roberto_1212

So things are going pretty well over here. I've finally found the willpower to make the decision to discipline myself, and this has come with a marked change in lifestyle. Finally, I've started going outside and meeting with friends at every opportunity... a plan which makes me much happier than staying at home as I did before, but which has also made me realize how horribly lacking I am in social skills (at least, compared to some). I also seem to have a shortage of real-world topics to talk about, and am not so good at starting small talk or keeping it going.

Still, I've been practicing (at cost to my own sleep schedule, which I think can't go on much longer), so I think there's improvement. I'm not sure it's really visible yet (especially to me), but I feel a little better, at least.

Now, if only more of the conversations were in German...

So, things have stabilized somewhat. I'm still finding some free time and dodging one or two responsibilities, but all in all school (and life) goes well. I've got friends, I've got things to do, and it's all cool. Now if I could just loosen up a bit and have fun as people my age are supposed to...

Random tip of the day: In Germany and Austria, it's bad luck (not to mention impolite) if you don't make eye contact while toasting someone with your beer. ;)

Well, I've totally forgotten to update this lately... guess I've been busy.

No, not really.  I don't think I could call myself "busy," just "occupied."  My time his this odd tendency to skip past unless I turn suddenly and look (in which case it instantly slows to a snail's pace).  But... my friend situation is far better than it was a month and a half into Taiwan, so I'm pleased.  I guess.

...so why do I feel so lonely?

AAAARRRGGGHHH.

That is all.

So, I got to see the famed stallions during their morning exercises.  I wasn't particularly impressed, but maybe that's because rather than trying to show off, they were trying to train.

Mainly, they practiced their diagonal walking (something normal horses can't do), which they did by walking next to (and sometimes against) a wall.
 We also saw them do their trot-in-place thing and saw them "skip" along a little.  It was actually kind of interesting to see how they were trained to do their special tricks... it just felt a little lackluster because it wasn't a show.

Also, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but... they actually weren't all white!  Some of them had gray in various places, and there was one who was completely brown (and the subject of many jokes about never being a true Lipizzaner).  They grow whiter as they get older, I've heard, but it was still kind of interesting to see them training horses that didn't all look the same.

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to the actual show.  Horses can do some pretty nifty stuff. ^_^

Well, so my opinion of Vienna hasn't changed much in the last week, mostly because I've been more focused on other things.

Like being sick.

Whatever I got was probably some form of flu, maybe even swine flu. ;)  In any case, it wasn't bad enough to keep me in bed very often - still made it to class three out of five days this week.  It was just rather annoying, and I want it to go away. >.>  Also, trying to find chicken-noodle soup and other stomach-friendly foods in a city that loves meat can be... tricky.

But, I think I'm pretty much over it now, so things are looking up.  Hope everyone else is doing well!

So I've been around long enough for a first impression, I think. 

A few things are different from the US, but they're all things I've seen in Europe before, so I don't have any "weird!" things to comment on.  The buildings all kinda look the same, though - old and fancy.  It's actually kind of surprising how something supposed to be beautiful can get dull when they all look the same.

This city is one of the more international ones I've been to: I've heard more languages spoken on the streets here in a week than I heard the whole time I was in Berlin.  People from just about everywhere come here, for one reason or another, and I'm getting better at telling where people are from with just a glance.  It's actually pretty cool. ^_^

Also, I saw the Karlskirche today.  It was... well, okay.  I guess I'm just not a history-appreciator; I was more interested in the huge crowds of tourists and figuring out where they were from.  Oh, and watching for pick-pockets.  I had the feeling that in a crowd like that, it was a possibility.  I don't seem to have lost anything, though.

As for safety... well, it seems about as safe as Berlin.  That is, not as safe as Taipei, but then again I haven't been out late either.  Also, today the teacher made a comment about young women not walking the streets alone at 2am, so I'm guessing it's your typical western city - safeish unless you're stupid.  Hopefully I'm not stupid.

Finally, that whole "German is different here" thing?  I haven't seen it much, yet.  The school is teaching proper German, and my host family tones down their accent whenever they talk to me.  I've heard it in a few places, though, and even there it doesn't seem too bad; actually, it's closer to "hilarious" than "hard to understand."  If I ever end up talking with that accent and I hear myself, I'm gonna burst out laughing no matter what I'm in the middle of saying.

...and I think that's about it for now?  I'll keep you posted!

Well, it was long and... long, but I got here!  I also got picked for another "random" security check (they're not random, they always hit me!) along the way.

But, I finally found the place, and I met two nice Chinese people around here (it's so easy to start a conversation with Chinese people- just speak Chinese to them! ^_^), one of whom may soon introduce me to more!  And I have school tomorrow, and I have to learn to find my way around, and I have to find more Chinese people to talk to, and and and.  I get the feeling that I may get over my usual "just left home" bout of homesickness faster than usual this time - just too busy for it!

...so, how's everyone else doing?

So I made it safely!  And now I'm in new and strange lands.

More to come, after I go find a Chinese restaurant so that I can talk to people. ^_^

...of the way there.  Give or take some.

Staying with some friends for a few days before I move on.  Then, it'll be time for the longest train ride I've ever been on (that I remember, anyway)!

So, the domestic flight was on-time and stuff, and now I'm waiting for the international one.  All seems to be well so far... I'll be making my next heavens-spanning leap in- *checks watch* four hours.  Good thing there's free wireless here! ^_^

I had about six weeks here, and in those six weeks, I got to do far less than I wanted to.  Still, I'd like to thank everyone for putting up with my erratic schedule and for being available the few times I was.  It was fun. :D

Tomorrow, I head out around 7:15, and will probably spend most of the day traveling.  Expect me back in two or three days.  Ciao!

Well, I've been keeping busy.  I'll probably keep being that way, but I'm happy: I've gotten to party with most of my friends now, and a good time has been had by all.  Plus, people all seem excited to see me for some reason!  Things weren't that boring without me, were they (and I'm not that exciting, am I?)?

So I'm busy with family and stuff.  My apologies to those of you hoping to catch me online - I'm busy, and it looks like I will continue to be until I head out again.  Still, don't give up hope - I'm here, and in the same time zone now. 

So... see you whenever I see you!

Well, as it turns out, it's like grotsnikk  said: the Japanese are pretty barbaric about their internet.  They wanted to charge me an outrageous sum (100 yen for 10 minutes - about a dollar.  In Berlin, I  think I could get an hour for a dollar and a half) for internet there, so I couldn't update there.  I ended up spending my six hour waiting period (which actually became 7 due to a delay) NOT on the internet.

Then, at the next airport, they had a wireless network, but the network didn't have internet access for some reason, so I couldn't connect there either.  That plane got delayed too, which is why I'm posting this at 3 in the morning, but... eventually, we got off the ground, and then back onto it in a slightly different place.

Now I'm back!  Safe, sound, and unable to believe I'm home.  I'm a little shocked, because it seems like things simultaneously have changed a lot and have barely changed at all.  So... we'll see.  But I'm home!

Well, I made it to Taoyuan airport safe and sound, breezed through check-in and the random luggage security check (I don't think they're really random - I seem to get hit with one just about every time) and immigration.  Luckily, I have a gate rather close to the free wireless internet!  My plane boards in about half an hour, and I've changed my money, so now I just get to hang out here and do whatever I want for a bit.

The weather looks good - clear sky everywhere, as far as I can tell.  Of course, I can't see what it looks like over the Pacific, but it looks good in my area, at least.  A beautiful day to end a beautiful trip.  :)

So far, so good!

Well, I'm gonna hop on the road around 6 am tomorrow, catch a few planes, and hopefully arrive at the end of July 30 (EST).  There probably won't be much internet access for me during that time, so don't expect to hear from me for a bit.

Ciao!

I can hardly believe I've got 6 days left.  Time flies, indeed.

I've said goodbye to my classmates and teacher, and eaten my last meal with them.  I also said goodbye to one of my only Taiwanese friends.  As I say goodbye to more and more people, I'm experiencing a mild form of the whole "you don't know what you had until you lose it" adage.  I felt strangely lonely this evening...

And I've gotta pack, and figure out how to fit all my souvenirs and a year's worth of stuff into the same amount of luggage I came with.  And juggle two more goodbye dinners (probably), dropping off stuff with the people I borrowed it from, and any more shopping/massages/whatever I might want before I leave.  And run any last-minute errands I'm forgetting, like money-changing.

But, at least I have a flight going across the international date line.  It'll leave at 7 PM on July 30 and arrive at 6:55 PM on July 30 - totally worth it. :D

So, I saw the solar eclipse today.  I'm glad someone had told me about it, because otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed at all.

( The eclipse! )


( Bonus episode! )

Wow.

SOLAR!  ECLIPSE!  TOMORROW!

(...too bad for those of you who aren't in Asia, where it's visible...)

*Hyperventilates until he passes out from excitement.*