My Week of Freedom

Sorry I didn't write yesterday, but I didn't get home till 7.30 and then I was really tired, so unfortunately it seems to be breaking my pattern! So, I had the whole of last week off which was amazing. I got to sleep heaps and not have to worry about school...

On Tuesday there was an AFS Vienna Day, we went to Schönbrunn (a massive castle in Vienna) and did the labyrinth there, then walked up this really big hill to the Gloriette Terrasse which had this amazing view over Vienna, then went to the Naschmarkt for lunch (a marketplace) and then went on the big ferris wheel in Prater. At the Naschmarkt, these two girls come up to Anna and me and ask "are you from New Zealand?" and we were like, yes... OMG! One of the girls also came from NZ! It was so awesome and weird at the same time. This girl's name was Lauren and her friend was Hanna. So Lauren was on exchange in Germany when she was at school, and then last year or the year before (I can't remember which...) Hanna went to NZ on exchange and the two met through AFS and became friends there. Then this year Lauren came to Vienna to study at the business school for a semester and reconnected with Hanna and Hanna came and brought Lauren along to the AFS day on Tuesday. It was so weird hearing another NZ accent after such a long time of only hearing Anna and Nick... But it was awesome all the same.

Then on Wednesday I slept for ages and then decided that I should try making a pavlova. So I went to the shop and got the ingredients, trying to figure out what cream of tartar and cornflour are in German isn't that easy... But I managed to get everything and then started on the pavlova. It actually turned out quite good, well, it tasted right, it's just that it was really flat... I did everything the way it said, but perhaps I didn't beat the egg whites for long enough? What do the other cooks think may have happened?

Then on Thursday I was pretty bored so I texted Nick and found out that he was going bowling with some of the Vienna AFSers and said I could come too. So we all met up, a girl from Hong Kong, one from America, one from Russia and Nick and me and then we went to the bowling place. So first of all, even though Nick's supposed to know where we're going, we miss our bus stop... Then we finally get to the bowling place and even though it's only a Thursday night there are no lanes free. So, feeling disappointed we turn away and try to decide what to do. Nick also tries to get hold of a boy from Ecuador, Juan, who should be meeting us but is on the wrong bus and doesn't know where he is. So we decide to go and catch a bus back to Stephansplatz and find something to do there. We end up coincidentally getting on the same bus as Juan before realizing we're all on the wrong bus that's going to take ages to get there. But nontheless, we got there in the end and went for ice cream and found a pretty deserted fountain down one of the side streets where we could talk, play Ninjamotherfuckingdestruction (I didn't make up the name, surprisingly AFS did!) and dance. In the middle of the street. Turns out Latin-American people can dance really well! So all in all, a good night.

Then on Friday I caught the train to Anna's place in St. Pölten (a town about an hour away) and went and saw her school and then stayed the night. Luckily she had movies and a computer because she doesn't have any internet or TV at her house... Then on Saturday we went shopping for a ball dress for her in Vienna, and had Cinnabon! They have Cinnabon here! It was seriously amazing. Luckily it's quite far away, so I can't go there very often... But yes, luckily we found her a dress because that night was Anna's ball! It was really fun and a good chance for her to hang out with the people in her class and try to network and everything... And also a good night out dancing. Then on Sunday we slept for ages which was again, very good, and then made pancakes for lunch because we couldn't think of anything else that we had ingredients for! I also learned that Anna is more obsessive than me when it comes to flies and she ran around swatting them all because they were annoying her so much. Very funny to watch!

So last week was a good week and this week should definitely be as well, seeing as we're going to Venice this weekend! I won't be able to update until Tuesday, but watch out for the next installment!