VIII. Selbstständigkeit

Choir rehearsal this evening. We practiced for an hour, then had a farewell party for one of the tenors. That's the thing about Christ Church's congregation; very few of them are permanent residents of the city, so it's hard to build a lasting community. (I must add here that the stereotype that Anglicans are fond of drink is altogether true. But they're lovely people nonetheless.) Walking home I had, for the first time, some sense of what it would be like living in Vienna on my own, getting to appointments and rehearsals and the like. It would be very rewarding, I think. I've been quite coddled by the whole experience of living with 38 other Americans, and it's prevented me from experiencing the city as I would otherwise. (Mind you, it's necessary to have friends in Vienna, as the citizenry will never be warm here. Polite, yes, always, but never warm. It's an important distinction.) To live in Vienna as an independent individual would be challenging, of course, but eventually learning to do so would be worth it. Even now, having been here only seven weeks, it's rewarding to reflect on how much I've learned: what sort of Schnitzel to order, which tram line goes where, which churches have the best music, how not to offend waiters. It doesn't feel like home yet, but it could.