Riding around town

The public transportation system is so freaking good here. I thought we had it good in Portland, which we do, but it is even better here. The buses run more often during the day, rather than getting to school half an hour early or a minute too late like back home I can catch a bus that that gets me to school about 5-10 minutes early. And you can take a bus into the city or out of it until like two thirty in the morning. Not only are the timings really good but you can take a bus or a straßenbahn anywhere in Graz pretty much. and they're much cleaner than the buses in Portland. overall I am thoroughly impressed. 

Smaller Proportions

The grocery stores are so small here. I miss me a Fred Meyer or New Seasons. Even their "big" stores are really small. I tried to buy brown sugar and vanilla extract today to make chocolate chip cookies but the store didn't have any! And they close super early. By seven pretty much everything this closed and on Sundays nothing even opens. I still definitely need to get used to not being able to go buy something when ever I want. 

Smokey clouds

They smoke a lot here. Most public places allow smoking so wherever you are; walking down the street, at the bus stop, a café or restaurant you can always get yourself a good whiff of second hand smoke. And I’m still not used to the smoking age here. I’ll be out on the street or at a restaurant and I notice someone, who looks about my age, puffing away on a cigarette. And I have to do a double take. “WHAT! He’s doing that in public. Someone’s gonna notice him…..OOhhhhhh. Right.” 

It's a Rainbow

One thing I am pleasantly surprised about is the amount of diversity here in Graz. Before I came I had this picture in my mind of all the people in Austria being white. Which there is definitely a majority of. But so far I've seen Asians, Indians, Africans and Latin Americans and there is a population of Russians, Ukrainians, and more ethnic backgrounds from the surrounding countries in Europe I'm sure but Honestly I have no idea.  

I was really nervous that I was going to stick out being Asian, but its interesting how many different ethnic backgrounds there are here, and I really like it. I can actually fool people for a short time at least that I'm not an ausslander, until I open my mouth.

In the Inner City

looking down the street 

A view of the main platz and the some of the surrounding shops

Quick! find cover from the the two minute rainstorm