Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you Happy Holidays, and as they say over here in Germany a good slide into the New Year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.