English Composition after Returning from Europe

During spring break 1988, I went with other students and parents and my German teacher to four German-speaking countries: Austria, West Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. The following is part of a series of travel journal excerpts.

Keep in mind: a teenager wrote this. I’m not the same person as I was back then and don’t have quite the same writing style.

A statue in Vienna (My photography skills have greatly improved since 1988.)

April 1988

Four-Part Composition

(English class assignment after returning from Europe)

From the time I left O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, to the time I arrived at the Vienna airport, I was beginning to think that perhaps foreign travel isn’t the abundance of enjoyment I had expected it to be. However, this feeling dissipated entirely by mid-morning of our first full day in Vienna.

We stayed at O’Hare for a couple of hours. “We” refers to Herr Heinold, my German teacher; the (extremely patient) woman married to him; numerous other students; and the parents of most of those students. Our flight was delayed about an hour. When we were finally in the flying airplane, I panicked. It had been about five years since I last flew, but it’s amazing I didn’t remember the earache and stomachaches involved. [The stomachache was probably anxiety-related. I’m not sure the word…