Orientation: Part 1

Grüß Gott, from Vienna!

I'm here at last, orientation is over, and I have internet access (though not often the time to enjoy it yet). It's been a crazy past few days.

My plane arrived last Thursday morning. We touched down as the city of Vienna began waking up... but of course my body clock felt like it was the middle of the night. After filing through customs, I was able to locate quite a few other students on my program (there must've been at least 20 of us on the same flight), and we banded together to find our way to the Westbahnhof (train station). Our program leaders weren't due to arrive there until at least noon, so we piled all of our luggage in a corner of the station and sat to wait. And wait. Hour by hour, more students arrived at the station dragging luggage and looking lost; we quickly realized that they were also studying abroad. Soon we had amassed a very formidable group. All in all, I sat in the Westbahnhof for six hours, and I nearly fell asleep multiple times (at this point, it felt like it was 4am and I had had next to no sleep). However, it was a good six hours to talk with other students and slowly try to get to know each other.

After the leaders arrived, we loaded the buses with luggage and people and headed up to Mariazell! Mariazell is a small town in the Alps that is the main pilgrimage site of the entire former Austro-Hungarian empire. It is famous for a miracle from the 12th century. Legend has it that a monk was traveling through the area to spread the Gospel to the people of the mountains. He had no weapon or defense with him, but only a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. Passing through a dangerous area, he was chased by robbers and was running for his life, but a great rock loomed in his way, blocking the path and with no easy way around. In desperation, he held up the statue and prayed to Mary. Suddenly the rock split in two, allowing him to pass through and escape. In thanks, he later returned to the region and set up a "cell" to Mary, from the middle of the split rock (thus, Mariazell = Mary cell). In later years (I believe finished around 1300), a basilica was built at the same location. Pilgrims still travel to the town to this day, even still on foot.

Though I did not walk all the way from Vienna to Mariazell, I can claim my own form of a small pilgrimage. The hostel where we stayed was in the valley, and a good 30-45 minute walk each way. But it was a beautiful area (pictures coming soon!) and I'm very glad that I never took the bus to town. There's something more savory and wholesome about experiencing it all... not just riding to town and seeing the basilica and walking through shops, but hiking up on the old trails, feeling the chill wind, smelling the freshness, and seeing the little things along the way.

I can't say that I did anything exciting the first night of orientation. We had a few introductory talks, and soon after I crashed (along with most of the other students). After more than 48 hours of little rest and jet lag, it was time to catch up on sleep.

...To be continued soon!