Gruß Gott!
I made it to Vienna, and I’m here to update y’all! This is going to be long so be ready

The Journey:

It was a brisk Wednesday morning, I woke up, packed my stuff, and said my goodbyes. I arrived at the airport around noon (Thank you Leah for driving me <3) half of the group was already there. The group was eight people in all. Will, Paul, Kiele, Olivia, Aspyn, Dr. John Fletcher (Fletch) his wife Cynthia (Cy) and myself. We said our goodbyes to Eli and Libby, both working for the study abroad office, and went through security. Nothing crazy happened in the OKC airport and we arrived in Chicago 20 minutes earlier than expected. At the Chicago airport, the layover was easy. I ate some Mexican food and walked a lot, however I did almost leave my carry on in at the gate.
Boarding the Swiss Airlines flight to Zürich I was shocked at how big the plane was. That flight was my favorite flight as dinner and breakfast was served. The funny thing is that I’ve heard so many bad things about airplane food, yet the food was tasty. That might have been because I was tired and hungry, but who knows? The worst part of the long hall flight was near the very end. The flight crew came down the aisles with large baskets, handing out tiny chocolate bars to the passengers. This excited me because who doesn’t like chocolate. The Flight crew lady handed me a chocolate bar and my heart began to sing. Then, looking on the back of the wrapper, my stomach dropped. There were the words “Contains Tree nuts” in bolded black letters. Saddened by my extremely mild nut allergy, I passed the chocolate to Olivia who was sitting next to me and sighed.
Stepping off the plane, I felt a sense of wonder. I had made it to the European mainland, in one piece no less. My eyes were greeted by a variety of sights, the most relieving being the Starbucks. Aspyn, Olivia, and I decided to try the Almond Biscotti latte, a drink you cannot get in America. So I ordered it, and was horrified. The Grande latte costed around $12 USD after conversion. I know Starbucks is overpriced, but this was insane to me. However, the drink was still good and it helped me stay awake for our last flight
The trip from Zürich to Vienna was the easiest yet, taking 1 hour total. Best of all, there were zero issues at baggage claim as we headed to catch the next train to city.

The Arrival:

The 16 minute train ride to Vienna went by in a flash. The ending station was an U-Bahn stop, which included a tiny mall. Fletch led us up the stairs and escalators towards the doors outside. My jaw dropped. The streets were alive with people, trams, and very few cars. The buildings decorated in various different styles were lined up along the road, each with its own unique story. The architecture of the city combined with the U-Bahn system, made Vienna feel like home, that home being Washington DC.
After standing awestruck for a few minutes, we headed back to the U-Bahn stop and took the U4 line to Roßaure Lände. The stop is located next to the Danube Canal. Having some trouble with the elevator, we walked our luggage to Das Millicanhaus, where we would be staying for the next 90 days.
The group met the program director and I got my room key. My room is on the 4th floor (5th floor in U.S) and I though that I could carry all my luggage up four flights of stair. I did it, at the expense of my Lungs. After everyone had settled in, we had pizza and tried our best to fight off the jet lag till 8pm. Getting to bed, I had laid down, and suddenly it was morning. Boy was I tired.

I’m cutting it off here, however, I have much more to tell. On Wednesday I will release a bonus post talking about the rest of orientation weekend. So stay tuned…

Dankeschön and stay coolish!
Hank Waterston