I haven't spent nearly as much time in the city as I wish I did, but I did get the chance to take a day trip to Vienna over the long weekend. Hungary celebrated their week long revolution against the Soviet Union and as a result, we got Monday and Tuesday off. Two of the other teachers from ICSB and a girl who teaches at a Hungarian preschool (Natalie) and I hopped on the train early Monday morning for a trip to the beautiful city of Vienna. We did a little sightseeing first - St. Stephan's Cathedral and the Opera House. We had an authentic Austrian lunch at this cute tavern off a side street. Then we went down to Schonbrűnn Palace which is basically Mr. Darcy's house from Pride and Prejudice. It was beautiful! The palace itself was stunning, but the gardens and mist covered hills were really what we all enjoyed. We all agreed afterward that we should have gone to Schonbrűnn first and spent more time there. Oh well...next time!
As gorgeous as it was though, my favorite part of the day was meeting up with three of the girls I met at PFO who are teaching at ICSV. We walked in a couple of circles on our way to this delicious restaurant where I ate homemade pretzels, pumpkin cream soup, and apple strudel. Yum! It was so great getting to see them again and getting the chance to chat and laugh and catch up.
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| St. Stephan's Cathedral |
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| Vienna Opera House |
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| About to dig into my roasted pork, sauerkraut, and dumpling |
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| A pretty cathedral in the distance |
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| On the walk to Museums Quartier |
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| Schonbrunn stairs |
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| I loved the yellow! |
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| Me with 2 of the other ICSB teachers |
As if one 4 day weekend wasn’t enough, we have been gifted with
yet another one 8 days later. For this
break, my roommate, two other teachers, and the preschool teacher (Natalie) and
I will be traveling to Salzburg for the full 4 days. We are going to go hiking in the Alps and go
on the Sound of Music bus tour. I’d be
lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to sitting on a bus full of other Sound of Music enthusiasts and singing
at the top of my lungs. I’ve been
listening to the soundtrack nonstop in order to refresh my memory.
School is going well.
Report cards came out last week.
I can’t believe I’ve already been teaching for 9 weeks. I love teaching and I love my class. I wish I could say that I feel as if the
school year has slowed down for me, but I still feel like I’m scrambling a
lot. I think that’s just being a first
year teacher though – something to be expected.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are next week. YIKES!
God has been good in providing me with an accountability group
with three other UWM ladies. It’s been
so wonderful just to meet with these women and talk about life and what God is
doing in each of our lives and praying for one another. As always, it’s hard to be transparent with
people, particularly about struggles and sin, but it’s such a blessing when you
are. To hear that I’m not the only one
who struggles with certain sins and to offer encouragement – it’s such a
blessing.
Homesickness has continued to plague me. It comes in waves. Some days are perfectly fine and then the
next day, all of a sudden, I miss home desperately. I know it’s because I was so blessed to have
such a strong community of family and friends back home. So, just know that I love you all and miss
you terribly and I’m so thankful that I was surrounded by people that I love,
respect, and trust so much.
It hit me especially hard on Wednesday night and as I spent time
in the Word that night, I found Psalm 142 especially comforting:
I cry out
to the Lord;
I lift up
my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out
my complaint before him;
Before him
I tell my trouble.
When my
spirit grows faint within me,
It is you
who knows my way.
In the
path where I walk
Men have
hidden a snare for me.
Look to my
right and see;
No one is
concerned for me.
I have no
refuge;
No one
cares for my life.
I cry to
you, O Lord;
I say,
“You are my refuge,
My portion
in the land of the living.”
Listen to
my cry,
For I am
in desperate need;
Rescue me
from those who pursue me,
For they
are too strong for me.
Set me
free from my prison,
That I may
praise your name.
Then the
righteous will gather about me
Because of
your goodness to me.
It was such a great encouragement to me to
remember that when I’m feeling alone and desperate and hurting that God is
always with me. And more than just His
presence (which alone is enough), He loves me more than anyone else and can
sympathize with my pain more than anyone else can. Jesus knows what it feels like to be alone
and far from home. If there’s anyone
that I can cry out to, anyone who can completely understand what I’m going
through, anyone who can offer me love and comfort, it’s Jesus. He is where my strength comes from. He is my refuge.
