Culture Talks

There have been many changes in my life since I last wrote… I guess the last time you heard anything was about my vacation.  Well, things kind of went downhill after that, but seem to be on the upswing agian.  For a good 3 weeks after  being back in Graz, I had no work at Berlitz.  Like, in a month, I made 24 Euros.  So that was tough.  Around that time I was looking into German courses, and found one that seemed to be really good.  It’s part of the University here, and it’s called the Vorstudienlehergang.  Which basically is a course designed to prepare foreign students to take the German exam which is required of all non German-speaking people.  It could be summed up as ‘intense’.  I have 24 units a week, which is about 20 hours of class all together.  I started out in the beginner, level-one, never-heard-German-before class, and soon discovered that it was time to move up to the next level, because I just wasn’t being challenged.

So now I’m really up to my ears in German.  I’m learning a lot, but it’s hard to see that sometimes because of the fast pace.  It’s definitely an asset to have an Austrian boyfriend though- and I’m looked very well upon by my classmates for that (because I have a live-in teacher!).  My teachers also like the fact that I’m a teacher, and Canadian… I get a strange sort of respect from them for it.
Other things that have been going on…

Tutoring Andreas’ lovely Aunt Uli in English.

Andreas’ "uncle" Toni- (Austrian, but who lives in Montreal) visited for 3 weeks in September.  We had a really nice visit with him.  Here is a picture of Andreas and Toni playing an Austrian card game (Schnapsl)

And Andreas and I had a really nice evening out with some friends of ours (my colleague Nick and his girlfriend, Andrea; as well as my Austrian friend Birgit).  We drank way, way too much, and were severely hung over the next day.  But we spent it hanging around on the couch watching movies and napping.

And for those of you who don’t know, I’m in a band.  We have our first gig next Thursday (the 19th).  I’m scared, scared, scared.  Here are some pictures of us.

So, this blog entry is meant to mark the
end of the summer and the start of a new year (as a recently-graduated student,
I’m still on the semester system). Andreas and I just got back yesterday from our holiday where we stayed 3
nights in Italy and 4 nights in the south of France. It’s hard to sum up a really good vacation,
but I will say that it was lovely. I
felt like Andreas and I got to know each other better, and it was interesting
to put ourselves in a new situation like that. There was a lot of driving, but we made up for it by staying put in one
city in France (Fréjus- just south of Nice and Cannes). On our first stop we drove to a town in Italy
called Caorle (which was right on the ocean), where we stayed the first 2
nights before driving a hefty 8 hours to Fréjus.

 My Italian is non-existent, but Andreas
knew some from school, so we got by. The
town was one of those great seaside towns where it’s just touristy enough to
get your fill of souvenirs, but not so much that the prices were completely out
of our range. The weather was great, and
the people were friendly, and the food was… ok. One night I decided to be daring and order spaghetti with lobster in it. I guess I expected lobster meat in the sauce
but instead found an almost fully dismembered lobster mixed in with my
pasta. I thought maybe the shells were
meant as decoration around the edge of the plate, but soon found a giant claw
hidden under a lump of spaghetti. Despite my reluctance to admit to being a lobster rookie, I didn’t get
too far with anything other than the spaghetti.

 The next day was the long drive to France,
which, in a small un-air-conditioned car, felt a lot longer than 8 hours. But we had booked a room at a cheap budget
hotel for the night (right off the highway… terrible view, but easy to find),
so we could just take a shower and fall right into bed. The prices on the Cote d’Azur were definitely
higher than here, but we managed. Most
days we went swimming, except for one where we took a drive to a giant gorge
called Le Gorge du Verdon. It was pretty
amazing, and, never having been to the Grand Canyon, was the first I had seen
of something like that. We also visited
a church in town which dated back to the 3^rd century, so was by far
the oldest one either Andreas or I had ever seen. It was pretty amazing, as the tour included a
bapistry and cloisters, both equally as old. The church was really simple in its design, and there was not a gold
statue or shiny centrepiece in sight.

 Our first two nights in France were at the
cheapo hotel, and the second two we decided to find somewhere in the city to
stay, so we chose a 2-star called L’Oasis. It was probably about 50 times better than the first one. It had a lot of character (better breakfast
too) and wasn’t much more expensive. The
owner was a very sweet man who took good care of us and went out of his way to
get us everything we needed (eg. When we asked where an internet café was in
town, he just brought us his laptop and told us to take our time). A big plus for this hotel was that it had a
mini-fridge, which allowed us to go grocery shopping and save some money. A small minus for it was that there was only
a curtain dividing the bathroom/shower from the bedroom. Otherwise, it was by far the best place we
stayed.

 And from there, we drove to Lake Garda in
Italy for our last night on vacation, and stayed in a small-ish town on the
lake for one night. We arrived around 5,
took a swim, then went out for pizza and cocktails. The next day we stuck around until 2, swimming
and then taking a quick tour of the old-town. The drive back to Austria was long, hot, and mostly uneventful. I came
back with a tan and some new clothes,
but without my cell phone (lost on the beach in France) and shoes (left at a
rest station in Italy). Overall it balanced out to be a really good vacation.

Pictures coming soon!!!

I know this blog entry has been a long time coming, but it has been a busy, busy month.  Non-stop, really.  I guess I’ll go back to early July, where I was just working like normal, things were good.  Then on the 12th of July, my birthday, I was given the news that my grandmother died.  From then on everything became a bit tumultuous.  The day was hard- I was distraught that my grandmother had died, as well as the fact that it was my birthday and I was so far away from home.  Andreas was a tremendous support, gave me the choice to opt out of the dinner with friends he had planned for me that evening.  I got myself together though, because I knew that I should go, and that my grandmother would have wanted me to. 

The night was really good, and I got to wear my new dress, which was fabulous.  It was good to have the support of friends there- even if I didn’t tell them what was going on until later.  The next day my dad told me that he had bought me a ticket home for the funeral- it would only be for 4 days because I was scheduled for kid’s camp the following week.  I was really glad to go- it was important for me to be there and participate in the ceremony. 

Upon my return I became a glorified babysitter for a week, teaching English at the same time.  As expected it was stressful, but unexpectedly it was also (a bit) fun.  The stress and the fun came in waves, one after the other, so it was an ok experience.  Fortunately I have 2 more weeks coming up to solidify that opinion.

After a week of kid’s camp, Andreas and I were reunited for a week of togetherness before I returned to Canada, due to my visa expiring.  It was great to just be together to play music and cuddle and watch movies and go out for dinner again- it has definitely been stressful to be apart so much.

Now, I am back in Canada until the 16th of August, at which time I fly to Munich where Andreas will pick me up & take me back to Graz.  This whole song and dance is because of the pending receipt of my Irish passport, which I expect in the next 2 or 3 weeks.  It is an exciting time for me, because it will mean that I can stay as long as I want, without restriction.  I just received news of my accepted status as an Irish citizen, so as soon as the passport is sorted out, my shoulders will be significantly lighter.

And last but not least, Andreas and I have started our very own cover band!  I’ve gotten over the Montreal stigma of being in a cover band, and am now just pure excited about it.  We are playing my favourite music, and I’m getting a chance to just concentrate on improving my singing (and stage presence, oh god…). One day I definitely want to do my own stuff, but for now this is a good start.

Next week I am working, then 2 weeks of kid’s camp, then Andreas and I will take a vacation to the south of France together- finally some solid together time once he’s finished his summer job.  It’s been a really busy summer, but I’ve gotten to see at lease a little bit of everyone I love. 

Ok, it’s time for some post-weekend picture posting.  Andreas and I had a really lovely weekend, especially seeing as how this was his first where he didn’t have to study.  Friday night the two of us had a dinner party with two friends, Dimi and Birgit.  In fact, it was a Mexican fiesta, where I introduced them to fajitas, corn & bean salad, and sangria (really though, it was only the fajitas they hadn’t had before).  So, needless to say, it was delicious.  And fun.  So here are the pictures:

And other than swimming, watching the world cup, and exploring new neighbourhoods, the most exciting part of the weekend was shopping for 5 (!) hours with Andreas to find him a new suit.  I’m satisfied, for sure.  Mainly it’s for Petra’s (his sister) graduation on the 23rd- I still have to find myself a dress, but then we’re set. 

Much time has passed since my last blog entry… I’m not really sure
why that is.  I guess because life is starting to feel almost normal
here, and I don’t have the same need to vent as I used to.  But it’s
nice to put things down (on screen?) and reflect a bit.  Last week was
pretty hectic for Andreas… studying, studying, studying.  Fortunately
he was successful on his big physics exam, which was a big relief for
him (and for me too of course).
In other news, I have become a soccer (’football’) fan.  Who knew?  I
guess there’s just something fun about being caught up in everyone
else’s excitement.  Last night we watched most of the Germany-Italy
game, where most were cheering for Italy (no one seems to like Germany
for some reason).  The pubs are getting more packed, and it’s getting
harder and harder to get a seat, which really only contributes to the
overall excitement.  It’s all over this week though, and this house has
placed its bets on France.
Work is starting to dry up a little, as apparently no one wants to
learn English on their summer holidays.  The is exception Andreas’
dedicated aunt Uli, who is a teacher in a vocational school and will be
taking an exam in November in order to be able to teach in English.  So
she and I have lessons for 9 hours a week at the apartment- it’s not a
lot of work, as I’m pretty sure she is one of the most motivated and
interested students I’ve had so far.
I continue to teach at some companies though, which Iike very much.
All my students are business men trying to improve their English- and
they’re really a lot of fun.  One of my student has been listening to
the Berlitz audio CD in his car during his commute, so to spare him the
boredom I have downloaded and burned some CBC Podcasts for him to
listen to (AIH and The Current).  I think he’ll enjoy them.
And as for the summer, I will continue to work at Berlitz, as well as
tutor Uli, until the dreaded kid’s camp.  I say dreaded because I think
I’m a little afraid of children, and definitely afraid of summer camp
in general (there was a reason I never went).  I continue to be
reassured by colleagues that it will be fun, so I’m just going to cross
my fingers and pray.  I leave on the 23rd for one week, then the next
two weeks are at the end of August.  Andreas and I are hoping to take a
little holiday in September- perhaps France or Greece (but again, I’m
rooting for France).  Andreas started his new job at AVL
yesterday- I think he’s excited about it, but as he has his final exam
today, he will need a bit of time to get into it and figure out what
he’s supposed to do there exactly.  But it does seem like a really good
job.
I am happy being here in the summer- I’ve been meeting people, and
generally feeling relaxed in Graz.  I have, however, been missing home-
especially McGreggor and Haliburton, and the family time that comes
with them.  I’m very much looking forward to August where I can come
home for 2 weeks.  Anyway- more news soon.  <3

Ok, I haven’t written in a little while, so I thought I’d talk about some things.  Mainly, my and Andreas’ trip to Burgenland last weekend!  Thursday was a holiday, so the two of us decided to take kind of an impromptu (and unscheduled) trip to Burgenland (the Eastern-most provice in Austria), but more specifically to Rechniz (the second-biggest town in Burgenland, about 3000 people strong).  The idea was to go to a pension (hotel/b&b), eat at a buschenschank (traditional restaurant) and have a wine tasting (because it is right in wine country).  Well, nothing worked out like we planned (ie. things sucked a bit more than we had anticipated), but we actually had a really great time anyway.

The short version: We hadn’t booked a room ahead
of time, and once we got there, discovered that there was
a big Hungarian festival (they share a border with Hungary) going on, and
every single room in the whole town was booked out for the weekend.  So, we stopped by a cafe and mentioned it to some locals, and everyone just rallied around and made it their afternoon mission to find us a room!  They didn’t have the
number of a woman who has the number of a hotel, so one lady called her
friend who was at the Hungarian festival down the street, and asked her
to look for the woman who has the number for the hotel in the next
town.  All this while Andreas and I were just sitting on barstools drinking coffees… it was quite the sight.

So at last, someone called someone else, and we had a place to sleep (in an even smaller town but just down the road).  I have to say though, that it was smelly small
room with 2 single beds that didn’t quite fit together (3 inches in
between), no soap, shampoo, or extra tp- but a really nice shower.  Anyway, we went to a
Buschenshank for dinner and drank some really good wine (no wine tasting though- they kind of acted like they had never heard of it…).  After
that we decided on a whim to take a look inside this bar called
"Disco Flamingo"- we thought we’d go in just for fun (it was 8:30), but ended up staying for many
cocktails, some dancing and a lot of pool and foosball.  The average age there was around 17, but we had a great time hanging out together.

So now I thought I’d include some pictures of things that I’ve been up to otherwise (we forgot the camera when we went to Burgenland).  Here you are.

Meet: Baby Mint, Baby Lavender, and Baby Dill

Meet: American baking products!!

Meet: My German book & kitchen sticky notes

Well, life is starting to settle back to normal now that my mom and sister have left… it was a tough adjustment at first (some tears, I’ll admit it), but I’m getting back into the swing of things now.  We had a really wonderful visit- they were here for 10 days, and although we didn’t do tons of sight-seeing, we got to spend some good quality-time together.  The first weekend we spent in Bad St. Leonhard chez the Schriefls, being fed and pampered by them.  They were extremely good hosts and took good care of all of us.  During the week we returned to Graz and just did a lot of shopping, walking around, eating and of course chatting (and napping).  The last weekend we decided to skip Vienna, as Catherine had a bad run-in with some Indian food.  Instead we went to a pool just around the block and spent the day swimming and relaxing (and reading fashion magazines). 
Even though it was sad to have them leave, it felt like a renewal, just in time for spring.  And it was less sad in that I am going to be spending a couple of weeks at home in early August- very exciting!  Here are some pictures from the visit:

First-day here

Family visiting

Birthday party for Petra

Everyone walking up to a castle in Wolfsberg

Me & Catherine at the spa

Raclette for dinner

A post- dinner schnapps

Nap time

Well, my mom and sister are still here, and we are still having a lovely visit, but before I do a big post about it, I thought I’d put up some pictures from our lovely weekend at the Schriefls.  They were extremely hospitable and generous, and took good care of all of us while mom and Catherine were recovering from jet-lag.

Andreas and I took a very lovely vacation this weekend, so I thought I’d post some pictures of it.  We went to a place outside a town called Weiz, which is south of Graz, and stayed overnight in a little motel/B&B (pension in German).  It was really nice and relaxing- good to get out of the city for a bit.  So here you are:

Me drinking a white wine spritzer in my new sunglasses- feeling cool.

Andreas reading his menu- feeling cool.

Me and Andreas being tourists in Graz.

Me painting my toenails to celebrate my vacation (and new shoes)

Andreas and me at the lake