Greetings from Vienna!

Hello everyone! Well, I made it. I'm here in Vienna, beginning this new chapter of life after a whole lot of school. The last few weeks prior to my departure were so surreal, and just a whirlwind. I said my goodbyes in Bloomington, and then spent a few days with my family in Pittsburgh, packing for my trip. It took me about four days just to pack, trying to figure out how to bring just the bare minimum (but of course, after all that, I still feel like I brought too much!). The night before I left, my family and I had a nice, relaxing dinner at home. I took this picture at my "farewell dinner". In this photo: my dad, my mom, my brother, his new dog (!) Louie, my brother's girlfriend Jaime, and me. I left Pittsburgh the following day (Sunday), and after quite a long journey, made it to Vienna at about 12:30PM on Monday afternoon.

I was a bit nervous about finding my new Viennese family at the airport, since we only Skyped once and we never exchanged photos. After retrieving my luggage, however, I walked out and immediately noticed three blonde boys sitting in a row. I knew it had to be the Herkners! Sure enough, their mother came right over to greet me. I was so relieved to find them so quickly!