Sunday Funday doesn't exist in Austria...

Well, before I begin, let me first explain that my laptop cord is broken and thus I am using our desktop computer (yes, the awesome apartment has a desktop computer) which has a strange Austrian keyboard (€üöäß!!), so typing like a normal human takes a bit of effort. Also, that's why I can't post any pictures.  
 

Moving on... well, I've nearly made it to the 2 week mark. It's been an incredibly long two weeks, mostly positive but the sensory overload and culture shock make it drag on. School has gone pretty well, all things considered. Some teachers have me talk for 10 minutes and then move on with their normal lessons, while some just let me go for 50 minutes or so, which can seem long! So far all my lessons have been just introducing myself and allowing them to ask for questions. I've got a 2 week schedule, 13 classes each week, and every other weekend I have both Friday and Monday off! It will be interesting getting used to so many free days... for now, we don't get paid until November 15th so I'm not really thinking about too much traveling. The classes are interesting, with students ranging from 14 to 19, with some who barely speak English to some who don't really need to learn anything from me! We were told to avoid speaking German ever so sometimes I feel like I'm talking to no one who understands me... which is an odd feeling. The students usually are quite kind and interested in America. I've been asked in basically every class if I have facebook, if I have a boyfriend, if I ski, and if Americans really are all fat (at which point I usually accuse them of calling me fat... ha ha.)

Working only 13 hours a week provides a lot of free time...so I'm grateful for my long commute, which takes up time! (Speaking of which, who wants to mail me books?! I've read 2 so far this week...) Evenings have been a bit boring and quiet this week, but hopefully with Jenni being healthy again and both of us wanting to adventure we'll start walking around at least. We hosted a 'family dinner' on Friday with basically all the English speakers we know, which was really fun! It was nice to see people and be reminded that we're not the only ones who feel confused. Last night we met up with our landlord's son's girlfriend, Veronika, who took us to see a movie with some of her friends (The Social Network... in English). It was fun to be with normal Austrians who are kind and patient and sarcastic! Looking forward to meeting up with them again sometime soon.

Life here certainly is different. I find myself being horribly awkward, often, (apparently taking pictures of weird looking babies is not a normal occurrance...!? katie, seriously, how awkward, can i be?) but I guess that's something I should get used to since I'm generally more uncomfortable than many people. I usually just laugh it off... but Austrians even think that is unusual.

Sometimes I feel so ridiculously confident being here, that this is the right thing for me, that I am a great and interesting person who just needs to get over this weird adjustment stuff and I'll be successful. Other times I feel nearly miserable, like I may never adjust to living here, and that I need to get better at being social or whatever because that's what 'normal' people do in life. It makes me miss the comfort of Portland, even though I know my life there was basically done, at least for the time being. 


Vienna is a cool city. It's kind of a small town on steroids, because it's hard to walk around without seeing someone I know! I'm already learning the lay of the land (thanks to my great sense of direction) and am LOVING the subway system. So far i have purchased only 2 u-bahn tickets, which may be troublesome but so far no problems! Vienna is pretty international too since it's between eastern and western Europe, so my food options are generally quite numerous. Jenni and I are going to get gain weight, it's inevitable, since all we do is eat bread and candy and random fried meats... but it'll be a happy fat :)

Anyway, it's Sunday in Catholic Austria and there's nothing to do since everything is closed. Off for a run through Schoenbrunn...

Shocked by culture?

Well, today was the first day of school! I guess I'll start with a little summary...

Woke up at 4.44. If you know me at all, you'll know that this is a MISERABLE time for me, yet I somehow am going to be doing it 4 days a week (I have Fridays off)! My train leaves a station about 25 minutes away at 5.56, so I'll be waking up before 5 every day... going to take some getting used to. Anyway, I panicked and thought I'd missed my connection to the train station, when magically the stop I needed appeared in front of me! In my excitement, I forgot to buy a ticket... The ticket man scolded me (in an intense dialect) and repeated 65,95 and then walked away, which left me confused, but still on the train so I just sat there and pretended we were all good. And apparently it was! 

I got to Krems an der Donau and followed some school-looking children up a hill to my school! I'm teaching in two schools, conveniently located in the same building. The tourism school (HLK) is my "base school", and is AWESOME. The tourism floor is completely remodeled, and I have a spot in the faculty room (since the students stay in one classroom always, the faculty have to have a place to put their things) and found out where the magic coffee is, so I'm set!  Students take lessons in all sorts of things related to tourism, like working at reception, cooking, serving, etc. They also must wear uniforms to school, with ties and nametags! The school has a kitchen in the basement, or wait, 4 KITCHENS, and when I was on my tour I got to sample the Kaiserschmarrn, a delicious dessert. 

I worked in 2 classes today, both tourism. The students were the same age but had different levels of German, but I did the same activity of getting to know a little about me. Weirdly, the students don't know of Microsoft or Boeing and barely Starbucks... but they do know the Space Needle from Grey's Anatomy and that Twilight was filmed in the area. Thanks pop culture.

The business school is much more normal-looking, with a crowded staff room and un-uniformed students. I haven't really had much interaction down there yet, but I'll be splitting my schedule between the 2 schools so I will get used to it soon. 

Anyway, I'm feeling a little crazy today. I don't know where my knowledge of German went, but it's really not there and I'm struggling to communicate much. The Austrian accent is pretty hard to understand, and it's difficult to not be able to understand fully and be able to communicate when I have a problem, or just to be myself and make jokes! I hope it comes back soon... but I'm such a perfectionist, I don't really want to sound like an idiot so I often just don't talk. I think I need to find some way to work on my vocabulary so I can feel like I know more than 10 words.

If I could do just one near perfect thing I’d be happy.
They’d write it on my grave, or when they scattered my ashes.
On second thoughts, I’d rather hang around and be there with my best friend...

Some thoughts:

• People are essentially the same. It was nice to be surrounded by all sorts of Americans and Great Brits to be reminded that just because Portland is ridiculously homogeneous, the rest of the English-speaking world (and the whole world) is just the same... some people you'll get along with, some you won't, everyone dressing the same, everyone basically valuing similar things... you just have to find the way to communicate with everyone.
• Europe is more expensive without provided meals and a stipend provided for weekends...
• Students in these classes are much more eager than students in the US. Even the quiet ones seem to always pay attention, and often they are just quiet because they don't speak the language.
• The two ways to get out of things is to either act with confidence, or act with complete ignorance. When I forgot (literally) to buy a ticket this morning, I just acted like an idiot and got away with it!
• The time change is more frustrating than I remember. But then again, sometimes there's just not much to say to people back home... but then again, I often feel like people will never "care" about what is going on in my life if it doesn't relate to them, which might (probably) be wrong.
• The Viennese drink a lot! And, sleep very little. I am the opposite!
• It's interesting to be surrounded by all this Catholicism. I feel like I've encountered a lot of people who just accept their faith as what was given to them, and it's such a part of life here that they just DO Catholicism, without questioning. Sure, the holidays are great, but I don't agree with believing something just because everyone around you does...
• I don't miss home that much. I feel pretty at home in Vienna so far, though it's hard to not know where many things are. It's both a blessing and a curse to have Jenni with me. We can just sit and do nothing and be quiet, or go out and get lost together and that's fantastic. However, I have a tendency to not do things I should unless I'm forced to. Today I went by myself to get my monthly train ticket and did well! Spoke German, didn't get lost in the renovation of Westbahnhof... I just need to work on being independent more. 

We're heeeere! (name that movie?)

Ah okay so life in Austria has begun in a total whirlwind. I arrived Monday morning, all excited to be back on Austrian soil, only to find that my two suitcases had not arrived.... apparently 10 hours in DC is not enough time to move them. It was massively disconcerting to feel like I had nothing in the world that was mine... but luckily Jenni met me at the airport (she had also lost a suitcase - really!?) and comforted me and helped me realize that the 55-lb backpack I had was full of enough things to last me a year, let alone the 2 days until I got my bags  We then scampered off to our apartment (more on this later) for a quick shower and then a  train ride to Graz (the second largest city in Austria) with Fabian (also from UP, but a year ahead of Jenni and me).

Schlossberg, with a peek of the Uhrturm on the top

Our little orientation was in Graz from Monday to Friday and it was definitely worthwhile. We stayed at a castle called Schloss St. Martin, which was about 25 minutes outside of the city of Graz, overlooking apple fields! There are about 50 Americans and 50 British teaching assistants (TAs), so the hardest part of the whole week was trying to meet everyone, while also making somewhat good friends with people. It was exhausting to be so on the ball all the time... I hate having to meet new people and make the same conversation and whatnot, but I was actually pleased with how well I could remember names, so that's good! I was again SO lucky to have Jenni, because when I needed to vent about how ridiculous some things/people are, I could just be myself and not have to worry about offending anyone. Thank goodness! I can only handle these half-interactions for so long. Anyway, socially the week went well - I met some nice people who I hope to hang out with, since about 50% of the assistants live or work in Vienna.

It was interesting to meet so many people from all across both the US and Great Britain. I have never had so much time to talk to people from the East Coast or the South or the Midwest, and it makes me think on feelings I've had in Portland about how I can probably get along with everyone in some way or another... I mean, that's still probably true, but there are some people who are just not like me, and don't want to have anywhere near the same priorities as me, and it was stressful trying to figure out how to work and "play" with these people all week when really I would be happy cuddling up on my own.

A little snail I found on the grounds of Schloss St. Martin

Job-wise the week went well too! At first, it was pretty stressful... our teacher (of a group of assistants) insisted on speaking German, along with many other administrators, and I had to face the facts about my German deficiencies... my vocabulary has just disappeared over the last year and made speaking hard, though I understand a lot. Blehh it will take some getting used to, but I just need to be better at sounding like an idiot to get better. BUT the really encouraging part of the whole trip was actually being with students! We had a guided tour (in English) from some 14 year olds (from the Gymnasium) who seriously seemed to enjoy me, which was great, because I thought they were fun too! We also presented a mock lesson in a classroom, which didn't go perfectly but I think having 1 TA opposed to the 4 we had will make it much better, since teenagers generally think I'm great. :) Anyway, school starts Monday. whee.

Graz! In the foreground you can see the modern art museum, AKA the Friendly Alien, according to my 14-year old friends

Finally I got to UNPACK MY SUITCASE, which has been packed since I became homeless in mid-August! Ohhh  it feels great. Our apartment is, there's really no other way to say it, die Scheisse. It's fully furnished with nice furniture and kitchen things, it's huge, we have a desktop computer, a printer, a TV player, a balcony.... everything we could ever need! Literally the only downside is I sleep on a futon, and it's a bit more than I'd like to spend... but convenience plays a big role so I shall accept it. We also have a separate room for toilet and bathroom, which I find quite funny and a little irksome...

Tomorrow Jenni and I are going to take a day trip to Krems, where I'll be teaching, followed by Lange Nacht  der Museen, where the museums of Vienna are open until 1 AM! Hopefully this doesn't horribly disrupt my sleep schedule... but yes. I might even get a telephone tomorrow! Oh, and my address, if you're interested, is:

Bischoffsgasse 1/8 #14

1120 Vienna, Austria, Europe

yes, that is 1/8... Bischoffsgasse 1, stairwell 8, #14. It is confusing, but lots of things are.

I started accidentally adopting a British, or often Irish, accent because of being around these other people. Why is is that their accents are so much easier to adopt!?

The journey begins!

I'm trying to get into the habit of blogging... so I shall update about some not-that-important details of my trip :).

Pudding, looking angry about my departure

Sometime during this week I prided myself on my fantastic packing job, because usually I'm awake at 230AM packing for my 430AM flight or something equally ridiculous, and this time I had my bags 3/4 packed the day before I left! Unfortunately, that last 1/4 included everything heavy and awkward sized... so packing, as usual, became chaotic and stressful. Anyway, I managed to sneak two 51 pound bags through, while also carrying my backpack filled with absolutely too many books, among other things, and weighing about 55 pounds. Good thing I've been working out all summer.... oh, wait...

The moon and I had a nice little moment last night. He came out very full and bright when leaving the house (I hear that it looks bigger this time of year... but that could be a rumor) and when I was on the plane, it was reflected on the wing! How grand. Little things like that make me feel like nature is looking out for me in some way or another...

Anyway, I also happened to have a 10 hour layover in D.C. (where I am now) and decided to carry my 55lb bag with me to tour a bit of downtown DC so I could end my time in America in a very all-American way. Now, I'm trying not to whine, because it really wasn't that bad, but 55 pounds is a lot of pounds, and in the rain... well, it WAS an adventure. People were quite kind in helping me find the bus/metro/mall, and I'm starting to believe that rumor about East Coasters being snobbish is not true. The Mall itself really is quite interesting (duh, right? I mean, it's the ultimate American tourist activity, minus Disneyland). I had my picture taken from about 2 feet away by a stranger who smiled and said "HI!" and I watched about 100 people run by me (not like a stampede... more like their own individual runs), and I saw some nice buildings and was denied access to not one but two Smithsonian museums due to the large bag. Anyway, Bag and I found a nice little garden near the Hirshhorn Museum, and I enjoyed my sandwich (thanks Mom) and watched people ogle at the interesting flowers.

Quaint garden, with the Bag in the background

Anyway, I've got a few hours until my flight leaves, but I'm officially ready and excited! Jenni and I have secured an apartment, and I can't wait to see it because apparently it's quite nice. Who knew craigslist would pull through in the end... We have an orientation in Graz for a few days, where we'll get a chance to meet people and I'll be reminded of how I'm kind of  awkward when meeting people. I kind of feel like I have NO idea what I'm doing. I mean, I don't know where we're living, really. I don't really know what we're doing over the next 5 days.... I don't know my work schedule or anything related to it... these things I can (and should) figure out, but there's something weirdly exciting about flying off into the unknown. I guess I'll know a lot more in just a few hours!

Auf Wieder-weekend

Today, I realized I leave for Austria in 5 days! That can fit onto one hand. It's crazy to think about how long ago I applied for this program, and it's suddenly getting... close.

Anyway, just got to Seattle after spending my last few days in Portland. It was a weirdly perfect Portland weekend, proving in my mind at least that things tend to work out much better when there aren't any plans. Over the weekend I managed to coincidentally get to Voodoo, Cafe Vita, Powell's, Safeway (my love), New Seasons, Prost, SE.... all my favorite places, without trying! I'm so glad I went back down and got to say a fond farewell to the lovely city and kind people.

Life feels like it's going in the right direction. I have been so, so nervous about going to Austria, fearing loneliness and insanity, among other things, but I finally feel ready. My life in Portland is over for right now, and I want something that's mine! Vienna is it, I guess.

Also, I really want a kitten. Call me a crazy cat lady, but I think I'd rather hang out with Pudding than with strangers.

Honestly, I'm down like the economy (which is recovering, right?)

Ahhh it gets closer.

12 days until I leave for good ol' Vienna, still don't have a place to live! I've been sending out emails like crazy on all sorts of apartment websites. Craigslist proved terrible - I got the same scam email multiple times, and more people sending me ridiculously long emails describing their heroic deeds and their desperation for an apartment, ending with a request for a money order. bleh. Anyway, I think I've sent out over 100 requests and gotten... MAYBE 10 responses, none of which have worked out. But, I think I figured out some problems.

1. Germans don't know how to list their apartments. I think, 2-room apartment = 2 bedrooms. Wrong. It means 2 ROOMS, sometimes. Sometimes 4 rooms is a 3 bedroom apartment, however sometimes 4 is 2 bedrooms, etc. It's definitely hard to narrow it down.

2. The word "Zimmer" means room. Or, roomS. The difference is in a tiny little article, and in abbreviated ads they don't often use the articles. So, the word "Schlafzimmer" doesn't really help me understand how many bedrooms there are!

3. People with multiple apartments want to know what district/bezirk I want to live in. Turns out, flexibility is not desired, but I don't have a preference.

4. My German is not perfect, and neither is their English, so people just tend to avoid responding, since it's kind of a task...

Anyway, Jenni's dad might have found us one, without much effort at all. Goodness!

Life these days is interesting. Lots of changes, and I've been homeless for a while so these changes are closing in on me and making me crazy. There's already been a lot of hard goodbyes to things and people that I love. My time in Portland is almost done before I head off to Seattle to hang out with the fam for a bit. It will be nice to sleep in a bed, sleep (at all), eat regular meals, take regular showers... the works!

Deadlines and Agendas

Suddenly, August has arrived. Chaos! My mind is still stuck in the waves of "school" schedule, which I suppose is legitimate since I'm going to teach at a school.... but anyway, we're at 53 days. Whoaa.

Paperwork for Austria keeps piling up and I just... am having trouble caring. One task a day is certainly all I can manage, yet I keep having to do billions of things (passport pictures, money, medical forms, transcript, contract with the devil, etc) to get myself over there! It's as if part of me is fighting back against leaving! I just... don't feel too much joy in completing these tasks. On the other hand, I went to JiffyLube for an oil change and felt pretty good about that... until it was time to pay. What is it about money!? I feel like I will literally never have enough to buy things without stressing, even though I never consciously think about how much money I actually have. I have plenty, so much more than many other people, it's just this strange rationing part of my brain that refuses to give up anything without being willing! I'm the same way with belongings... it has to be MY decision or it's just not going happen very happily. Anyway, silly.

This time of life is confusing. Priorities changing in myself, priorities changing in people around me... I want to surround myself with people who I can relate to, who I can look up to, but don't really want to find them. So I subsist thinking things are how they have to be and not putting in the effort to change. Not that things are bad, of course! Some are great, improving. And some are not great but are growing, which is good. And some things and I are going to part ways. The hardest part is deciding which is which...