I apologize for the week that has passed by without an update. Life has been fun but hectic. However, I am done with all of my classes for the fall and am enjoying my last days in Vienna. All of my finals went well, or so I expect. Tuesday after the finance final, we took our professor to dinner at 1516, a personal favorite. It was fun to hang out with him and talk about something other than the European Monetary System while introducing him to the greatest resturant yet. He ended up leaving a little after we finished dinner, however my friends and I stayed for a couple more drinks and then went to the Sacher Hotel for cocktails. We were surprised we even got in to the bar because it is such a fancy place, but we did, and we had a blast. We stayed out till 4 am, and ended up waking up at 2:30 pm today. Pretty pathetic, I agree, but we just got done with finals yesterday, and it was glorious to sleep in. At 3:30 pm, we met our friends for ice skating. I must admit I was not thrilled about the idea, but sucked it up and went. It was fun, however I was pretty much glued to the edge of the rink. It makes me so nervous to have little kids fly around me, when I can barley even balance. After skating, we went to dinner at a really nice restaurant in the 1st district. It supposedly has the best schnitzel in Vienna, and sure use this title to hike up the prices. It was good, but def. not the best. However, overall we ended up having a really nice dinner and meeting some friendly Americans visiting the city.

Our school ended up renting out the bottom floor of a bar for us as an end of the semester celebration. So, we headed there after dinner. It was so much fun, because everyone was there, and it was nice to spend one more night with them. So yeah, we left at 12:00 am and I've been hanging out ever since. I relized it was about time I gave an update on my life.

So, here are some highlights from the past week that I can't forget:

Thursday: I was running to the S-bahn at Helligenstadt and my shoe fell off as soon as I got into the train. It fell underneath the train, therefore I could not reach it. The doors shut tight, keeping me from getting off and retrieving it. I had to walk home with one shoe in the cold and tons of people looking at me oddly. 5 hours later, when I was back at the S-bahn station, my silver slip on shoe was still there, so I laid down on the side walk and grabbed it. A little embaressing I must say. But, some how it was still in tact and as good as new. It was def. the story of the day. That night Maire, Heather, and I went to a wine tavern in our district and had the best potato salad.

Friday: Oral Presentation in German went amazingly... then our teacher made us mimosas... it was quite fun at 10 am. I can't recall what we did the rest of the day... however, I'm sure it was something exciting. Oh.. It snowed :)

Saturday: German Final!! German class was officially over, however my learning of German will be a life task, for it would be nice to speak to my wonderful cousins in Bamberg :) After the final, Heather, Marie, and I went to a mental institute in the 15th district. I know it sounds weird, but Otto Wagner (famous architect) designed and built the church for the institute. We learned about it in my art and arch class, so it was really neat to see it in person. I guess they only open it on Saturdays for an hour, so we really lucked out. The church was simple, but interesting. Since it was built for mentally insane patients, all the corners were rounded, there were windows that doctors could see in, but patients could not see at all. Also, from the outside there is a huge dome, however from the inside the ceiling is low so that people with phobias are not uncomfortable. We ended up sitting through the tour, however it was all in German, so it was not useful for me. Also, it was so so so so so so so cold in the church, because there was no heating, so I was pretty miserable the entire time. I couldn't remember a time that I was that cold. That evening we sat around and watched Golden Girls and made brownies...pretty much amazing.


Sunday: Study, Study, Study for Art and Arch. and Finance. And Marie and I went to a christmas market to get hot chocolate.

Monday: took the art and arch test. It was long, but I felt extremely prepared for it.. which is always nice. Went home and studied for finance. That evening went to a wine tavern in our district for Heather's last meal in Vienna. We had a great time sharing stories and laughing about old times. I really enjoyed having her in my life this semester, and it is sad to know that I wont see her as much in the future.

Tuesday: Woke up at 6:30 am to wish Heather good bye. Went back to sleep till 12 and then studied till 6 for finance. Took the test and dominated it. I was so happy that I studied as much as I did. I hope my positive feeling is reciprocated in the grade. Went to dinner with my prof and took a puff of a Cuban cigar my friend Steven bought. Realized cigars are not my cup of tee, and am very glad. Sometimes you need experiences like that to remind you of what you know is right.

Well, that's my week in a nut shell. Only 4 more days till I am back in Gonzales, Texas. Pretty exciting!!!