My last week..

I am writing this on a Sunday evening in Vienna..
which happens to be my very last Sunday in Vienna, which followed my very last weekend in Vienna..
and is the beginning of my very last week in Vienna.

Wow, it's really as they say -- time flies when you're having fun! I can't believe it's been 4.5 months since I first sat there blogging my very first post in the Toronto airport. Although my blogs have not always been the most regular (sorry!), looking back certainly aids in remembering some of the great times I've had over on this side of the pond. And I really can't imagine having it any other way! I'd like to think I've grown as a person..become more independent, perhaps more "worldly" or "cultured". I've definitely had some awesome trips and gone to some pretty unique and interesting places. And perhaps most importantly I've made some pretty amazing friends. Kind of neat to think that in the future when I'm travelling, I'll have a bed to sleep in in (nearly) any and every country.

So what's in store for my last week?
Tomorrow marks my very last official day of school at BOKU University for Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, and I'll really be ending it on a good note -- I will be going on a field trip to a National Park and partaking in (what else but) some traditional Austrian hiking. The course is actually based on Eco-tourism so I can imagine the teacher will be offering us some pretty interesting information about National Parks and tourism in Austria.

Tuesday I have to move out of my dormitory, and so the dreaded packing has already begun. (It's really not so bad, apparently I'm not much of a pack-rat!) Throughout the day I'll have a lot of adminstrative-type errands to run including de-registering from my school and the city, however in the evening my host sister Barbara from Germany will be arriving to spend my last few days in Vienna with me! We are staying with a friend of her's who generously offered to host us so that we don't have to stay in a hostel. It'll be so lovely to spend my last few days with such a great friend, especially considering that a lot of my exchange student friends have already gone home, or will be going home the 30th at the end of their leases. There's also a lot in Vienna that I'd still like to see, so cross your fingers for nice weather for us! (The weather in Vienna this summer has been very unpredictable, and especially very rainy, yuck.)

In less than one week's time, I'll return to the life I've always known in Canada, surrounded by my family and friends I know and love, but I can honestly say a little piece of my heart will be left in Vienna, and I'm already getting excited about my return..whenever that might be!
As they say...Vienna waits for you ;).