First week

Sorry I am just now updating everyone. It is hard to find time to make it to the computer lab. Even though it is just across the bridge on campus, we cannot go at night, and this week we have had extended class days.

Tuesday night we had the Opening Ceremonies. An old Austrian band greeted us! Then, we went and sat for an hour as the president of the universities and programs talked about how great it is that we are uniting our countries. UGA's president Michael Adams was even there. We had a nice dinner after that and then everyone hung out at the Hofgarten afterwards, which is the main beer garden in Innsbruck.

On Wednesday, we started classes. I am taking two- art history and an English course. My art history is pretty interesting. The professor is this really old man who is very passionate about art. Every day he just puts up slides and discusses them as we take notes. It doesn't look like it will be that difficult! My English class is autobiographical narratives from an international perspective. There are only three other people in my class! As one of the boys asked our professor, "it is going to be really obvious if I don't do the reading then huh?" It is going to be a lot of reading (we have to read a whole book by Tuesday and write a paper for it by Wednesday!), but I think it will be very interesting. Yesterday, we had a guest lecture from a professor at the University of Innsbruck. It was unique to talk about World War II from his perspective as an Austrian. He informed us that Austria was even more anti-semitic than Germany.

It had been nice getting acquainted with the city. There are only 113,000 people who live here full time, so it is a nice size that we can walk everywhere. The only problem is that it has not stopped raining since we arrived, and it is unusually cold! No one really packed for warm weather, so everyone is wearing the same clothes over and over. It is in the 60s everyday, and it is supposed to rain all next week as well, except for Saturday and Sunday! The rain is making it frustrating because there are so many things we want to do outside like go up a gondala to see the top of the mountain, but we have to wait for a clear day. Also, now I understand what they mean about mountain weather. Out of no where, it will just start raining and then you walk a block, and there is not a drizzle!

Tonight we have a chance to meet with Austrian students and then tomorrow morning I have a field trip in Munich at an art museum. Basically everyone is going to Munich this weekend for my field trip or another one to Dachau, a concentration camp, so everyone decided to stay Saturday night. I will have my first hostel and train experience this weekend, so hopefully it all goes well!