So I made it to Vienna everyone! Yesterday I arrived here at 10:00am ish Vienna-time & was whisked away from the airport by a taxi driver with my name on a sign, but who spoke no English. He dropped me off at Haas Donaufeld.. the "studentheim" where I am staying.. it's cheap housing for students from many different schools or I think maybe non-students too. I was met by David, my RA, who showed me around the apartment complex & gave me my room key, etc. My roomate is Rebecca, who I already knew from the Webster art department back home.. so that is great! She has already told me a lot about Vienna, things they have learned so far, etc. She went to grab lunch & I walked around the neighborhood before I slept for about 15 hours last night! (which you know isn't much more than I usually like to sleep!)
Walking around the neighborhood, which is the 21st district of Vienna, called "Donaustadt" I already felt very comfortable with the area & the idea that I will be living here for 5 weeks. It felt very safe & residential, but also with many little shops, gas stations & grocery stores nearby.
I found an ice cream shop, a little bar, a cell phone store, 2 cheap food stores, an adorable church & stores I had no idea what they were.
After I explored the area for a good hour or two, my first task was to go find an ATM so I could get out my first Euros! I took out 50E, which is approximately $70. (The conversion rate right now is 1.40.. so it takes $1.40 to make 1E, meaning the Euro is worth more. Sucks for us, but the rate is better than it used to be.) After that I went to the 2nd nearest gas station.. (the first only had oil and what looked like 10 bottles of soda on its shelves.) My first purchases with the Euro were 1. a coke 2. a beer 3. potato chips & 4. a 1.70E sandwich that was actually pretty good!
...ok computer dying, more soon!
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