"The world is a book, and those who don't travel only read one page"

A year ago I was saying goodbye to my dad in Germany after spending 2 weeks of visiting and auditioning at music schools. After I was turned down, I settled into Vienna, not knowing where I'd be living or what I'd be doing in 3 months, one of the scariest and most unfamiliar states of mind I've ever been in. The teaching assistantship opportunity changed not only the course of my life plans, but was the start of a new chapter in life of again the unknown. I met people who opened up to me, me to them, and were from all different backgrounds. Some of them with confident plans for their future, some with none. Some goals have stayed the same, others have changes, and things that weren't as important to me before are important to me now. I can't and won't even begin to list all the things that I've learned, but I'll name a few for my own sake:

-How to have a good balance of intuition and logic, not trusting one more over the other
-How to enjoy the moment and stress less about the future
-Being ultra prepared for the future doesn't make you better. No one knows what they're doing or how they'll get there, some are just better at faking it than others.

And while I believe preparation is key to many things, the things that you can't prepare for are always the best.

I had somewhat feared this past year of losing sight of my dreams and goals and turning into a young traveling nomad hippie. Of course there's a part of me that shares that wild wanderlust of taking off traveling and literally going where the wind blows you. As easy and tempting it can be at times, I know that's not the life for a goal-oriented Capricorn like me. As Saint Augustine once said "the world is a book, and those who don't travel only read one page." In my eyes, travel is just as vital as a education, both teach one things on an entire different spectrum, which is another reason why studying abroad long-term can offer the best of both worlds. So, next year in Linz will be different because I will be both working and studying; I'll be starting classes in hopes of earning a European Bachelor degree in Education within two years, with Music and English being my two specialized subjects. Taking all classes in German will be one of the toughest things I'll be putting myself through but there is nothing to lose. Except my sanity. My heart is still set on pursuing Vocal Pedagogy as a Masters. Time will tell.

Here some last pictures of the springtime: Hiking, Aboriginal art course in Salzkammergut lake district, and attending an Austrian wedding at the Schloss Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg.