Community

Today I found something. I found my sense of community. I have my community of “Americans” through my program, but back home had this extra sort of community. My religious community. And today I found it. I got up this morning, thinking that I would just go to church and that would be it. Boy was I wrong.

I searched for English masses this morning. I went to a German one, and it was fine. Just fine. It couldn’t connect to what they were saying. I had no idea. Figuring I could get more out of an English mass, I searched and I found one. I went to St. Francis of Assisi. Mass was great. I have never felt more welcomed. The priest walked around before the mass and said hello to every face he didn’t recognize. After the mass, he even told the congregation to talk to someone they didn’t recognize and build community. It was nice because obviously many of the people at the church were foreigners. All of us were displaced from where we originally came from.

Right after mass the woman next to me, Amanda, began to talk to me. She is from Scotland and has been living in Vienna for 6 ½ years. She told me about the parish, and how they just “rent” out St. Francis for masses. They even have religious education. I met quite a few Americans, so older and some my age, who were studying in Vienna.  I felt at home. My sense of community is now restored. It is nice meeting new people as well. I will continue to go there and be able to actually get something out of the mass.

Another sense of home that I have found today is… Starbucks: my new study place away from home. I just need the distractions taken away, so why not go to a place where you know no one. Usually they have Internet, but not today. This is probably for the best. Supposed to be reading some dense material about the Hapsburg monarchy that ruled Austria and Hungary until 1918.