Finally

1. Me racing through the gate to get to my family. My mom said that when she saw me she knew I had been crying, she thought it was because I was so happy to see them. That was certainly part of it.

2. Hugging my dad. Can you see my pathetic face?

3. Hugging my mom. I had seen my parents only a month before, but I still don't think I've ever been so happy to see my parents. 

4. My sister too. I hadn't seen her at all for the entire time I was gone.

5. And Aaron. There aren't really words for this one, just that it was a good thing he was holding me so tightly because I'm pretty sure I literally felt my legs go out from under me.

The Saga

Okay, so remember when I said that I had a story to tell about my trip home from Vienna? Well ladies and gentlemen… here it is:

It all begins at the train station. Brian and Danielle helped me get my bags to the Westbahnhof, where I planned to take a 12:30 bus to the Vienna Airport. When I got there, the driver wanted to rush me onto the bus that was just about to depart, leaving me with very little time to say goodbye to Danielle and Brian.

Sitting on the bus, I was already crying after reading a note that my roommate Tyler wrote me for my departure. Then I decided that it was a really good idea for me to get out my camera and scan through the pictures that I had taken over the last week. Once again… tears. I no sooner got to the end of the pictures and BOOM. The bus came to a screeching halt. It turns out that as our bus was turning into a parking lot to make an intermediate stop before arriving at the airport- and in the process, hit another bus. Of course it helped that our driver was such a gentleman- swearing at the bus and himself, never asking any of the passengers if we were okay, and not offering to help us with our bags. So kind.

(Something that was funny though- after I got my 3 suitcases out of the bottom of the coach bus and strapped two of them together, Mr. Nice Guy was so chivalrous as to offer to pull the single smaller and obviously lighter suitcase. I thought to myself “yeah, some help you are”)

Next, the two other passengers and I waited at the station we just arrived at for the next bus, who’s driver accused me of not buying a ticket, even though he had been called and informed about the accident.

After finally arriving at the airport and getting my boarding pass, I went to the counter to check my luggage only to find out that my carry-on was overweight. I knew this before I left, but, every person I talked to said “Oh, they won’t weigh your carry on” WRONG. Not Swiss Air (travelers beware). Even though I was somewhat prepared for this to happen, upon being informed of the extra 4 kilos I promptly broke down, sobbing “Please, I’ve been studying here for four months. I can’t take anything else out of my bags!” I must have scared the guy working at the counter because he allowed me to just move the 4 kilos into my checked luggage. Afterward he said to me, “you know we usually charge for this.” And I replied “Ah-ah-ah-I kno-o-o-ow.” And moped away.

At this point, the only thing in the world I want to do is get to my gate and sit. However, that proved to also be a bit difficult. Security is different over there, rather than having one large security station for a terminal, they have smaller stations at each gate. Furthermore, they don’t start letting anyone go through security until the boarding time that is about an hour before departure. However, I did not know this. So when I got to my gate about 20 minutes before the boarding time to find that it was roped off, I, once again, panicked. Luckily, a very kind security officer explained it to me and I went to a restaurant to get a cup of soup.  I then went through security and boarded my uneventful flight to Zurich. I thought this would be the end of my troubles, but it turns out… it was only beginning.

The next part of the story is kind of a blur, but basically… I got to the passport control desk in Zurich expecting to go right through. However, this was the conversation that followed:

Passport Man 1: You’ve been here too long.

Me: What?

PM1: you’ve stayed too long, your visa was only for 90 days.

Me: what do you mean?

PM1: Your visa was for 3 months, you came on January 7^th, you’ve been here for four months. You’ve stayed here too long.

Me: Wait, no there must be some mistake. I was studying here in Vienna, I would never do anything illegal. I would have no reason to.

PM1: yes but you’ve stayed too long.

Me: so what do I do? I need to go home. (if you haven’t guessed it already- I’m in hysterics)

PM1: okay but you’ve overstayed your visa.

Me: Okay, I understand that. WHAT DO I DO ABOUT IT?

PM1: You go with the police now.

Me: WHAT?

Now I think you all know me well enough to know that I am pretty much the epitome of goodie-two-shoes, so this idea of me ‘over-staying my visa’ was completely unfathomable to me. I was then escorted to an area behind glass walls that I later found out was locked, and asked to fill out some paperwork with basic information. Keep in mind that never, during this entire process was the typical procedure explained to me. Therefore, I was left to sit by myself in a room sobbing thinking that I was going to be jailed up in Zurich until who-knows-when.

After filling out the paperwork, I think they started to put together that I wasn’t completely off my rocker and maybe I didn’t actually do anything wrong. So a third guy came out and asked me to explain what I thought had happened and asked me some questions about my stay in Austria. (that guy was nicer than the others) I explained that there must have been a mix up at the embassy. I knew I would be here for 4 months and I had applied for my visa to cover that time.

After the nice man left, I cried some more and then a mean man came out. He proceeded to yell at me saying.

Mean Passport Man: Keep it down out here, what are you crying about?

Me: I just, I know I didn’t do anything illegal.

MPM: Well, calm down already this happens every day.

(What I should have said to him was “MAYBE TO YOU!”)

Me: Can I please just call someone?

MPM: Who are you going to call? What are they going to do about it?

Me: My family.

MPM: They can’t do anything so keep it down would you?

By this point I’m thinking to myself “Oh my god, what is going on? What am I supposed to do?” Then finally after a few more minutes, the nice man came out and asked me to sign something and give me copies of paperwork and told me that they were going to give me my stamp to go home. And I thought, “Wait, it was as easy tas giving me a stamp this whole time- WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?” And I asked him- “So then what?” It was then that he told me that I have to work it out with my home embassy and if worst came to worst I would have to pay a fine of 500 Swiss franks before I could reenter the country. Once again- WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS SOONER? If someone had said that to me at the beginning they could have saved themselves from listening to me wale outside of their office for a half hour.

The last guy, who escorted me out, I just feel sorry for. Not knowing that I had already been told about the fine, before opening the door said to me:

PM4: Are you planning on reentering the Schangen States?

(Schangen was not a word I had ever heard before)

Me: The what?

PM4: The Schangen states. Are you planning on coming back to Europe in the near future.

Me: (thinking to myself- are you serious? I just want to get out first.) I don’t know, why?

MP4: Because you have to pay a fine before you can re-enter.

Me: Yes, I know. Can I please go home now?

MP4: Yes (and he opened the door)

I was free! And I still had 45 minutes to spare before my flight to the states took off.  I made my way to my terminal and went through security. There they proceeded to dissect my entire personal bag because of all the electronics in it. Luckily, I am used to this from all the traveling back and forth to MD, so I just let it go. I knew I wasn’t trying to hide anything in my luggage, and the security people were nice.

Then… I got to my gate, thinking I was good to go. But that proved to be challenging as well. It took me 3 attempts to get through the gate onto the plane. In the first attempt, I got to the lady who was taking tickets and she said “you need to get your stamp.” I think to myself “what? No! I got my stamp. They said I could leave!” It turns out that I needed to go to a different desk at the gate to get my ticket stamped. I did that. Got to the lady the second time and she asked “are you a US citizen?” me: “yes” Lady “okay, you need to go fill out that slip” I think to myself “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? JUST LET ME GET ON THE PLANE!” Meanwhile, I’m sure that all the people in line around me thought that I was a complete nut case, because I wasn’t even trying to hold in my emotions any more.

So I got my stamp. I filled out the little slip. I’m ready to go. I’m listening to the machine scanning tickets and hearing “beep beep” next “beep beep” next, my turn “WRAAAA” as if to say “WRONG! SHE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE ANY MORE!!!”  Now in the past 45 minutes, I had gone through the following extremes of emotion: Fear, confusion, sadness, anger, frustration and at this very point of the story, utter desperation. I’m sure this was overtly evident when I looked up at the lady with pathetic puppy dog eyes, lost my recently regained composure and sobbed “is, is there a problem with my t-t-ticket?” She said to me in reply, “just wait here ma’am. We’ll get it straightened out”. Another woman behind the desk fiddled around at the computer and I was finally allowed to go through.

At this point, I was convinced beyond convinced that one of two things was going to happen: 1) The plane was going to go down. 2) My luggage was going to get lost or broken into. It was at that moment, walking down the runway that I looked up at the ceiling and said out-loud “Dear God, just get me home.” Which he did, but the ride itself was a bit humorous too.

Upon finding my seat, I stored my luggage, sunk down in my seat, buried my hands in my face and, you guessed it, cried. But at least they were tears of relief this time. I then felt a light tap on my shoulder from a man my parent’s age sitting two seats over. I looked over and he said, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but… are you alright?” If only he knew… and he was about to find out. So once again, while trying to hang on to some thread of composure, and failing, I spilled my guts out to a perfect stranger (and for that matter the rest of the section of the plane if they were listening) about the contents of my day. Poor guy. He was very kind and comforting though and the more I talked the more I calmed myself down. A girl sitting on the other side of me offered me a tissue. She was also returning from studying abroad and said that if that had happened to her, she’d be a wreck too.

The rest of the flight was uneventful. I watched a movie, ate the provided dinner and slept a little bit. The plane didn’t crash! Hurrah! And my luggage? Also safe, although at that point, even if something had happened, I probably wouldn’t have cared because I was on US soil. I had to go through about 3 different check points for customs and each time I approached one, my stomach flipped, just because I was proned to think something would go wrong. But each one let me through without a hitch. Mostly, I just wanted to get through each station so that I could go through the double doors to find my family and Aaron waiting on the other side. My light at the end of the tunnel.

And sure enough, there they were, my mom with a “Welcome Home” balloon in her hand. I ran through the gate and into my dad’s arms, then my mom’s, then Aaron’s, then Cara’s. Suddenly, everything that I went through those twenty-some hours were worth it.

After hugging everyone, I immediately marched over to my dad and said “It’s a good thing you weren’t in Zurich!” The whole time I was there, I wanted to take my anger out on someone and since my dad was the one who took care of my visa, naturally it should be him. Right? (In truth I knew that it wasn’t my dad’s fault, it was the embassy’s mistake, but at the time I wanted an emotional punching bag) Lucky for my dad, and my conscience, I had a 7-hour plane ride to cool off.

In all seriousness though, for as upsetting as the whole experience was, in a weird way, it could have been a good thing. During my last few days in Vienna, I was getting really nostalgic and sad to leave, but everything I went through made me that much happier to see the people waiting for me on the other side. As it was happening, I remember thinking to myself “when this is all over, this is going to be really funny” and thankfully, now, it is. We’re still trying to get everything worked out with the embassy, so please keep us in your prayers that that can happen. It turns out that the dates of my stay on my visa were correct. January 6- May 31 (it even gave me extra time), but for whatever reason, they only specified the length of my stay as 90 days.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was actually kind of fun to think back over it all. And now, I have written documentation in case I ever forget any details of the story.

I know some of you might be wondering how my transition back to the states has been, but I will save that for another blog. Perhaps in a couple of days. Thanks, as always, for reading. I’ll write again soon.

Love,

Caitlin

1. Sophie (Dr. Solvik's daughter) showing Angie, Christa and Marie her Barbies

2. Me and Xenia in her music building

3. Me, Jeff, and Nick after Jeff's recital

4. It's a little blurry, but this was me during our performance of Misty

5. Okay so I look like I'm screaming, but this is a picture of me singing in the Jazz Club

Hello Hello Everyone, 

I'm home! Save and sound in the U.S. I'm writing this from my bed in Chelmsford. I arrived in Boston at about 7:30 pm on Thursday May 14th (sorry for the delay in post) after a very long day of traveling. But it was all worth it to see my family and boyfriend again. 

I believe I put up my last post just before singing in my friend Jeff's recital on Tuesday night, which went very well. It helped that I had a surprise practice performance Monday night- since I didn't have any exams on Tuesday, I went with a few friends to a jazz bar to see another friend, Michael, play in an open jam with the host band. While talking, I mentioned that I was singing Misty the next night, so Michael took it upon himself to tell the band and I was coerced onto stage. Haha, it wasn't exactly my best sing- I was really nervous- but it was very fun and Michael talked me through the solos and stuff like that. So now I can say that I sang in a jazz club in Vienna!

Then our performance on Tuesday night went very well. Possibly the best the three of us had played/ sung the song and Jeff sounded great on his other pieces. Greta is also Jeff's accompanist so after the recital, the three of us went out for pizza and it was awesome. We sat for over two hours talking about all kinds of things. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but the three of us share a very unique connection regarding our outlooks on music and life, so spending that time together was really special. 

Wednesday, being my last day there is still a bit of a blur, but I think I remember the basic outline. In the morning, I got breakfast with my friend Xenia from church. She is the same age as me and leads the choir and we're both so sad that we didn't meet sooner. Xenia is from Russia, but is studying church music in Vienna at the University. So I showed her IES and she showed me her building which is beautiful. We definitely plan to keep in touch even though I've left. 

Then... I took my Lied final... which wasn't really an enjoyable experience for anyone in the room. It was really hard! We had to identify  and analyze 3 pieces of music, answer a few other questions and write an essay in 2 hours. It was a general consensus that we all wanted to cry after turning in our tests. But... such is life. While I may not have gotten every answer right on the test, I know that I've done well in the class otherwise and I knew it was more important to get as much of the city and my friends as possible in the last of my time there- which meant sacrificing some study time and I have no regrets about that. 

After my exam I met up with my friend Ugo from church to visit one more time before I left and then went with the other students to Dr. Solvik's house for a pot-luck. I can't remember how much I've told you about him, but Dr. Solvik is my Lied professor, the head of the music department and was recently made director of IES Vienna. Outside of IES he is a musicologist who basically discovered a Schubert song cycle, translates musicological publications in 6 languages and is THE foremost Mahler scholar... in the world. He is quite easily one of the most brilliant people I've ever talked to in my life and scared the living daylights out of me for the first 2 months of school. It turns out that he is actually a really cool, and normal, person and is really fun to talk to outside of the class room. His two kids are adorable, while at his house, his daughter Sophie invited us to play with her and her Barbies. It was awesome. 

After returning from his house I finished up the last of my packing and we all decided to go out. It turns out the club we decided on was pretty lame, but we made the best of it. And on the way home, I bought and ate my last Kabab :-( I then proceeded to get a whole four hours of sleep before getting up at 7 the next morning. I finished up the very last packing and ran some errands down town in the morning. Then Danielle, Brian, Angie, Christa and I went to breakfast at Aida, the cafe under our apartment like old times. 

What followed the rest of that day is something of a saga and is deserving of its own post, but I promise it is entertaining. I'll try to have that up shortly. In the meantime- here are some pictures from my last few days in Vienna. Talk to you again soon.

Love,

Caitlin

1. My fabulous German teacher, Monika, who we had to say goodbye to. It was so sad.

2. Me and Jalka at her apartment.

3. Neuwaldegg Park where I went walking.

4. Anna Netrebko in La Traviata

5. Me, Danielle, Brendan, Joey, Christa and Angie at the Farewell Picnic. 

Final Days

Well Folks… we’re in the home stretch!  Another week under my belt and 3 days left in Vienna. It is all a bit hard to believe. However, I have no regrets. I’ve taken advantage of every moment while here and this past week was no exception.

As I mentioned, on Monday night, I went to see soprano, Anna Netrebko, in Verdi’s opera La Traviata. Netrebko is  one of the biggest names in opera right now and I have one of her albums so seeing her live was kind of surreal. I was in line at 3:30 for standing room tickets to the show at 7:30, but it was totally worth it. Netrebko’s voice is stunning, her acting was great and she is a gorgeous woman. Also, the tenor that sang the role of her lover, Alfredo, was phenomenal. His was easily the most glorious male voice I’ve ever laid ears upon. Additionally, the sets and costumes were great as they always are at the Staatsoper. I kind of feel like an opera snob now that I’ve seen La Traviata 3 times! Haha.

Tuesday, I got in from the spirituality workshop at church and had a really great conversation with my sister. We talked for over an hour, which was great. I can’t wait to see her, along with the rest of my family when I get home. 

Last week, a friend of mine who plays trumpet asked me to sing the jazz song “Misty” in his recital with him and another friend of ours on piano. I am really excited to sing it because "Misty" is one of my tunes and I love singing jazz even though I’m not very good at it. We’ve had a lot of fun working on it so I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes. The recital is tonight, Tuesday.

Wednesday was a busy day, but full of good things. Do you remember me talking about Carolyn Hague, who came to IES to give a master class that I sang in? She gave another master class at the conservatory that I observed and it was great. All of the singers were WONDERFUL and Carolyn is both a phenomenal musician and a delightful person to be around so I really enjoyed it.

On Thursday, IES had their last big student concert for the performance workshop. I sang a song with clarinet, flute and piano that was a setting of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  My piece was about a young squire who is rather fond of the ladies. It was very difficult to learn and practice, but turned out very well for everyone.

Afterward, all of the students in performance workshop, as well as the faculty, went out for drinks at a local place called Flannigan’s. It was so much fun! I kind of wish we had been able to see the fun side of our faculty sooner in the semester, maybe they wouldn’t have scared me so much.  It was one of those nights that was kind of surreal in it’s fun and perfection. A truly wonderful memory.

Saturday was a really great day too. We had German finals in the morning which went well. Then we all went out to a restaurant in the middle of the Vienna Woods for a final cook out. We spent the afternoon eating, talking, hiking, and throwing frisbees. Then that night, the 3 musketeers (Me, Angie, and Christa) all went to see Tosca at the Staatsoper. OH MY GOSH! It was amaaaaaazing. I know I keep saying that about operas, but really, it was easily my favorite of all those I’ve seen. The story line and music are incredible and all the performers executed their roles perfectly. I think it is safe to say that opera is now a part of me. “Why is that?” you ask? Well… I cried. And it was wonderful.

On Sunday, I went to church at the English speaking church that I’ve mentioned. I sang with the choir and the director asked me to sing a couple of solos. I was so flattered that she trusted me so much when she had never even heard me sing before. However, the best part was, at the end of Mass, the priest asked me to stand at the foot of the alter so that he and the congregation could say a blessing over me before I left. It was so kind and moving. I’m really going to miss them.

After church, I went out to a park near my house and just walked around for a bit, thinking about the last four months, where I was when I arrived and where I am now. It has been a pretty incredible journey.

That night, I went over to Jalka’s apartment for dinner. She kind of ran out of work that I could do for her last week, but wanted to see me again so she invited me over for dinner and we just sat and ate and talked for over two hours. It was wonderful to talk for so long with such an inspiring woman.

Monday morning I had my exam for Austrian Art and Architecture, which went well.  I felt good about the test when I came out of it. Then I came home and started packing! I was getting really worried that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything, but I think it is all okay.  I still have to sort through some papers and class materials, but the bulk of my stuff is in my 3 big red suitcases and ready to go.

Tomorrow, I have a lunch date with Greta and Jeff’s recital in the evening. The rest of they day I’ll finish up the packing, run a few errands and study for my Lied exam on Wednesday.  After that exam I plan to spend the rest of the day with friends and having a great time in the city. I’m not sure what that will entail yet, but I’m looking forward to it. Then on Thursday, I’ll do that last minute packing, head to the airport and come home, where my parents, sister, and Aaron will all be awaiting my arrival.

It is hard to say what these next few days will be like. No doubt that an emotional roller coaster will ensue, but I’d be a little worried if it didn’t. And let’s face it, a good cry is needed from time to time. 

After being here for four months, it is almost hard to imagine being home and what it will be like to be back in the states again, but I know that I have all kinds of wonderful people and things waiting for me there. Don’t worry, this won’t be my last blog. I’ll be sure to post again when I get home to tell you about my last few days and my flight home. So… no “goodbye’s” here.

Have a wonderful few days and I'll talk to (and see some of you) soon :-)

Love,

Caitlin

1. The Gold and Gem gilded cross that held the relics on either side of it.

2. The Lance that pierced His side.

3. A piece of the True Cross

4. Someone's crown and scepter (I forget who)

5. In case you were ever wondering what the opera house looked like after it was bombed in the war... this picture hangs in the lobby.

6. Everybody (almost- left to right- Beethoven, Mozart Memorial, Schubert)

7. Me and Brahms (I took this one for my music history professor- he is a Brahms scholar)

8. Me and Beethoven

9. Me and Schubert (we each got flowers for one and then did Mozart together)