Stepping Off The Plane

It has officially been two whole weeks since landing in Vienna and I have wasted no time in getting going. I arrived on August 6th and after a few less than ideal travel moments I was ready to hit the ground running. And while Billy Joel tells us to slow down because "Vienna waits for you", after one and a half years I was ready to be done waiting for Vienna.

My entrance into my new chapter was not some over the top celebration but rather a quiet step into what would eventually be my "regular" life. Life did not pause, daily routines went on, and all I needed to do was step off the plane. Almost as if this move was the only logical next step for me and I simply needed to trust the process, which for someone who likes to be in control this can be extremely difficult.

My first few days in town consisted of a Disney themed pub quiz... or better known to my American folks as a trivia night, a few drinks at a brewery, new house projects (that is a story in and of itself), and dinner with new friends. All things that provided a little glimpse into what my new life could and will look like.

Now, that is not to say the transition to my life in a new country has been easy. Moving rarely is, even if you have done it as many times I have. Take all of the difficult parts of a move; establishing routines, finding a community, learning to navigate your new local grocery store with your eyes closed and add a new language, culture, and a German keyboard to the mix. Suddenly normal everyday things feel just a tad bit harder. The usual comforts of home and how you understand things to be are suddenly flipped on their head. If you are like me, that both excites and terrifies you.

I only had a few days to try and get settled in Vienna before my partner, Nici, and I were off to Linz- the capital of Upper Austria for 12 days. Nici travels quite a bit for work and I have been fortunate enough to join him on this business trip. So, for the last 10 days I have been exploring and getting comfortable with the city of Linz (stay tuned because my next post is all about what I've been up to here). Naturally, this time has included practicing my German, new cultural lessons, eating at the same Korean restaurant three times (yes, it really is that good), and conquering jet lag, obviously.

This post is just the beginning and I am excited to dive further into it all in my next posts. But before I go, here are a few of my biggest takeaways. I am slowly falling in love with Austrian café culture. As someone who loves spending her free time reading, journaling, and meeting friends at coffee shops, the café world is lovely. I am in awe of how many bakeries line every single street here (and, no, I am not exaggerating), Austrians really know their baked goods. There is so much history here, sometimes it is hard to comprehend how one can be standing right in the middle of all of it. Lastly, this international move is going to challenge me and change me in ways I cannot even imagine. And I eagerly look forward to meeting the person I will become.

As mentioned above, if you want to know more about the city of Linz and all of my adventures here, next week's post will have all of the lovely details. But for now, happy reading!

♡Liv

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