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.
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