PSU Magazine Spring 2003

Michaelangelo Aust '02 shares his summer vacation in Europe, and his first weeks in graduate school. W hat's it like to be twenty-some– thing with a bachelor's degree in hand and headed off for a European vacation before grad schooP If you're like me-decades beyond 20 and that care– free travel mode of youth- you don't remember or maybe never even knew. That's why I felt privileged to be on Michaelangelo "Michael" Aust's email list as he caught a plane for Europe, made strangers into friends, took a bus to Toledo, Spain, made strangers into friends, entertained children in a town square, made strangers into friends , got settled at Marquette University for his first year of dental school, and, of course, made strangers into friends. Outgoing and 24, Michael is a natural writer and as fun in person as his emails suggest- Kathryn Kirkland, editor These local children in Toledo, Spain, kept Michael drawing tattoos on their arms until dark. June 13 It's a little after 1:30 a.m. and I'm still packing. I did a little test run with my backpack the other day, and it was heavy So I ditched some stuff, added some more, and now ... it's heavier. It is the PowerBars and meal supplements, so it will get lighter as I go along. I wanted to thank everybody who stopped by and called tonight-that was cool. My travel plans look a little like this: Spain, France , Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. (Editor's note: Michael also ended up visiting the Czech Republic and Monaco.) I'm going to hit the big cities, and then try to hitch to the small towns. I'll send an email within the first day or two of when I land. Michael met up with a PSU friend in Madrid and together they went to the bullfights. June 14 First off, Dramaine you are my hero. I stayed up all night, and Dramaine came over at 6:30 a.m. to see me off on his way to the library to study for a final. We got to talking about my flight time, and he asked when I was to leave. I thought the flight left at 9:30 a.m., but when I looked it turned out that it left at 8 a.m. At 6:40 I had fin– ished packing, taken a shower, and was out the door in Dramaine's car. Fifteen minutes later I jumped out at the airport, "accidentally" checked in in the first class line, and was at the gate an hour early. I met a guy named John who is a physicist and engineer. Great guy, builds Harleys, has lots of tattoos. Thanks for the beer, John! I got to Dusseldorf, Germany, at about 8 a.m. my time. The guy I sat next to was from Germany and con– vinced me to walk downtown on my