European vs American
Greetings to all.
This weekend went by quicker than I had imagined. Let's see..what did I do?? Saturday was a walk in the park...literally. haha I was home till 2 or 3pm. Then I thought to myself, "Dang, I need to walk or exercise rather than sit my lazy butt here in my room." SO I did. Last time I went out for a walk, I went in a direction opposite of where I would go (towards the bus stop). I found a soccer field with a cafe. Yes there was a game going on so I stayed there for a while under the scorching sun. I believe they were high school kids playing cuz the audience were old (parents, grandparents, uncles, etc.). After 5 to 10 minute of getting excited for the soccer match, I left home. (oh the field was 5 min away from my apartment)
However, yesterday I walked for about an hour. I went the same direction as last time to find out that there was another game going on. Since it wasn't so hot, I stayed till the end. No one won..it was a tie..1-1. After the game, I decided to walk along the path parallel to The Danube Canal. It's this endless pathway..you can walk from one point of Vienna to the other side. (lol sorry I don't know the exact distance). But anyway, you get the point. It was a long walk..I could have gone all the way but towards the middle, it seemed a bit dangerous..there were bunch of kids under the bridges just hanging there. (hmm..that doesn't sound dangerous..) I was getting sorta tired and hungry so I turned around and walked back towards my building. No this is not the end of the walk... I had a sudden urge to go to another new location. So I walked maybe about 2-3blocks and luckily, I found another park! yay. This park had tennis courts, soccer field, volleyball, a cafe, bowling place...etc It was nice. There was a game going on there too but this time the teams were much older and experienced than the other soccer game. I didn't watch too much; instead, I went in the cafe and had my first "Melange." Melange is half coffee/half frothed milk. It was strong cuz I could not sleep that night (yes, I'm blaming coffee). Whatever, it was good though.
So that was my Saturday.
( I know what you're thinking... When am I going to start talking about the differences between Europeans and Americans??)
Surprisingly, the things I've mentioned above already tells a lot about Europeans. They love parks, soccer/football, and cafe. When was the last time you guys went to a park in the States and found a cafe with it?
Before I left for Austria, I heard things about Austrians being rude and boisterous. So far, I haven't experienced any (knock on wood). The ones I've met when I wander on my own, they've all been super nice and helpful. They speak English (super plus cuz my German officially sucks or I guess it's a work-in-progress).
I guess I'll state out what I've noticed about the Europeans:
1. They smoke a lot. (it's ridiculous) They have vending machines for cigarettes. I see kids around age 15/16 smoking.
2. European's public transportation rocks! The most I've waited for a train or bus is 5minutes.
3. They're really strict about recycling glass, plastic, paper..however, I'm not sure if they have compost.
4. This..you probably all know...They're crazy drivers!! Pedestrians have the right of way but they way they drive, I wouldn't try to justify who has the first privilege. Some of the streets near my place don't have the sign for when ped. can walk...we have watch the traffic light to figure out when to go. I almost got hit by a car. (-_-)" not cool.
....my brain's not functioning..
I don't know what else to add. Wait I remember one more..
5. The light switch for the bathroom are outside the bathroom!! ( this is at homes I've been to..not public places) Seriously though...why is the switch outside the bathroom?? it bothers me.
it's Sunday..almost midnight...I had a long day today. I walked a lot again. I'm just gonna end it there.
Goodnight ya'll!
This weekend went by quicker than I had imagined. Let's see..what did I do?? Saturday was a walk in the park...literally. haha I was home till 2 or 3pm. Then I thought to myself, "Dang, I need to walk or exercise rather than sit my lazy butt here in my room." SO I did. Last time I went out for a walk, I went in a direction opposite of where I would go (towards the bus stop). I found a soccer field with a cafe. Yes there was a game going on so I stayed there for a while under the scorching sun. I believe they were high school kids playing cuz the audience were old (parents, grandparents, uncles, etc.). After 5 to 10 minute of getting excited for the soccer match, I left home. (oh the field was 5 min away from my apartment)
However, yesterday I walked for about an hour. I went the same direction as last time to find out that there was another game going on. Since it wasn't so hot, I stayed till the end. No one won..it was a tie..1-1. After the game, I decided to walk along the path parallel to The Danube Canal. It's this endless pathway..you can walk from one point of Vienna to the other side. (lol sorry I don't know the exact distance). But anyway, you get the point. It was a long walk..I could have gone all the way but towards the middle, it seemed a bit dangerous..there were bunch of kids under the bridges just hanging there. (hmm..that doesn't sound dangerous..) I was getting sorta tired and hungry so I turned around and walked back towards my building. No this is not the end of the walk... I had a sudden urge to go to another new location. So I walked maybe about 2-3blocks and luckily, I found another park! yay. This park had tennis courts, soccer field, volleyball, a cafe, bowling place...etc It was nice. There was a game going on there too but this time the teams were much older and experienced than the other soccer game. I didn't watch too much; instead, I went in the cafe and had my first "Melange." Melange is half coffee/half frothed milk. It was strong cuz I could not sleep that night (yes, I'm blaming coffee). Whatever, it was good though.
So that was my Saturday.
( I know what you're thinking... When am I going to start talking about the differences between Europeans and Americans??)
Surprisingly, the things I've mentioned above already tells a lot about Europeans. They love parks, soccer/football, and cafe. When was the last time you guys went to a park in the States and found a cafe with it?
Before I left for Austria, I heard things about Austrians being rude and boisterous. So far, I haven't experienced any (knock on wood). The ones I've met when I wander on my own, they've all been super nice and helpful. They speak English (super plus cuz my German officially sucks or I guess it's a work-in-progress).
I guess I'll state out what I've noticed about the Europeans:
1. They smoke a lot. (it's ridiculous) They have vending machines for cigarettes. I see kids around age 15/16 smoking.
2. European's public transportation rocks! The most I've waited for a train or bus is 5minutes.
3. They're really strict about recycling glass, plastic, paper..however, I'm not sure if they have compost.
4. This..you probably all know...They're crazy drivers!! Pedestrians have the right of way but they way they drive, I wouldn't try to justify who has the first privilege. Some of the streets near my place don't have the sign for when ped. can walk...we have watch the traffic light to figure out when to go. I almost got hit by a car. (-_-)" not cool.
....my brain's not functioning..
I don't know what else to add. Wait I remember one more..
5. The light switch for the bathroom are outside the bathroom!! ( this is at homes I've been to..not public places) Seriously though...why is the switch outside the bathroom?? it bothers me.
it's Sunday..almost midnight...I had a long day today. I walked a lot again. I'm just gonna end it there.
Goodnight ya'll!
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