Hallo from Bregenz, Austria! These past 24 hours have been a complete whirlwind and a rush but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! From the very second I took a step into the airport on Wednesday morning I haven’t wiped a smile off of my face, well maybe only a couple of times! Maybe why I was smiling was because my luggage came in under 50 pounds, which is a miracle in and of itself. As I said my last goodbye to my mom things started to become even more real, the tears only lasted a short time before we were being herded into security. Once we finally sat down and relaxed for a little bit we were informed our flight to Philadelphia had been delayed from 1:30 now to 3:20 and we had to be ready to board the plane to Zurich by 5:45 pm in Philadelphia. Luckily, our flight out of CVG was a quick one and we were in Philadelphia with plenty of time to spare – I even had enough time to buy my last 3 American made Diet Cokes until I return! As we started boarding the plane to Zurich I started to get a little anxious but then my excitement kicked in because I was about to embark on one of the most amazing trips and experiences of my lifetime. After waiting on the runway for 45 minutes we finally departed for Zurich and I couldn’t wait to get there! After starting to watch the movie, we were served dinner and it was pretty good for airplane food but shortly after eating I passed out because I was exhausted. The next thing I can remember is one of my peers tapping me on the shoulder to say that they were serving breakfast and drinks – I had slept through almost the whole flight! But, FINALLY, I was in Zurich, Switzerland!! As we all collected our items from baggage claim, we were met by our excited directors – who had gotten more sleep last night then we had had in two nights! They were full of energy but it helped make the exhausted feeling go away a little bit. Next, we boarded the bus to head to our destination of Bregenz, Austria. This place is GORGEOUS?! The lake, the old historic buildings, the shops, the people, it all took my breath away. After arrival they rushed us quickly to drop off our things at our new homes – Frau Monika – is who I am staying with and she was impressed that I could pick my own heavy suitcase up! The next stop was to begin the scavenger hunt, which would take us to some of the most important places in the city – the Lake, the train station, the Bank and most importantly the Studienzentrum which is where I will be taking my classes. After the scavenger hunt, we made it to our first actual meal in Austria – pasta – which I don’t think is very German but it was delicious! After dinner, my roommate and I both decided it was for the best to head back home so we could get a good nights rest because we have a busy day tomorrow! Anyways, my host Mom just came in to check on me and when I wanted breakfast to be ready in the morning, life is good here in Bregenz and I can’t wait to see what is all going to happen during the next 32 days! Guten nacht (Goodnight) from Austria, I will check in with you all again soon!