Been waiting so long for the snow to melt, and then summer’s here. Almost like Kansas weather. Miniscule Spring. Maybe it’s the product of global warming, or maybe it’s just the Austrian climate. I don’t mind though, and neither do my fellow Austrians. There seems to be a lot more smiling faces among my friends, classmates, passers-by on the street, and even the grumpy old man with the traditional hat on the Stadtbus has a smile on his face these days. There are picnic-ers, rollerblade-ers, ice-cream eaters, sandal wearers.
It’s so close to June 25, the departure date on my Lufthansa electronic ticket to Kansas City, that I can smell my dad’s meat smoking on the cooker and taste the margarita’s with fresh lime and Sauza tequila that my mom and I will drink. I can hear the voices of those I haven’t heard for so long, my friends, my family. I imagine the stories they’ll tell. Zane’s first words. Ellie’s wedding, how she looked, and he looked, and how they looked at each other. New jobs, new engagements and old gossip. The same laughter. The same love.
But, hellos mean goodbyes.
I’ve reached that point of this study-abroad experience where I’m looking forward to the old familiarities of home and already missing the new quirks of this place. It’s a teeter-totter of emotions. As excited as I am to eat a Kansas City barbeque sandwich, I’m just as sad to leave my new friends and not be able to look out my window to the mountains. It’s inevitable though. All things come to an end eventually. I guess that’s life. And I’m learning that dealing with change doesn’t really get easier.
Sunday on the Deutschen Bahn, on the way home from our day-trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle, it was late and we were tired. I sat across from Kelly and Ciara, who had their headphones on and had dozed off. The others were either on their way there or quietly chatting with each other. I was in sort of a strange mood and as I scrolled through my iPod looking for something I hadn’t listened to in a while, I stopped on Hed Pe’s Broke, a late adolescent favorite. So much so that after nearly 5 years of not listening to the album I remembered every word, every scream and every guitar riff. Music as a time traveler. I instantly thought of Alix’s 1991 Grand Marquis, white exterior with blue cloth seats, and not to forget the giant blemish on the passenger side. I thought of us cruising around Paola, wasting gas, listening to this album with our feet positioned dangerously out the window, and screaming the words until our voices cracked. Teenage angst. I thought of Mary Beth Rayne’s computer class my junior year of high school, and a night at 1312 Center Street in Emporia. That album carried me through many years and many memories.
So, to say the least, I was having a memory moment, but I looked at my sleepy Northern Irish friends and smiled. I feel lucky. And damn I feel old! As M.C.U.D. shouts a lyric through my ear buds about the year 2001, I realized just how long ago I had listened to this album on a daily basis. A lot has happened since I was that naïve and slightly rebellious 18-year-old girl. Now I’m nearly 25, with brown hair and bangs, single, educated and soon to be properly jobless. I’m sitting on a train somewhere between Füssen, Germany and Salzburg, Austria and have had more life experiences than most people twice, or even three times my age.
Despite these delightful trips down memory lane, and anticipation to return to the land of over-abundance, I’m freaking out a little about my remaining time in Salzburg. I only have two months left! But, this gorgeous, sunny 70 degree weather makes it easier for outdoor excursions, relaxing under the sun and appreciating the breath-taking landscape. I’m going to make the most of the time I have left here. My motivation to be productive has been bumped up a notch. Since our mother earth has shifted slightly more towards the sun, I’ve done quite a bit. Picnics in Hellbrunn Park, walks along the river, an emotional visit to the Dauchau Concentration Camp memorial site and Neuschwanstein Castle, or the Disney Castle. I’ve got a few more trips rolling around in my head. Beth and I will meet soon to make final arrangements for these excursions. But I’ve made a pact with myself to wake up each day and be fully aware of my surroundings and the reasons I came here.
