All sorts of things...

Well my week was not particularly Austrian, so I didn’t feel the need to write about it last week. I actually hung out every day of the week with an AFS person in some way. It was all the same people except one day I went out with a girl from Thailand called Anchalin. She’s crazy cool and really loves to shop.
Friday I had dance school again, though for the first time alone. Deirdre from USA quit the Friday class, because she wanted to be social on Fridays. However, I found this was actually a lot better for me and talked to a lot of my dance partners who were really cool, and I started talking to this random girl who was sitting alone. She sort of attached herself to me for the night and next class we’re meeting earlier. She doesn’t have any friends at the dance school because she comes from another district and she started a year late. And I’m the random American. I always surprise random people when they ask “Where are you from?” “Boston, USA” “Bwah! I didn’t expect it to be that far!”
As a note, they saw something like bwah instead of wow. I’ve caught myself saying it a few times. Oh dear.
I went to a locale called Bricks with everyone on Saturday night for Livia from Brazil’s birthday. Before, some of us went to Cory’s apartment and his host mother made some good tasting meat thing and really good mashed potatoes. The few times I’ve eaten at other Austrian’s houses, the food is so rich and delicious. I guess it’s a good thing I’m with a really healthy family because I am not gaining the extra weight that would have ordinarily happened. Brick’s was a lot of fun, though I left fairly early because I had a half hour of public transport back, and being alone on the public transport isn’t dangerous, since Vienna has a fairly low crime rate, however, I still don’t like to be alone. I’m glad I live in the exact center and get to take the really good subway lines. Think about the Orange Line in Boston. You wouldn’t be caught on that in the daylight either. Some of my friends have to take the Vienna equivalent late at night back to their houses, so I am very grateful for another reason for my location.
Sunday I was forced into participation in a Talent Show with AFS. For the past week, Cory and I were practicing doing a horrible job at Hey There Delilah from Plain White T's, cause it seemed exchange studenty and its about the US too haha. However when we got there, we found out talent was required, and everyone knew the song and asked if they could join us, so there were about six of us performing. Funny.
Umm, oh yes. I know Dad will love this because I know how much he loves heights. In Sport class the other day, we went rock climbing and I ended up really loving it. There was a 16 meter wall (4 or 5 stories, I remember counting the windows as I went up) though my partner on the ground got too nervous and only let me go about eight meters. Now my host family is all excited because they think there is finally something athletic I like and are asking me if I want to take a rock climbing course, and wouldn’t it be so great etc.
I made an apple strudel yesterday!!! It was delicious.
In English class right now, for the past month we have been studying black people. It’s so bizarre, it started out as the civil rights movement, and now we are plain studying black people. Such as living conditions, and why they are poorer, in prison more, have more teenage pregnancies than whites in America. The thing that strikes me about it is that we wouldn’t so blatantly study black people in America. It’d be considered so politically incorrect. Accompanying this study we are watching the film Boyz in da Hood.
Tonight I am going to a music school to see my friend Clara from school play flute in a concert.
Tomorrow is the last day of school before vacation. Cory and Jordyn are coming over, and then we are going to Bricks. Friday is the National Holiday and the Austrian Parlament is open for the day for free. Saturday I am going to La Traviata, and Tuesday I am leaving for Kärnten

Alles gute,
Julia