Almost time for goodbyes...

My journey in Salzburg is quickly coming to a close and it is a bittersweet moment.

I am sad to leave a place that has been home for so long but I am also excited to go back to my home in the states. I'm excited to see my family in person and snuggle with my puppies. Not to mention the food my mom and dad make. (My parents are also getting chipotle for us on the way home from the airport!!!)

The last week has been filled with different activities. We had our last cooking class, went to a few Christmas markets, and on Saturday 12.7 we had our day in the snow where we could either snowboard, ski, go to the thermal spa, or walk around town.

I chose to go to the base of the mountain and walk around because I needed to take photographs for my photography final. (Nothing like waiting until the last minute) I ended up having a really good time and the snow covered mountains were absolutely beautiful.

Here are my final photographs for my photography class. I liked the way they turned out and I think I've drawn enough inspiration from Ansel Adams to fit the assignment. Here's to hoping my professor agrees with me.

 

 Just hanging out in the Alps, no big deal. 

In the end, this trip has had it's ups and downs. More ups than downs thankfully. I am so lucky to have had this experience and I can now say that I have no regrets. There is nothing I can go back on and say "Man, I really wish I would have done that" which I think is incredibly important. I've done things here in Austria that I never thought I would do and that is amazing. I've learned so much about life and about myself while being here as well. I've made some life long friends and I know that one day I will return to this place. Maybe not as soon as I would like but I will defiantly be back.

This is my final farewell here in Salzburg, next time you will here from me you will know that I'm back on American soil. I will have had the chance to hug my family, sleep in my own bed, snuggle with puppies(not to mention have a dog sleep in my bed), do my own laundry (Can't tell you how excited I am for this one!!!), and finally I will have had the chance to cook whatever I want for myself! You can also add in to my excitement showering in a shower with a shower curtain! (It truly is the simple things in life that you miss the most. It's just the small comforts of home.)

A final Auf Widerschein from Salzburg.

12 short days to go...

It's pretty crazy to me that in 12 days I will be back in the United States.

I'm excited and really sad at the same time. I've learned so much while studying here in Austria. I learned German, well attempted to haha. We can just say my attempt didn't go spectacularly well. I need more time to understand a foreign language. I've also learned the history of Austria, as well as some European art history, and my personal favorite, photography. My photography course was everything I hoped it would be an more. 

I am so thrilled that I was able to work with black and white film. I'm not great at it yet but is something I would love to continue learning about. Here are a few of the photos I've taken with the film camera. Some with be photos of the actual photo developed and others are from the negatives I scanned into the computer. Which is a cool process as well. 

Our first project consisted around the ideas of time, light, and space.

This photograph is my representation of time. Which ended up being my favorite black and white photograph of the course.

The following photograph is my representation of space.

 I unfortunately don't have a picture of the photograph I developed for light. 

I really enjoyed the class and I'm in the process of completing my final photo project of the course. Which is a little sad because I don't know when the next time I will get to take a photography class will be.

Other than classes the last few weeks we've all gotten in the holiday spirit. We had Phoebe's (The schools director) daughters class come for Thanksgiving to celebrate and experience an American tradition and it ended up being a really fun day. The kids and adults had a really good time and it was a nice break after midterms. 

We know how to get festive for the holiday season.

Rachel and Dan representing the turkey hat crowd. 

 The Grand Hall was turned into our dinning room for the day. 

 The kids we able to do some arts and crafts before we had lunch. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

 Two of four turkeys :-)

 Everyone together and one of my favorite pictures I took of the kids. I was asked to be the photographer for the day which I enjoyed throughly. 

 The photo on the left pretty much sums up our relationship with Konrad. Or as we like to call him, K-Dad and K-Rad.

 Each student made us all a feather and we got to hang them up before we at Thanksgiving lunch.

 The kids had also prepared a song and a skit for us and it was absolutely fantastic.

All of us together celebrating.

 Now Thanksgiving has passed and it's back to work before finals sneak up on us. It's crazy to think that next weekend is my last weekend here in Salzburg but we've been able to make the most of the weekends were in town.

From going to our favorite bar...

 ...to going to the Christmas markets.

 Now I'm gearing up for the last few classes before finals and then unfortunately it will be time to head home to good ole Chicago. But as I've said before this is not a goodbye, just a see you later. 

This journey has gone by rather quickly and I could not be happier with the way it's gone. I have no regrets and there is not a time where I can say, "man, I wish I would have done that." I've hiked up mountains which is something I never thought I would do, I've gone canyoning, I've attempted to learn german, and so many other amazing things. 

Next weekend is our day in the snow where I have the opportunity to ski or snowboard in the alps which is pretty amazing. 

So heres to 12 more days of opportunities and fun adventures. I will soak up everything I can before I depart. I will get to leave Austria with memories that will last a lifetime and stories to share for a long time.

Welcome to the Christmas Season here in Salzburg.

Welcome to the Christmas season here in Salzburg.

I officially have only a few weeks left here in this beautiful place. It's a little shocking to see how fast this experience has pasted by but I am still extraordinarily grateful for everything I've been able to do and see. 

Last we spoke, I had just returned from my 10 trip to Paris, France and now we are three weeks into our second block. (Sorry for the inconsistent posting. Life gets busy and I get to doing different things and the blog escapes my mind.)

I have just finished my third week and about to start my fourth week of this six week block and classes for the most part have been going well. I am in love with my photography class. It has been challenging, enjoyable, and just fun to be able to work with film cameras and learn the process of developing my own photos. I will say that listening to an old camera when taking a photograph is a more gratifying sound than listening to a digital camera. Plus you know that you did more than point and shoot like you can do with most digital cameras. Overall, there is larger sense of accomplishment when working with a film camera, at least for me.

Here are a few of the photos I've taken. Both with a film camera and my digital camera.

A new activity that started in this block is Austrian Cuisine and that has most certainly been money well spent. We get to cook, bake, and have a really good time with one of the host mothers who just so happens to be a retired cook. She is a lot of fun and makes the "class" really enjoyable. Plus we've had the chance to have a drink at school which is always fun.

This past Thursday, November 20th, the Christmas markets opened and this Christmas season began. I am absolutely loving going to the different markets and seeing Salzburg decorated for the holidays. They do really well with their lights and decorations. Better than home thats for sure.

Overall, I am enjoying the time I have left here. Going out with friends, eating at new restaurants, and  soaking up my surroundings. 

I encourage anyone who happens to be reading this, young or old, to travel. Travel near and far and see what the world has to offer you. More than your little corner of the world. Traveling is something that I will continue to do as frequently as I possibly can. I may not get to come back to Salzburg, or even Europe for awhile but I know that this will not be my last time here. I have caught the travel bug and there is so much more of the world I want to see and experience. You don't need tons of money to travel and see the world. Don't go with expectations or even a grand plan, just see where life takes you and enjoy the journey. I promise you that getting out of your comfort zone will bring you a joy that you have never experienced before.

In 19 short days I will have to say goodbye to a place that has been my home for semester. I will have to say goodbye (more of a see you later) to some of the best people I have ever met and I will have to say goodbye to some of the best teachers I've had in my college career. Nothing will ever compare to the experiences I've had here and I would spend another semester abroad in a heartbeat. It will certainly be a bittersweet goodbye. I have a feeling I will cry more leaving here than I did when I left at home. (Side note: I didn't cry when I left home I was too excited for the journey ahead.)