Dracula, Missing Hubcaps, and the Guy with the Distinctive Laugh a.k.a. Woergler Stadtfest

Yesterday, I went to Westendorf to visit friends of Rhona. Their daughter, Patricia, is 2 years older than me and is SO nice! She speaks English so that’s how we converse. She asked me a TON of questions about the US, life in Miami, my high school, my college, friends; she wanted to see pictures of everything! She asked if high school is like it in the movies, if everything always revolves around prom, if I’m from Florida why am I “not brown.” She asked about family, to see pictures of my house (instead I showed her the countless pictures of Sammy on my phone), pictures of Schloss Fuschl, what I dressed up as for Halloween, if she can visit me in Miami (I said of course! And if not Miami then at UF). Patricia asked if there are a lot of international students and how to apply to school as one because she loves Florida! She’s so nice and enthusiastic! She took me to this local ice cream place where there I found some girls from the American Music Group (from Pennsylvania). A boy I later talked to went to school with one of the girls I went to camp with. :O

We then walked to this pool/park area where her good friend Isi (pronounced like Izzy) was spending the day because of her younger brother and sister. Isi is really nice too. She asked similar questions to the ones Patricia asked, but Isi asked more about drinking. [My responses are italicized]  “So what can you drink in Florida under 21?” “Nothing.” “Really. Hm…” (pause) “So beer’s allowed but everything else isn’t?” “No, no alcohol at all. You have to be 21.” “Oh.” She asked more about the clubs I go to and have I ever drank before anyway. I said I don’t go to the clubs, as you have to be 18 and I never really felt like going once I became of age, and no I never really drank before. “Well, you’ll get drunk quick tonight!” was her reply. Izzy and Patricia, on hearing that I never went clubbing before, decided to take me to “a disco” called Mosquito. But that never happened. The plan was to go to the Woergl Stadtfest, a street party that happens once a year in the city Woergl, and go to Mosquito after. The street party was so much fun! There were tons of booths, mostly those for beer, and a few for food and trinkets. There was an awful live band playing what sounded like traditional Russian music and further down the street there was some current music. At some point early on, Patricia and I lost the 2 others we came with, Isi and her friend whose name I think is Christine. We just sat on a bench and watched the people. So many crazy drunks, rude people, and smokers. The song Sk8r Boi came on and we both started singing the lyrics! People stared but we didn’t care.

Around 11:15ish, we went out to the train station to sit in some fresh air away from the party and we saw this guy across the tracks who sat in the same position for about 30 minutes, not moving. We weren’t sure if he was beyond wasted and passed out or if he was dead. But we took a ton of pictures of him at various intervals anyway. So, so funny! He ended up being on our train back to Westendorf and we died of laughter!

While on the train back, in the next seating area, there were a group of people in about high school, and this one kid had a very distinctive laugh. Patricia described it like a light, you switch it on and off and it makes an impact. So I went over to the group, asked if they spoke English, and after I found the guy with the laugh, I gave him a high five. 

We got off the train, walked to her house, and went to sleep. I left the next day around 12 to make the 3 hour journey back. It was an amazing weekend and I hope she gets to visit Miami or UF :] THANK YOU RHONA <3