Student Posting
Emily Ortiz
Posted March 31, 2010
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It has been another wonderful two weeks here in Europe! This past week was parent’s week and my family was here! One of the things Franciscan does as a part of the study abroad program is they put on a whole week of activities for the parents of the students studying at the Kartause. So, coming to Austria is not only a great way for students to see Europe but it’s also an amazing opportunity for the parents as well. A part of the Kartause serves as a hotel and so parents can stay in the same building as their son or daughter. Throughout the week, the school takes the parents on day trips to local places of historical and religious importance. Less than an hour away from Gaming is Mariazell, the national shrine of Austria. There is also Melk, the monastery that is several hundred years old which has an extremely impressive library. In the evenings, the school hosts dinners for the parents and students and puts on different activities. On Wednesday night we had the talent show. There were a wide range of talents displayed from singing and playing the guitar to interpretive dancing to stand-up comedy and “ghetto” dancing. The best part of the whole show was the finale. Several of the students wrote a hilarious song about 
Gaming that talked about the German-speaking people, the Alps, the milka and all the little blessings of living here. It was just so much fun to hang out together as a group and I think that the parents were impressed with all the talents as well.
On Thursday, my family and I went to Mariazell, the national shrine of Austria. The Austrian empire used to extend farther and incorporated several of the eastern European countries and so this shrine was a huge place of pilgrimage for so many people throughout history. Getting there was quite an adventure though! My dad rented a car but all the cars here are manual so he had to drive this little, stick-shift car though the most windy mountain roads I have ever been on. The view was beautiful but I don’t think I have ever been that nauseous in my entire life!! When we finally got there I wanted to bend down and kiss the ground and say a huge prayer of gratitude that we made it alive. (I don’t actually think it was that bad of a drive but I like to tell my dad that it was!). The actual shrine was beautiful but so cold, a common thing you find in old European shrines. It was a spectacular day so after making a visit to the church my family and I found a small café with outdoor seating and enjoyed the majestic view of the Alps and each other’s company while sipping on espressos. It was truly picturesque.
On Friday we decided to go for a day trip to Salzburg because the evening before we had watched The Sound of Music and my family wanted to see all the different places in real life. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day there. The sun was shining and it was warm and perfect conditions for a day of leisurely sightseeing. Also, while they were here we did a lot of hiking and outdoor activities. It was so good to have them here because for the whole week they were in awe of every little detail of life in Gaming which was a wake- up call for me to remember and realize how cool it is that I get to spend a whole entire year in a 13th century monastery! Wow!
Tomorrow I’m leaving for my second International Business field trip. As part of the program, we have two field trips to international businesses to get a real hands on feel for what it is like to do business on a global scale. After this trip to Brussels, Belgium we begin our second 10 day break! I have plans to go to Greece and then to Rome for Easter, I hope they all work out!
I pray that God continues to bless you, Emily