Semester Abroad ( leaving NOLA ... arriving in Vienna)

Leaving New Orleans for 6 months, not completely knowing if I would ever return to see my city or family, was a weird feeling, I love to look on the bright side, but sometimes I have stupid thoughts, like teriorist attacks on the Euro Cup city of Vienna, my home for the next 6 months, or getting robbed, mugged or killed. I can honestly say I was never “robbed” on this trip, well – we would have to discuss the meaning of robbed, because we were screwed over plenty of times, Romanian Taxi drivers (oh they royally stink) and other times, that we will soon discuss so lets get to it, leaving NOLA – my parents brought me to the airport and I can remember them saying good-bye plenty of times, and walking through the metal detectors and they watched as I walked out of sight, that was sad. I wore my heavy jacket on the plane, so it was hot but I just had to think, “Daniel, your going to Vienna, where its gonna be cold” (little did I know, I wore that jacket a total of 4 times the entire time I was there. Vienna was mildly temperate (can I say that??) the whole time I was there. I switched in DC, knowing that by chance there a girl from Arkansas/Missouri that had AGAIN by chance, booked the same exact flight. I sat there looking at girls (yes pops, it was appropriate) and wondering which one was Katie. Young girl, after young girl came in, but they just didn’t fit the bill (I had heard her voice on the phone, but didn’t know what she looked like) and then this gorgeous blonde with blue eyes walked in, HA – it wasn’t her. WAIT, tricked ya – it was her. She was on the phone and I could recognize her voice, she told me that the phone she was using was giver to her by a friend and that it was an expensive European phone (*^* theres a reason I'm telling you this) She was soo nice and we ate at Subway, for what seemed would be the last time, NOT – (ie: London, Barcelona) We talked like we were old friends and had a great time waiting for our plane. I can distinctly remember a crazy man walking down the corridors of the airport singing and we got a really good laugh out of that, then someone told him to shut up, that was the kicker. Then our flight was here, I grabbed my subway cup and we hustled to the gate, kate finished her drink and told me I couldn’t take mine on the plane, I told her I would sneak it on. Unexpectedly, the lady asked me for my ticket, as I fidgeted for it, I dropped my cup and Dr. Pepper went everywhere – boy did we crack up! On the plane I sat next to a chubby lady, who was nice, her husband worked in Vienna and she was going to visit him. She was a Christian and we discussed what I would do while over in Europe. (You might ask, what did you do?? Well, I became my own pastor – I read my devotional daily, even bringing it on some trips. Towards the middle of the trip I lapsed, but then when I began to travel to the most beautiful places that I had ever seen, one has to be reminded who made them beautiful. I never attended church, but I grew really close to God during my time in Europe, we had little conversations thought the days and it was a good experience) (that was a long parenthesis thing HUH). I watched “the comeback kid” with Ben Stiller, it was pretty bad, I also didn’t get a lick of sleep.