Grüss di! May have been a little fib to say I would write sooner again next time, verzeihung! So, prepare yourself for a slightly longer post than I had initially planned.
Sadly, I still do not have an Austrian accent or dialect... but if I say 'na, gehhh!', 'jö', 'sicher' or 'schau wir mal' one more time, I may end up punching myself...
My time in Austria has not only provided me with experiences I will never forget, it has also given me a home here. The thought of leaving this place honestly breaks my heart. I can't imagine my life without this amazing place anymore! I have become more confident in my language abilities, and people are patient with me despite my terrible grammar. I am honestly so grateful to the people who have listened to my broken German without laughing uncontrollably! Obviously, food has featured heavily, too... and I have found myself opting for Dinkelbrot, Volkornbrot, unsalted butter and camomile tea on multiple occasions. I feel like I have well and truly adapted in this sense! So, I still have a long way to go in the way of language and cultural understanding, but it is incredible how much you can learn in just two months.
It is simply impossible for me to write about all of my experiences on here, but picking and choosing is just such a difficult ask! Here are some of my highlights (big and small!) of the past few weeks.
1. Visiting Melk (Affectionately renamed 'Melky Way')
Another language assistant, Tiffany, is working a little way away from me in a town called Melk. So I spent the afternoon there the other week, we went for a walk around Stift Melk and ate copious amounts of cake. I am not complaining. The Stift was super pretty inside, and the sun was shining, so all in all it was a good day. We were even rebellious enough to take a cheeky selfie in the library after being shouted at by a grumpy lady, 'Keine Fotografie in der Bibliothek, bitte!!'
2. Der Naschmarkt
In my last post, I mentioned that I met an American woman at church. So, I went for dinner one evening with her and her husband, it was lovely to spend some time with them. They have a castle in their back garden, no joke. How amazing?! Anyway, we decided that we would visit the British/American food store in Vienna one day. So, one Friday afternoon we drove in to Vienna. It only takes 45 minutes from Krems, so it is ideal if you just fancy an afternoon there. We spent a couple of hours browsing the Naschmarkt (naschen means to nibble), and naschen we did. There are so many different cultures there which have come together in this explosion of flavours, smells, languages and traditions. Everyone wants you to try the falafels, dried fruit, stuffed peppers, pastries, cheeses, breads, that they have to offer...and there's no harm in trying, right!? It was such a nice experience. We stopped at a small Turkish restaurant and had some food there - it was amazingly tasty, I'm so sad that I didn't take note of them name! After this we pootled off to the English food store. It was super expensive, but I was able to get hold of some custard powder, Vimto, liquorice allsorts and cider... all the essentials. So, that evening there was a veritable feast when I got back to Krems!
3. The first experience of going 'out' in Krems...
This was a key event not for particularly good reasons, but simply for the ridiculousness of the situation! Anybody who knows me will know that I don't really do nights out. I find a quiet drink somewhere with a few good friends is more enjoyable. I have explained this to most people who have asked me 'bist du schon fort gegangen?!'... but the relentless requests to go out have kept coming, so I thought if I went once they would hör auf. So, after a couple of bottles of Magners (yes, from the food store in Vienna!), my housemate and I decided we would go to a live band/open mic night which he had heard about. It has been a running joke between us that he is such an 'old man'... I have been known to refer to him as Opa on occasion. So, after umming and arring about whether to go or not, we went. The band was really good, and we saw a few people we knew there. Anyway, it gets to 1.30, and I turn to find David.. who is nowhere to be found. My phone decides now is a good time to have no signal, and David has my pass, so if I go outside, I can't go back in. Half an hour passes, and I am one of the last people sitting there, feeling sorry for myself. Eventually, I go to get my coat, and figure he has abandoned me. Suddenly, I spot David! I explain that I had looked everywhere for him... Turns out he had fallen asleep in a corner, and only just woken up. We both laughed at the stupidness of the situation and toddled off home. So, it's fair to say nights out since have been few and far between, and the Opa jokes have continued.
4. Deutschsprachige Christen!
I am pleased to say that I have fully settled in to my church now, and feel so comfortable there. The services are usually alright to understand, and I am feeling so blessed to be part of the community there. This weekend I went along to the Jugend Gruppe a little way out of Krems. Fearing that 20 might be too old I thought I would go and see what happened.. It was such a nice evening. There was worship, games, a Bible study and food... Oh and lots and lots of friendly people. It was nice not to be the oldest person there at all, and also nice to be in with such a fun, friendly, lovely group of people!
I spent Sunday afternoon with Christine, a girl I have met through church, and her sister and sister's boyfriend. We spent the day playing board games and just generally relaxing. It was so nice to be socialising here!
5. Brioche, brioche and more brioche...
This was just one of those little things that absolutely makes your day! I had just finished cooking myself a bit of food one afternoon after work, when I heard someone call 'hello' from the hallway. Going out to investigate, I discovered my housemate's Dad with armfuls of brioche! He teaches in a bakery school, and had just finished work. So, he left us with 25 brioche rolls, a cake and some fresh bread - it was the cutest thing ever!
There are just too many things to include in here, but I feel like these are some of the main things which start to sum up some of my time here, but really they are the tip of the iceberg.
This week I am off Thursday - Tuesday (inclusive of!), so I am off to Salzburg on Friday through to Saturday evening, how exciting! Next week I will finally be reunited with my parents, who are coming to stay from Thursday to Monday. Words can honestly not come close to expressing how excited I am to see them after 2 months! Sadly, I won't be able to introduce them to the beauty that is Sturm (try this drink for sure if you are in Austria at the right time!), but Apfelstrudel, Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and a few good coffees are certainly on the menu!
Thanks for reading! And hopefully... I will write again soon!
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Wednesday 2 October 2013
A little bit spät!
Please forgive the lateness of this blog, I have been having so much fun I forgot I was even doing this!
So much has happened, I don't know where to start. My opinions have not changed, only strengthened. The people here are amazingly lovely, the food is absolutely amazing, the wine is good yet cheap, everyday life is just so cute, and I think I have fallen madly in love with the accent.. It is clear, then, that to say I am "besotted" with this place would be an understatement. I want to talk like an Austrian every time I speak German, but it must sound like I am simply mocking...so instead I guess I will have to continue with this harsh "hochdeutsch" type accent... really, I am all for teaching Austrian German in schools, it would be much cuter to hear 11 year olds talking like it...
Ok, so aside from the language, what can I say that would even come close to explaining my experiences!?
I'll start at the very beginning, for that's a very good place to start*. I have had so many opportunities, let's start with cycling through the Wachau valley (why yes, yes I do live in a UNESCO world heritage sight!?). So my housemate, David, and I cycled 30 minutes to Duernstein and visited a castle ruin. The walk up the hill kills your calves, but the view from the top makes it all worth while! We stopped for icecream overlooking the Danube, balanced precariously on some rocks, where the waves got us as a ship passed by; not so much fun!
I have visited a Heuriger, which is basically a traditional Austrian tavern. The food is pretty basic, but amazing quality! And, being fortunate enough to be living in the Weinviertel, the wine here is also amazingly good quality and so cheap! (€1.60 for a glass, what!?). I have visited a Feurwehr Fest to celebrate the new fire engine they bought - no seriously, so cute! I stopped and had a few drinks with the locals, who told me "Die neue Sprachassistentin!? Wenn du Deutsch lernen willst, dann bist du leider am falschen Ort!"... this banter has happened too often now!.. I have also got to confess, I have tried far too many white wine spritzers at too many places; this was due to panicking and saying the only drink name I could think of, thankfully I am a fan anyway...
So, what's next? Yes, so a couple of weeks ago it was a beautiful day, so I thought I would cycle a little further, to a 'town' (village) called Weissenkirchen. I didn't know what was there, but thought the fresh air and scenery would be nice. When I arrived, I was surrounded by Dirndl and Lederhosen clad people, "wow! They must be REALLY traditional here!" I was thinking... But, it turned out it was their harvest festival! So I stuck around, and watched some of the dancing they had going on, it was just so sweet. A lovely day was had... and then, disaster. I was just cycling along, thinking about stopping at the next coffee shop, when the chain on my bike decided to pop off... 3 times. So, after 3 different, and very helpful blokes, stopped I was finally on my way... in first gear, with another 35 minutes to cycle. It turns out that, in such situations, repeating the one word you do know will help significantly "brauchen Sie hilfe?" "Er, ja... die Kette... die Kette... ja, genau." Was largely how the conversations went. I have since learnt the words for ratchet, screwdriver, and the expression "My chain has come off"... all a learning curve, hey?! But, in all seriousness, Weissenkirchen was beautiful, and if you have the chance for a little visit and a coffee, snap it up.
Ok, next! The next thing worth writing about would be my wonderful training week in Graz! With a mish-mash of British and US assistants, I spent a week staying in a convent (na, wirklich.), and having seminars in a castle! Monday to Friday we had different seminars to teach us how to teach, we visited an Austrian school and taught grade 3 (12 year olds) - it was surprisingly much more fun than I had anticipated! So, I met some great people, some of whom live near me, who I can meet up with during the year. One girl and I are looking at starting traditional Austrian dance lessons... Why not, eh!?
Graz was nice, but I definitely prefer beautiful Krems! We experienced a lovely guy on the tram expressing his opinions about us, "wenn du in Oesterreich bist, dann musst du Deutsch sprechen!!!" - a group of only US and British citizens... hmm. Since then, there has been the election, which saw Styria vote pretty highly for the (not so politically correct, and slightly racist) FPÖ party... It pretty much reflected our experiences!
Now, moving on... Sunday was a big day for me... finally trying a church here! After going one Sunday to the right building, I couldn't find the right room... So, unable to find anybody to ask, I wandered home a little disappointed. This time, however, a leader came and met me, and I was welcomed in. The language was a little difficult, but I think understanding 70% was a good start! Singing familiar songs with different words is a definite way to build vocab, too. It was great to be in amongst my extended church family once again, though! I met an American woman and her Austrian husband, too, who have invited me for dinner some time, how exciting! I have now got invites to concerts, youth groups and different churchy-events! Praise God!
And, finally, I think... I have started work! Monday was the first day... which consisted of 45 minutes chatting with a few people, then going home. So, a little disheartened, I started work properly on Tuesday. Being thrown in first to the lions who call themselves "grade 5". Aged 14, they asked me questions including "is Justin Bieber your boyfriend?" And "what kinds of Schnitzel have you tried?"... A bunch of cuties, really, and it was a treat to teach them. Then came grade 8, and today grades 7 and 8. It's a little trickier with the older ones, particularly when they do not want to talk... but we will get there, eventually! I was pretty much thrown in the deep end, expected to teach 8-10 students material I myself don't know! But hey... it can only get better, right!?
The teachers are lovely, I have been invited to the school ball on Saturday, and one teacher is letting me borrow her dress, how sweet! I've been offered the chance to go to Salzburg with them, the opportunity to join a choir, and also to go out for lunch and walking with the teachers some time! I am feeling so welcomed, it's honestly unbelievable.
I am pretty sure I covered the main events (highlight of my week so far, watching the new school fish being put in to their aquarium today...). Obviously, lots more has happened, but just too much to write about! I have also had the chance to go to bars, watch Star Trek (!?) - which involved a lot of physics banter...not my strong point in English, let alone auf Deutsch... and also watched too many German and Austrian films to count on one hand.
Congrats on making it to the end of the blog! Next time I will write sooner and a little less!
*Sound of Music reference, for those not-so-avid-fans.
So much has happened, I don't know where to start. My opinions have not changed, only strengthened. The people here are amazingly lovely, the food is absolutely amazing, the wine is good yet cheap, everyday life is just so cute, and I think I have fallen madly in love with the accent.. It is clear, then, that to say I am "besotted" with this place would be an understatement. I want to talk like an Austrian every time I speak German, but it must sound like I am simply mocking...so instead I guess I will have to continue with this harsh "hochdeutsch" type accent... really, I am all for teaching Austrian German in schools, it would be much cuter to hear 11 year olds talking like it...
Ok, so aside from the language, what can I say that would even come close to explaining my experiences!?
I'll start at the very beginning, for that's a very good place to start*. I have had so many opportunities, let's start with cycling through the Wachau valley (why yes, yes I do live in a UNESCO world heritage sight!?). So my housemate, David, and I cycled 30 minutes to Duernstein and visited a castle ruin. The walk up the hill kills your calves, but the view from the top makes it all worth while! We stopped for icecream overlooking the Danube, balanced precariously on some rocks, where the waves got us as a ship passed by; not so much fun!
I have visited a Heuriger, which is basically a traditional Austrian tavern. The food is pretty basic, but amazing quality! And, being fortunate enough to be living in the Weinviertel, the wine here is also amazingly good quality and so cheap! (€1.60 for a glass, what!?). I have visited a Feurwehr Fest to celebrate the new fire engine they bought - no seriously, so cute! I stopped and had a few drinks with the locals, who told me "Die neue Sprachassistentin!? Wenn du Deutsch lernen willst, dann bist du leider am falschen Ort!"... this banter has happened too often now!.. I have also got to confess, I have tried far too many white wine spritzers at too many places; this was due to panicking and saying the only drink name I could think of, thankfully I am a fan anyway...
So, what's next? Yes, so a couple of weeks ago it was a beautiful day, so I thought I would cycle a little further, to a 'town' (village) called Weissenkirchen. I didn't know what was there, but thought the fresh air and scenery would be nice. When I arrived, I was surrounded by Dirndl and Lederhosen clad people, "wow! They must be REALLY traditional here!" I was thinking... But, it turned out it was their harvest festival! So I stuck around, and watched some of the dancing they had going on, it was just so sweet. A lovely day was had... and then, disaster. I was just cycling along, thinking about stopping at the next coffee shop, when the chain on my bike decided to pop off... 3 times. So, after 3 different, and very helpful blokes, stopped I was finally on my way... in first gear, with another 35 minutes to cycle. It turns out that, in such situations, repeating the one word you do know will help significantly "brauchen Sie hilfe?" "Er, ja... die Kette... die Kette... ja, genau." Was largely how the conversations went. I have since learnt the words for ratchet, screwdriver, and the expression "My chain has come off"... all a learning curve, hey?! But, in all seriousness, Weissenkirchen was beautiful, and if you have the chance for a little visit and a coffee, snap it up.
Ok, next! The next thing worth writing about would be my wonderful training week in Graz! With a mish-mash of British and US assistants, I spent a week staying in a convent (na, wirklich.), and having seminars in a castle! Monday to Friday we had different seminars to teach us how to teach, we visited an Austrian school and taught grade 3 (12 year olds) - it was surprisingly much more fun than I had anticipated! So, I met some great people, some of whom live near me, who I can meet up with during the year. One girl and I are looking at starting traditional Austrian dance lessons... Why not, eh!?
Graz was nice, but I definitely prefer beautiful Krems! We experienced a lovely guy on the tram expressing his opinions about us, "wenn du in Oesterreich bist, dann musst du Deutsch sprechen!!!" - a group of only US and British citizens... hmm. Since then, there has been the election, which saw Styria vote pretty highly for the (not so politically correct, and slightly racist) FPÖ party... It pretty much reflected our experiences!
Now, moving on... Sunday was a big day for me... finally trying a church here! After going one Sunday to the right building, I couldn't find the right room... So, unable to find anybody to ask, I wandered home a little disappointed. This time, however, a leader came and met me, and I was welcomed in. The language was a little difficult, but I think understanding 70% was a good start! Singing familiar songs with different words is a definite way to build vocab, too. It was great to be in amongst my extended church family once again, though! I met an American woman and her Austrian husband, too, who have invited me for dinner some time, how exciting! I have now got invites to concerts, youth groups and different churchy-events! Praise God!
And, finally, I think... I have started work! Monday was the first day... which consisted of 45 minutes chatting with a few people, then going home. So, a little disheartened, I started work properly on Tuesday. Being thrown in first to the lions who call themselves "grade 5". Aged 14, they asked me questions including "is Justin Bieber your boyfriend?" And "what kinds of Schnitzel have you tried?"... A bunch of cuties, really, and it was a treat to teach them. Then came grade 8, and today grades 7 and 8. It's a little trickier with the older ones, particularly when they do not want to talk... but we will get there, eventually! I was pretty much thrown in the deep end, expected to teach 8-10 students material I myself don't know! But hey... it can only get better, right!?
The teachers are lovely, I have been invited to the school ball on Saturday, and one teacher is letting me borrow her dress, how sweet! I've been offered the chance to go to Salzburg with them, the opportunity to join a choir, and also to go out for lunch and walking with the teachers some time! I am feeling so welcomed, it's honestly unbelievable.
I am pretty sure I covered the main events (highlight of my week so far, watching the new school fish being put in to their aquarium today...). Obviously, lots more has happened, but just too much to write about! I have also had the chance to go to bars, watch Star Trek (!?) - which involved a lot of physics banter...not my strong point in English, let alone auf Deutsch... and also watched too many German and Austrian films to count on one hand.
Congrats on making it to the end of the blog! Next time I will write sooner and a little less!
*Sound of Music reference, for those not-so-avid-fans.
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