Jet lag stinks!

Since I have never been outside of the United States, I didn't really know what to expect when it comes to jet lag. I have to say that getting one's body on a new clock is kind of a weird experience. Anyone that knows me very well, knows that I don't handle no sleep. I had to force myself to stay awake yesterday and go to bed Austrian time. After spending the day getting to know the city, registering at the Mozarteum, and buying groceries, I could only make it to 7pm Austrian time before I hit the pillow hard. I woke up at 2am only to realize I should still be sleeping! Now if I can just get used to the new mattress, that will be great!

Also, when I realized that most everyone speaks mostly German it was a bit of a culture shock. I'm kind of regretting that I didn't find more time to study the language. It's really weird when you walk through a crowd saying "Excuse Me" in English and everyone looks at you with a totally blank stare. I'm sure I'll catch on to more of the basics as time goes on. I'm a person who thrives on connecting with people so this will be tough at first.

I feel a little better this evening (24hrs. later). We made sure to get out and about to see a few things before the real work begins on Monday. Today we hiked up to the Festung Hohensalzburg which is the big fortress on the hill above the city. It was quite a hike bu

t it felt good to get some exercise in. We also found a cute little cafe on the cliffs near the fortress called, Gasthaus Stadtalm. The food was delicious and very authentic. While I enjoyed some wonderful Weinerschnitzel, Rob tried not to get stung. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the bee on the rim of Rob's glass of water. It was getting too friendly with our food so I killed it with our Rick Steves' travel guide.(I'll have to clean off the guts before I return it to the library, oops!) I don't think Rick will mind as it was a cafe Rick Steves himself recommended.

We just discovered that there are practice rooms in the basement of our student housing complex. No piano, but a place to rehearse and vocalize nonetheless. I was co

ncerned that we wouldn't get to rehearse much before the Audition on Monday. We have to audition for the masterclass for the professor to decide whether we will be active participants or not. If we are deemed worthy to actively participate, then we are authorized to purchase practice room time in the Mozarteum facility.

I'm kind of anxious for Monday. I'm hoping all goes well