3/23
Guten morgen! Good morning!
I woke up at 5am and lay in bed happily, because I had slept for a good nine hours and almost gotten over my jetlag. I hadn't slept for 31 hours, so I was also glad to get some sleep since I had been completely tired the whole day yesterday.
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The moon outside is attractive in some way. The moon was full a few days ago, so the moon is still almost full- except for a sliver that seems to have been removed. The sky is a pretty blue, though still dark, and the contrast to the bright white moon is beautiful. I can see the outline of the towering mountains in the distance, but closer are fields of grass that seem to stretch on forever.
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In the course of the last hour and a half, the sun has risen, and the sky has become much brighter. I can now see a town at the foot of the mountain, and the grassy fields no longer seem to stretch on forever. It's a beautiful sight nevertheless- both peaceful and simple, both majestic and pretty.
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After a while, I got up and went to eat breakfast, which consisted of bread with jam and cereal. Then, I read a bit of Max (a brilliant Maximum Ride novel), and I changed and rested a bit until my cousins came back from school. We ate more amazing soup as well as pasta with chicken. Then, Maximilian started his homework, and I stayed at the table with Theresa, who had finished her homework. A bit later, my aunt came back to pick them up, since Maximilian wasn't feeling very well.
Then, my grandpa showed us some new additions in his toolshed. He's so organized; it's incredible. He sorted dozens of pieces of wood by their exact length, all of his tools have a place hanging somewhere neatly ... it's really amazing.
Next, I went back inside the house because it was getting windy. I ate an Austrian pancake, which was extremely heavenly, and then I played a card game with my mom, which was really fun. :)
Then, I finished reading Max- which was amazing, one of my favorite books- and my mom and I gave my grandma an early birthday present, and then I went to go play piano with her. Whenever we meet, I show her the new songs I've learned since the last time we've seen each other. There is a clock in the room in which I stay whenever I visit, and it ticks audibly every second. At first, I was too deeply immersed in the songs, and I wasn't paying attention to it, but then I noticed it. I was playing faster than it's ticking, so I couldn't use it as a metronome, but it seemed to nevertheless work out- as if all the sounds around me were creating a beautiful harmony together.
Then, I went downstairs to eat dinner: a bunch of different breads, hams, and jams. Food is SO good!!!
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Now, I'm lying in bed, looking around the room pleasantly. I have homework, and studying to do, but now I'm just sitting here, enjoying the moment, and relaxing. I'm tired, yet I know that when I will start to fall asleep, I will start to fall asleep. I'll be tired only when I'm tired.
The world is making sense, and I am content. Goodnight, write to you in the morning!
3/22
Willkommen nach Össterreich! Welcome to Austria!
I just arrived at the Vienna airport after a short flight to Washington DC and then a 8.5-hour flight (during which I tried to sleep, but failed) to Vienna (which is, by the way, Austria's capital). I'm here on vacation just with my mom for the first time; it's always been the four of us. This time, my brother is at college, and my dad's in New York for a business trip. He'll be arriving on the 26th.
I'm in my paternal grandpa's car on the way from the airport to our maternal grandparents' house, where we'll be staying during our two weeks in Austria.
The drive reveals the not-so-scenic parts of Austria- the factories along the highway and dark tunnels that crop up aren't very appealing.
The mountains in the background are pretty, but much prettier the closer you get to them. I love how their bases are dotted with houses in which people live; the lifestyle of so many Austrians is centered around the peaks in which, or near which, they live.
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After a trip that lasted longer than it normally did (it took 100 minutes instead of the 60 it usually takes), partly due to a traffic jam because of a car accident, we finally arrived. I was really happy to be at home with my grandparents again and then my mom and I unpacked.
Though I was tired, I went with my grandma to go pick up my little cousins, Maximilian (9) and Theresa (10). Since I saw them last summer, they've grown so much- not to mention Maximilian's hair, which he grew out and is now curly.
When we got back to my grandma's house, we ate delicious soup followed by schnitzel (while we ate, Maximilian was talking the whole time, giving us riddles and telling jokes- he's hilarious) and then my mom and I gave our cousins a few presents, which has sort of become a tradition over the years. We gave Maximilian a Lego Technic car to build and a robot made out of K'Nex, a company that he had never heard of before. I gave Theresa a few shirts and a pair of pants, all of which I had either never worn or didn't want anymore, as well as a Playmobil Egyptian set (which, sadly, she had already been given by another friend) and a Fingernail Painting Set with a book of designs that she could make. Both of my cousins were really excited about their gifts.
Then, I started drawing Maximilian when he was three years old (I have a picture that my dad took of him; he was SO cute!!), while Theresa watched me. I can't say that the drawing is amazing, but my face-drawing skills have definitely improved a lot. In the meantime, Maximilian and my mom built his K'Nex robot, which didn't work very well because the batteries in the motor didn't work.
At around 4pm, Maximilian had to go to a music theory test, so my grandma brought him there, my mom went upstairs to sleep a bit, and Theresa and I started playing Tabu XXL, a German game that I absolutely love. My grandma went to buy some groceries- which included some delicious Austrian breads, hams, and salamis.
While my grandma and Maximilian were gone, my paternal grandparents came over and we saw some pictures of their stay in a couple of African countries like Namibia and Zimbabwe, and my mom came downstairs after her rest.
When my grandma came back with Maximilian, Theresa and I put our game away and we all started eating dinner. After a while, all of our guests had to leave, though, so my mom and I said our farewells, I quickly ate an Austrian pancake with apricot jam (amazing!!), and we all started getting ready for bed. My mom and I watched an old episode of Leverage, one of my favorite TV shows, and then after a while we both fell asleep.
