bible and the Qur’an. We were both surprised to discover how many Old Testament stories are the same in the Qur’an. Sometimes, Tugba wouldn’t know what the English word meant, but she would know the story because it is the same in the Qur’an. For example, she didn’t know what the word “rib” meant in English just by hearing it, but because the story of woman being made from the rib of a man is the same in the Qur’an, she pointed to her rib, and asked if that was what the word meant. It was pretty neat.

I was listening to my iPod, and she asked me what kind of music I liked. I played the song for her that I happened to be listening to, which was “Everlasting God,” by Seventh Day Slumber, and she said she really liked it.  It was very encouraging!

During the afternoon in Vienna, we ate lunch outside a cathedral, looked at the government buildings, and amazing architecture. There were many shops and cute restaurants and cafes. There were horse drawn carriage rides throughout the city, and the city looked so old with horses and ancient castles in the distance! We also saw a statue of Mozart, and a music note created in the grass.  There was also a little area that had ancient Roman ruins inside it. There were pieces of brick buildings, that have been preserved and were built thousands of years ago. Pretty crazy.

We came home and went to bed, exhausted from the day’s adventures!  Sunday afternoon, we watched a Christian church service online. It was the second week that we have done this, and we had several other people join us in watching it, which was very encouraging! The pastor is a guy named Andy Stanley, with a church in Atlanta, and it was very good. He talked about the “Comparison Trap,” and the way that we compare ourselves to other people or to a certain standard in everything we do. He also talked about the way that a perfect parent would never compare their child to other children around them, they love that child with a love that isn’t based on their performance against the other kids. This is the way God loves us- He would never compare us to others, and size us up against other people, to see how we are doing. I found a lot of comfort in that!

Tugba couldn’t believe the guitars and drums and contemporary worship music during the church service. In Islam, they aren’t allowed to use instruments, and don’t sing together as a part of their service. She kept saying that it was like a festival! We were explaining that the lyrics of the songs sing praise to God, but they were still a little bit confused by the concept I think. Idre, our friend from Albania, was also very confused by the singing! They kept asking about it.

A man was baptized during the service, and this took a long time to try to explain! It was a great opportunity to share the Gospel with them though, why the man wanted to express to the public that He has understood the love of Jesus Christ and has committed His life to following Him. The process of being dunked under the water in front of hundreds of people was definitely hard to explain though, especially with the language barrier! 

We talked about the sermon together afterward, and Bendri told me that it was very similar to Muslim talks, besides the emphasis on Jesus. They do believe in Jesus though, but that He was a prophet, not the Son of God. He told me that watching the Christian church service strengthened his Muslim beliefs. I’m not sure exactly, but I love hearing about what they think! I went to dinner with my three Turkish friends last night, and we had a great time. They are seriously hilarious! On the walk home, it started to lightly rain/snow, and Tugba put her head scarf (hijab) on. She hadn’t worn it in front of me before, and she looked so different when she had it on for some reason. She is a beautiful girl! I put my hood on, and asked how I looked with it pulled close to my face, asked if I could pull off the look… it was pretty funny, we were both cracking up.  I am so thankful to have met so many people from so many places, and that I have the opportunity to understand more of what it is like to live in cultures so different from mine.  I am praying that God continues to use me in the lives of the people here!

Two Weeks In

Well today is the mark of TWO WEEKS here... so crazy!!!  I feel like I'm adjusted to being here now, can kind of find my way around, and can pretend like I know what I'm doing  :)

My German intensive course is going well, I'm learning a lot!  It's so hard to learn German grammar, as they have "cases" that we don't have in English.  Very confusing.  But I can have a basic conversation with someone, kind of understand what a waiter/waitress is asking me, order a kabop, ask where the bathrooms are, tell people what my name is, where I'm from, what nationality I am, and what I study.

Yesterday, I did laundry for the first time since I've been here.  It was SO OVERDUE!  I'd been re-wearing dirty running clothes because I didn't have anything else to wear, and going commando for a few days.  My friend Christina, from Innsbruck, Austria, showed me how to use the machines.  I'm so thankful she did, because the German that we've learned in class wouldn't have helped me at all trying to figure out how to use the washing machine and paying machine!  There are only two small washers, and one dryer, for the entire set of apartments (almost 200 people).  Needless to say, you have to reserve a time slot to use the machines.  And your chances of getting to use the dryer are 50/50.  Most people don't dry their clothes anyway, they just hang dry them in the commons room.   But to reserve a time slot to do laundry, you often have to schedule it at 2 or 3 a.m., or weeks in advance.  It's seriously crazy.  I will never complain of laundry again after this!  I hand washed a few things in the sink with soap and detergent, and then hang dried them, but I definitely prefer the way the clothes come out of the dryer!  Not so crunchy...

After class today, I met up with my friends Sophie and Stina, and we went to lunch at this adorable little cafe.  Sophie has been so sweet to me!  We went to a computer lab after lunch, and she helped us look up courses to take for the semester.  We have to register for classes later this week.  It's harder than I thought it would be to find classes in English within my major.  You can take sports classes, but they cost additional money, and you don't get much school credit for them.  There are also "excursions" to other countries, that you go on with professors and do work while you are there.  They do cost money, but you get school credit for them, and get to visit some pretty cool places!  There is an excursion to Greece, one through different parts of Italy, and many more.  I need to talk to an academic advisor about it soon!

This afternoon, I went running, and through the trails I saw this magnificent building.  I knew it had to be something very fancy, and I wanted to find out what it was.  Things often appear closer than they really are.  Let's just say it took a little while to get there.  I kept running toward the building, not knowing what it was, and it didn't seem like it was getting any closer.  But finally I made it there, and it was a beautiful basilica, called Basilica Maria Trost.  I went inside, and stood out like a sore thumb wearing my sweaty running tights and under armor shirt, with a hat and gloves on.  I didn't care though.  There was no way you could smell me with all those inscents anyway!  Hahaa...  I wish I would have had my camera with me, but I'll have to go back.  The ceilings were so tall, with murals painted on every inch of the walls and ceilings.  There were stained glass windows with the most intricate details, and lots of "stations of the cross" to go to, with lit candles all along the way.  Outside the basilica was a beautiful view of the mountains and the town below.  I stood up there, leaning against the fence, for a long while just soaking it all in.  God's creation is absolutely magnificent!  I love being out in nature, because it makes me realize how small I am, and how BIG our world is, our universe is, God Himself is!  The sun was starting to set, and I had a long run home, and had to factor in a little extra time for the likelihood of getting lost, so I started back the way I'd came.  I passed a large cemetery, and went inside for a second.  It was very pretty, with fancy graves.  As I went to get back on the Leechwalde Trail, I saw three women riding toward me on horses.  Once again, I had a moment of awe.  I could see the horses riding through the mountains, the basilica 100 yards away, and the mountain landscape behind it.  Snow and icicles covered the trees, with the pink sunset painting the sky.  Dang.  God is quite the artist if I do say so myself!

I think that a few of us are going to be traveling this weekend.  Stina still doesn't have her passport, so we're going to go somewhere within Austria.  There is the Carneval Celebration in Venice, but we don't want to chance it with Stina not having her passport.  Getting stuck at the border wouldn't be too fun.  A group is also going to Salzburg, but I'm not sure if we're going to do that or not.  We're thinking of maybe just going to this place that's like an hour away called Merringer. There are huge mountains, a ski resort, and a place you can "sled" down the mountains on a toboggan run!  We would probably just go for the day, so that we don't have to worry about finding places to stay and all that.  Maybe we would do some hiking through the mountains, and rent sleds for the toboggan run. It's not for sure yet- just a thought!  Sunday is Stina's birthday, and we want to be back Sunday afternoon to streamline a church service and make some birthday dinner!  Last week, we streamlined a church service in Georgia, and it was so good!  A few other friends watched it with us, one from Russia, one from Turkey, and one from Kosovo.  They had never seen church with guitars and drums and contemporary music, or a message that was "applicable to our lives," they said.  They were absolutely amazed by it.  This week, my new friend from Iran, Niloufar, and another friend from Albania, Idre, and Curtis, from Canada, are all coming to join us too!  So excited!

Well, I'm heading to bed, because I'm meeting my friend Bella to run together early tomorrow morning.  I think we're going to meet at the supermarket, and then run along the Mur River!  I'm excited to have a running partner!  But the alarm will be blaring way too soon, so I'm out for tonight.

Thankful for where God has me in life right now.

Sending all my love,
Lyndsey

Austria Day 10

Well this weekend was pretty fun!  We've gotten a lot of snow, and it's absolutely beautiful.  I'm not much for winter- definitely more of a summertime kind of girl- but I figure if it's gonna be freezing outside, there might as well be pretty snow!  I've gotten to run the past three days, and I'm three for three on getting super lost every single time.  Everyone else seems to be figuring out their way around town, and I'm not at all.  Surprise, surprise.  Directionally challenged.  Today I ran along the Mur River.  There were tons of little walking trails, over and under bridges, through all different parts of town.  It was quite the exploration!  The river is so pretty!

Friday night was my favorite night that I've had here yet.  There were six of us who made a "family dinner" together.  We all brought different foods, and got to try things from different countries.  So delicious!  We set the table, and made it look all cute, and I took a few pictures that I'll add onto here.  After the movie, we watched a movie together.  It was quite the process trying to set up the movie, but eventually we got a laptop hooked up to a screen, and had speakers near the couches, it was great! We watched Seabiscuit, and that little horse made me feel like I can conquer the world! So good.

Saturday night, we went to an Irish Pub, and then to another Irish Pub afterward!  I met a lot of new people there.  I met Heinricho from Venice, Gus from the Netherlands, Idre from Albania, Curtis from Canada, and then Toni (from Kosovo) and Stina and I all went together.  It was WONDERFUL to have the menus in English!  I miss that so much.  We ended up getting into some pretty deep conversation.  I loved it because nobody was drunk, they were just having a drink or two, and our conversations were so real.  We talked about philosophy, international politics, and what religion is like in each of our home countries.  Gus is a strong Atheist, and me and him were talking for a while about different beliefs.  I had the privilege of sharing my testimony with some of the guys there, and they had never heard anything like it.  They were asking me all sorts of questions about how my life has changed since I've started truly following Jesus Christ.  It was such an answered prayer to have the opportunity to share with them! I loved hearing about their beliefs as well, and what it is like to live in so many different places.

There is a famous celebration in Venice next weekend, called Carneval.  I think it's kind of like Mardi Gras, but celebrated differently.  I think we are going to take a bus for a day trip there on Saturday. It's only about $50 for the bus round trip, and we won't have to pay for a place to stay. My friend Sophie will come with us as well, and she speaks Italian, which is perfect!  I am so excited!

Today, a small group of us watched a church service together online.  Kate (from Russia), Oosma (from Turkey) and Toni (from Kosovo) had never seen anything like it before.  The service was very contemporary, with drums and guitars, and they couldn't believe the music.  The teaching was on "The Comparison Trap," which was very good as well.  It was cool for Stina and I to tell them about what church is like for us at home, and what it's like for them.  They really enjoyed it, and said they might continue meeting with us on Sunday afternoons to watch American church services!  I am praying that more and more will join us in the family room to worship and learn about Our Creator together.

I am starting to miss home a little bit.  Most of the time, I'm pretty busy and am very happy.   But I miss being able to just pick up the phone and call my friends and family.  I'm so thankful to have internet access though!  Yay technology!  Skype still amazes me, that we can see each other's faces, even though there's an ocean between us.  Crazy cool.

Well, time to go study some German- sick of being the stupidest one in my class.  Goal is to catch up to the Chinese girl in our class, Bayou.  We'll see how that one goes, hahaa...

Sending all my love,

Lyndsey

Austria Day 7

Well here I am, I've been in Austria for a whole week... wait what?!  Crazy!!!  I posted a few pictures.  The first are my friends Bella, Robert, and Four.  We're at a pub at a party for the international students.  There are students from all over the world, and so many languages were being spoken at that pub!!  If I closed my eyes, I would have thought it was the day of Pentecost!

The second picture is just a random Jesus that I saw while walking to the store yesterday.  They are EVERYWHERE.  There are statues of angels and saints, crosses, Catholic churches and cathedrals, it's really neat.  Although you would think by the looks of the town that it the people are very strong in their faith, it is the exact opposite.  Almost no one goes to church, although most would claim to be "Catholic" because their parents are.

The third picture is of my university, Karl Franzens Universitat.  Amazing or what?!  It looks so beautiful with the snow.  I love it.  I feel like I walk into a castle when I go to class.

The last picture is just the street that is outside my apartment.  The streets are narrow, and many of them are cobblestone.  The buildings are tall, and all connect.  The architecture is amazing too!  I love just walking down the streets, as they're so different from home.

The first week as a whole has been really good.  I've made quite a few friends, and from so many different places!  Here is a list of some of them, and the places they're from:

Austria-  Robert, Hannah, Christina, Sophie
Croatia- Egor
Kosovo- Tony
China- Bayou, Four
Australia- Kat
Scotland- Alan
Italy- Mara
Greece- Dimitra
France- Phillipe
Hungary- Esther
Russia- Daniel, Kate
Catalonia- Francina
Mexico- Saria, Tipita, Juan, Miguel
Canada- Colin, Marko
Finland- Eva
India- Uupma
USA- Stina, Rachel, Bella, Shelby

I love getting to talk with everyone about what it's like at home!  All of the international students are like a little group.  It's pretty funny when we try to communicate sometimes.  Last night, we were trying to play cards.  Daniel, from Russia, hardly speaks English or German.  He was trying to teach us the rules to this card game, but no one had any idea what was going on.  We were all just putting down cards when he said to!  Eventually, we played a game of cards that everyone could understand.  You throw the pile down, and make a "teepee" on top by balancing two cards.  You go in a circle and try to grab a card from the pile without knocking over the "teepee."  Whoever gets the most cards at the end wins.  Gotta keep it simple, hahaaa   :)

I've been running twice, which isn't very much for being here for a whole week!  But it's been hard to run because it's so dang cold.  The first time I went by myself, and explored some mountain trails.  It was unbelievable!  I had to cross frozen rivers, and ran through ice and snow, up and down hills alongside a mountain.  Awesome.  Yesterday, Stina and I went on the other side of town.  We stumbled upon a little trail that runs parallel to the Mur River.  It was so cool!  We eventually came to this famous clock tower, which you can go to the top of and view the entire city.  It was closed, but we decided to hop the fence and climb the million stairs to the top as part of our workout.  As we were climbing, we would get higher and higher, and couldn't help but be in complete awe of the view. It happened to be about 5:00 and the sun was setting.  You could see the snowy rooftops of the entire city, the mountains in the background, and the pink and orange sky as the sun was setting.  I wish I'd had my camera so bad, but I will just have to go back again.  Maybe tonight!  On the way down, the I started to notice how icy the stairs were.  The thought of slipping on the ice and tumbling down the stairs crossed my mind about two seconds before it actually happened.  Stina looked back, and there I was, crashing down.  Typical.  My butt's a little sore, but the bruises remind me of how beautiful the view was!  Hahaa. So I walked down the rest of the steps at the pace of a two-year-old, holding onto the railing for dear life.  Good times.

I registered with the city of Graz yesterday, so I'm an official resident!  Woo hoooo!!!  German class is very hard.  We have our first test tomorrow, and I really have to study.  There are so many people in my class who speak 3-4 languages, so it's a lot easier for them to learn a new one I think.  I feel like the dummy in class who has no idea what's going on, but I think it'll start to get better.  Just gotta practice.

Well that's all for now.
 Love always,
 Lyndsey

AUSTRIA Day 4

Sunday night.
Well things are going really well so far!  It definitely is still an adjustment, but Im getting more and more used to it.  There are three Austrians who live on my floor who are amazing!  Robert and I have become good friends.  He helps me out with a lot of things, and translates everything for me when hes with me.  Hes also teaching me German.  I´ve found that if you try to speak German, the people are very appreciative!

This morning, I walked about two miles to go to the only Protestant church that anyone had heard of in Graz.  There are many Catholic churches, as most people would say they are Catholic though they do not practice any sort of religion.  I havent met a single person that goes to church.  It was a freezing walk through the snow and ice, but I made it just as the welcome bells were ringing.  The service was very traditional and formal.  I couldnt understand anything, but followed along the best I could and stood up and sat down when everyone else did.  When they took communion, there were two separate groups.  The first group had a lot of people in it, and the second was small, maybe 10-12 people.  I dont know what the difference between the groups was.  It was confusing to me, but I didnt take it because I was too nervous and didnt know what to do.

A girl I met, Shelby, came with me.  She is an exchange student as well, who practices a mix of many religions.  She is kind of unitarian, has a parent who is catholic, goes to synagogue because she has many Jewish friends, sometimes goes to a Buddhist temple because she enjoys meditation, but usually doesnt go to anything.  She said she´ll sometimes spend quiet time by herself while canoeing back home, and that is kind of like her church for the week because she spends time thinking about things.  Shes a stand up comedian in Louisiana with so much personality.  We went and got coffee together after the church service.  Coffee shops are pretty much the only thing open here on Sundays, almost everything is closed. I like that.  It helps remind me that Sunday is truly the Sabbath. 

Later on, Robert took us to a nearby forest with hiking trails.  There was a frozen pond, with lots of people ice skating, and little boys playing ice hockey.  It was super cute!  We walked through the trails, but had to be careful because a lot of them were slick with ice.  He showed us around, and taught us German as we walked.  We passed by a lot of people walking with pet wolves and pet farrots!  They were all on leashes.  It was hilarious.  The babies who are dressed in snow pants and hats and scarves look so cute!  I always want to take pictures of them, but feel too creepy.  Robert jokes around with me that Im like one of the babies because I cant get around on my own, or understand anything around me.  Its kind of true, but Im getting better  :)

I met a girl named Bella who is super sweet, is a vegetarian, and runs a lot... jackpot or what?!  I met up with her tonight for coffee after dinner.  Coffee is so big here, it´s always what you do to meet up with someone.  But Im trying really hard not to become a caffeine addict!

Funny story:  So Im with this Canadian named Colin, and hes speaking in German trying to describe to this Austrian what pumpkin pie is.  She had never heard of it.  He is describing the color, taste, texture, whatever.  When he doesnt know a word in German, he just says the word in English  with a German accent and hopes they understand it.  He said, "it´s kind of like.... mushy," and all of the Austrians start CRACKING UP.  We´re all confused, and ask them whats so funny.  Apparently the word for "vagina" is pronounced like "mushy."  We were laughing so hard!

Tomorrow we have our official orientation, after whch I´ll be able to set up an Austrian bank account. Ths will be very helpful, because then I can get an ATM card.  I have a credit card that is supposed to work internationally, but no one´s credit cards work.  Also, pretty much nowhere accepts credit cards.  Everything is cash only.  Only the fancy places and train stations accept credit cards for the most part.  So Im gettng used to carrying cash on me, and learning how to say numbers in German!  Gotta be able to count my change! 

Alright, thats all for now.  Sending all my love! 

A Glimpse Into the Mind of Lyndsey Pa...

Austria Day 3

Well, its 10:15 am, day 3.  It´´s sure been interesting being here so far!  The city is beautiful.  Yesterday we walked around and explored a little bit.  The streets are narrow and the buildings are tall with lots of architecture.  Everything looks so old and beautiful.  We walked to the city center, and there were guys playing the accordian on the streets, vendors selling food (lots of them are Turkish), lots of cute little shops.  There aren´t any huge stores like we have- no Walmart or Target or place you can get everything, they´re all individually owned shops and such.  We wandered around trying to find stores to buy some of the basics that we needed.  The first night I didnt have bedding yet, and slept with a sheet and a towel and all of my sweatshirts and warm pants, and used a rolled up coat for a pillow (but at least I had George!), so we were definitely wanting to find somewhere to buy a  pillow and blanket.  Me and Stina only have one towel for the both of us, so we were wanting to find a place to buy a towel and washcloth, but didnt have any luck.  I bought a small pillow and a little blanket from a place that reminded me of World Market, but last night I was freezing so I guess I´m gonna have to buck up and buy a nicer blanket!  We stumbled upon a huge Catholic cathedral, and decided to go inside.  It was built in the 1700´s, and is so intricate and beautiful.  I was amazed as we walked around inside!  I will have to put up pictures later, but I cant until I get internet use on my laptop.  For now, we ´just have a public computer lab with computers that are veryyy slow.  It has been good for teaching me patience though!  It took me forever to sign onto the internet to post this!  But at least we have access.  :)  We walked around further, and my Austrian buddy, Sophie, helped us get phones.  We bought the cheapest go phones we could find, from a company called bob.  The phone has two choices for volume: on or off.  It has one ringtone, so that helps make the choice prettz easy.  It costs 6 cents per text message or minute of talking, so gotta be choosy who ya talk to!  Ive noticed that the people here are rarely on their phones.  You definitely dont see anyone talking on the phone as they walk down the street, or texting while theyre with other people. I was told that it is rude to be spending time with someone while texting other people. This makes sense, but is so different from the US where everyone is attached to their phone at all times.  Few people have cars.  Tons of people bike, even in this freezing cold.  They bundle up and use the bike paths.  The buses and trains are very clean and very nice.  Some of the drivers speak English, but not many, so thats a little tough.  Ive been getting by without knowing German because of Sophie, who has helped me out so much!  Definitely trying to learn it though!  Last night I ordered my food in German for the first time.  The waitress laughed but understood me, yayy!!  I was so proud, hahaa... I ordered a plate of mixed vegetables, sheep cheese, potatoes, and egg.  It was actually very good!  So far I have really liked the food here, just sometimes dont know what anything on the menu is.  I try to be sneaky using my german english dictionary... kinda hide it under the table, ya know.  Campus is absolutely beautiful.  The school buildings are white stone, and have beautiful windows. Along the streets near campus are lots of coffeeshops and cafes that students often go to.  I got my first stamp on the punch card for the coffeeshop yesterday- so good!  Austrians love their coffee.  They meet up and go to coffeeshops about once a day Sophie told me.  It is very person to person here.  I like it.  Day 3 and doing well!  :)

1st Post in Austria

Well helloooo friends!  Gosh, where should I start... my mind is so scatterbrained with so manz different things right now!  I made it safely to Graz.  We flew into Vienna, took a bus to the train station, and took a train to Graz, where my buddy, Sophie, picked me up.  I traveled with my friend, Stina, who I absolutely love.  Such a cutie!  We walk out of the airport to try to find the right bus, and both of us start to cough.  At first I thought someone around me was smoking or something, and couldn´t figure out why we were coughing.  But eventually we realized it was because the outside air was so cold, that breathing it in made us cough!  haha... yea it´s cold.  So, first story.  We´re on the train, and the conductor was walking by to check and make sure everyone had a ticket.  We had bought tickets together, so Stina went to grab them out of her wallet.  She looked for it and looked for it, and eventually realized it was gone.  Wallet, all of her money, credit card, passport, all that good stuff.  Gone.  And we had only been there maybe 20 minutes.  Shoooottt.  So we made friends with this awesome Spaniard named Rawul.  He translated what had happened to the conductor, and called the train station for us to try to see if they´d found a wallet. We still haven´t gotten it back, but I´m praying it works out!  Everyone here has been really nice so far though  :)  Well I am borrowing a computer to write this, and he has to go, so I´ll finish writing later!  Byeeeee