Quick Update about Nothings

I really want to sit down and just write about everything that has happened in the last two weeks or so, but I simply cannot find time!  First of all, there is so much to catch up because I just got my laptop back after it being broken for two weeks.  Apparently there was something wrong with my hard drive, so I had to replace it.  Luckily I still have most of my data saved!  Besides having to pay an arm and a leg to get it fixed, I had a good two weeks without the distraction of my computer.  I successfully established a consistent walking to school in the morning and practicing routine, which I hope to continue, which means I probably should not be staying up late blogging right now.  My Institut is about a thirty-five-minute walk away from my apartment, so it is nice.  I had a week off after the three-week Intensive German.  Three friends and I sort of decided on a whim that we should go to Paris for four days, although we originally wanted to go to Venice but later found out that we could not afford it.  So to Paris we went!  I should like to write about that as soon as I find some time.

Weekends are busy because everyone wants to go out and do something.  With eighteen-credit classes, practicing, trying to make other travel plans, in addition to sending summer internship and research grant applications at the same time, I find very little time for sitting down in front of my computer.  However, I do not want to write about how I don't have time to write!  I should go to bed soon.  Tomorrow I will have my second lesson tomorrow.  My bassoon instructor is an Alexander Technique teacher, so I have a feeling we will be working on breathing and posture a lot.  My two roommates had their violin lessons today and they felt really good about how the instructor was able to demonstrate to them what to work on and how to practice, and gave them challenging pieces.  I hope I will feel the same way about my instructions too.

Down the narrow streets of Wien

I have been very busy in the past three weeks, with little time in front of the computer.  I have actually been spending a great amount of time working on my German.

Let me explain how my semester works: I have three weeks of German Intensive, in which we take three hours of German class Monday through Friday, which means lots of homework and tests almost everyday.  What I find was hard for me was that, I have three roommates, and they all have had no German whatsoever, so they have about 20 minute-worth of homework each day, and I am obligated to help them since I supposedly know more, whereas I have no one to help me.  I am in Intermediate II, which is equivalent to like a 202 at many universities, or the fourth college semester.  The difficulty lies in that, unlike the introductory class, we have students of various backgrounds and abilities.  Some have been taking German at their home universities in the previous three semesters, but some took them a year ago.  And l, who are probably the least knowledgeable in the class, only started learning the language about seven months ago and had a shaky foundation because I pretty much skipped a level.  I have been, and perhaps still am, pretty stressed about how I am doing in class, and was frustrated that so many other students have more time to enjoy various other activities while I am constantly feeling like I have to work on my schoolwork... sounds pretty familiar if you know anything about my life.

Also, because we are music students, even though the Intensive German period is supposed to be German only, we of course need to start our private music instructions, practicing, and so forth.  And sure enough, I had my first bassoon lesson two days ago.

Okay, so the three-week German Intensive is now over.  Now I have a break from 5 to 13 Feb.  IES organized a nine-day Germany trip, for which they are taking a bus tour to Germany, visiting Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin.  Many IES students are going on that trip, others make their own plans.  I am going to Paris for four days, so it turns out.  I am rather glad that I won't be away for the entire nine-day break, because it stresses me out when I have to go back to class right after a trip.  That is also why I am taking the time to write now.  So after we get back, on the 14 of Feb. we begin real classes, in addition to German.  I know I want to take a course called Austrian Art & Architecture, for which we go on regular field trips to actually visit places in Vienna; Art and Nation: The Rise of the National Idiom in Central European Music, Lit., and the Visual Arts I think it is supposed to be a history course talking about Central European Nationalism, a topic I am always interested in.  There might be some shuffling around for the other classes I will take, so I am not certain yet.

I have been pretty worried about German, but since we had the final exam today, and the weather was beautiful, I was in a very good mood.  I looked at trip planning for Paris for a little bit, took my laundry (I had to take my laundry to the IES Center because the washer at home broke), and decided to go home on foot.  It is a nice walk through the Stadtpark, and it also goes by the Rochusmarkt.  On my way, I walked by an accordion player on the bridge in the park, which I was very happy to see.  I dropped by a bakery, and bought a half-loaf of bread, which the lady wrapped with a piece of paper, that was another mushroom (if you don't get why bread wrapped with papers are worth mushrooms, well... my roommates didn't get it either, but isn't it quite obvious?).  I then stood in line at the Post for so long... so many people wanting to mail things!  I love the streets in Wien.  I quite suspect I might still be a city girl at heart, from growing up in Taipei I mean.  I love the public transportation, and so far I am better at them than my roommates are.  Taking the U-Bahn and all is so natural to me, and standing on the right side of the escalator?  Yup yup, that too.  Might I also mention that the little green and red persons – the pedestrian traffic lights look the same as the ones in Taipei?  The older kind that they had when I lived there.  Recycling I am used to.  It is more like Taipei here than the cities I lived in in the States.  Also, buzzing people in from apartments?  Yeah, I grew up with that, and the intercom!  And military time, metric system, A4 sized papers, and a lot of the brands that are common here and in Taipei, but not where I lived in the States... these little things make me feel so much more at home, perhaps more than when I am in Missoula or Tacoma.  At first I thought it is the U.S. vs the World thing, as in, the rest of the world is a lot more alike and it is just America that is sticking out.  But now I also wonder if it is the urban life style that speaks to me.  To me, since I moved around, home means a few places that are dear to me, including Taipei, Missoula, and maybe a handful of other places.  Currently, I do not have a bed anywhere else in this world, so here in Vienna is my home and I firmly believe it (and I can say I adore my bed here in Vienna too).  I am glad it is so easy for me to recognize that, because Tacoma never quite feel like home to me somehow, at least not in the first one or two years.  I am saying this because I wanted to say that it gets tricky when I speak of the feeling of home, or homey, or homesick, as it is never clear what it is that I am missing.  Anyway, if I need/miss some Asian goods, I have far easier access to them here than I do in Tacoma, Seattle, or Missoula.

Initially when I was looking at study abroad programs, I was interested in more rural locations, places where I might walk through some fields to go to school.  I was really not that into marble halls and gold leaves, but I am glad I am here.  I can still admire the gorgeous architecture – pretty things are still pretty!!  And the arts scene is just more than I can ask for!  And I always feel the age of the city – there are plenty of old doors that don't latch, narrow staircases, GAS STOVE (yes indeed, we need a match to light our stove; as for the oven, we light the center and then blow it!), antique and old book shops...  I am content.

Wiener Performaning Arts

The last two weeks have been eventful.  Since I last wrote, I went and roam around the city some more, took some site-seeing pictures with my friends, ice skated at the Rathaus Wiener Eistraum (City Hall Vienna Ice Dream) – in fact it was my first time ice skating – and Suzanne said I did pretty well, as in, I actually did ice skate instead of trying to "walk" on the ice or clinging to the rail all the time!  That was a lot of fun.  And there was the TU Ball.  I should mention that it is ball season in Vienna, so there are lots of balls to go to.  This one was hosted by the Technische Universität Wien, and IES students get discount on the tickets (reduced from maybe € 70 to € 20) so almost all of the hundred IES students attended this ball.  It was at the Hofburg Palace:

(Pictures of the Ball and the inside of the Palace are taken by my friends, as I did not bring my own camera to the ball.)

There is so much going on, I just don't know what to write about.  I will say this, I was not super excited for the ball, as I am not much of a dancer and generally like to avoid being in crowded rooms, but I have to say, I quite enjoyed that evening (perhaps a little too much...)  I had to shop for a ball gown.  It is required that women wear floor-length dresses at these balls.  I did not take it that seriously.  Truth be told, I literally spent like five minutes looking for a gown, and purchased the first one I tried on because it fits me and it is floor-length.  My friends and I agreed to meet up at a neighborhood Humana (sort of like Goodwill) after class two days before the ball.  As I get out of classes later then my friends, they started their search earlier.  I got to the second-hand shop when they had already decided that there was nothing promising and were about to leave.  They handed me one dress that looks like an appropriate ball gown, and that was it.  I fixed the straps on the day of the ball, so that it actually fits me.  My point is, I am not a sort of girl who is all about dressing up and dancing all night.  However, I was at Hofburg from around 9 pm till 5 am.  We sat in the main room until the last waltz.  The U-Bahn started running at 5 am, so it was perfect for us to get home.  And we were welcome to take home as much of the fresh flowers at the ball as we like if we stayed till the end.  I danced, but not that much.  What I loved about the ball was the live music, and the elegant Viennese people, young and old, staying up dancing and waltzing all night long.

Between these two weeks, I also saw two operas at the Wiener Staatsoper:  Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Puccini's La Bohème.  For a 7 or 7:30 opera, we would go after school, get in line for purchasing Stehplätze (standing seats) at around 4:30, sit down and do some homework, get to a spot at around 6, use our scarves to reserve the standing space, and grab something small to eat for dinner around the Staatsoper.  We normally get home at almost 11 after an opera.  These Stehplätze are only € 3 or € 4 – cheaper than, say, if you go to a Viennese coffee shop and order a cup of Vienna size "groß" coffee, which is pretty tiny (but the coffee here is so strong and so addicting; I don't add sugar or cream or anything).  One seriously has to measure things differently in Vienna.  I love it!  If one wishes, the arts can play such a major role in the Viennese life.  What I also really like is that, it doesn't matter if the IES students are music students (by the way, the majority of the study abroad students at IES Vienna are not music students), almost everyone who chose Vienna can appreciate the arts, may it be going to one of the numerous museums or a ballet, opera, play, or concert.  I have seen two operas so far, but many have seen three or four already.  There is one opera showing at the Staatsoper almost every night, and they mix up the programs and put up different sets for each production, too!  For example, this Saturday, there is Britten's Billy Budd, Sunday La Bohème again, Tuesday Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, Wednesday Billy Budd again, and Thursday Die Fledermaus, a ballet.  There is also the Volksoper, which I have yet to go, I plan to, soon, and many other high quality and affordable venues, if one is willing to stand through the performance, that is, usw.  It is incredible.  The entire city's attitude and value for the arts is so different from what I knew in the States.  I think about that.  I am used to societies that regard the arts as a secondary thing, perhaps leisure, entertainment, not mandatory.  And yet, the arts can play a very integral role in one's life.  This is very realistic, but the price does influence this perspective.  When I lived in Taipei, Taiwan, there were world-class performances at National Theater and National Concert Hall.  I went to a James Galway (I used to play the flute!!) concert when I was eleven years old, I think, but that was probably one of the two times I have ever been to the National Concert Hall, during the thirteen or fourteen years that I lived there.  It is expensive to attend a performance like that, and such a luxury can never sink into the daily lives of the ordinary residents of the city.  In Missoula, my family used to be impressed by how there would be summer Symphony in the Park, International Choral Festivals, and lots of free concerts like that, so that even people who do not attend major symphony concerts would occasionally choose to drop by these casual free performances.  But, let's be honest, I live in Vienna now, everyone has high expectations for the performance quality, it is not my endearing little city of Missoula.  I am willing to take standing seats and make a little extra effort, and guess what I am doing with my friends later today?  Should we go see an opera, some other performances, or sit at a coffee shop?  Nah, going clubbing is waaayyy too expensive.  By the way, for the sake of trying, and thanks to some of my roommates who enjoy going out, I have tried some clubs and stuff, but I can't really afford it.  And because I have gone, I can say it is really not my place.

Inside the opera house.  View from the Galerie standing area.

Tonight my friends and I were planning on going to see Roméo et Juliette.  However, dear Suzanne found out about Gustavo Dudamel (Yes, it's DUDAMEL!!!!!) conducting LA Phil and performing Mahler 9 at the Musikverein!!!!!  For 6 € we get standing seats to see Dudamel and all the amazing amazing things mentioned above!  Before today I had not seen the inside of Musikverein, the instrumental performance venue, where Vienna Phil performs, so that made it extra exciting.  The performance was just phenomenal and breath taking.  During the Adagio, I could see, and feel, tears from people around me; there was so much emotion in the air.  I thought the audience, Dudamel, and the Philharmonic became, like what my ensemble director likes to say, an organism.  The performers communicated the emotion, the audience responded to it, and the music making happened as a result of this communication.  The performance was incredibly delicate – the quiet notes were so unbelievable!  The applause went on and on, and I was moved not only by the music, but by the energy of the people.  A Viennese gentleman we talked to, he could not stop clapping at the end, and his face was all tears and sweat.  He had seen Vienna concerts for fifty years, and he saw Leonard Bernstein conduct Mahler 9, which he said was his favorite.  People so passionate about music like this just add to the beauty of my unbelievable evening.  And naturally, I met Dudamel, shook his hands, got an autograph, and took pictures with him.  And yes, he is super nice!

People chilln' in the opera house during intermission.

LA Phil at Musikverein in Wien