Welcome to the Neighborhood

"Vienna is such a safe city - you can be out at night at any time and be safe. Actually, you're living in one of the most dangerous parts of Vienna. It is not a good neighborhood they say - maybe 10 people are murdered in Vienna a year, and 2 of those are in our district. But it is still safe!"

That little tidbit of information came from my landlady, who was checking in on me to make sure I am happy with my living situation. And she is absolutely right - it is very safe here, even in the supposedly 'bad part' of town. Also, they have a cleaning lady who cleans the apartment either every other week or once a month - a little unclear on that one. Anyway, as you can see, I'm really living the tough life here in Vienna. I will post photos of the apartment building and my flat this weekend, hopefully, particularly since I would say that this building 'has character.'

This weekend, I had intended to go to Bratislava for the day, but an unexpected burst of laziness compelled me to spend the day lounging instead. I'm still very happy with that decision, as it meant I was well-rested and ready to join some MIIS alumni for drinks at a bar and then an attempt at dancing at Manolos. The pulsating Euro-techno beats, combined with multi-colored strobing lights, would be enough to make any American feel out of place and in awe. However, it was the other patrons that elevated the experience to surreal levels: I think there was something related to Carnival going on because many people were dressed in costumes. There was no unifying theme to these costumes (except the bartenders, who were all dressed in togas with green wreath crowns to avoid confusion, I suspect); I saw Minnie Mouse paired with what looked like Walt Disney, a man in a low-cut dress with fake breasts, sailors, flappers, and an alarming number of white guys in black afro wigs. People occasionally danced on the bar or on a table. It was quite the show. Unfortunately, the club itself was so jampacked, with little-to-no dancing, that I don't feel it's worth the constant jostling and smoke for a repeat visit. But if I must go out more in the evenings to find the right club for me, then go I must.

Tomorrow I'm going to the climbing gym again. I miss climbing more than once a week (3-4 times a week is what keeps me happiest), but I will try to make up this inactivity with taking Zumba classes - YES they have those here - and going on hikes on the weekends. I've also just learned where the closest Billa is, so my next grocery shopping excursion should promise a much larger selection at cheaper prices.

The internship continues to go well, and I am particularly happy with the recent progress I've made in finding materials/sources/experts to aid in my capstone research. I've just found out that there is an intern club here at the VIC, so hopefully I can join one of those lunches/happy hours/excursions they host soon.

Oh, one final note: I've discovered that the cafe across the street from my flat serves approximately 20 different kinds of Italian hot chocolate; they have everything from milk chocolate, to chili chocolate, white chocolate, strawberry and lychee chocolate, and on and on. I just thought you'd all like to know the reason I will no longer be able to afford groceries in the coming months.