Week 5: A New Beginning

Royal Hall at Prague Castle

Courtyard of Prague Castle

8 February

Laura and I visited Prague Castle and Strahov Monastery before heading back to our respective study abroad cities further east in Europe.  Prague Castle is a well-preserved seat of the Czechoslovakian rulers throughout the centuries and provides incredible examples of royal and military life from the Middle Ages to the present.  As we walked around the castle, we saw exhibits of old military defenses in the castle, goldsmiths in the Middle Ages, and royal halls which hosted political and court functions.  The design of the castle was not overwhelming with detail and gold, unlike some castles fashioned in a more Baroque style.  After seeing the castle itself, we walked through the church´s chapel, St. Vitus.  The chapel's gothic beams soared above us into interwebbed arches and the altars in every cove alongside the church nearly took my breath away with their beauty and intricacy.  I preferred the Gothic architecture and enlightening stained glass of St. Vitus, since it invoked a deeper sense of peace and pointed more toward heaven than Baroque-style cathedrals.

Daddy Armor, Kiddie Armor...'nuff said

Breathtaking stained glass at St. Vitus

Pointing heavenward

 

More stained glass and a winged altar

After the castle and Strahov monastery, Laura was kind enough to let me visit the Kafka Museum for a short while during our remaining time in the city.  During the past semester, I had learned about Kafka and his incredible writing style - a veritable labyrinth of imagination, confusion, and reflection on the politics of his day.  I greatly appreciated visiting the museum to understand more about his life and see originals of his letters and drawings, several of which have inspired my German honors thesis!

Outside the Kafka museum

Laura and I departed from Prague during the afternoon and I returned home an exhausted mess after a very intense week. As I sat at my laptop catching up on e-mails and finances, a myriad of emotions washed over me.  I could not tell if I was happy to be back in Vienna, if I was overwhelmed by the sights and experiences of the past week, or if I wanted to change my attitude toward study abroad. After musing for awhile, I realized my trip raised up two desires within me. One, to remain in the present and take action to use my time wisely in Austria by building friendships and absorbing as much culture as possible.  Two, to seek a balance of the ways I spend my time, seeking opportunities with both American and Austrian friends (recognizing that plans will not work always as I expect) and gaining a deeper understanding of my home city.

9 - 15 February

Monday marked the start of classes at IES.  After a relaxed morning doing homework and preparing for the day, I headed to my one class taught in English.  My "Managing Behavior in Organizations" class lasted three hours on several topics which I had already studied before regarding international business and organizational behavior.  Our professor has a wealth of fascinating international business experience, but I knew I would struggle to stay engaged with the 3-hour afternoon lecture every Monday.

On Tuesday, I experienced my first German class after our intensive 3-week German course.  The class continued to teach us about various grammar topics tailored to the areas where our class needs improvement.  My afternoon Viennese Theater class introduced me to the incredible world of Austrian theater, whose wonders would begin to unfold within the oncoming weeks.  In independent study last semester, a professor had mentioned a couple Austrian play writers to me.  Today we began learning about the "Old Vienna People's Theater" and two of its most important contributors, Johann Nestroy and Ferdinand Raimund, whom my professor earlier mentioned.  I enjoyed an evening catching up with IES friends at Der Bettelstudent, a local restaurant, after classes.

Early on Wednesday morning, I went to my first meeting of Kulturgeschichte Österreichs (Cultural History of Austria).  I knew I would love this class, after our teacher introduced us to the historical roots of Austria.  Hearing about the background of the incredible cultural development and sites in Austria fascinates me, since it gives me a fuller understanding of the environment in which I currently live.  In the evening, I attended a meeting for my teaching internship where we met the teachers to whom we were assigned.  At the beginning, the woman coordinating our internships, Heidi Rössler, pointed out a woman who would soon retire after many years of working with teaching interns.  I found out later that I was assigned to this experienced friend of Heidi's, Eva Maria Bannert!  Apparently, my choice for teaching 10-18 year olds from ethnic backgrounds fit perfectly with her classes!

Thursday ended up being a repeat of Tuesday with my German grammar class and Viennese Theater class, although I also walked to the school where I will assist Eva Maria.  I had planned to observe a class period, but we experienced a little miscommunication on timing and I accidentally came after she began teaching during a class period.  After classes at IES, I headed home for an evening of catch-up tasks - making my schedule, cooking, homework, and planning for Vienna sightseeing.

The weekend ended up being a rather quiet one of further catch-up, homework, sleeping, and a relaxing Sunday.  I accidentally went to a church meeting on Sunday afternoon, which I originally thought was a prayer meeting...definitely a challenge for my German to hear about everything from constructing a new building to planning events!