Saturday, February 3, 2018

Ending well

Coming back to Vienna for the last couple days of our trip was a little strange. In some ways it felt like we never left, and in others, like we’d been gone for months and are finally coming back home. Which was fitting, because by this point it's honestly felt like this group has been my family and my home for the past month.

For someone that is generally a little shy and hesitant to talk to people, having good conversation, whether lighthearted or in depth, is actually one of my favorite things to do, once I’ve gotten to know them a bit first, at least. This trip has definitely lead me to new friendships and has given me a greater appreciation for having friends or people around me that are interested in different things. Talking to my friends, which a lot of the time are people I have a lot of things in common with, is fantastic and it’s great to have conversations about things we both understand or are educated in. The best education I think I’ve gotten from this trip though, is from the friends I’ve made that do have different interests. Because of this I am able to learn so much more, whether it be about music, history, art, etc., and I am always happy to educate them when I can and talk about what I am passionate about. I’ve had some great learning experiences just from listening to music majors talk to me about music, what they love and have known for probably most of their lifetime. A couple of my most memorable conversations were actually with music majors, about music and social issues.

Being back in Vienna has really rounded out the trip. A large part of me wanted to stay in Salzburg, wanted the beautiful mountains and the shining sun (even though we only had it for half of the time there), and the hikes with friends and walks around old town to find the best desserts. But I’m glad we came back. It’s made me realize just how much I’ve experienced and learned in such a short amount of time, and I am truly grateful for it. Last year I spoke to an Alaska native, specifically Inupiaq, from Alaska. He told me that we learn from experience, which is something I knew but never really realized the impact of. I always have this in the back of my mind now, which is partly the reason why I decided to go on this trip, I wanted to experience and learn new things. I definitely did.

None of the pictures that I am posting are from Vienna, but I think they are definitely worthy of being posted.
 One of the many attempts at getting a group photo in the garden where we ended our walking tour in Salzburg, and where one of the scenes in The Sound of Music took place.

 View of the Austrian Alps (through the opening of a rampart) while on a small hike to look at every single ounce of gorgeous scenery in Salzburg

A field we saw down below while touring the castle, and ended up walking through afterwards

View of the castle from the field (following our walking tour).

No comments:

Post a Comment

Why did it have to end?!?

I'm sad that the trip has come to an end because I truly had the time of my life. Never in my life did I think that I would travel to Eu...