Day Two

Saturday, Jul 17, 2010

Today was orientation, so we got to go to the College for the first time. Yesterday, we were told that the dorm is extremely conveniently located and that the College is a short 10-minute walk over a hill and into town. (They said, maybe 15 minutes if we walk really slowly.) Well...everyone in my group can attest that the College is certainly not merely a “short 10-minute walk over a small hill”. It is, at least by American standards, a hike, rather than a walk, over a mountain, rather than a hill, and takes at least 15-20 minutes (if you hike very briskly, as I do--but the vast majority of the group made it in no less than 30 minutes), rather than 10 minutes. So that commonplace exaggeration told to many by their parents, “When I was your age, had to walk to school everyday in the snow, uphill both ways!” is partly true for my group and I — we definitely walk to school uphill both ways! Thankfully, there is no snow.

Once we arrived at the College we had an orientation to the program with the program director, a few members of the voice faculty, and with the director of Salzburg College. It was held on the top floor of the College in the library, from which there are beautiful views of the city, the mountains, and of the Salzach (the river that flows through Salzburg.) The orientation was informative, for the most part, but was longer than necessary. Following the orientation we were led on an “orientation walk” around the city in order to get our bearings, which was quite useful. Salzburg is gorgeous!

That’s all for now! More tomorrow.