Farewell Austria!

With the most of the students now departed for their return to the USA, I thought we needed to jump to a farewell post -- and Trish has come through for us yet again!

A blog post by Trish Irvine, Spring 2010

A couple weeks ago I was ready to go home and see my family. I was glad for the experiences I had here and I loved this semester, but I was ready to share my experiences with my family and plant my feet on some (flat) South Dakota soil. Now, my feelings are slightly more complicated. While I still want to see home, I am beginning to understand everything that I will be leaving. Even if I return to Austria, I can never return to the present—to this time, in this place, with these people, at this stage in my life. If I did someday return to Gaming, which I hope to, it will be a different Gaming. So much of my experience is tied up with the people I traveled with nearly as much as the places I saw. I didn’t see the Europe that many people go to see. I saw Europe on a budget, staying in hostels, riding on ridiculous “overnight” trains with multiple changes in the middle of the night, visiting churches, shrines, and holy places. That Europe is the Europe that I will remember from this semester, and it is a beautiful Europe.

The other day at Mass the song line “He gives and takes away” struck me as extremely true. After being ready to go home, I soon realized everything I would be giving up and I began to wish I could stay for longer. Yet this semester is a gift and I shouldn’t be unwilling to let it end. Rather, I decided to savor the last few days and do what I had previously procrastinated. I hiked up Book Mountain to watch the sunrise. The view was wonderful and I couldn’t help but be in awe as the pink-orange sun rose in the sky surrounded by the peaks of mountains, green and lofty. Words fail. There is a type of gazing that is in itself a prayer, and this was how I was viewing the landscape. We walked down the mountain and had breakfast. I felt very accomplished that I had been awake for four hours by the time I ate breakfast.

The Easter Ball was a great experience—being able to dress up in traditional Austrian wear, sample to finest the Mensa has to offer, watch the Austrian slap dancers perform, and dance to traditional and modern music. One of my favorite parts of the evening was being taught how to dance some Austrian dances. The ballroom was in chaos as we ‘galloped’ across the floor, probably looking ridiculous in our façade of Austrian wear. Yet it was extremely fun chaos. The Austrian slap dancers were a nice entertainment between dancing lessons. Overall, the night was wonderful although the only taint was the knowledge that the next day was the last day in Gaming.

The next morning I went to the waterfall. It was a nice walk/hike and a good way to spend the last morning of my Austrian experience. After the trip a couple of us jumped into the creek. The water was cold but not bitterly. My attempts to soak up the last moments in Gaming were working but made me desire longer in this place of beauty.
There are definitely things that I will miss about Gaming. I will miss my classes. I feel like I learned so much this semester and the professors were wonderful. They were the type of classes where the material interested me and that facilitated my learning. I will miss Ministry to Moms. That was one of the most beautiful things about this semester—going into a family’s home and helping in whatever little way I could. I was blessed enough to be able to help two families and they both showed me ways to be Christ-like. The only ‘inside’ experience I have had of a family is my own and that is skewed by my personal attachment. But these families are growing in sanctity and I was honored to be able to witness it. One evening I ate supper with a family and then stayed and watched the comedian Brian Regan’s performance on DVD. It was a taste of home and family in the midst of school and friends. Being welcomed into another family was a wonderful and humbling experience.

I will miss living in the Kartause and the Kartause community. I love that at noon, the community pauses for Mass—professors, students, faculty, and families alike. It shows what is truly important in life and that everything can still get done even when taking time out to receive Jesus. I will miss the intense snowball fights and banter that is shared between some of the children and the students. I will miss the small group of students here and how well you get to know people. I will miss music ministry and being able to offer something for the Mass. I will also miss my job—writing about my wonderful experiences for a virtual community is definitely one of my favorite jobs.

There is so much about this place and these people that I will miss. But it is because I had such a beautiful experience that I will miss it so much. In that case, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have no doubt, however, that with as richly as God has blessed me this semester He will continue to do so as I return home. I ask for your prayers this summer as I return home and then begin my job in later May as part of the Totus Tuus program in the Sioux Falls, SD diocese. All that I have experienced here in Austria will be aiding me as I encounter Christ in children and adults alike. Thank you for the opportunity to share my Austrian experiences with you. May the Lord bless you and continue to guide you closer to Christ. Auf wiedersehen, Osterreich, you will be deeply missed.