#9 What I learned

The most meaningful information I learned was probably identifying the Gothic and how it flows through our daily lives. That it is such a part of society today. It was something that has always been there, but now I know what it is and can define it. It is a resistance to authority. It is being overcome with emotion. All of those people who "just can't" are Gothic and they don't even know it. It just showed my how much I actually love the Gothic. While I still think Classic is the better way to live your life you must always keep some Gothic with you. It is about balance. Not too much of one or the other. 

I am not sure if it could have changed anything it the past. Maybe I would have just been more informed and collegiate. Maybe I could have solved problems much faster than I did without the knowledge of Gothic. Or been able to read people better. Who knows?

This new information just gives me more of an understanding of how people and society function. How me adore the Gothic. How we look to the Gothic. But we still seek the comfort of Romanticism. Gothic is to be touched but never fully enveloped. People who do completely embrace either can be unstable and biased. 

I feel like now that this thing that lingers in our culture has been defined I can think more critically about it and its influence on our everyday lives. How we react to empire and power. How we seek emotion and feeling and how in modern literature and movies. The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent, The Maze Runner. All of these have many similarities that we love and we love these stories and we don't even understand that what we love about them is the Gothic. 

The identification of Gothic in our daily lives has given me a better world view and how and why people rebel against the empire that we all live in. 

Visual Essay Photos

#8 Getting that knowlage, knowlage.

New knowledge is just a lot about culture, society, and psychology. About how today's society is obsessed with the Gothic and the rebellion against empire. Also it is great just to learn about the Austrian Empire because it is something that is not largely studied in America. So I loved learning about the Franz's and Sisi. As well as touring the houses and learning that being royalty actually kinda sucked and most of them were inbred crazies. 

It a different style of learning because we are engrossed in the culture and the places we are learning about. Which is amazing. To be able to see exactly how they lived. It is so much more interesting than just trying to comprehend the concepts from readings only. 

My most important new knowledge I have learned on this trip is mostly social ones. People are crazy. Especially drunk people. And they make dumb decisions. And I've learned that I can actually be sort of organized and together sometimes. But from the classes I have learned what Gothic is and does. And why it was created in such contrast to the Empire. 

#7 Y'all got some attitude.

Attitudes that I have noticed is rudeness. Especially in Prague in Vienna and mostly from cashiers. Like. A couple of times they dug through my wallet to try and find exact change. It was a really odd experience and I'm not sure how I feel about it. The worst I think was the Asian tourists. Elbows, selfie sticks, and the masses. It was overwhelming. And they had no concept of waiting. They just push and shove and elbow me in the gut. Selfie sticks to the fave. Overall not a good time.

Assumptions were that I might have to deal with the cultural differences with the locals. But really it was only between the Asians and a few Australians that I befriended. So I was completely wrong. 

Insights are that the locals flee the area during peak tourist season. That's when the Asian immigration happens. And they're everywhere. It also let me learn about how China, Japan, Vietnam, or other countries may be if I ever thought about going there.