I noticed here bad days can get really blown out of proportion and can happen over nothing. The thing is, once you start not feeling so good, it automatically makes you assume it's because you're in Austria and that it would never happen in the United States. And all you want to do is go home and suddenly, even though it isn't that long of a stay here, it seems like forever until coming home.
The truth is, bad things happen no matter where you are, and I believe that's part of the reverse culture shock of coming back home to USA. You see once again all these things you were looking forward to, and then you realize you have romanticized these things when you were homesick. We will have to see!
Last week in math she was teaching (and still is...) this really advanced geometry that I couldn't find an english explanation anywhere I looked. So my homework was completely wrong and she makes a big todo about it in front of the entire class, about how I am supposed to ask for help when I needed it and so on. The rest of the class also has no idea whats going on, and they look at me helplessly and say, I can't clarify in german or english. sorry.
By the end of the hour, I put my head down on the desk and sighed. My friend Clara started to soothe me, which of course made me cry. Of course!
Surprisingly, no one in the class made fun of me. In fact, everyone sort of came to me then and was like "Hey Julia, it's not so bad. We know its really hard for you and its so unfair that she expects you to do better than us. Don't worry about it"
Hopefully my host brothers will be able to clarify, because they are math and physics majors. Naturually, being over 20, they are almost never home.
---
SO! On Friday I began dance school, which is a beginners course for ballroom dancing. There are about 50 girls and 50 boys, which is really incredible. You have to get all dressed up before you go, and wear high heels and nylons and a skirt. My host sister, Iris, 13, was bitterly jealous of me and kept fussing with my hair and jewelery before I left. Only three more years until she can begin. =)
After, the other American girl, Deirdre and I went out to a cafe in Stephansplatz with some of her Austrian friends. Cory met us too. I found the night overall pretty unimpressive and went home pretty early.
The next night, a lot of AFS kids came to my apartment and then we went to the night at the museums, where they were all open. Saw modern art, natural history, etc etc. Of course we were mostly there for the humor of being together.
Then on Sunday was a big day for me. I met the entire father's side of the family at a party for the Grandfather's birthday. In Austria, there is a child deficit, but this family, the grandparents had 7 kids, and now there are 35 grandchildren. This was very overwhelming but an hour in, I realized that I understood EVERYTHING that was happening. And someone commented also my accent, saying its very well adjusted to Vienna. Excellent.
I think my host brother needs the computer. I am going to a party tonight (Even though it is monday...) with Clara. I will only be there an hour I think. I get exhausted really easily here still.
Next weekend is AFS second arrival camp in Niederösterreich. And that's about it! I think I will also go sometime this week to see La Traviata at Volksoper...
Happy Columbus Day, even though its just a normal monday for me.
And I heard the Red Sox are doing well????
Posts mit dem Label school werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Posts mit dem Label school werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
Montag, 8. Oktober 2007
Montag, 1. Oktober 2007
School Life
My School Life, written from Geography class on 29. September 2007
I just realized I would do nothing this class. I guess the obvious thing to write about would be school as most of my time here is spent in school. And mostly, I have written in emails “School is just school” However, there are a lot of differences between school in the United States and school in Austria. As I am writing in my Geography class full of kids laughing and fooling around while the teacher is teaching, I can safely say it is stricter in the US. I don’t know why it seems that we give more respect to our teachers, maybe because they are more personable or reach out in more appealing ways. Even in my CP1 classes aren’t this bad. Honestly, I think it comes down to tests. These kids have exams 4 times a year in Math English and German. Teachers have not quizzed us in the month I have been in school. These classes are also the only ones we have homework in. 2 or 3 problems a night, tops. As for the huge number of other classes I take, nothing really happens in them, and frankly, no one cares. I sit in the first row, where students pay the most attention. The second row is all girls who at least have their books out. The back table would not be able to tell you what they learned in a day. We remain in the same classroom all day, so it is always this way. Also, no one gets in trouble for writing on desks so everyone does it.
Now, my school schedule is 8am to 1.40, Monday to Friday.
Monday begins with Math, which I guess everyone tries in. Usually it will be like, one person learns and everyone copies their homework in other classes. The idea that math is the same in every language is not exactly true. They use many different symbols and find my problem solving methods strange. They also integrate a lot of math together before they know all the methods of say, geometry or algebra. The teacher moves at a very fast pace and informed me last week I would be receiving a grade in her class. This is bad news because even though some things are review for me, I have never in my life learned advanced geometry or trigonometry or calculus. I will also take exams. However, I look forward to math as much as I dread it because it is something to do. After is a five minute break.Next is either French or Old Greek, and I go to the second year students to take German class with them, (11 years old). The past few weeks I did little, but now they gave me some free books so I can learn too. Honestly, it helps. The kids are very interested in me, but often too shy and afraid of the language barrier. After is a 10 minute breakEnglish class is next which is laughable. The teacher has often fallen back on asking me or Franziska, who lived for eight years in Michigan, to explain things. The kids don’t speak English as well as I expected though. After is the 15 minute break.Next is history, which I know the theme and take notes in, or copy from someone when she dictates. Despite this, I am not actually learning history because I don’t know that much German. I can say “oh, we are learning the Russian Revolution” but that’s it. I can see myself improving already, so maybe by December I can say “we are studying the Russian revolution, and this is what happened” However, I didn’t buy school books, and in this class we use it sometimes. Even if I had the book, I couldn’t read it. Thankfully it is not necessary, just note taking really. Also thankfully, she types out her notes and puts them on the overhead projector. Austrian handwriting is dreadful for me to read and misspelled German words do me no good. A five minute break.Next is Psychology which is very advanced technical vocabulary. I take notes if she writes them, but I have come to terms with the fact that there is nothing I can do in this class. I handed in a paper we had to write, supposed to be like pages or something. It had four lines of text in very simple German where I defined very briefly the terms we were supposed to explain in detail. Under that I wrote in German “This is just comprehension practice for me. Let me know if it is mostly right, but do not grade it” My way of letting them know that I am not wasting my time by just sitting in classes all day with no clue what is going on. A ten minute break.The day ends with 3B who I don’t like so much. Except the day does not quite end. Monday is special. I have my elective on Monday in the eighth and ninth hour. Basically the school gets out at 1.40 every day, but after a one hour break, school resumes until about 7 in the evening. I go home and eat lunch (big part of the family life, which I will write on later) and then come back at 2.30 for Informatik. I thought it would be basic word processing, but it is HTML. They are impressed with how fast I can type and I usually have time to use Email by the end of the class. Everyone else in this class is a 14 or 15 year old boy. The teacher is my religion teacher also, and always wants me to understand. This is so kind and dear to me as most classes they ignore me completely even if I take notes and try to participate.
Tuesday begins also with 3B which is extremely tiring. Tuesday is a bad day for me, there aren’t really any classes I enjoy. Next is two periods of Sport which sucks. Of course it sucks. It sucks internationally. They are shocked that you can get out of the requirement in the US. In Austria, you can’t so someone who sucks at sports does not exist. It is two hours of misery to be there sucking so much.And after this hell is another one: Geography. I don’t have a book, the teacher speaks in dialect and it is almost all Austria. They seem to think that it is the center of the world. We are supposed to be looking at something on the overhead projector right now and taking notes on things she is talking about on the map. No way I can do that. Next is German. They are reading Schiller, I am reading a children’s book. At least it is something to do, and it honestly helps. I feel so proud of myself as I read faster and faster and use a dictionary less and less. Math ends the day.
Wednesday is German again in the morning, then Chemistry. We leave the classroom to go to the lab. The French teacher has this as her other subject. We take notes, thankfully, not by dictation. It all seems pretty basic so far. Sciences aren’t stressed so much ehre as in the US, so that’s why it is only 2 times a week. No homework. Next is Physics which I completely do not understand. They have known it every year since they were ten years old. The teacher looks like the lead singer of System of a Down, with curly long hair and the soul patch. Apparently he’s wicked funny, but he speaks in Viennese dialect. We don’t learn much Physics, I know that for sure. Psychology is next, which already know is a dream. =P3A German in the fifth hour, where the teacher has purple hair. Last week they had to memorize ballads. The Austrians really appreciate Schiller and Goethe and many other ancient poets’ ballads. And for such an ugly language, they are so gorgeous. I relished in listening to them. We got a huge book of them from the library, and there are thousands of them! My family enjoys memorizing them for fun. Wednesday finishes with English, and Thursdays begin this way
After English on Thursday is Chemistry.My favorite German class is this day, 1B. They are ten years old and so sweet. The teacher is the nicest man I have ever met. He is so helpful to me and gave me a bunch of German workbooks the kids use for free. He even corrected my dictation work and wrote things like SUPER and FEIN all over it.Then History, Math, and Geography.
Fridays are interesting and there is little work to be done, which is a good quality for Fridays. It begins with Physics, then German, and then I have an hour free. There aren’t any German classes this hour.Next is religion which is my Informatik teacher. It is always a discussion, things I can almost understand. It is very frustrating because I have so much that I would like to debate on Catholicism, but it is just beyond my grasp. In this class, the child deficit in Austria was brought up. Parents are only having one or two children. My teacher asked, wouldn’t it be nice if women could stay home with their kids. I said no, of course not because there wouldn’t be enough money and women can do more than raise children. Interested, they asked me how many kids Americans have. I said about three, but most people would know a family that has 4 or 5 kids. They found this stunning. My Austrian family is an exception where the grandmother has 35 grandchildren (or 53, I get the German numbers mixed up) Everyone in the family has 4 kids, and one of them has 9.Anyway, next is two hours of art to end the day. And I must say, American kids are taught to draw quite professionally. We can draw whatever we want according o theme. Stress is on creativity, if there is any. The kids do not draw what they really see with shading and depth and tone and directional marks, just symbols, like kids or nonartists. Even my skills, which were at the bottom of my art class seem to amaze them. They think I can draw so beautifully. That’s nice I suppose. The only real downside is that you have to buy all your own surprise.
And that is my school week! Hopefully that was interesting.
I just realized I would do nothing this class. I guess the obvious thing to write about would be school as most of my time here is spent in school. And mostly, I have written in emails “School is just school” However, there are a lot of differences between school in the United States and school in Austria. As I am writing in my Geography class full of kids laughing and fooling around while the teacher is teaching, I can safely say it is stricter in the US. I don’t know why it seems that we give more respect to our teachers, maybe because they are more personable or reach out in more appealing ways. Even in my CP1 classes aren’t this bad. Honestly, I think it comes down to tests. These kids have exams 4 times a year in Math English and German. Teachers have not quizzed us in the month I have been in school. These classes are also the only ones we have homework in. 2 or 3 problems a night, tops. As for the huge number of other classes I take, nothing really happens in them, and frankly, no one cares. I sit in the first row, where students pay the most attention. The second row is all girls who at least have their books out. The back table would not be able to tell you what they learned in a day. We remain in the same classroom all day, so it is always this way. Also, no one gets in trouble for writing on desks so everyone does it.
Now, my school schedule is 8am to 1.40, Monday to Friday.
Monday begins with Math, which I guess everyone tries in. Usually it will be like, one person learns and everyone copies their homework in other classes. The idea that math is the same in every language is not exactly true. They use many different symbols and find my problem solving methods strange. They also integrate a lot of math together before they know all the methods of say, geometry or algebra. The teacher moves at a very fast pace and informed me last week I would be receiving a grade in her class. This is bad news because even though some things are review for me, I have never in my life learned advanced geometry or trigonometry or calculus. I will also take exams. However, I look forward to math as much as I dread it because it is something to do. After is a five minute break.Next is either French or Old Greek, and I go to the second year students to take German class with them, (11 years old). The past few weeks I did little, but now they gave me some free books so I can learn too. Honestly, it helps. The kids are very interested in me, but often too shy and afraid of the language barrier. After is a 10 minute breakEnglish class is next which is laughable. The teacher has often fallen back on asking me or Franziska, who lived for eight years in Michigan, to explain things. The kids don’t speak English as well as I expected though. After is the 15 minute break.Next is history, which I know the theme and take notes in, or copy from someone when she dictates. Despite this, I am not actually learning history because I don’t know that much German. I can say “oh, we are learning the Russian Revolution” but that’s it. I can see myself improving already, so maybe by December I can say “we are studying the Russian revolution, and this is what happened” However, I didn’t buy school books, and in this class we use it sometimes. Even if I had the book, I couldn’t read it. Thankfully it is not necessary, just note taking really. Also thankfully, she types out her notes and puts them on the overhead projector. Austrian handwriting is dreadful for me to read and misspelled German words do me no good. A five minute break.Next is Psychology which is very advanced technical vocabulary. I take notes if she writes them, but I have come to terms with the fact that there is nothing I can do in this class. I handed in a paper we had to write, supposed to be like pages or something. It had four lines of text in very simple German where I defined very briefly the terms we were supposed to explain in detail. Under that I wrote in German “This is just comprehension practice for me. Let me know if it is mostly right, but do not grade it” My way of letting them know that I am not wasting my time by just sitting in classes all day with no clue what is going on. A ten minute break.The day ends with 3B who I don’t like so much. Except the day does not quite end. Monday is special. I have my elective on Monday in the eighth and ninth hour. Basically the school gets out at 1.40 every day, but after a one hour break, school resumes until about 7 in the evening. I go home and eat lunch (big part of the family life, which I will write on later) and then come back at 2.30 for Informatik. I thought it would be basic word processing, but it is HTML. They are impressed with how fast I can type and I usually have time to use Email by the end of the class. Everyone else in this class is a 14 or 15 year old boy. The teacher is my religion teacher also, and always wants me to understand. This is so kind and dear to me as most classes they ignore me completely even if I take notes and try to participate.
Tuesday begins also with 3B which is extremely tiring. Tuesday is a bad day for me, there aren’t really any classes I enjoy. Next is two periods of Sport which sucks. Of course it sucks. It sucks internationally. They are shocked that you can get out of the requirement in the US. In Austria, you can’t so someone who sucks at sports does not exist. It is two hours of misery to be there sucking so much.And after this hell is another one: Geography. I don’t have a book, the teacher speaks in dialect and it is almost all Austria. They seem to think that it is the center of the world. We are supposed to be looking at something on the overhead projector right now and taking notes on things she is talking about on the map. No way I can do that. Next is German. They are reading Schiller, I am reading a children’s book. At least it is something to do, and it honestly helps. I feel so proud of myself as I read faster and faster and use a dictionary less and less. Math ends the day.
Wednesday is German again in the morning, then Chemistry. We leave the classroom to go to the lab. The French teacher has this as her other subject. We take notes, thankfully, not by dictation. It all seems pretty basic so far. Sciences aren’t stressed so much ehre as in the US, so that’s why it is only 2 times a week. No homework. Next is Physics which I completely do not understand. They have known it every year since they were ten years old. The teacher looks like the lead singer of System of a Down, with curly long hair and the soul patch. Apparently he’s wicked funny, but he speaks in Viennese dialect. We don’t learn much Physics, I know that for sure. Psychology is next, which already know is a dream. =P3A German in the fifth hour, where the teacher has purple hair. Last week they had to memorize ballads. The Austrians really appreciate Schiller and Goethe and many other ancient poets’ ballads. And for such an ugly language, they are so gorgeous. I relished in listening to them. We got a huge book of them from the library, and there are thousands of them! My family enjoys memorizing them for fun. Wednesday finishes with English, and Thursdays begin this way
After English on Thursday is Chemistry.My favorite German class is this day, 1B. They are ten years old and so sweet. The teacher is the nicest man I have ever met. He is so helpful to me and gave me a bunch of German workbooks the kids use for free. He even corrected my dictation work and wrote things like SUPER and FEIN all over it.Then History, Math, and Geography.
Fridays are interesting and there is little work to be done, which is a good quality for Fridays. It begins with Physics, then German, and then I have an hour free. There aren’t any German classes this hour.Next is religion which is my Informatik teacher. It is always a discussion, things I can almost understand. It is very frustrating because I have so much that I would like to debate on Catholicism, but it is just beyond my grasp. In this class, the child deficit in Austria was brought up. Parents are only having one or two children. My teacher asked, wouldn’t it be nice if women could stay home with their kids. I said no, of course not because there wouldn’t be enough money and women can do more than raise children. Interested, they asked me how many kids Americans have. I said about three, but most people would know a family that has 4 or 5 kids. They found this stunning. My Austrian family is an exception where the grandmother has 35 grandchildren (or 53, I get the German numbers mixed up) Everyone in the family has 4 kids, and one of them has 9.Anyway, next is two hours of art to end the day. And I must say, American kids are taught to draw quite professionally. We can draw whatever we want according o theme. Stress is on creativity, if there is any. The kids do not draw what they really see with shading and depth and tone and directional marks, just symbols, like kids or nonartists. Even my skills, which were at the bottom of my art class seem to amaze them. They think I can draw so beautifully. That’s nice I suppose. The only real downside is that you have to buy all your own surprise.
And that is my school week! Hopefully that was interesting.
Dienstag, 4. September 2007
Culture Shock
Second day is the hardest, was what my host mother said. It also happened to fall on my first day of school. I think this is an unfavorable condition, personally...
I went to school at 8 and the people are really very friendly. Except they have all known each other their entire lives (you stay in one class all day) and are not quick to let you in. This is what I was told by one girl in my class who came two years ago. She is Austrian born but raised in the United States. This is good for me, because I sort of have an ally, but horrible because people may think I can't speak german if she is the only one I talk to.
The first thing that went wrong is clearly the language barrier. My homeroom teacher was telling us very important things and I knew nothing. It was just too fast and perhaps a bit of Viennese dialect. Then there was this list showing which classes you were registered for, and I wasn't in anything! My homeroom teacher said vaguely she would work on this with me later.
I didn't realize when a teacher came in later that we were having a lesson. For one thing, all the students spoke among themselves, and she just kind of joked around sitting on a desktop. I was told this is how all the classes are. Kind of contradictory to what I was taught, big surprise, definitely. Anyway I discovered this was a psychology class and I then understood many of the themes she was discussing, that was very good.
School was then over and I chilled until about 5 when everyone came home. My hostmother began asking me important questions about what my homeroom teacher had told me, and I just couldn't give her the answer because I did not know. I could feel my face turning extremely red from embarrasement and then I also neeeded to cry urgently. The thing that most people know about german is that it always sounds very harsh, and even when they speak english it is also harsh sounding.
My host mother was trying to tell me that the next day I had to go to the AFS german class. However, I did not sign up for this because I was told it was very basic, and she was told it was levelled. And then she asked why are you crying, and I later realized she became gentler here and told me that I was having culture shock and that we would slow down. We took a walk as a family and they showed me the way to the Strassenbahn (streetcar) that I would take to my class, which I could sign up for there.
And today? It was very lovely. Much, much, better. I understood many things in school and had a history class, then a period where my homeroom teacher and I picked classes, and then art class. My german class was fun, and travelling Vienna independently on the strassenbahn was VERY fun. It helped dramatically, I spoke fluently to my host mother later.
This is all for now, but my classes are the following:
Math, English, History, Psychology, English, History, Sport, Physics, German, Chemistry, Geography, Religion, Art
AND I must take one elective
AND I have two extra german classes with 10 year old. SWEET!
love, julia
I went to school at 8 and the people are really very friendly. Except they have all known each other their entire lives (you stay in one class all day) and are not quick to let you in. This is what I was told by one girl in my class who came two years ago. She is Austrian born but raised in the United States. This is good for me, because I sort of have an ally, but horrible because people may think I can't speak german if she is the only one I talk to.
The first thing that went wrong is clearly the language barrier. My homeroom teacher was telling us very important things and I knew nothing. It was just too fast and perhaps a bit of Viennese dialect. Then there was this list showing which classes you were registered for, and I wasn't in anything! My homeroom teacher said vaguely she would work on this with me later.
I didn't realize when a teacher came in later that we were having a lesson. For one thing, all the students spoke among themselves, and she just kind of joked around sitting on a desktop. I was told this is how all the classes are. Kind of contradictory to what I was taught, big surprise, definitely. Anyway I discovered this was a psychology class and I then understood many of the themes she was discussing, that was very good.
School was then over and I chilled until about 5 when everyone came home. My hostmother began asking me important questions about what my homeroom teacher had told me, and I just couldn't give her the answer because I did not know. I could feel my face turning extremely red from embarrasement and then I also neeeded to cry urgently. The thing that most people know about german is that it always sounds very harsh, and even when they speak english it is also harsh sounding.
My host mother was trying to tell me that the next day I had to go to the AFS german class. However, I did not sign up for this because I was told it was very basic, and she was told it was levelled. And then she asked why are you crying, and I later realized she became gentler here and told me that I was having culture shock and that we would slow down. We took a walk as a family and they showed me the way to the Strassenbahn (streetcar) that I would take to my class, which I could sign up for there.
And today? It was very lovely. Much, much, better. I understood many things in school and had a history class, then a period where my homeroom teacher and I picked classes, and then art class. My german class was fun, and travelling Vienna independently on the strassenbahn was VERY fun. It helped dramatically, I spoke fluently to my host mother later.
This is all for now, but my classes are the following:
Math, English, History, Psychology, English, History, Sport, Physics, German, Chemistry, Geography, Religion, Art
AND I must take one elective
AND I have two extra german classes with 10 year old. SWEET!
love, julia
Montag, 3. September 2007
Orientation and Week One
Wednesday -- the most awkward of all the days since no one knew each other and couldn't figure out who was going to which country. The food at doubletree was really bad and I got a little sick. At the end of the night we formed groups by country, instead of random groups where they taught us safety procedures and rules rules rules. This was nice seeing people for the first time, although I didn't really like them at first glance. my roommate was from minnesota, also a semester student in austria. she thought I was cold, but I guess this is the new england in me. =P
Thursday -- was much better than wedsnesday and lots of waiting around to get to the airport. all of us couldn't wait to get out of new york city. there are about 20 us students going to austria and we all got along REALLY well. the exception to this was a boy from a cow farm on oregon who had two very pretty girls from southern california hanging off both of his arms. in austria they behaved very inappropriately and finally the rest of the group had the guts to tell them off and PLEASE refrain from the PDA because it was seriously offending the austrians, and ESPECIALLY since oregoncowboy had a girlfriend back home.
And so the flight. It was very long and most of it I fell asleep on the fold out table. I got a lot of reading done for history class. Oh yes, this was an unchaperoned flight, and so we had to figure out the way past passport control and to our next gate in frankfurt by ourselves.
Friday -- was when we arrived I suppose, it was afternoon. they had a room with food and chairs prepared for us at the world trade center where we waited for our bus that came at 8:30. there were lots of jokes we told that weren't funny but seemed that way because we were so tired. finally we got to orientation site at around 10, where there were about 130 kids from around the world and we really just wanted to go to sleep.
Saturday -- we broke off into country groups that prepared ourselves for austria according to our culture. it was a lot of fun and mostly I was just glad to be hanging out with them, bsecause all the americans got pretty close. there was a party this night and we taught everyone the cha cha slide. I went to bed pretty early because I wanted to take a shower. (with my deliciously smelling austrian toiletries)
Sunday -- my family arrived to get me at 9:15 in the morning. so far I have been to church, which is of course in a gothic cathedral. I met all sorts of girls who are friends with the stracke's daughter clarissa. they are going to help me around tomorrow at school. school is attatched sort of to the cathedral and it is 300 years old. we had a really good lunch of wild boar (?!?!?!! they have a hunter friend) and this squash soup that was absolutely delicious. I am eating much better here than in germany, I find their food is still rich but somehow more manageable, and therefore my table manners perhaps?!) we are going for a walk later and then I heard we may go to Rathausplatz which is a big center where there will an opera performance on a big screen tv there.I really have not had a chance to see Wien yet but I suppose I am ever closer because I live right here. It is very beautiful where I live and very close to this enormous theatre.
Friday -- was when we arrived I suppose, it was afternoon. they had a room with food and chairs prepared for us at the world trade center where we waited for our bus that came at 8:30. there were lots of jokes we told that weren't funny but seemed that way because we were so tired. finally we got to orientation site at around 10, where there were about 130 kids from around the world and we really just wanted to go to sleep.
Saturday -- we broke off into country groups that prepared ourselves for austria according to our culture. it was a lot of fun and mostly I was just glad to be hanging out with them, bsecause all the americans got pretty close. there was a party this night and we taught everyone the cha cha slide. I went to bed pretty early because I wanted to take a shower. (with my deliciously smelling austrian toiletries)
Sunday -- my family arrived to get me at 9:15 in the morning. so far I have been to church, which is of course in a gothic cathedral. I met all sorts of girls who are friends with the stracke's daughter clarissa. they are going to help me around tomorrow at school. school is attatched sort of to the cathedral and it is 300 years old. we had a really good lunch of wild boar (?!?!?!! they have a hunter friend) and this squash soup that was absolutely delicious. I am eating much better here than in germany, I find their food is still rich but somehow more manageable, and therefore my table manners perhaps?!). we later went to this giant recreation area a little out side of the city with a big forest and fruit trees and everything. for dinner was some potato with a little egg in it dish, and then we went to Rathausplatz to see a filmed performance of Figaro, which was so beautiful.
Which brings me to today, my first day in school. It was short, beginning with church which I went to with a girl called Clara who was the best friend of the girl I'm replacing here. The classroom stuff was really disorganized and no one really listened. A list went around showing which classes people would be taking with their other classes and there was none listed next to my name? The principal is on sick leave so when she comes back I'll find out apparently...
I guess the good news is that I won't have to pay for school books.
There was a student in my class born of Viennese parents, but grew up in Amercia and she helped me a little.
The homeroom teacher spoke to me in English, and I'm afraid they will think that I can't speak any german.
I think after we had Psychology class, but I don't know. At first I thought she was just doing another orientation thing, because everyone was talking and she just sat a desk in front of the class and kind of joked around. But then I understood her talking about the difference between the left and right side of the brain, and men and women and children, and something about dreams, and somethign about children and teddy bears. The girl who lived in America told me that classes are just like this, and that yes, it shocked her at first too.
I'm surprised mostly because what I understood from orientations was how important school is and how in order everything is and how strict.
School was over at 10.45 (half day)
I don't know what else happens today and HOPEFULLY I'll get classes??? That'd be helpful. I know they have to take the langauge they have been studying, and since I know no others, I may be able to get into a German class for younger students. (ha, like the ten year olds)
See you.
Thursday -- was much better than wedsnesday and lots of waiting around to get to the airport. all of us couldn't wait to get out of new york city. there are about 20 us students going to austria and we all got along REALLY well. the exception to this was a boy from a cow farm on oregon who had two very pretty girls from southern california hanging off both of his arms. in austria they behaved very inappropriately and finally the rest of the group had the guts to tell them off and PLEASE refrain from the PDA because it was seriously offending the austrians, and ESPECIALLY since oregoncowboy had a girlfriend back home.
And so the flight. It was very long and most of it I fell asleep on the fold out table. I got a lot of reading done for history class. Oh yes, this was an unchaperoned flight, and so we had to figure out the way past passport control and to our next gate in frankfurt by ourselves.
Friday -- was when we arrived I suppose, it was afternoon. they had a room with food and chairs prepared for us at the world trade center where we waited for our bus that came at 8:30. there were lots of jokes we told that weren't funny but seemed that way because we were so tired. finally we got to orientation site at around 10, where there were about 130 kids from around the world and we really just wanted to go to sleep.
Saturday -- we broke off into country groups that prepared ourselves for austria according to our culture. it was a lot of fun and mostly I was just glad to be hanging out with them, bsecause all the americans got pretty close. there was a party this night and we taught everyone the cha cha slide. I went to bed pretty early because I wanted to take a shower. (with my deliciously smelling austrian toiletries)
Sunday -- my family arrived to get me at 9:15 in the morning. so far I have been to church, which is of course in a gothic cathedral. I met all sorts of girls who are friends with the stracke's daughter clarissa. they are going to help me around tomorrow at school. school is attatched sort of to the cathedral and it is 300 years old. we had a really good lunch of wild boar (?!?!?!! they have a hunter friend) and this squash soup that was absolutely delicious. I am eating much better here than in germany, I find their food is still rich but somehow more manageable, and therefore my table manners perhaps?!) we are going for a walk later and then I heard we may go to Rathausplatz which is a big center where there will an opera performance on a big screen tv there.I really have not had a chance to see Wien yet but I suppose I am ever closer because I live right here. It is very beautiful where I live and very close to this enormous theatre.
Friday -- was when we arrived I suppose, it was afternoon. they had a room with food and chairs prepared for us at the world trade center where we waited for our bus that came at 8:30. there were lots of jokes we told that weren't funny but seemed that way because we were so tired. finally we got to orientation site at around 10, where there were about 130 kids from around the world and we really just wanted to go to sleep.
Saturday -- we broke off into country groups that prepared ourselves for austria according to our culture. it was a lot of fun and mostly I was just glad to be hanging out with them, bsecause all the americans got pretty close. there was a party this night and we taught everyone the cha cha slide. I went to bed pretty early because I wanted to take a shower. (with my deliciously smelling austrian toiletries)
Sunday -- my family arrived to get me at 9:15 in the morning. so far I have been to church, which is of course in a gothic cathedral. I met all sorts of girls who are friends with the stracke's daughter clarissa. they are going to help me around tomorrow at school. school is attatched sort of to the cathedral and it is 300 years old. we had a really good lunch of wild boar (?!?!?!! they have a hunter friend) and this squash soup that was absolutely delicious. I am eating much better here than in germany, I find their food is still rich but somehow more manageable, and therefore my table manners perhaps?!). we later went to this giant recreation area a little out side of the city with a big forest and fruit trees and everything. for dinner was some potato with a little egg in it dish, and then we went to Rathausplatz to see a filmed performance of Figaro, which was so beautiful.
Which brings me to today, my first day in school. It was short, beginning with church which I went to with a girl called Clara who was the best friend of the girl I'm replacing here. The classroom stuff was really disorganized and no one really listened. A list went around showing which classes people would be taking with their other classes and there was none listed next to my name? The principal is on sick leave so when she comes back I'll find out apparently...
I guess the good news is that I won't have to pay for school books.
There was a student in my class born of Viennese parents, but grew up in Amercia and she helped me a little.
The homeroom teacher spoke to me in English, and I'm afraid they will think that I can't speak any german.
I think after we had Psychology class, but I don't know. At first I thought she was just doing another orientation thing, because everyone was talking and she just sat a desk in front of the class and kind of joked around. But then I understood her talking about the difference between the left and right side of the brain, and men and women and children, and something about dreams, and somethign about children and teddy bears. The girl who lived in America told me that classes are just like this, and that yes, it shocked her at first too.
I'm surprised mostly because what I understood from orientations was how important school is and how in order everything is and how strict.
School was over at 10.45 (half day)
I don't know what else happens today and HOPEFULLY I'll get classes??? That'd be helpful. I know they have to take the langauge they have been studying, and since I know no others, I may be able to get into a German class for younger students. (ha, like the ten year olds)
See you.
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