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I am spending my gap year between undergrad and grad school teaching English in Austria.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Orientation Week!

Gruss di!

The epic blogging catch up game continues... (Read to the end... trust me you'll want to)

Last week was orientation week for English TAs.  To my surprise, it wasn't just for Americans but also for Brits, which led to 5 days of miscommunications.

For example: (American=British)

1. Holiday=Festival
2. Dumpster=Tip
3. Tired=Knackered
4. Pants=Trousers (A lot of Americans got weird looks because pants means underwear in British Eng)
5. Fannypack=Bumbag (This is probably my favorite miscommunication ever)

It was a great week meeting other TAs not too far away.  And it was comforting to know, I wasn't the only one struggling to understand people in my town.

Now during our week, we learned many important lessons.  The first being: never trust an Austrian when hiking.

They will tell you it's not very steep; they will tell you you are halfway there; they will tell you it will be easy from this point on.  LIES... ALL LIES.  Walking up a mountain to the 1500 meter mark is never a gradual uphill climb, they have no judgement of where halfway is, and it just gets harder, especially as the air gets thinner.

It was not a fun climb with asthma, especially as the air got thinner; however, once you make it up there and look at the valley... it's so worth all the pain.  See what I mean...



Besides, we needed a way to burn off all the calories from the food provided (which consisted of one food group... carbs).

Another way we burned some calories was at the traditional folk dance night.  I was more under the impression that we were just going to watch the dancers, but it was very interactive and they kept choosing people to dance with them.  It was SO much fun. 

The men even did incredible Schuhplattler dances.  If you don't know Schuhplattler, google it. But you probably do. If you've ever seen men in Lederhosen slapping their thighs and shoes... that's it.  They even got guys from our group involved!  Then they did a maypole dance... Sorry the picture is kinda blurry.  Oh and I think he is just scratching his face (I hope).

Of course we also entertained ourselves visiting the local bar, the Hexenhaeusl.

The witches themed bar, also came equip with a bar game. No not billiards, not darts, not Foosball.  Austrian bars prefer a much safer game for drunk people...
Yes, those are nails and yes that is a hammer.  The point is to tap the nail into the block with the thin end of the hammer. If you hit your nail, you get to go again.  If you miss your nail, the next person goes.  But don't worry, the hammer is connected to a chain.

Anyways, Thursday was our last full day.  So that night there was a celebration.  We learned Scottish partner dances, performed skits and songs for each other and danced.  My group performed the Sound of Music in 60 seconds, which was tons of fun.

Oh yeah... AND I SANG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARIA VON TRAPP.  My life is complete.

Now it's not Maria like Julie Andrews, the movie renamed all the children.  Maria von Trapp is the second oldest daughter of the von Trapp children.  She is the only of the original 7 children to escape Austria that is still alive.  She just turned 99.  Apparently, one of our teachers is good friends with her.  So we called her up and sang her favorite Austrian song and Happy Birthday in English.  She was so excited and adorable.

Told you it was worth it to read to the end...

Pfiat di!
Kristin



Austrian Bureaucracy and Kaiserschmarrn...

Gruss di!

I'm trying to make up for all the posts I did not make in my first two weeks...

Some of you may have seen my Facebook rant about Austrian bureaucracy, but let me paint a more detailed picture for all of you.

On beautiful day, on which it was not supposed to rain, I travelled to the town next to me Zell am See, to pick up my residency permit.

This was within my first week here, so I was still a bit jetlagged and getting used to the Austrian way of life.  But I figured out the buses without any issues, so I thought I was in for a fun and easy excursion.

I was wrong...

The NYC consulate had emailed me in August that my residency permit was ready to pick up at the Bezirkshauptmannschaft (district commission) located at Stadtplatz 1. I arrived just after lunchtime, as most things here close for lunch. When I asked the receptionist where to go, she looked at me like I was crazy and replied, "Residency permits are in our third building, on the other side of town..." Granted this was also said in German with a heavy Pinzgauer accent.

She gave me a map of the town, and sent me on my way.  Of course I got lost... her directions were not very precise.  However, I knew the town was small enough that I would eventually find my way.  When I arrived at the third building, I asked the receptionist there where to go. She said one floor up.  I was apprehensive that I was in the right place, simply because the building looked like it was straight out of "A Clockwork Orange" or something. Here's the main hallway:


Nevertheless, I climbed the stairs to the first floor, and couldn't find anyone in their office.  Finally, someone came out of the breakroom to tell me that I could only come in for my permit in the mornings... a fact that would have been nice to know in the first place.

So, hungry and annoyed. I walked back to the center of town, when it started pouring... When it rains, it pours.  I decided to stop at a local cafe and catch a later bus back. God was just chilling out the window of the top floor of the cafe...

My delicious Austrian lunch, complete with horse radish!


The next day, Friday, I ventured back to Zell am See in the morning.  Which is no simple task, because it's hard to coordinate the busses.  But I had to go, since the next week I would be in training Monday-Friday...

Back I went to the correct Bezirkshauptmannschaft, and I found the office for residency permits.  I told the man working there, I wanted to pick up my permit.  It took him 10 minutes of searching through paper files to even find my application.  I was getting really nervous that my file was lost.

Upon finding it, he turns to me and says, "But you were never fingerprinted. We have to do that first." Now, I have been in the process of applying for this thing since June.  NOT ONCE did anyone EVER mention fingerprinting.  And, when someone emails you that your permit is ready to pick up, you think it means it is printed out and ready for you. Nope, not in Austria.

The man then tells me that they have to process everything and print my residency card, and they will send me a letter in the mail when everything is ready.  I ask if he has my address.  Thank goodness I do since, surprise surprise, they don't have my address. So I would have never known if my permit was ready.

After enduring that frustration, I needed an amazing Austrian lunch.  Lunch here is the biggest meal of the day, and since I didn't have many groceries to make myself dinner later, I decided to eat away my sorrows. 

Now I knew that I needed Kaiserschmarrn that day, but I also figured I should eat something real first. I went to the Crazy Daisy, a popular spot among locals, to relax.  I ordered a cappuccino and just a wurstl from the light menu.  This is what is considered a light meal in Austria...
What a lovely cappuccino :)

The insane amount of food would not deter me though from my Kaiserschmarrn.  For those of you unfamiliar with my obsession for the delicious Austrian treat/what it is... let me tell you first off I blame my father.  When I was studying abroad in Germany, and my parents came to visit, we went to Austria for Easter.  My dad had read how Lindsey Vonn, the American skier, would only cheat on her diet for Kaiserschmarrn.  So we had to have it at the Easter market, and an obsession was born.

What is this Kaiserschmarrn you ask?  It is the fluffiest and lightest pancake you've ever had in your life, covered in powdered sugar, and traditionally served with a warm plum compote.  Everywhere you will find different variations, mine below had raisins.  But regardless, Kaiserschmarrn is God's gift to mankind.  I dare you not to like it...

Tomorrow, I will probably have to return to Zell am See (after checking my mail for my letter). And I will have my third Kaiserschmarrn of my stay... so far once a week. And don't worry, I won't gain 20 pounds, because I live on the side of a mountain and up 4 flights of stairs.  So far, Austria is kicking me into shape.

Below are some more photos of Zell am See, which are also available on Facebook and Snapfish for your viewing pleasure.

 World War I and II memorial
 A picture of Mary and Jesus that dates back to the 1500s
 The lake that Zell am See is named for
Is it a castle? No. This is just the Rathaus (townhall). No big deal.


Pfiat di!
Kristin

P.S. Fun fact: Zell am See is where the Von Trapp family grew up :)

This place is a Bob Ross painting...

Gruss di!

I figure successfully surviving my two weeks in Saalfelden, Austria deserves a post or perhaps even better a prost!

First off, funny story Saalfelden am Steinernen Meer literally translates into "Halls of Fields on the Stone Sea." So I decided to ask a friend here if the stone sea was a lake or what, she laughed hysterically.  All she could say is "There are no seas in Austria!" True. Austria is landlocked, so what is this stone sea? It's a mountain... should have guessed that one since I'm surrounded by mountains...

So far I have been settling in and crafting to make my room look like home. I am still getting used to waking up every morning to a Bob Ross painting.  Seriously look at those happy little trees and the glorious mountains...

This is the view out my window by the way...

As per usual, I have been exploring as much as I can. Unfortunately, it rained all week upon my arrival, but my first weekend was been beautiful Fall weather.

So far, I have also learned that I do not speak Austrian, especially the strong dialect here (Pinzgauer).  Everyone looks at my like I'm crazy, whenever I speak in High German (which is all the time).

I can't help but compare my time here so far to my time in Heidelberg:

1. In Heidelberg, I could understand everyone... if only I could understand anyone here. SAT time: High German:Austrian::British English:American English... they use completely different words and pronunciations :(

2. In Heidelberg, public transportation was awesome and no one drove cars. Here, everyone drives their car everywhere, and the buses are not very convenient.

3. In Heidelberg, everything was rather organized. In Austria, everyone has no stress (which stresses me out). I start teaching class on Tuesday and I still don't know my schedule!

The BIGGEST difference though is everyone in Austria is so friendly... It's actually a nice change from Germany. When you walk into a restaurant, you greet everyone there; and likewise, when you walk out of a restaurant, you say goodbye to everyone there. And other customers respond! Same thing goes on the bus or even just passing a stranger on the street. It's actually quite lovely.

To end, I give you some lovely photos of my town. All photos are available on Facebook (AUSTRIAN LIFE) for your viewing pleasure... For those of you without Facebook, all photos are also on my Snapfish under the same album (Austrian Life). Below is a link:

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=11097974008/a=74974304_74974304/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Rathausplatz (town square) on a beautiful Fall day!

A view of town... and lots of cows

Ritzensee... the lake in Saalfelden.

Pfiat di!
Kristin

P.S. You can find out right away when I post a new blog by adding yourself to the email list on the sidebar :)