You

There's always something
In the way
There's always something
Getting through
But it's not me it's You
Sometime's ignorance
Rings true
But hope is not in
What I know
Not in me
It's in You
It's all I know
And I find peace
When I'm confused
I find hope when
I'm let down
Not in me
But in You
I hope to lose myself
For good
I hope to find it in the end
Not in me
It's You
It's all I know

Budapest, Hungary

I went to Budapest this weekend and had such a good time. There are so many things to talk about, but I'm going to try and hit the most important.

Claudia, Francesca, Detti and I left for Budapest on Thursday. All of us girls go to the same University here in Vienna. Detti is from Budapest. Her and her family were kind enough to open their home up and let us stay with them. After being gone for 3 weeks, I didn't realize how much I missed "family life" until I stepped into their house. It wasn't just any house though; it was a home. Detti's family doesn't speak a word of English, and we spoke no Hungarian so our verbal communication was zero. Instead, we communicated through smiles and laughter, kisses and hugs. Detti's mom was an amazing cook and stuffed us full of food, a lot of food. Soups, meats, breads, cheese, strudels, vegetables, fruits, etc. I can't express the love we felt while we were there with the family. The trip would've been worth it if that was all we did. But of course it wasn't...

Budapest is made up of two cities, Buda and Pest, and they are seperated by a river. We spent the whole day Friday exploring both cities. In Pest, the buildings were impressive to say the least. Around every corner was something more spectacular, more wonderful, more breathtaking. We crossed one of the seven bridges that connects the two cities and headed to Buda. It was quite different. The buildings were replaced by nature. Lamposts turned into trees. Speeding cars became squirels running back and forth across the path. We hiked to the top of this hill. The view from the top was stunning. The entire city was layed out in front of us: a castle stood to our left; to the front and the right were thousands of beautiful buildings as far as the eye could see; in the end, Parliment stole the show with its grandose arcitecture. Friday night consisted of another large meal at home followed by a nightly stroll. We went to the Castle, which was now lite up under the light of the moon. Stopping at the top, we got yet another glimpse of the city, now glowing from all the lights. At the Castle, there was a man playing the most beautiful melody on the violin. I felt like I was in a movie.

Saturday morning, we drove to the countryside. The hills of Hungary are so unique. The roads twisted and turned, went up and down. We ended up in a small town, which resembled more of a village than a town. We went to an airstrip. There, we each took a ride in a glider/plane. I sat in the front while the pilot sat behind me. They launched us off like a sling-shot. (There was no motor to this plane.) We soared in the air like a bird for five minutes before returning the ground and back to reality. We stopped for ice cream on the way home. It was a small shop. Its reputation, however, is the farthest thing from small. People come from all over the world to taste the ice cream here. It's said to be the world's best. After eating it, I would have to agree.

We took a bus back to Vienna late Saturday night. Driving into the city, I smile came across my face. I was home.

Bratislava

I can't believe I'm just now writing about this...

I had an amazing weekend! Friday was awesome! Saturday was a Girls' day, complete with lunch at a little cafe. Saturday night, my friend, Enrique, and I decided that we didn't want to be bored on Sunday:

ME: Do you want to go to Bratislava tomorrow?
ENRIQUE: Yeah! What time?
ME: 8?
ENRIQUE: Too early.
ME: 10?
ENRIQUE: Sounds great. Let's go!

That was the extent of our planning. Claudia and Nick were the only other ones crazy enough to join. We went to a bus station, bought tickets for $15 round trip, grabbed a bite to eat, and were on our way by 11:30 on the dot.

We spent all afternoon exploring the city. Our map consisted of a postcard we purchased. It showed different highlights of the city. The funnest part was trying to find them. P.S. Just because something is to the left on a postcard does not mean that it is also to the left in real life. Navigating the streets was so much fun. And the food....oh my word was it amazing! I ordered the Slovak Special. Don't ask because I still don't know. I was simply banking on the hope that if it was on the menu then surely it was eatable. My gamble paid off. It was sooooo delicious.

The highlights were a Castle, the Presidential Palace, and the City Center. Pictures are already up on Facebook!

Random, spontaneous trips are the best here.

Vienna and Daily Life

There are so many little things here that I like so much.

• The stoplights go from green to yellow to red (just like America), but they also go red to yellow to green.
• The kezboard that Iäm tzping on is different from American kezboards. I still havenät figured out the "at" szmbol.
• My university is 10 minutes walking from my dormitory.
• On my way to school, I pass 20 restaurants, including 7 outdoor cafes, 3 Billas (local grocery store), and 2 flower shops.
• Each floor in Haus Erasmus (my dormitory) has a kitchen. Cooking anyone? They are always full of people and the most amazing smells.
• The streets here vary so much. One street, Mariahilfastrasse, has every shop imaginable and is always crowded. One street over, nothing. One more, the Naschmarket, which is a huge outdoor flea market.
• One of the elevators in Haus Erasmus is programed to return to the ground floor and open its doors. 9 times out of 10 I can walk right in without having to wait for one.
• The bathroom has a built in fan. If you're in there for more than 2 minutes, it turns on automatically. It doesn't turn off until the light has been turned OFF for at least 5 minutes. P.S. It's loud.
• Red Bull is the most popular non-alcoholic drink here. (It was invented in Austria.)
• Drinking age is 16. Driving age is 18. A driver's license costs 2.000 Euros (about $3,000).
• Bikes are everywhere. They have City Bike here. Think Redbox but for bikes.
• What would a city be if it didn't have a few McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks, and even a KFC?
• Google pops up on my laptop in German.
• My University consists of one building. 3 of my 4 classes are in the same room. One of the Business professors here is also one of the History professors.
• TTU had over 1800 new students. The International University of Vienna had 55.

Thatäs all for now. Iäll probablz think of more later. Until then, Iäm going to figure out how this kezboard works.

Lost

Today I was adventuresome and decided to explore the streets of Vienna. I walked to the 1st district. In the 1st district there are tons of beautiful buildings. I spent 2 hours a park sitting in the grass. I had my own little church service, wrote a letter or two, and journaled about my adventures here. Life was so serene. I explored further and stumbled upon a festival in town. Everyone was dressed in traditional Austrian clothing. Music was playing all through this courtyard. I rode a bike back to my hostel and got lost along the way. It didn't matter to me. Everything was still so beautiful. I eventually stumbled upon something familiar and made it back in no time at all. The city is so fun to explore!

Food for Thought

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
1 Peter 3:14-16

Doch selbst wenn ihr leiden müsst, weil ihr nach Gottes Willen lebt, kann man euch glücklich nennen. Darum fürchtet euch nicht vor dem Leid, das euch die Menschen zufügen, und lasst euch von ihnen nicht einschüchtern. Christus, der Herr, soll der Mittelpunkt eures Lebens sein.Seid immer dazu bereit, denen Rede und Antwort zu stehen, die euch nach eurem Glauben und eurer Hoffnung fragen. Begegnet ihnen freundlich und mit Respekt. Ihr sollt ein gutes Gewissen haben! Dann nämlich werden alle, die Lügen über euch verbreitet haben, beschämt sein. Sie werden erkennen, dass sie Menschen verleumdet haben, die in der Verbundenheit mit Christus ein vorbildliches Leben führen.
1 Petrus 3:14-16

The Schönbrunn

Today I took a trip to the Schönbrunn. It is this huge palace in Vienna. Beautiful!! My 2 girlfriends here, Claudia and Francesca, and I went around lunch. We packed a picnic. We ate in a courtyard right next to this huge fountain. There was another building at the top of the hill. On our way up, I turned around and could see the entire city of Vienna. When we reached the top of the hill, a girl asked us to take a picture of her and her three friends. They spoke English so we started up a conversation with them. They are studying here in Vienna for three months but at home they attend LIPSCOMB! in Nashville. We've already made plans to have dinner together next week.

I've got to go cook dinner now. I'm making pasta!