A New Quarter in Vienna...

Again, I hang my head in shame that I have gone so long without an update... with fall break travels and back-to-school errands it's been difficult to gather my thoughts and write! (And for those of you who are still waiting for the account of my Venice excursion--it's coming! After this one! Stay tuned!)

So, my new idea of a true Vienna experience is to try to listen online to Vienna's local radio stations... maybe listen to some good German/Austrian music, hear and try to translate commentary, weather, etc. Especially since Olivia and I don't have a TV at our apartment, I wanted to use some sort of other media outlet to help me feel like I actually live here! For the past few days--while doing homework, getting ready, facebook stalking, etc--I've had a multitude of radio stations streaming... and let me assure all of you that German music IS American music. I've known EVERY single song played on these top of the line, high rated "hip" radio stations. It makes me chuckle, actually, because until the radio hosts come on the air and start talking German, I forget that I'm not listening to 98.1 or 94.1 back home! While I'm writing this blog I currently have Vienna Energy 104.2 on. Just so you know :)

I have a new course this quarter: It's a second level art class entitled "Drawing Practice." And it is just that. For two hours on Tuesdays I sketch, and sketch, and sketch... receiving a bit of feedback from the prof who likes to intimidate everyone and stand over your shoulder as you draw... but essentially it's really a pass/fail... as long as you show up and make an effort, you pass. Sounds like a drag? It's actually not. I'm past the point of needing "art lessons" where a prof stands up front and does a 2 week session on shading. Right now, the best thing for me is to practice, try out different techniques, try different mediums. I know I wouldn't do it on my own, so I'm thankful that this class is kind of forcing me to do so. But here's the REAL kicker!

This class works specifically and solely with nude models. That's right. Real live people. Buck naked. Standing within 4 feet of me. Our first class last week, we had this mid-40s woman that you could tell had smoked a few packs in her life. But it was just SO awkward at first. After the first 10 minutes, the novelty and shock of it wore off and I was more concerned about getting the angle of her saggy boobs right than the fact that I was intentionally staring at her saggy boobs (LOL!) Our Prof. is an angel, really. Very sweet and helpful. There are only 5 other people in the class with me... and now that Olivia has dropped the class I'm the only non-art major! At first I was very intimidated by this, but I'm over it. And I'm very proud and impressed with my work. We started off with two 30 minute sessions, and then finished off with a series of 7 minute drawings/poses. I really can't imagine standing/sitting still for that long... naked... in front of a group of strangers!

I dread this coming week. Why? Because the prof let us know that she will vary the model body type AND SEX each week. So more than likely (and knowing my luck) I'm going to have to draw this massive Austrian man.... ohmigosh I honestly dread it with every fiber of my being! Mom assured me that it's no different than seeing those naked marble statues from the Rennaissance... but the difference is clear: Those are MARBLE. How awkward, seriously! "Oh, don't mind me sir... I know we've never met before, but I'm just going to stare at your goods for about 10 minutes straight. Thanks." And atleast naked women are just a series of curves and general lines... but guys?? How do you draw something like that?! Blech. I'll be sure to update you in a few days :/

On a more serious note, Olivia and I had to say goodbye to our dearest Vienna friends two weeks ago: Elisabeth and Ayla. Now they're back in St. Louis. They were wonderful companions because they were also music majors (and we geeks like to stick together) and had the same idea of what good clean fun was. When the rest of our acquaintances were out getting shmammered, we had two friends with whom to watch Eddie Izzard, cook dinner, go wandering around Vienna, go to Kahlenberg, study...

But now, Olivia and I really don't have any established friendships with people on this campus. We certainly have many acquaintences: Plenty of people from St. Louis who are still here, Brittany, Bre, Robert, Christina, Clay, Jessica... Donna from South Africa (who has so wonderfully let us stay with her in her flat the last few days before we leave Vienna), Pamela from Austrailia, Korrado from Austria, Helena from Austria...

The problem is that these friendships never really leave the Webster setting. A lot of it is because the social scenes never really cross... most of our acquaintances go out drinking and partying every other night, when Olivia and I would much rather read a book, go hike up a mountain, and stay in and watch "Baby Mama!" Which is not to say, however, that Olivia and I aren't enjoying ourselves. We are really having the time of our lives--but in just a more Olivia-Laura way.

Speaking of the "party" scene, Halloween isn't really celebrated here! I mean, as the country becomes more and more Americanized a lot of the younger generation makes a significant deal of Halloween. But it's rare to find costumes, face paint, masks, etc in your local drugstore like you would in the States. The Austrians celebrate what they call "Gedachtnistag," or All Souls Day. Everyone goes out to the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of their dearly departed. No trick or treat. No costume parties.

Granted there were a few clubs and bars who buy into the Americanized Halloween as an excuse to get young people out to their establishments. And the idea of a "costume" for a girl is just like in the U.S. I believe the movie Mean Girls said it best: "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." These girls just wore your average skimpy, fishnet hose clubbing outfits and sold it by putting on a pair of bunny ears (ANNA REGISTER! lol). And then you have the Americans who actually "dressed up!" I went as an iPod commerical, since I'm broke and couldn't buy a convincing outfit! I was in a black turtleneck, black leggings, black shoes, and black gloves. Then I fashioned an iPod out of sturdy white cardboard and attached my headphones. I think only the Americans got it! lol Olivia went as a Rockabiliy chick... suicide girl... 50's pin up girl... all of the above! We sprayed her hair black and gave her a fake nose ring (the scary thing is she can TOTALLY pull off this look) and her friend sent her tattoo sleeves in a Halloween package. Always a good time! lol. I told her she looked like a European :) A few other of our friends went as Antony and Cleopatra, Monica Lewinsky, and Andy Warhol.

Webster sponsors a series of "parties" throughout the year. They find a happenin' and cool club and Webster sponsors our entry fee and buys our drinks from 9-11. They did that last quarter at the Rote Bar, and they did it on Halloween as well. First of all, I'm not extactly used to a University being able to condone partying and drinking... it is truly beyond me... whatever... BUT this whole free-drinks-from-9-11 is ALWAYS a bad idea. People want to get their "moneys" worth, and so they're "forced" to down multiple glasses of wine in a three hour period--something they wouldn't normally do if the wine had cost them money. Whatever. I was somewhat guilty of this, but not on purpose. When I was at Remi's I could easily have 4 glasses of wine with dinner--no problem (you figure, there was an entirely new kind of wine for each course). The difference was, and I realize this now, the food aspect. It had been a few hours since I had eaten that night, and the wine hit me all at once. My stomach didn't feel well at all, and I didn't like how not-in-control I felt. I'm not sure if I was drunk (as I have never been and I was extremely aware of everything going on) but I knew I wanted to go home. Olivia was feeling the same way, and thank God I have a friend who is a party pooper like me :) So, we left the party... without really getting to dance... but it was for the best. And I will never do that again. Lesson learned. It amazes me, the people who are able to and who find it amusing to go out drinking almost every night. Call me a prude, but what a terrible feeling!

On a lighter note, Olivia and I had the great privlige of attending an Opera Class at the home of our music professor here, Prentiss Dunn. This man helps make his living by teaching the rich, English speaking elite of Vienna about opera and composers with weekly classes (just last week he taught a class to the American ambassador to Austria). He will look at the upcoming schedule for the Staatsoper/Volksoper and teach according to the season. The man is a wealth of knowledge, and strangely hilarious. He invited Olivia and I (the only remainig music majors from his class last quarter) and we gladly accepted. We arrived at his flat, which is awesome (cluttered, like your average musical genius, but awesome) and helped him set up for dinner. He was expecting four others: a wonderfully friendly couple, George and Meredith, an older woman, Hilda, and another younger woman whose name I can't remember. George was actually from the States before he met his wife, Meredith, who is from Austrailia. Hilda is a retired biology teacher who is living between the Abu Dhabi and Vienna with her husband who deals with the oil business. They were so incredibly nice to Olivia and I; very interested to hear about our travels and studies. Granted, there were times where it was somewhat awkward--mostly due to the significant generation gap between us--but it was still a good time! Prentiss made us homemade HuebnerSchnitzel (or chicken schnitzel) with a green salad, bread, and Julius Meinl chocolate for dessert.

Prentiss taught a class on the Verdi opera "Othello," which neither Olivia nor I knew anything about whatsoever (outside of the Shakespeare play). After his class, I am truly in love with this opera. We watched the old MGM video featuring Placido Domingo, but Prentiss would pause it every once in a while to offer "here's what to listen for" tidbits and underlying themes throughout. Granted, I could've watched the opera on my own... but it helped having him there to tell us about the composer, about the story, about the musical motives... etc. It was an enriched experience. The whole room was in tears at the end of the opera. That's some sad stuff right there... Death, vengance, and suicide... and all in the name of love! Olivia said something really interesting too: "You know, it's the kind of love that you can't help but admire... but it's also the kind of love I hope I NEVER have for someone!"

Althea, our voice teacher, has arranged a "House Concert" for Olivia and I while were here in Vienna. This isn't something she usually does for her students, but she says its because "she has enjoyed working with us so much and she wants to showcase the great progress we've made." It'll be a very intimate recital setting (probably in Prentiss's flat, since he's accompanying us) where we'll invite our Webster friends and professsors, and Althea will invite her music people, etc. It will be good preparation for our Junior recital in March, and I'm very honored that Althea would take the time and energy to arrange this for us. Olivia and I have also been working on our duet number, "Sull'aria," with her and I'm seriously in love. Our voices blend so well! Yay!

I'm pretty sure I saw myself in 25 years on the U-Bahn the other day. Random, yes. But I just thought I'd share.

Well... hmmm... I think that's a good Vienna summary as it currently stands. So, off I go to take a break, and I'll be back with Venice :)

Tschuss, ciao, baba!
Laura