Yesterday I left my house at noon to meet Cory in Stephansplatz to help him buy new shoes. He really needed new shoes, my God. I realized I probably had ought to buy my public transportatoin pass, since AFS reimburses us for this anyway. I stopped by an ATM and put in my card and code and money order, and everything was normal. It said it was processing my money order when a red box jumped up and said, "Money order cancelled. Card is being retained."
I stood there in shock for a couple of minutes, walked up and down the street a few times, but then decided to stay at the ATM in case it decided to spit out my card at any second. But it didn't. I called my host brother stumbling over German trying to explain what was happening, but I noticed I was starting to panic and that half the words I was saying were in English. He happened to be out on his moped on the same street as I was, and saw me, and came to me. He understood then what happened and told me not to worry, that it wasn't really a big deal. He called the number on the ATM and I thought, good, maybe it was just a bug, and they can get it back to me.
After he hung up, he told me my credit card number had been put on an international "black list" and that I was going to have to call VISA in the USA to figure out what had happened.
I got home and started to get all worked up. I've noticed any tendency I had towards overreacting is magnified 100x here. I am guessing because all my energy every moment is pushed towards the edge working on understanding and communicating, and then something happens and it all gets pushed over. I called VISA and realized I didn't actually know the number on my card because it wasn't the same as my bank account number. She apologized to me for losing my card in a foreign country and wished me the best and connected me to Bank of America, where the hotlines were still closed.
I got in contact with my parents, calling them for the first time since I've been here. I ended up taking away their Saturday morning with sorting everything out for me. Thank you again guys, I would have never figured out any of that myself.
The problem was that my ATM card was only a temporary and was only valid for 30 days. I've been using it from the end of August to yesterday, with my problem only being yesterday. I'm guessing VISA decided to block the number learning that it was invalid, but being a big company and everything, was sort of late. A new card had arrived for me a month ago in the States, and my Dad is going to send it rushed here.
I still have to go to the Bank on monday and ask for my card back. I am hoping someone there can speak English, because it seems risky for me to talk about say, my identity and my money, when there is still such a high level of misunderstanding in simple day to day life.
Anyway, I survived. I went to see La Traviata last night, which was wonderful, and I am leaving for my vacation in Kärnten on Tuesday still. That's all, take care.
Sonntag, 28. Oktober 2007
Freitag, 26. Oktober 2007
Some stories from the week
A few more things from this week that I didn't write about last time
- I was in a yarn store near my house on Wednesday thinking of new things to knit. I was standing at a box trying to decide upon the green or the pink to match the colors I was getting, and then behind me there was an Americantourist couple. They asked me very slowly if they could look in the same box, and I responded "Oh yeah, no problem" without even thinking. The woman turns to her husband shocked and says, "My goodness, listen to that English!" I laughed and told her I was from Boston. I could hear behind us in German the store owner was talking to the regular old ladies at the store making fun of the couple, because the husband was wearing the traditional mens hat, except completley the wrong way. The storeowner then wanted to give the woman knitting advice, so I was a go between for them! I felt really good about the German I was using and that I could be helpful about it. I was sort of embarrassed by the awkwardness of their American habits, (like talking REALLY loud in a small space) but whatever, thats really small. End story.
- I went on Wednesdsay night to my friend Clara's flute concert! She plays AMAZINGLY. The kids who performed on piano and violin and so on were also extremely talented for their age, in my opinion, and I really enjoyed it. I met Clara's parents who were very kind and touched that I had wanted to see Clara perform. They took me out to eat some Italian with them after, and I got to know them. They wanted to know why I hadn't been over to their house to visit yet. I realized this evening that Clara is also pretty lonely and feeling the effects of an exchange, because her best friend is in Argentina. So really, we are having a similiar experience because I am missing my own best friends and my family so much. I thought for a while she was being kind to me because she knows my family so well, but I realize she acutally needs someone to hang out with as well.
And on that note, today is the National Holiday in Austria, and i am going with Clara's family to the Art History museum. =)
I'm feeling pretty good here as of this week, but of course I think often of home and I am wondering still what is going on in everyone's lives.
I should go, take care, and keep in touch please!
Mittwoch, 24. Oktober 2007
All sorts of things...
Well my week was not particularly Austrian, so I didn’t feel the need to write about it last week. I actually hung out every day of the week with an AFS person in some way. It was all the same people except one day I went out with a girl from Thailand called Anchalin. She’s crazy cool and really loves to shop.
Friday I had dance school again, though for the first time alone. Deirdre from USA quit the Friday class, because she wanted to be social on Fridays. However, I found this was actually a lot better for me and talked to a lot of my dance partners who were really cool, and I started talking to this random girl who was sitting alone. She sort of attached herself to me for the night and next class we’re meeting earlier. She doesn’t have any friends at the dance school because she comes from another district and she started a year late. And I’m the random American. I always surprise random people when they ask “Where are you from?” “Boston, USA” “Bwah! I didn’t expect it to be that far!”
As a note, they saw something like bwah instead of wow. I’ve caught myself saying it a few times. Oh dear.
I went to a locale called Bricks with everyone on Saturday night for Livia from Brazil’s birthday. Before, some of us went to Cory’s apartment and his host mother made some good tasting meat thing and really good mashed potatoes. The few times I’ve eaten at other Austrian’s houses, the food is so rich and delicious. I guess it’s a good thing I’m with a really healthy family because I am not gaining the extra weight that would have ordinarily happened. Brick’s was a lot of fun, though I left fairly early because I had a half hour of public transport back, and being alone on the public transport isn’t dangerous, since Vienna has a fairly low crime rate, however, I still don’t like to be alone. I’m glad I live in the exact center and get to take the really good subway lines. Think about the Orange Line in Boston. You wouldn’t be caught on that in the daylight either. Some of my friends have to take the Vienna equivalent late at night back to their houses, so I am very grateful for another reason for my location.
Sunday I was forced into participation in a Talent Show with AFS. For the past week, Cory and I were practicing doing a horrible job at Hey There Delilah from Plain White T's, cause it seemed exchange studenty and its about the US too haha. However when we got there, we found out talent was required, and everyone knew the song and asked if they could join us, so there were about six of us performing. Funny.
Umm, oh yes. I know Dad will love this because I know how much he loves heights. In Sport class the other day, we went rock climbing and I ended up really loving it. There was a 16 meter wall (4 or 5 stories, I remember counting the windows as I went up) though my partner on the ground got too nervous and only let me go about eight meters. Now my host family is all excited because they think there is finally something athletic I like and are asking me if I want to take a rock climbing course, and wouldn’t it be so great etc.
I made an apple strudel yesterday!!! It was delicious.
In English class right now, for the past month we have been studying black people. It’s so bizarre, it started out as the civil rights movement, and now we are plain studying black people. Such as living conditions, and why they are poorer, in prison more, have more teenage pregnancies than whites in America. The thing that strikes me about it is that we wouldn’t so blatantly study black people in America. It’d be considered so politically incorrect. Accompanying this study we are watching the film Boyz in da Hood.
Tonight I am going to a music school to see my friend Clara from school play flute in a concert.
Tomorrow is the last day of school before vacation. Cory and Jordyn are coming over, and then we are going to Bricks. Friday is the National Holiday and the Austrian Parlament is open for the day for free. Saturday I am going to La Traviata, and Tuesday I am leaving for Kärnten
Alles gute,
Julia
Friday I had dance school again, though for the first time alone. Deirdre from USA quit the Friday class, because she wanted to be social on Fridays. However, I found this was actually a lot better for me and talked to a lot of my dance partners who were really cool, and I started talking to this random girl who was sitting alone. She sort of attached herself to me for the night and next class we’re meeting earlier. She doesn’t have any friends at the dance school because she comes from another district and she started a year late. And I’m the random American. I always surprise random people when they ask “Where are you from?” “Boston, USA” “Bwah! I didn’t expect it to be that far!”
As a note, they saw something like bwah instead of wow. I’ve caught myself saying it a few times. Oh dear.
I went to a locale called Bricks with everyone on Saturday night for Livia from Brazil’s birthday. Before, some of us went to Cory’s apartment and his host mother made some good tasting meat thing and really good mashed potatoes. The few times I’ve eaten at other Austrian’s houses, the food is so rich and delicious. I guess it’s a good thing I’m with a really healthy family because I am not gaining the extra weight that would have ordinarily happened. Brick’s was a lot of fun, though I left fairly early because I had a half hour of public transport back, and being alone on the public transport isn’t dangerous, since Vienna has a fairly low crime rate, however, I still don’t like to be alone. I’m glad I live in the exact center and get to take the really good subway lines. Think about the Orange Line in Boston. You wouldn’t be caught on that in the daylight either. Some of my friends have to take the Vienna equivalent late at night back to their houses, so I am very grateful for another reason for my location.
Sunday I was forced into participation in a Talent Show with AFS. For the past week, Cory and I were practicing doing a horrible job at Hey There Delilah from Plain White T's, cause it seemed exchange studenty and its about the US too haha. However when we got there, we found out talent was required, and everyone knew the song and asked if they could join us, so there were about six of us performing. Funny.
Umm, oh yes. I know Dad will love this because I know how much he loves heights. In Sport class the other day, we went rock climbing and I ended up really loving it. There was a 16 meter wall (4 or 5 stories, I remember counting the windows as I went up) though my partner on the ground got too nervous and only let me go about eight meters. Now my host family is all excited because they think there is finally something athletic I like and are asking me if I want to take a rock climbing course, and wouldn’t it be so great etc.
I made an apple strudel yesterday!!! It was delicious.
In English class right now, for the past month we have been studying black people. It’s so bizarre, it started out as the civil rights movement, and now we are plain studying black people. Such as living conditions, and why they are poorer, in prison more, have more teenage pregnancies than whites in America. The thing that strikes me about it is that we wouldn’t so blatantly study black people in America. It’d be considered so politically incorrect. Accompanying this study we are watching the film Boyz in da Hood.
Tonight I am going to a music school to see my friend Clara from school play flute in a concert.
Tomorrow is the last day of school before vacation. Cory and Jordyn are coming over, and then we are going to Bricks. Friday is the National Holiday and the Austrian Parlament is open for the day for free. Saturday I am going to La Traviata, and Tuesday I am leaving for Kärnten
Alles gute,
Julia
Mittwoch, 17. Oktober 2007
Niederösterreich -- Second Arrival Camp
This weekend AFS had Second Arrival Camp in Neu-Nagelberg, Niederösterreich. It was about two hours away by train, and our youth hostel was right next to the border to the Czech Republic. Good...
It was really nice to get away from my host family for a weekend. Does that sound weird? I mean it to say, it was refreshing and re-encouraging. In a sense. There were a lot of parts this weekend, especially when the AFS-veterans were speaking to us, I was thinking "Oh my God, I am not doing a good job at being Austrian or an exchange student." But I think they were trying to make us feel this way, because they want us to work harder. Or something..
So we all met at the train station in Vienna at 16.30 on Friday. We got to the youth hostel pretty late, and we went outside in the dark and played random circle games. The entire camp was run by no one older than 20. It was mostly Austrians who had done a year in South America, and since mostly South Americans live in Vienna, you can imagine it was mostly spanish. Mostly a group of English mother speakers and those who speak neither German or Spanish huddled together, but then we would get disbanded because of speaking English. And then the leaders would go back and speak Spanish, and we would slowly start speaking English once more.
Anyway, we learned some childrens games in German in the dark, and then we went inside and drank some really bad soup. Then, as we were getting ready to go to sleep, it turns out one of the South Americans brought a bunch of music, so we all crammed into this absolutely tiny hostel bedroom and danced until 1 am. It was so much fun! The south americans told me I could dance really well, which was cool. Maybe it is because everyone else was too self concious to go ahead and do it, but I did! A boy called Felipe who doesn't speak English well taught me this Argentinian swing dance. The only thing we say to each other is "Felipe, Bitte!" or "Julia, bitte!" and then we do that fake Euro kiss on both cheek goodbye thing...
Speaking of which, I am totally pro at that now. I can pretend to kiss people's cheeks hello and goodbye like nobody's business.
The bad thing about this party was that we had to wake up really early to play more games on Saturday. After breakfast and games, we broke off into groups by language. I volunteered myself for the German group. There were only four others. Of the 30 kids who live in Vienna, only four know enough German to participate in a conversation. The leaders of the camp were really shocked by this. Whenever they yelled at us for speaking English they would say, "In America, the German and Austrian kids would speak English together even though they had the same mother language! You are here to speak German, so speak it!"
Unfortunately my group had a degree of unpleasantness to it, because one would just talk and talk the entire time and no one really wanted to listen. We were supposed to talk about my problems, and somehow I had a lot. For instance, being graded in math, having a mother in the house, continuing a relationship during my exchange, and the biggest: being a replacement daugther/sister/classmate. I guess I never really thought of how hard it is to be here, but I think that's a good thing. Because I am always enjoying myself, and if you are constantly thinking of the difficulty involved, it leaves no room to believe: "hey, I am having a lot of fun right now"
My dad wrote me a very wise email that said "I am constantly surprised by how people here tend to think of your trip so glamourously. There is so much work involved in living in a new culture." He's right, but I'm not trying to preach about how noblely self sacrificing I'm being. But what this really is, is creating a new home for yourself somewhere. I was sitting on the U-Bahn today and I was like, wow, this is normal. I know how to connect to the next line and I know how to get home, and I recognize exactly where I am. There is nothing foreign about it. And really, that is the whole purpose of this experience.
And only after six weeks!
We went walking in the woods and I talked more with Jordyn about our problems. (This is beginning to sound more like a support group for some kind of severe condition...) I ended up feeling really down for most of the afternoon. This was my first time in the Austrian country side and forests, and oh my goodness, they are really beautiful. There is green moss all over the ground where we walked and it was really squishy to walk in. The trees were a lot of evergreens and there were many wild flowers. I even saw a Butte plant, which is this weird fruit that they take the seeds from in fall a brew a tea out of it. This tea is one of the things initially I REALLY disliked about my diet, but now I just take it when I have to and don't even taste it anymore. Another fine example of this is salad, which they cover in like 1 part oil and 3 parts vinegar. Ick...
ANYWAY, that night, I don't really remember what but we were all sitting in Cory's room, and I ate all of his haribo, so today I had to buy him some more. Jordyn was trying to teach us how to speak with a New Zealand accent and say "I drove in my car to Auckland." Auckland is really hard to say. Don't even try, because you'll be wrong. Cory can say "Get in the chopper now" in a really amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. (PS-- Austrians don't really have an accent like this). There was another party in the South American room, but we didn't feel like going. I ended up crashing pretty early. I got to know kind of a girl from Thailand who I really liked though, so that was good.
Sunday we mostly wrapped up wirth more games and group discussions. I got home at around 6 or 7 all by myself, which I find amazing. I can take a train two hours away into the city and then the subway to my house and my host family doesn't even have to do anything. I just come when I want! I don't know why this strikes me so much, probably because Kevin or my dad drive me everywhere I need to go back home.
Monday night the AFS people met in a cafe at night in this slightly shady part of Vienna. There were about 35 people there, since many veterans came. It was fun, but I can't think of anything to write about it. It was just a party, I suppose!
Tuesday was a tour for us of the Rathaus (town hall) and then we went out to ice cream after, because it was Livia's birthday. A boy from Japan, Kosei, who is kind of our pet, got lost and had to call me, but didn't know enough English or German that he could understand that he should stay where he is, and that I would come find him. That was frustrating. I ended up leaving early anyway, because my host brother and his girlfriend Eli took me to the English theatre. We saw this really sarcastic two man musical about a woman who thinks she has the most beautiful voice in the world, but everyone actually hates it and comes to laugh at her. It was called Souvenir, and I ended up crying a lot at the end. I'm crazy.
Other points of interest is I finally learned how to weigh myself in kilograms. I am not becoming another fat student (ha, AFS) but I have in fact lost five pounds. Probably because I don't remember the last time my family ate meat.
School vacation for a week comes after next week, and then I am going to Kärnten in the mountains by a lake in my family's vacation house!! I am so excited.
That's all, keep in touch. Baba.
//fake euro kiss.
It was really nice to get away from my host family for a weekend. Does that sound weird? I mean it to say, it was refreshing and re-encouraging. In a sense. There were a lot of parts this weekend, especially when the AFS-veterans were speaking to us, I was thinking "Oh my God, I am not doing a good job at being Austrian or an exchange student." But I think they were trying to make us feel this way, because they want us to work harder. Or something..
So we all met at the train station in Vienna at 16.30 on Friday. We got to the youth hostel pretty late, and we went outside in the dark and played random circle games. The entire camp was run by no one older than 20. It was mostly Austrians who had done a year in South America, and since mostly South Americans live in Vienna, you can imagine it was mostly spanish. Mostly a group of English mother speakers and those who speak neither German or Spanish huddled together, but then we would get disbanded because of speaking English. And then the leaders would go back and speak Spanish, and we would slowly start speaking English once more.
Anyway, we learned some childrens games in German in the dark, and then we went inside and drank some really bad soup. Then, as we were getting ready to go to sleep, it turns out one of the South Americans brought a bunch of music, so we all crammed into this absolutely tiny hostel bedroom and danced until 1 am. It was so much fun! The south americans told me I could dance really well, which was cool. Maybe it is because everyone else was too self concious to go ahead and do it, but I did! A boy called Felipe who doesn't speak English well taught me this Argentinian swing dance. The only thing we say to each other is "Felipe, Bitte!" or "Julia, bitte!" and then we do that fake Euro kiss on both cheek goodbye thing...
Speaking of which, I am totally pro at that now. I can pretend to kiss people's cheeks hello and goodbye like nobody's business.
The bad thing about this party was that we had to wake up really early to play more games on Saturday. After breakfast and games, we broke off into groups by language. I volunteered myself for the German group. There were only four others. Of the 30 kids who live in Vienna, only four know enough German to participate in a conversation. The leaders of the camp were really shocked by this. Whenever they yelled at us for speaking English they would say, "In America, the German and Austrian kids would speak English together even though they had the same mother language! You are here to speak German, so speak it!"
Unfortunately my group had a degree of unpleasantness to it, because one would just talk and talk the entire time and no one really wanted to listen. We were supposed to talk about my problems, and somehow I had a lot. For instance, being graded in math, having a mother in the house, continuing a relationship during my exchange, and the biggest: being a replacement daugther/sister/classmate. I guess I never really thought of how hard it is to be here, but I think that's a good thing. Because I am always enjoying myself, and if you are constantly thinking of the difficulty involved, it leaves no room to believe: "hey, I am having a lot of fun right now"
My dad wrote me a very wise email that said "I am constantly surprised by how people here tend to think of your trip so glamourously. There is so much work involved in living in a new culture." He's right, but I'm not trying to preach about how noblely self sacrificing I'm being. But what this really is, is creating a new home for yourself somewhere. I was sitting on the U-Bahn today and I was like, wow, this is normal. I know how to connect to the next line and I know how to get home, and I recognize exactly where I am. There is nothing foreign about it. And really, that is the whole purpose of this experience.
And only after six weeks!
We went walking in the woods and I talked more with Jordyn about our problems. (This is beginning to sound more like a support group for some kind of severe condition...) I ended up feeling really down for most of the afternoon. This was my first time in the Austrian country side and forests, and oh my goodness, they are really beautiful. There is green moss all over the ground where we walked and it was really squishy to walk in. The trees were a lot of evergreens and there were many wild flowers. I even saw a Butte plant, which is this weird fruit that they take the seeds from in fall a brew a tea out of it. This tea is one of the things initially I REALLY disliked about my diet, but now I just take it when I have to and don't even taste it anymore. Another fine example of this is salad, which they cover in like 1 part oil and 3 parts vinegar. Ick...
ANYWAY, that night, I don't really remember what but we were all sitting in Cory's room, and I ate all of his haribo, so today I had to buy him some more. Jordyn was trying to teach us how to speak with a New Zealand accent and say "I drove in my car to Auckland." Auckland is really hard to say. Don't even try, because you'll be wrong. Cory can say "Get in the chopper now" in a really amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger voice. (PS-- Austrians don't really have an accent like this). There was another party in the South American room, but we didn't feel like going. I ended up crashing pretty early. I got to know kind of a girl from Thailand who I really liked though, so that was good.
Sunday we mostly wrapped up wirth more games and group discussions. I got home at around 6 or 7 all by myself, which I find amazing. I can take a train two hours away into the city and then the subway to my house and my host family doesn't even have to do anything. I just come when I want! I don't know why this strikes me so much, probably because Kevin or my dad drive me everywhere I need to go back home.
Monday night the AFS people met in a cafe at night in this slightly shady part of Vienna. There were about 35 people there, since many veterans came. It was fun, but I can't think of anything to write about it. It was just a party, I suppose!
Tuesday was a tour for us of the Rathaus (town hall) and then we went out to ice cream after, because it was Livia's birthday. A boy from Japan, Kosei, who is kind of our pet, got lost and had to call me, but didn't know enough English or German that he could understand that he should stay where he is, and that I would come find him. That was frustrating. I ended up leaving early anyway, because my host brother and his girlfriend Eli took me to the English theatre. We saw this really sarcastic two man musical about a woman who thinks she has the most beautiful voice in the world, but everyone actually hates it and comes to laugh at her. It was called Souvenir, and I ended up crying a lot at the end. I'm crazy.
Other points of interest is I finally learned how to weigh myself in kilograms. I am not becoming another fat student (ha, AFS) but I have in fact lost five pounds. Probably because I don't remember the last time my family ate meat.
School vacation for a week comes after next week, and then I am going to Kärnten in the mountains by a lake in my family's vacation house!! I am so excited.
That's all, keep in touch. Baba.
//fake euro kiss.
Donnerstag, 11. Oktober 2007
Another week in Austria (Surprised?)
It's been an interesting week so far.
Monday was sort of a turning point for me too, because I went out with my friend Clara from school. There's a really big pub, I suppose you could call it, nearby called Tunnel. In the basement (Keller) there's jazz music I've heard, and then the first floor is noisy pub style, and then we had a small party on the second floor which is just like a restaurant cause its quieter.
It was Clara's cousins 24th birthday, so she had her friends and invited her younger cousin for some reason. Clara thought it would be a good experience for me to meet a bunch of people I didn't know and to speak with them in German.
Since it was Monday, I only stayed out till 11, but that was a lot longer than I expected to stay. I was really dreading going, but I actually enjoyed myself. Clara and I had Apfelsaftgespritzer, which is just like the sparkling apple juice we drink at Thanksgiving and stuff, except without sugar and 100% juice.
The best part was meeting these people who thought I was just another Austrian, and then them finding out I was still learning German. One of the guys there guessed I was from Ireland because he said I had a very interesting accent he couldn't quite place his finger on. But he had spent some time in Ireland and said I looked like them. When he found out I was from Boston, he said, oh that explains it, because there are so many Irish there. In Boston you must have a sort of Irish dialect, right?
I didn't really know how to explain it but I explained how most of the country has the impression we don't say the letter R.
So that was Monday. So much fun =)
Tuesday I went shopping with Jordyn and Heida on Mariahilferstrasse. This is exactly as it sounds. It is a giant street with many, many shops. There are 4 H&Ms on the street, I disovered, when the girls told me to meet them there. It took a long time to find them.
Well, not really shopping, although I let myself get something I really liked at H&M. I figured that made up for a month of only spending money on registrations and post and a few other necessary things.
Wednesday I started assigning myself writing in German. Because I was sort of bored, and I am writing a lot in English. I went to Libro and got a notebook (in A4 size, because I think the bigger paper is so funny. I wrote a 160 word composition about fall.
Later that night Kerstin said I had to go with her to Turnverein which is an exercise club which meets up at different places every day. I had to! I couldn't believe I was being made to. And of course I really really really didn't like it.
But I got the idea that maybe she thinks I am lazy? She is shocked when she heard I didn't play any sports. I mean, I walk everywhere here and I am stronger than I have been in my entire life. But athletics are simply not fun, which is so different in her opinion and I think most Austrians. They don't care that you aren't that good, they just think that it's fun.
Blah. I hope I don't have to go again. It's not awesome watching really old ladies with the biggest biceps on someone their age I have ever seen running around with 1kg weights...
Today I am going to go to the park after this. Kerstin isn't around for three days or so, but this weekend I am going to AFS camp in Niederösterreich. I don't really know what this involves, but we are staying in a youth hostel.
That's about it really. See you around.
Monday was sort of a turning point for me too, because I went out with my friend Clara from school. There's a really big pub, I suppose you could call it, nearby called Tunnel. In the basement (Keller) there's jazz music I've heard, and then the first floor is noisy pub style, and then we had a small party on the second floor which is just like a restaurant cause its quieter.
It was Clara's cousins 24th birthday, so she had her friends and invited her younger cousin for some reason. Clara thought it would be a good experience for me to meet a bunch of people I didn't know and to speak with them in German.
Since it was Monday, I only stayed out till 11, but that was a lot longer than I expected to stay. I was really dreading going, but I actually enjoyed myself. Clara and I had Apfelsaftgespritzer, which is just like the sparkling apple juice we drink at Thanksgiving and stuff, except without sugar and 100% juice.
The best part was meeting these people who thought I was just another Austrian, and then them finding out I was still learning German. One of the guys there guessed I was from Ireland because he said I had a very interesting accent he couldn't quite place his finger on. But he had spent some time in Ireland and said I looked like them. When he found out I was from Boston, he said, oh that explains it, because there are so many Irish there. In Boston you must have a sort of Irish dialect, right?
I didn't really know how to explain it but I explained how most of the country has the impression we don't say the letter R.
So that was Monday. So much fun =)
Tuesday I went shopping with Jordyn and Heida on Mariahilferstrasse. This is exactly as it sounds. It is a giant street with many, many shops. There are 4 H&Ms on the street, I disovered, when the girls told me to meet them there. It took a long time to find them.
Well, not really shopping, although I let myself get something I really liked at H&M. I figured that made up for a month of only spending money on registrations and post and a few other necessary things.
Wednesday I started assigning myself writing in German. Because I was sort of bored, and I am writing a lot in English. I went to Libro and got a notebook (in A4 size, because I think the bigger paper is so funny. I wrote a 160 word composition about fall.
Later that night Kerstin said I had to go with her to Turnverein which is an exercise club which meets up at different places every day. I had to! I couldn't believe I was being made to. And of course I really really really didn't like it.
But I got the idea that maybe she thinks I am lazy? She is shocked when she heard I didn't play any sports. I mean, I walk everywhere here and I am stronger than I have been in my entire life. But athletics are simply not fun, which is so different in her opinion and I think most Austrians. They don't care that you aren't that good, they just think that it's fun.
Blah. I hope I don't have to go again. It's not awesome watching really old ladies with the biggest biceps on someone their age I have ever seen running around with 1kg weights...
Today I am going to go to the park after this. Kerstin isn't around for three days or so, but this weekend I am going to AFS camp in Niederösterreich. I don't really know what this involves, but we are staying in a youth hostel.
That's about it really. See you around.
Montag, 8. Oktober 2007
A Bad Day, Dance School, and a really big family...
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????
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????
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