Play Date

During our time here we have taken a correspondance class through West Point that involves writing an essay a week, usually in German, on prompts that change from week-to-week. Some examples of the prompts are: What did you do this week? Go to an art museum and, in 500 words, describe your favorite painting there. What are some challenges you have faced during your time in Austria? Write a 15-page paper, in English, on how geography has affected contemporary Austrian society, etc.... --Side Note: The prompts are not just one sentence and are usually more specific, but I won't bore you.-- This week our prompt was to go to an opera, play, or classical concert and write about what we did or did not like about it. A significant amount of complaining and griping insued after reading this prompt earlier in the week, mostly because we had procrastinated and put off going to see the play and were finding it inconvient for our schedule. This prompt, however, has turned out to be my favorite thus far.

Yesterday we attended the play in Vienna. We were going to attend the Volksoper or Stattsoper (the giant and famous opera houses in Vienna), but they didn't work out, so we went to the Volkstheater instead. It worked out great and we got cheap tickets and great seats because we are students. The theater was amazingly beautiful, the walls were covered in ornate and detailed paintings and moldings. It truly felt like one of those fancy old time play houses. --Side Note: There is a good chance it was one of those fancy old time play houses.--

The play, "Herr Puntila und Sein Knecht Matti" was well done. The stage was sloped downward, and a large part of it was a circle that was able to rotate. It was a very unique set, because the only prop they used, besides bottles of alcohol, were red chairs of various sizes. The actors were all very talented and they all wore clownisch make-up (think the Joker) which gave the play a strange and somewhat dark feeling. If you are interested in the play you can go to this site to see more... http://www.volkstheater.at/home/spielplan/784/Herr+Puntila+und+sein+Knecht+Matti
--Side Note: The site is in German.--

The star of the show, Herr Puntila

It was a really nice night out, and I think another part that made it enjoyable was dressing up for it. I brought over too many clothes, especially too many dress clothes, so I jump at any chance to wear a tie or a sports coat. Anyways, I think what I learned from this prompt and experience is that I should have gone to more plays while I was here.

Chris and I all dressed up

Time is ticking away...

As I write this I have less than 9 days until I get on the plane to return to my Rockbound Highland Home. It is truly amazing how fast the time has gone, and yet it feels like I have been here forever. It is an odd sensation. Anyways, the thought of leaving Austria and returning home is bittersweet. On one hand, I love a lot of things about Austria: the food, the people, being in Europe, the Christmas markets... And on the other hand, there is a lot of things I am looking forward to and love about America: the food, the people, being in America, Christmas with friends and family. This may sound extremely brutal, but I'm also looking forward to my job next semester. I'm going to be the company XO for the Firehouse and the CO is one of my best friends in the world, Jeff Jang. I think this will be the perfect job for me, as XO is still a legitimate job (not just a position where you do nothing), but is flexible enough to keep up with what will be an extremely busy last semester at West Point. Also I get to live with a fellow Feral Cat and great friend, Dan Hewins, right across the hall from Jeff and another great friend, Kevin Dolan. I'm also really looking forward to simply be back in the Firehouse, while I am glad to have had this experience, I missed the brotherhood and I missed keeping it hot. I am truly jazzed for next semester.