The plane rides, including the transfer and the layover, were smooth and painless. So far, StudentUniverse has worked fairly well and has given me a very decently priced ticket. I called a taxi the day before. The taxi driver was waiting promptly outside the baggage claim. I accidentally ordered the taxi under the title, “Professor,” so the sign read “Professor Naren Akurati.” Worked out in my favor, because the driver legitimately believed I was a professor with a PhD. Coincidentally, my roommate, Matt, arrived at the same time. We talked for a bit, got our room key, laughed at the comically small European hostel room, and immediately left to walk around and pass some time in the lobby. Little backstory on my roommate: We met at a party at UCLA long before both of us even considered studying abroad over the summer. Then about five months later, we saw each other at the orientation meeting at UCLA, decided to room together, and now here we are. Today, our entire travel study group of 31 people all went to dinner together. It is the first meal of the trip after all. Thankfully, it was paid for by the program. Throughout the course of my first meal in Austria, I realized that the food largely consists of bland meat, but there are a few vegetarian options. Some people love it; I do not. After dinner, a few of us went to get ice cream, and that concluded the first day in Vienna. Class starts at 9 AM tomorrow. |