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.
