I want to wish you Happy Holidays, and as they say over here in Germany a good slide into the New Year.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Merry Christmas!
I want to wish you Happy Holidays, and as they say over here in Germany a good slide into the New Year.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Peru!
Someone from Peru looked at my blog. Is that strange that I am excited about that? I'm kind of obsessively looking at my new flag counter on my blog. It makes me feel all multinational and therefore cool. Yes I do have a life. I promise.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
New look, same old blog
So today I attempted to reformat my blog. I have never learned how to use HTML so I am using a template. If you think it looks ugly, or have suggestions for me please tell me. I could have spent probably a lot more time messing around with it, but I wanted to update before I headed to bed.
Katherine visited me last week, and we had good times. It was great to catch up with her. It was weird to think we hadn't seen each other since she waved goodbye at the Freiburg train station three years ago. We adventured quite a bit, and I will have to steal Katherine's pictures since I didn't bring my camera.
Highlights:
Eating a three course meal of pumpkin soup, Käsknodle (baked cheese dumplings) with pumpkin sauerkraut, and finished off with Topfenknodle....I don't know how to translate that. Topfen is the Austrian word for quark which is like ricotta cheese ish. So a sweet ricotta cheese ball thing filled with apricot rolled in bread crumbs. Hmm... maybe food writer isn't in my future. Damn, cause I really do like to eat food, and getting paid to do it would be sweet.
Taking a short digesting walk, that was up to the castle which is a very small mountain or steep hill, and ended at Augistiner Brau one of the local brewery.
Heading to Bad Ischl, and despite the top of the mountain being encased in a cloud taking the cable car up to the top of Katrina. We couldn't see anything, which makes it quite a bit scarier when you have steep cliffs on either side of us that disappear into gray. Some how Katherine and I have a history of hiking in snow in sneakers and (knock on wood) not dying. (Yes I did really knock on wood)
Cake in Zauner cafe.
Spending three days in Vienna with Amanda, Alison, and Angela.
Turkish food in Vienna.
Doing a scavenger hunt made by Alison and Amanda in Vienna's cemetery. Teaching one of the other TAs Hummer, the word for Lobster.
Dressing up as Your Mom, going bowling and our group being one of the only guest who didn't know the bar staff at a Halloween bar.
Breakfast/lunch that cost 5 euros with coffee and filled me up with much yumminess.
Cake in the cafe at Hunderwasser Haus. Trying to understand the many different types of coffee.
Convincing Angela to stay an extra night so that we could watch The Cutting Edge.
Katherine and I cooking a tomato sauce with peas. It was yummy.
The next morning Katherine and I split ways. She headed to Bratislava and I headed home. Angela and I caught the same train, and I got to play some cards.
Then I had overall a good week of teaching. I did struggle some with a lesson about British English vs. American English. For me accents and dialects are connected with stereotypes, but this idea didn't fly with my students. I got a lot of blank stares. Side note watch Amy Walker 21 accents, and use the skit “who's on first” from Abbott and Costello.
Friday night I got to meet some more of the Salzburger Couch Surfers. It was quite fun.
Saturday night I had frozen pizza for dinner and then headed to a costume party. I felt like a college student, minus the going to class/studying etc. The theme of the party was go as what you wanted to be when you grew up. I couldn't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am pretty sure I didn't want to grow up, and well at 24 still don't know what I want to be. Hmm.... So I decided to be a surfer/kayaker/rafter/water rat/beach bum. Sorry yet again no picture. I just wore my rafting clothes, a wood bead necklace, shell earrings, my towel around my neck, was bear foot, (the Germans/Austrians worried that I was going to catch a cold. They always wear slippers inside). and talked...you know...slow... with lots of hand gestures...dude you have to...experience the world....and be calm dude...and don't let things get to you, man.... I was very proud of myself that I could pull this off in German. I am fluent enough to imitate a surfer.
Today I slept in, cleaned, enjoyed not being in college and having to study, and generally took the day off. For next week I don't have much that I need to prep. Life is treating me pretty good...dude...
As always an overlong post, and I'm proud of you if you made it through it.
Katherine visited me last week, and we had good times. It was great to catch up with her. It was weird to think we hadn't seen each other since she waved goodbye at the Freiburg train station three years ago. We adventured quite a bit, and I will have to steal Katherine's pictures since I didn't bring my camera.
Highlights:
Eating a three course meal of pumpkin soup, Käsknodle (baked cheese dumplings) with pumpkin sauerkraut, and finished off with Topfenknodle....I don't know how to translate that. Topfen is the Austrian word for quark which is like ricotta cheese ish. So a sweet ricotta cheese ball thing filled with apricot rolled in bread crumbs. Hmm... maybe food writer isn't in my future. Damn, cause I really do like to eat food, and getting paid to do it would be sweet.
Taking a short digesting walk, that was up to the castle which is a very small mountain or steep hill, and ended at Augistiner Brau one of the local brewery.
Heading to Bad Ischl, and despite the top of the mountain being encased in a cloud taking the cable car up to the top of Katrina. We couldn't see anything, which makes it quite a bit scarier when you have steep cliffs on either side of us that disappear into gray. Some how Katherine and I have a history of hiking in snow in sneakers and (knock on wood) not dying. (Yes I did really knock on wood)
Cake in Zauner cafe.
Spending three days in Vienna with Amanda, Alison, and Angela.
Turkish food in Vienna.
Doing a scavenger hunt made by Alison and Amanda in Vienna's cemetery. Teaching one of the other TAs Hummer, the word for Lobster.
Dressing up as Your Mom, going bowling and our group being one of the only guest who didn't know the bar staff at a Halloween bar.
Breakfast/lunch that cost 5 euros with coffee and filled me up with much yumminess.
Cake in the cafe at Hunderwasser Haus. Trying to understand the many different types of coffee.
Convincing Angela to stay an extra night so that we could watch The Cutting Edge.
Katherine and I cooking a tomato sauce with peas. It was yummy.
The next morning Katherine and I split ways. She headed to Bratislava and I headed home. Angela and I caught the same train, and I got to play some cards.
Then I had overall a good week of teaching. I did struggle some with a lesson about British English vs. American English. For me accents and dialects are connected with stereotypes, but this idea didn't fly with my students. I got a lot of blank stares. Side note watch Amy Walker 21 accents, and use the skit “who's on first” from Abbott and Costello.
Friday night I got to meet some more of the Salzburger Couch Surfers. It was quite fun.
Saturday night I had frozen pizza for dinner and then headed to a costume party. I felt like a college student, minus the going to class/studying etc. The theme of the party was go as what you wanted to be when you grew up. I couldn't remember what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am pretty sure I didn't want to grow up, and well at 24 still don't know what I want to be. Hmm.... So I decided to be a surfer/kayaker/rafter/water rat/beach bum. Sorry yet again no picture. I just wore my rafting clothes, a wood bead necklace, shell earrings, my towel around my neck, was bear foot, (the Germans/Austrians worried that I was going to catch a cold. They always wear slippers inside). and talked...you know...slow... with lots of hand gestures...dude you have to...experience the world....and be calm dude...and don't let things get to you, man.... I was very proud of myself that I could pull this off in German. I am fluent enough to imitate a surfer.
Today I slept in, cleaned, enjoyed not being in college and having to study, and generally took the day off. For next week I don't have much that I need to prep. Life is treating me pretty good...dude...
As always an overlong post, and I'm proud of you if you made it through it.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
I update!
In case anyone was still wondering I am in fact alive, well, and in Austria again. I spent the summer in Maine working at Seaspray Kayaking doing just about everything you can think of involving kayaking, moving kayaks, teaching kayaking, etc. My big accomplishment is I can now drive a trailer. Yup I'm damn proud of that. I also got my white water rafting guides license in June. I worked for Three River Rafting, and did not kill anyone. It was pretty exciting. One of the high lights of my summer was taking my parents and brother down the river. I got to yell at my them, but my Dad says he couldn't hear me. He blames me since apparently I am known for screaming a lot when Curt hits me, and over the years he's learned to tune out that frequency. I say he just is deaf. So it overall was a good summer filled with much working, but fun working. I did not make millions, but I did buy a life jacket. It is my baby. Most of you wouldn't understand. I tried to make a case to bring it with me to the Austria Alps in the winter...skiing with a life jacket though warm might not be the classiest of things to do.
So at the end of September I made my way back across the Ocean. I decided to visit some friends in New York City and then fly out of there. My mom drove me down and she visited with Susan and Kinne. I learned that I don't like driving near New York City. They pass you on the right even if you are about to get out of the fast lane. But again I did not kill us. I then got to see Dee Dee from Ithaca in Time Square and the 3 floor M&M shop. I was amazed that one can fill 3 floors with M&Ms, but they do it. It was great to see Dee Dee. It made me miss the MathHelpRoom. Dee Dee is amazing, and I love hearing about her experiences teaching in NYC. I then met up with Angela from Bike and Build and wandered around Brooklyn, which I am finally understanding is not the same as the Bronx. I even admit I could live in Brooklyn, but not Manhatten. Final day I crashed at my friend Kelly from study abroad Freiburg and we went Kayaking on the Hudson. Yup I spent all summer kayaking, and then got my last trip in on sit on top doubles in a small enclosed area between two peers. It was free, and pretty sweet. (Side note: I hate sit on tops normally, because I am usually trying to get somewhere on them against the wind with a kid who can't paddle sitting in the front, and towing two more sot doubles behind me, but if you have no where to go they are pretty sweet minus the fact that you end up with a very wet butt.)
Then I hoped on a plane, and flew over to Munich. It was a bit of triple culture shock, Maine->NYC->Munich during Oktoberfest. I did not end up going to Oktoberfest, but Munich is invaded by people in Dirndls and Lederhosen who are very drunk. My friend Linda picked me up from the airport in her new VW bus. I have friends buying cars. I must be getting old. I then finally made it to my destination Salzburg. I am doing the same job as an English Teaching Assistant, but I have moved schools. I teach at the HAK2 in Salzburg, and the HBLA in Ried am St. Wolfgang. Ried am St. Wolfgang is about an hour from Salzburg by car. Luckily I only teach there one day a week, and my teacher has organized it so I get a ride there and back. It took a bit for me to get a schedule organized and I ended up having a lot of free time at first. I decided that I would not do very well not having a job. I can not easily amuse myself, but practically all my pictures from last year are online here. Thing have since then picked up, and I have started teaching. Currently most of my lessons are about me, Maine, and attempting to get my students to ask my questions. It is interesting what they ask. I am 24 and my hobbies are most things ending in -ing that can be done outside. No I don't have a boy friend. I don't know which I like better living in the USA or Austria, and have not meet any famous US people. Austrian food is a lot of meat, but I do love cake. Yes it is hard to live so far from my parents, but thanks to the internet I can talk to them often on skype. It has made me realize that I have lived now 4 of the last 7 years abroad. Not your typical American or Austrian, and my favorite color is purple. Today I got to do a lesson on Money Slang. I spent way to long preping it because I it was fun to look up different slang words. I am now going to use the word Cheddar for having money. I asked my students to give my German slang for money words, and was proud to know “Mäuse“ plural for mouse means the same as bucks in American English. My teacher had never heard this term, but I had!
Because I am only at St. Wolfgang once a week I have a three day work week. Yup I have more time off, then I work. I must say I prefer working 52 hrs a month instead of a week like I did this summer. I am pretty psyched to live in Salzburg, because I have been finding many a thing to keep me entertained. I am learning to climb, met up with the other TAs, baked pies, been invited over to a friend of a friend for coffee, started running again, go to free heavy metal jazz accordion concerts.... So overall I don't have much to complain about. I mean I still am a master of complaining. I have to get up at 5:30....one day a week. Yeah I don't really get sympathy from anyone.
Tomorrow my friend Katherine who is a nanny in Freiburg this year is visiting on her way to somewhere. I'm pretty excited. We will the be headed to Vienna, or Wien to celebrate HalloWien with Amanda and Alison who both studied in Freiburg with me and are now TAs in Vienna.
So life is good, and I hope you my one reader are doing well. I tried to keep it short and sweet, but I have 6 months to catch up on. Maybe I'll do gooder this year, but I can't promise anything.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monthlyish update written in May published in Nov
So April came and went. Happy May day to everyone. I spent it doing some serious spring cleaning. You are now invited to come over. Ok I do still have a ring of papers that I am organizing on my floor. It is amazing how much paper I collect.
As usual lots has happened in a month. I survived my half marathon. Here is a picture of me at the finish. I had fun doing the race, and it was great to have my former floor mates Regina, Matis, and Georg cheer me on. This is at the finish. They tried to pass me. I didn't let them. My legs were oh so unhappy with me later. Although after two days me and stairs were no longer in a fight. I am a bad person and barrowed this picture from
So after the Marathon I headed back to Bad Ischl for a week, and then two of my friends from Maine visited me over Easter break. We hit up Munich, Murnau, Innsbruck, Bad Ischl, Salzburg, Venice, Murano in a week. We had lots of adventures.
As usual lots has happened in a month. I survived my half marathon. Here is a picture of me at the finish. I had fun doing the race, and it was great to have my former floor mates Regina, Matis, and Georg cheer me on. This is at the finish. They tried to pass me. I didn't let them. My legs were oh so unhappy with me later. Although after two days me and stairs were no longer in a fight. I am a bad person and barrowed this picture from
So after the Marathon I headed back to Bad Ischl for a week, and then two of my friends from Maine visited me over Easter break. We hit up Munich, Murnau, Innsbruck, Bad Ischl, Salzburg, Venice, Murano in a week. We had lots of adventures.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Where o where is the spring?
The sky produced white again today. I do remember wanting snow back in January, but I take that all back now. I am proud of me though I did go for a run. I really really didn't want to go, but I run in a big circle on Sunday. Oh and I learned that the purple flowers are called Leberblume: Liver Flowers. In spite of the their name they are quite pretty. Also the Snow Drops were out in force before it snowed on them again Monday. Spring really is trying. I have faith it will make it.
Suz
Suz
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Much has Happened
It is the middle of March. Time for an update. The problem is that so much has happened in the last month that I am going to again to resort to list form. Otherwise this will be an update of epic proportion that no one really want to read anyways.
Lets see start:
Weekend of Feb 7-8th went to see Peter's final presentation of his car. He designed small electric cargo van for city contractors. It is quite interesting. I caught a ride with his parents. Because they were leaving so early in the morning I spent the night at his parents house without him. I also got to meet the grandparents who had just stopped by from Prague, and the cousin, and brothers etc. It was fun though.
Long weekend Feb 13-15th Peter and I went to Prague. His grandparents have an apartment there. Was great to be a tourist with your own apartment. We went to see a play at the national theater. It cost 50 Czech crown (koruna) which converts to less then $2.50. We sat way up high, and had binoculars and were all fancy. The National Theater is beautiful inside. The play was in Czech. I don't understand Czech. Peter speaks some. The play had enough action, and not a lot of really long dialogs, so with Peter's translations I could understand mostly what was going on. It was definitely worth the $2.50. It was a good imte
Feb 15-Feb 23 My mommy visited me. I went straight from Prague to Munich. I picked her up from the airport. The first two days we touristed, and visited in Murnau, and Munich. We ate, and then ate some more. Next stop was Salzburg. Unbeknown to us this would be our last day of sun/decent weather. We spent most of our time either eating, or going up to place where you could look out across the City. Salzburg has a burg (castle) it is very cool. Thursday night through Monday afternoon we explored Salzkammergut (the area of the Austria Alps where I live). We had miserable weather. It snowed...A LOT. My mommy saw no mountains. It was sad. I kept telling here behind those clouds are amazing mountains. She didn't believe me. Though she did get to experience some Fasching. This is the Austrian version of Marty Gra. She got to see the Fetzenumzug. It's celebrated in Ebensee, and is the opposite of Venice Carnival. Instead of elaborately beautiful costumes, they wear fetzen (rags), and have grotesque carved masks. Here is a picture: http://www.ebensee.at/foto/Fetzen1.jpg I did not take it. Haven't had the time to organize me pictures. Someday I'll put up my pictures. Despite snow it was a good time.
Feb 27th Sissi Party. Sissi was the Kaiserin of Astria from 1854-1898. She did not have a happy life. But there were films made of her life in the 1950s. Think Gone with the Wind without the Civil War. Pretty dresses, a love story, and a happy end. Chick Flick extream. Sissi met Franz Josef the Kaiser of Austria in Bad Ischl. Therefore I decided to have a Sissi Party. It had two types of cake, noodle kugel, Feuerzangenbowle. We did only watch the first of the three movies, and then Barfuss. An another chick flick, but a good one. It was a good time all around.
Feb 28th-March 1st I was a surprise guest at Rita's birthday party. She didn't invite me, because she knew I was having a Sissi party. When I walked in she was opening a present. So I stood next to her. Then I had to start laughing. She looked up confused because she couldn't figure out who was laughing. When she saw me her expression was great. The rest of her birthday was nice: Good food, and good company, aka a good time.
March 8th-13th I got to go on Ski Week with my school. All schools in Austria go skiing for a week. In the HAK (one of my schools) it is the 15/16 year olds that go skiing. I got invited along. I had not been skiing for about 2 years. SHAME ON ME. Yes I live in the Alps. Yes I should have done gone skiing more this winter, but me had no time. Plus ski boot hurt my feet. It was fun, but I was super tired by the end of the week. It was good to meet up with my students outside of school. I now have a much better at understanding the local dialect. Also on the last night we went out to the disco with about 15 of the students. Where I officially did not see them drinking any alcohol. It was definitely an interesting experience, and something that could never happen in the US. It was a good time.
March 13-15 I am home in Bad Ischl this weekend trying to get caught up on all the things I haven't done in weeks. Like updating my blog, writing letters, cleaning my bathroom, reading my book. (side note did you know: "Percentage by which the average incidence of fires and traffic accidents on Fridays the 13th differ from that of other Fridays: -4%" Harper's Index) On Friday I got back around 12:30 in the afternoon. I came home, ate some lunch, and then about 4 PM I decided that I wanted to read in bed for a bit. I am reading the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. It is a great book... After about 2hrs of reading I closed my eyes and woke up the next morning. Saturday was quite productive. Today it is raining cats and dogs. I'm staying home and continuing to be productive. Or at least that is my goal. I'm almost completely preped for Monday, and my blog is almost done and it is only noon thirty. So proud. Hopefully the rest of the day will be so productive.
Upcoming events: March 29th Freiburg half marathon. Yup not quite in the shape I should be, but I hope to survive, and not be the last person across the finish line. Yesterday I went on the slowest run ever. My head hurt to run. Might take today off due to pouring rain.
April 3-13th Nita and Chloe are visiting me!!!!
There I tried to keep it short. It is hard when I've been so busy. Does make one appreciate having a weekend at home.
Hope you all are doing well.
Lets see start:
Weekend of Feb 7-8th went to see Peter's final presentation of his car. He designed small electric cargo van for city contractors. It is quite interesting. I caught a ride with his parents. Because they were leaving so early in the morning I spent the night at his parents house without him. I also got to meet the grandparents who had just stopped by from Prague, and the cousin, and brothers etc. It was fun though.
Long weekend Feb 13-15th Peter and I went to Prague. His grandparents have an apartment there. Was great to be a tourist with your own apartment. We went to see a play at the national theater. It cost 50 Czech crown (koruna) which converts to less then $2.50. We sat way up high, and had binoculars and were all fancy. The National Theater is beautiful inside. The play was in Czech. I don't understand Czech. Peter speaks some. The play had enough action, and not a lot of really long dialogs, so with Peter's translations I could understand mostly what was going on. It was definitely worth the $2.50. It was a good imte
Feb 15-Feb 23 My mommy visited me. I went straight from Prague to Munich. I picked her up from the airport. The first two days we touristed, and visited in Murnau, and Munich. We ate, and then ate some more. Next stop was Salzburg. Unbeknown to us this would be our last day of sun/decent weather. We spent most of our time either eating, or going up to place where you could look out across the City. Salzburg has a burg (castle) it is very cool. Thursday night through Monday afternoon we explored Salzkammergut (the area of the Austria Alps where I live). We had miserable weather. It snowed...A LOT. My mommy saw no mountains. It was sad. I kept telling here behind those clouds are amazing mountains. She didn't believe me. Though she did get to experience some Fasching. This is the Austrian version of Marty Gra. She got to see the Fetzenumzug. It's celebrated in Ebensee, and is the opposite of Venice Carnival. Instead of elaborately beautiful costumes, they wear fetzen (rags), and have grotesque carved masks. Here is a picture: http://www.ebensee.at/foto/Fetzen1.jpg I did not take it. Haven't had the time to organize me pictures. Someday I'll put up my pictures. Despite snow it was a good time.
Feb 27th Sissi Party. Sissi was the Kaiserin of Astria from 1854-1898. She did not have a happy life. But there were films made of her life in the 1950s. Think Gone with the Wind without the Civil War. Pretty dresses, a love story, and a happy end. Chick Flick extream. Sissi met Franz Josef the Kaiser of Austria in Bad Ischl. Therefore I decided to have a Sissi Party. It had two types of cake, noodle kugel, Feuerzangenbowle. We did only watch the first of the three movies, and then Barfuss. An another chick flick, but a good one. It was a good time all around.
Feb 28th-March 1st I was a surprise guest at Rita's birthday party. She didn't invite me, because she knew I was having a Sissi party. When I walked in she was opening a present. So I stood next to her. Then I had to start laughing. She looked up confused because she couldn't figure out who was laughing. When she saw me her expression was great. The rest of her birthday was nice: Good food, and good company, aka a good time.
March 8th-13th I got to go on Ski Week with my school. All schools in Austria go skiing for a week. In the HAK (one of my schools) it is the 15/16 year olds that go skiing. I got invited along. I had not been skiing for about 2 years. SHAME ON ME. Yes I live in the Alps. Yes I should have done gone skiing more this winter, but me had no time. Plus ski boot hurt my feet. It was fun, but I was super tired by the end of the week. It was good to meet up with my students outside of school. I now have a much better at understanding the local dialect. Also on the last night we went out to the disco with about 15 of the students. Where I officially did not see them drinking any alcohol. It was definitely an interesting experience, and something that could never happen in the US. It was a good time.
March 13-15 I am home in Bad Ischl this weekend trying to get caught up on all the things I haven't done in weeks. Like updating my blog, writing letters, cleaning my bathroom, reading my book. (side note did you know: "Percentage by which the average incidence of fires and traffic accidents on Fridays the 13th differ from that of other Fridays: -4%" Harper's Index) On Friday I got back around 12:30 in the afternoon. I came home, ate some lunch, and then about 4 PM I decided that I wanted to read in bed for a bit. I am reading the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. It is a great book... After about 2hrs of reading I closed my eyes and woke up the next morning. Saturday was quite productive. Today it is raining cats and dogs. I'm staying home and continuing to be productive. Or at least that is my goal. I'm almost completely preped for Monday, and my blog is almost done and it is only noon thirty. So proud. Hopefully the rest of the day will be so productive.
Upcoming events: March 29th Freiburg half marathon. Yup not quite in the shape I should be, but I hope to survive, and not be the last person across the finish line. Yesterday I went on the slowest run ever. My head hurt to run. Might take today off due to pouring rain.
April 3-13th Nita and Chloe are visiting me!!!!
There I tried to keep it short. It is hard when I've been so busy. Does make one appreciate having a weekend at home.
Hope you all are doing well.
Went for a run
So I did end up going for a run. I really do like running in the rain. I just don't like the idea of running in the rain. But I noticed two things on my run today. First small purple flowers on the side of the road. They look like snow drops, but were the color of purple crocuses. Second I was amazed at how many Austrians were simply out for a walk in the rain. It's not a nice day outside, but they were out and about.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A month in a list
Time for an update. The world of Suz is ticking along. There has been a virus going around facebook. I like to call it the facebook 25 virus. For the nonfacebook readers it works like this. Someone wrote 25 random facts about themselves, and then tagged (sent) it to 25 of their friends. These friends are supposed to write 25 random facts, and tag 25 new people. So everyday I check facebook, and find out random facts about friends/acquaintances. For me the byproduct is I've started to think in a continuous random list of 25. It's bad. So this entry is going to be a list of maybe 25 things that happened to me in the last month.
1. The 5th of January was Glöcklerlaufin Salzkammergut. This is a celebration to bring in the New Year. The fire departments, and boy scouts dress in white and wear large hats made of paper lit with candles. The kids have smaller hats. Here is some pictures from the Bad Ischl scouts: http://www.pfadischl.at/content/view/65/42/. It were pretty. It is called the Glöcklerlauf: Glocke: is bell. Glockle is a person who wears a bell. And lauf means run. Not only do they wear hats, but they also have massive cow bells on their backs which are constantly ringing. So it sounds like a huge herd of cattle have invaded the city. The festivities started at 5PM. I thought they started at 6, and so missed seeing the Three Kings ride through the streets, and sing, because I was in the middle of a run. The different groups parade through the streets. They run in figure eights, and then when the leader gives a signal they stop and kneel down to welcome in the new year. This lasted until 7ish, when the Glockler groups then disperse in different directions. This is also a fund raiser there was someone collecting money in town, and then the different groups knock on doors of those people who live outside of the center of town, and ask for money.
2. Suz keeps forgetting to bring her camera with her. So no new pictures in Picasa. Sorry.
3. School started again. It was difficult for me to get back into the rhythm of schooling. The first week that was only 3 days long was really really long. But this past week went really well. I feel like I'm getting the swing of things. Just in time for another vacation in 2 weeks. Yippy.
4. My mommy is coming to visit me. They are building a house, and apparently houses have to be build when the weather is above freezing. Aka spring and summer. Also my parents don't think a house can be built by itself, and supervision is needed. The moral of this story is they couldn't visit me later in the spring like originally planed, so my mother is coming in a little over a week to see winter Bad Ischl. I hope the weather is good for her visit. I don't know how much snow there will be. Yesterday was in the 50s, but a week before it snowed. We have very moody weather here. It can't make up it's mind.
5. I spent the first two weekend in Bad Ischl. My desk is (ok was) organized.
6. I sent in my application for being a Teaching Assistant again next year. After some last minute complication it hopefully is currently sitting in Vienna waiting for a YES we would love to give Suzanne a second year as a teaching assistant.
7. I cleaned my apartment completely for the first time. The dust bunnies in my bedroom were not pleased. I think I won the battle, the war is still undecided. (I do clean the bathroom/kitchen/living room about every 2 weeks).
8. I found that rice made with half coconut milk and half water and then adding fresh mango to it is amazing.
9. Cream of wheat made with half milk half coconut milk is also amazing. I have a weakness for both coconut milk and cream of wheat.
10. I have a new assignment notebook. Exciting, except for the part I put it in my bag with my cup that wasn't closed write. Now it's a tea-y assignmentbook.
11. I visited Freiburg again, and this time kept my nose out of the tea. I went for a dance/ball. I got all dressed up, and Regina did my hair. I looked all fancy. It was a good time. The real reason I spent 8.5 hrs of my life in the train was not to dance, but to see Regina's play. Alban Stolz Haus which is the dorm I lived puts on a play every semester. The actors a mix of experienced, and people who have never been on stage before. Regina is amazing. She was the maid in "eingebildeten Kranken" von Molière. It was great, and worth the 8+hr ride.
12. I've gotten old. Two days of going to bed after 3AM knocked me out.
13. I went snow shoeing. Florent, the French Teaching Assistant and I explored the Postalm. The trials that we fallowed were “well marked.” We never did get lost, we just weren't always sure that we really were going in the direction we wanted to.
14. I got a cold. It is lame. At the same time my back decided to inform me that it didn't like me. Lame squared. I have no heat pad, but my radiator worked great.
15. My lap top was sick. It inhaled too much stuff, and it's fan got clogged. I had to take it to the shop. They fixed the fan, and charged me only 20€ instead of 60€. Unfortunately they didn't hook up the battery and speakers right. So I had to go back again and get that fixed. Now it seems happy. A laptop without a battery kind of defeated the purpose.
16. This weekend I'm going to see Peter's final project. He designed the exterior of a small electric van for city construction workers. I've heard a lot about it, and it should be interesting. It is white.
17. I have started baking bread.
18. I learned why walking sticks are useful. If one were to say go hiking up a mountain say in the middle of the winter. Going up is fine, but coming down is really really slippery. Also probably not the best way to get rid of a head/chest cold. Pretty view from the top though. Also on the way down accidentally broke into the Kaiserville. The path went through a gap in the fence. It was a lot harder to find a way to break back out. I ended up climbing over the fence. Also learned you can let bread rise for 2.5 hrs instead of just 1 and it still tastes good.
19. Nineteen is a prime number.
20. I have made the executive decision that this will be a list of 20 not 25.
1. The 5th of January was Glöcklerlaufin Salzkammergut. This is a celebration to bring in the New Year. The fire departments, and boy scouts dress in white and wear large hats made of paper lit with candles. The kids have smaller hats. Here is some pictures from the Bad Ischl scouts: http://www.pfadischl.at/content/view/65/42/. It were pretty. It is called the Glöcklerlauf: Glocke: is bell. Glockle is a person who wears a bell. And lauf means run. Not only do they wear hats, but they also have massive cow bells on their backs which are constantly ringing. So it sounds like a huge herd of cattle have invaded the city. The festivities started at 5PM. I thought they started at 6, and so missed seeing the Three Kings ride through the streets, and sing, because I was in the middle of a run. The different groups parade through the streets. They run in figure eights, and then when the leader gives a signal they stop and kneel down to welcome in the new year. This lasted until 7ish, when the Glockler groups then disperse in different directions. This is also a fund raiser there was someone collecting money in town, and then the different groups knock on doors of those people who live outside of the center of town, and ask for money.
2. Suz keeps forgetting to bring her camera with her. So no new pictures in Picasa. Sorry.
3. School started again. It was difficult for me to get back into the rhythm of schooling. The first week that was only 3 days long was really really long. But this past week went really well. I feel like I'm getting the swing of things. Just in time for another vacation in 2 weeks. Yippy.
4. My mommy is coming to visit me. They are building a house, and apparently houses have to be build when the weather is above freezing. Aka spring and summer. Also my parents don't think a house can be built by itself, and supervision is needed. The moral of this story is they couldn't visit me later in the spring like originally planed, so my mother is coming in a little over a week to see winter Bad Ischl. I hope the weather is good for her visit. I don't know how much snow there will be. Yesterday was in the 50s, but a week before it snowed. We have very moody weather here. It can't make up it's mind.
5. I spent the first two weekend in Bad Ischl. My desk is (ok was) organized.
6. I sent in my application for being a Teaching Assistant again next year. After some last minute complication it hopefully is currently sitting in Vienna waiting for a YES we would love to give Suzanne a second year as a teaching assistant.
7. I cleaned my apartment completely for the first time. The dust bunnies in my bedroom were not pleased. I think I won the battle, the war is still undecided. (I do clean the bathroom/kitchen/living room about every 2 weeks).
8. I found that rice made with half coconut milk and half water and then adding fresh mango to it is amazing.
9. Cream of wheat made with half milk half coconut milk is also amazing. I have a weakness for both coconut milk and cream of wheat.
10. I have a new assignment notebook. Exciting, except for the part I put it in my bag with my cup that wasn't closed write. Now it's a tea-y assignmentbook.
11. I visited Freiburg again, and this time kept my nose out of the tea. I went for a dance/ball. I got all dressed up, and Regina did my hair. I looked all fancy. It was a good time. The real reason I spent 8.5 hrs of my life in the train was not to dance, but to see Regina's play. Alban Stolz Haus which is the dorm I lived puts on a play every semester. The actors a mix of experienced, and people who have never been on stage before. Regina is amazing. She was the maid in "eingebildeten Kranken" von Molière. It was great, and worth the 8+hr ride.
12. I've gotten old. Two days of going to bed after 3AM knocked me out.
13. I went snow shoeing. Florent, the French Teaching Assistant and I explored the Postalm. The trials that we fallowed were “well marked.” We never did get lost, we just weren't always sure that we really were going in the direction we wanted to.
14. I got a cold. It is lame. At the same time my back decided to inform me that it didn't like me. Lame squared. I have no heat pad, but my radiator worked great.
15. My lap top was sick. It inhaled too much stuff, and it's fan got clogged. I had to take it to the shop. They fixed the fan, and charged me only 20€ instead of 60€. Unfortunately they didn't hook up the battery and speakers right. So I had to go back again and get that fixed. Now it seems happy. A laptop without a battery kind of defeated the purpose.
16. This weekend I'm going to see Peter's final project. He designed the exterior of a small electric van for city construction workers. I've heard a lot about it, and it should be interesting. It is white.
17. I have started baking bread.
18. I learned why walking sticks are useful. If one were to say go hiking up a mountain say in the middle of the winter. Going up is fine, but coming down is really really slippery. Also probably not the best way to get rid of a head/chest cold. Pretty view from the top though. Also on the way down accidentally broke into the Kaiserville. The path went through a gap in the fence. It was a lot harder to find a way to break back out. I ended up climbing over the fence. Also learned you can let bread rise for 2.5 hrs instead of just 1 and it still tastes good.
19. Nineteen is a prime number.
20. I have made the executive decision that this will be a list of 20 not 25.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Update from a bus
Short version: I traveled, ate, burnt my nose, and overall had a good vacation.
Longer version:
I am on my way back to Bad Ischl after a two week trip visiting friends in Germany and celebrating Christmas and New Years. The two weeks before Christmas were filled with visiting Christmas Markets, drinking Gluhwein (mulled red wine) and Punch (sugared tea with rum), getting all my Christmas presents finished, baking Christmas cookies, eating way way too many christmas cookies...experiencing the usual before Christmas stress. I had school Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd before Christmas, but asked for them off. (I love my job that isn't really a job).
So my holiday started on Thursday the 18th of December. I had two classes and then headed back to my apartment, grabbed my as usual overly large back pack, and jumped on the bus-train-trian-Straßenbahn to Stock 12 in Freiburg, Germany. What is absolutely amazing about the following adventures around Germany and Austria is in the last 2 weeks I have taken 8 trians, 2 buses, and 2 Straßenbahns and have had a total of 5 minutes of delay, and no missed connections. I need some wood to knock on, cause under usual circumstances that is just not possible for the Deutsche Bahn/ÖBB. Stock 12 was the floor I lived on in the student dorms 2 years ago. We had a good time. I learned that there are such things as Advent Songs (sung during advent), and Christmas Songs (sung at or after Christmas). Many of the people who lived there when I did have since moved out, but the newbies seem to be good people too. The other exciting event that happened in Freiburg is I burnt my nose. I was trying out a new sort of tea and wanted to smell it after I had just poured boiling water over it. Yup I stuck my nose in boiling water, and ended up getting a blister on the end of my nose. It hurt, but I couldn't stop laughing, cause honestly who burns their nose in tea?
Next stop Munich to visit Peter. We went to a poetry slam. Which I was able to understand almost everything. So proud. It was more standup/poetry slam. Some people were good, and some not so, but there was a good balance.
Next stop Murnau to see the Glück family. As usual my kids keep getting bigger. We watch videos from when I was their nanny five years ago. Super cute, and luckily staring mostly the kids, and not Suz.
The Christmas stop was in the Rauth a 400 year old farm house in the middle of the alps in Tirol. I celebrated it with my German family. I am so lucky to have 3 families. My family in the US, my nanny family the Glücks, and the Büttners, the family I lived with the year I nannied. I was so glad to celebrate Christmas with the Büttners. I did have some moments of homesickness, but I got to talk to my Mommy and Daddy shortly which helped. I spent a week in the Rauth. I ate too much. Won at cards, (ok I lost too, but that isn't important). Unfortunately the snow was on the icy side, so instead of skiing I snow shoed up the ski slopes, and back down. Did get a few funny looks for that one, but that never stopped me. Read my book. And am almost finished with my application for doing a second year as a Teaching Assistant in Bad Ischl. (I hate writing applications, but Rita and Rupi helped me make it sound all smart.)
Final stop was Ebersburg to celebrate New Years with Peter. We had a good one inclusive Cheese Fondue, a night bike ride, and a small fire.
Now I am back in Bad Ischl with 2 weeks of dirty laundry. Oh so much fun, but I am excited to no longer be living out of a back pack aka living out of the pile of stuff that exploded from my back pack everytime I stopped somewhere.
That is the snooze from this side of the ocean. School starts up next week on Wednesday. I liked having vacation, unfortunately my bank account did not. Oh the real world.
I wish all of my blog readers (this sum I am assuming is greater then or equal to zero) a good 2009. Or as they say in German ein guter Rutsch ins neues Jahr: A good slide into the New Year.
Longer version:
I am on my way back to Bad Ischl after a two week trip visiting friends in Germany and celebrating Christmas and New Years. The two weeks before Christmas were filled with visiting Christmas Markets, drinking Gluhwein (mulled red wine) and Punch (sugared tea with rum), getting all my Christmas presents finished, baking Christmas cookies, eating way way too many christmas cookies...experiencing the usual before Christmas stress. I had school Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd before Christmas, but asked for them off. (I love my job that isn't really a job).
So my holiday started on Thursday the 18th of December. I had two classes and then headed back to my apartment, grabbed my as usual overly large back pack, and jumped on the bus-train-trian-Straßenbahn to Stock 12 in Freiburg, Germany. What is absolutely amazing about the following adventures around Germany and Austria is in the last 2 weeks I have taken 8 trians, 2 buses, and 2 Straßenbahns and have had a total of 5 minutes of delay, and no missed connections. I need some wood to knock on, cause under usual circumstances that is just not possible for the Deutsche Bahn/ÖBB. Stock 12 was the floor I lived on in the student dorms 2 years ago. We had a good time. I learned that there are such things as Advent Songs (sung during advent), and Christmas Songs (sung at or after Christmas). Many of the people who lived there when I did have since moved out, but the newbies seem to be good people too. The other exciting event that happened in Freiburg is I burnt my nose. I was trying out a new sort of tea and wanted to smell it after I had just poured boiling water over it. Yup I stuck my nose in boiling water, and ended up getting a blister on the end of my nose. It hurt, but I couldn't stop laughing, cause honestly who burns their nose in tea?
Next stop Munich to visit Peter. We went to a poetry slam. Which I was able to understand almost everything. So proud. It was more standup/poetry slam. Some people were good, and some not so, but there was a good balance.
Next stop Murnau to see the Glück family. As usual my kids keep getting bigger. We watch videos from when I was their nanny five years ago. Super cute, and luckily staring mostly the kids, and not Suz.
The Christmas stop was in the Rauth a 400 year old farm house in the middle of the alps in Tirol. I celebrated it with my German family. I am so lucky to have 3 families. My family in the US, my nanny family the Glücks, and the Büttners, the family I lived with the year I nannied. I was so glad to celebrate Christmas with the Büttners. I did have some moments of homesickness, but I got to talk to my Mommy and Daddy shortly which helped. I spent a week in the Rauth. I ate too much. Won at cards, (ok I lost too, but that isn't important). Unfortunately the snow was on the icy side, so instead of skiing I snow shoed up the ski slopes, and back down. Did get a few funny looks for that one, but that never stopped me. Read my book. And am almost finished with my application for doing a second year as a Teaching Assistant in Bad Ischl. (I hate writing applications, but Rita and Rupi helped me make it sound all smart.)
Final stop was Ebersburg to celebrate New Years with Peter. We had a good one inclusive Cheese Fondue, a night bike ride, and a small fire.
Now I am back in Bad Ischl with 2 weeks of dirty laundry. Oh so much fun, but I am excited to no longer be living out of a back pack aka living out of the pile of stuff that exploded from my back pack everytime I stopped somewhere.
That is the snooze from this side of the ocean. School starts up next week on Wednesday. I liked having vacation, unfortunately my bank account did not. Oh the real world.
I wish all of my blog readers (this sum I am assuming is greater then or equal to zero) a good 2009. Or as they say in German ein guter Rutsch ins neues Jahr: A good slide into the New Year.
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