I brought Keroauc’s “Satori in Paris” with me to Vienna because I thought it might kickstart my inner adventurer to get out there and conquer everything. However, truthfully, being abroad and somewhere new can be overwhelming—which is why I’ve been focused on my “small victories” lately.
By “small victories” I mean things that ordinarily might not pose any difficulty but abroad might seem harder. Keeping them in minds provides a confidence boost and reason to celebrate oneself a little. Below are my small victories thus far...
1) Being able to give someone directions and correctly for that matter. Granted, they were already in the right building and only needed to go up one flight of stairs to get to the doctor’s office they were looking for, but I still understood what they were talking about. I’m going to count it.
2) Going to a bar alone and talking to strangers. From a group of friends I joined, I not only learned how to correctly pronounce the beer I was drinking for the next time I ordered, but I also got the skinny on the neighborhood from some locals. In exchange, they got to learn about what they wanted to know about Los Angeles—Guitar Center.
3) Making it safely from Point A (my apartment) to Point B (the University) on my bike without falling off and only getting lost twice. To the majority of the population, this probably does not sound like something that needs to be celebrated at all but I, in fact, am terrified of biking. Once on a bike I immediately feel all wobbly (and definitely look wobbly too), embarrassed, and altogether uncool. Europeans have this ease about them on a bike, something I’m hoping acquire to while I’m here.
4) Aimlessly wondering and stumbling upon outdoor organic market outside of the Museum Quartier. Strong smells of coffee beckoned me to a particular booth, and I couldn’t resist ordering a mélange. Coffee in hand, just outside the market I noticed a small crowd had gathered watching a group of guys jump and flip from park benches. I learned they were traceurs practicing parkour and promoting their clothing line from a girl passing out information. Parkour is defined as “a physical discipline which focuses on efficient movement around obstacles.” It’s something I had never heard of but was certainly amazing to watch.
Oh, life's small victories. A successful day in seeing both Vienna’s past and present.