Ein kleines Update...

For those keeping up, my landlady recently moved back in from being abroad in the USA with her daughter to help take care of her new grandbaby. Over a weekend, my living situation dramatically changed. I'm sure it will all be great, but at the moment, I'm still in the struggling, "gotta get used to this" mode. The biggest struggle is sharing not only with Jo, but with her family - especially the other grandbabies that live in Vienna!


I like kids, don't get me wrong. But I haven't had to deal (up close and personal like) with babies since my 10th grade babysitting gigs stopped. Seriously. Listening to little screams the minute I get through the door from work is almost making me reconsider having my own kids. At least in the near future...although, they are pretty adorable when they're not screaming their heads off. Like most people.


School is school. My schedule is a lot different this year than last year. I'm teaching until 6pm twice a week (for Wahlpflichtfächer, or mandatory elective courses) which is a bit tiring, especially since last year I only taught in the mornings, having every afternoon free. It's a little depressing leaving and coming home in the dark - at this time of year, at least. 


Also, for those interested, I will officially not be coming home for Christmas. Unfortunately, I didn't book a flight early enough to get a good deal, and last-minute flights are ungodly expensive. This means I will be in Vienna for Christmas, or, failing that, traveling to somewhere close by. Hopefully to places I haven't been yet. I just got back from a weekend in Prague, and although that was really a lot of fun, despite chilly December weather and a couple of snafus, I'd been to Prague twice before. The upside is I got to play tour guide!


I'd like to get to some of the out-of-the-way places before I leave Austria. I've been thinking of doing places I haven't been yet, at least for day-excursions, like Eisenstadt, Innsbruck (I've only ever been in the train station), Southern Tirol (Bozen, for example) and other places I've heard good things about. Well, I guess Eisenstadt really only has a palace...but that's good enough for me. I can get my kick living vicariously through the former empirical nobility, can't I? 

Swimming Pools and Movie Stars

An allusion to The Beverly Hillbillies, in case y'all didn't get it. ;)

The film crew have started filming as of today, and have been here in the apartment all week (if you don't remember why a film crew might be in my apartment, this post should refresh the memory). I will have as little comment as humanly possible in my post, mainly because, although I feel offended and intruded upon, I guess some people out there might think this is really cool.

One thing I have to point out is the effort they went through to make everything really "lived-in" and real - to the point of framing photos of the actors and replacing my landlady's family photos with fake ones. You can't really see the minuscule details in the photos, but presumably they will show up in film.

Here are photos of what they've done with the apartment to make it into a film set:

It's a Good Life

The end of summer camp has brought me to where it all began nearly one year ago...Vienna.

Well, depending on one's definition of "beginning." For argument's sake, I will stick with the beginning of my Austrian experience, not the beginning of this blog (for which I was still in Wisconsin), nor the beginning of my international adventure, which began in Chicago...or, Paris if the flight over doesn't count. In any case, there are several points at which I could begin, and all would remain legitimate. But there's one I choose specifically, because it has more weight than others. More significance.

Vienna is significant, because it was the first place I visited in Austria ever in my life - about four years ago now, when I was a student in Berlin. For this reason, among others, I suppose, I have continually compared Vienna to Berlin, in my mind, but also aloud to anyone who will listen. Perhaps this only makes sense to me, but perhaps it also makes sense to others who have lived in both cities. I shall extrapolate.

Both cities are German-speaking and vibrant, though Berlin is slightly larger (4.4 million in the metropolitan area to Vienna's 2.4 million) and a lot less expensive. Vienna was gauged as the second most expensive city to live in (in the EU), after Rome, in Mercer's 2011 Cost of Living Survey.  Vienna is the city of culture, tradition - a place for everything and everything in its place. Berlin is subversive: art for art's sake, not art for tradition's sake. Unadulterated creativity rather than double-checking with superiors...It seemed to me when I first visited Vienna that, although it was a beautiful city, it did leave something to be desired when compared to Berlin. I guess I just liked Berlin better. Now that I am living in Vienna, I suppose I shall truly see the difference.

But I digress. My musings are probably less interesting to the audience than photos of my new apartment. To appease:

my room

my bookshelf already filled with crap

my desk likewise filled with crap

the hall

the balcony

the dining room

the living room

the kitchen

I am subletting from a woman who is currently in the USA helping her daughter with a newborn baby. I could not afford such a nice place on my own (and certainly not in Vienna). While she's gone, I'm doing a sort of house sitting job. The apartment is right downtown, very spacious and nice. I haven't been here very long, but so far I have no complaints, and am looking very forward to the coming year. Not that Amstetten wasn't great, but...Vienna is Vienna.

Föhn: or, Frühjahr in Amstetten

Spring has sprung in Amstetten!


The Eiscafés have opened their doors, the normal cafés have put out their outdoor dining tables and chairs. Lovers are loving each other with more fervor than ever. Animals are out and about. My favorite walking path has again become accessible. And, best of all, Austrians have begun preparing their gardens for the season. Gardening, as any Austrian can tell you, is a national obsession. 


But, I must say, Austria, your winter output is a pittance, at best. I expected massive snow storms, fierce winds, having to muster all of my strength to make it out of doors - sort of what the weather was like in December, or like your average Wisconsin winter (FYI - snowfall is recorded in inches, temperatures in Fahrenheit). And, yes, I've already been told this year's winter was affected by the Föhn (or Fön - incidentally also the word for "hairdryer"), that pesky southern wind* that whips up from Italy and through the Alps and makes skiing more difficult because it eats up all the snow...


There are other hypothesized consequences of the Föhn. According to studies at the Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität in Munich, during a Föhn year, the suicide rate in Central Europe can increase up to 10%. A famous example: on September 18, 1931, Hitler, living in Munich and working on an electoral campaign, complained of being in a bad mood. A colleague said it was probably because of the Föhn. Later that day, Hitler returned to his Munich apartment to find his neice, Geli Raubal, dead from an apparent suicide.

An example of the Föhn wind near Karlsruhe: photo borrowed from© Bernhard Mühr 

On a cheerier note, the weather has been gorgeous this past week. On a more obvious note, except for a spike in temperature on Wednesday, I didn't notice any difference in weather from the past few months - due, of course, to the Föhn.

*NB: Known in other parts of the world by different names: the Chinook in the Rockies, the Zonda winds in Argentina, the Santa Anas in California, and the Sirocco in the Mediterranean are each famous types of Föhn winds. Unfortunately, I am not an expert on these...you'll have to ask a meteorologist if you'd like more information - other than geographic location. :)

Do Austrians Have to Unclog Drains?

On my day off, I am unclogging a drain.

Glamorous, I know.

I realized on Friday, when I came home from school to discover the toothpaste I used to brush my teeth before I left to teach was still floating around my sink basin, no less than four hours after I had expectorated it from my mouth, that my sink is not draining properly.

Those of you who are fans of This Old House (you have nothing better to do?), may be aware of all sorts of nifty tricks that I, frankly, am not. Drano is typically my go-to solution in the USA. But, despite the apparent existence of this product in German-speaking areas, Amstetten stores do not seem to carry it (perhaps I do not know where to look?). Plus, Drano is really, really bad for the environment.

Thus, I need to revert to these old-fashioned solutions to unclog my drain:

1. Plunger - this method is particularly messy (with water still in basin - not the same water from Friday, FYI) and inadequate.
2. Baking soda and vinegar - as every good 5th grade science fair entrant knows, these two seemingly ordinary household items, when combined, create massive "volcano-like" explosions. Perhaps enough of a reaction to sluice my hair, soap scum and dead skin cells out of the sink drain? Not quite, on its own.
3. Boiling water - according to Wikipedia, this works just as well on stubborn clogs as Drano at a cheaper and more environmentally-friendly rate. This method requires 2-3 hours of boiling pots of water on the stove and continually pouring them down the drain. Aside from the energy cost to heat the water, I guess it's a greener option. At least I'm not putting borax and aluminum shards down my drain...

I Want to Make an Impact

I've decided my blog needs some spice.

Does anybody really care what I have to say?

Do people who blog about their families, children, etc., ever fear that some pedophile is going to stumble upon said blog and stalk their children?

Do religious fanatics who preach the "word of God" ever have second thoughts after they post?

Do wannabe writers, music bloggers and other artsy-fartsy types ever think they will actually be discovered if they're persistent enough and post regularly?

Can the internet cure the ills of society, or has it already contributed enough (too much?) to the downfall of civilization as we know it? And, follow-up question, if we're going to hell in a hand basket, how come it's taking so long? Can we stop for a potty break?

Why are Americans so obsessed with body odor? Sure, some people are so smelly they're offensive. But doesn't a little b.o. remind us that we're all human? Maybe that's just me.

Cookie Time

Today I broke down and bought a cookie sheet at the local NKD.

What is it about chocolate chip cookies that makes them SOOOOOOOOOOOO fascinating? Perhaps it is their American origins...the uniquely American cookie. The All-American Toll House. Anyway, I have been progressively feeling this homesickness thing. I cannot attribute it to anything specific, but I think the combination of small town life (where I still don't really know a lot of people) and the fact that I lived at home last year (as opposed to living at Lawrence - the transition from dorm to single living was easier my first time abroad, I think) is making my separation angst more...severe.

Also, seeing as it is Christmastime, my thought is that I could contribute a little treat to the classroom. A double whammy: Christmas treat mixed with Americana - and why not? I like brining treats into class - it breaks up the monotony. So, not only have I decided to make chocolate chip cookies, I have decided to make 200+ chocolate chip cookies for my many students. 

You may be wondering why I chose chocolate chip cookies? They are not particularly Christmas-y. Yes. But they are easy cookies - you don't have to roll them, the recipe is easy to double (triple and quadruple, too) and I've made them so much, I have no fear of baking them with metric measurements and Austrian ingredients. Plus the whole aforementioned symbol of America that this cookie stands for.

If you don't believe me, all the Europeans I know call them "American cookies"  - they even sell them in the grocery store as such! But, truly, there is nothing like a home-baked chocolate chip cookie. In my opinion.

Snow!

Winter has come to Amstetten.

And, as I'm sure you can guess, to much of the rest of Europe as well - lots of snow and cold and worldwide reports of mega ice and snow storms (or so my mother told me in a panic, worrying that I had frozen to death in some snow drift between here and Krakow...)

On the way to school

 Here are some pictures I took while the snow fell a couple of days ago. We have a little less than a foot on the ground now...as far as I can guesstimate - right before I left for Poland, it had snowed four days in a row...







I mostly took pictures around school...finally remembering to put my camera in my bag!!!!

And seeing as it was snowing, I didn't want to take too many pictures. When I was in Dresden a few years ago, I took pictures in the rain, and that shorted out my camera. I'm trying to be more careful with my electronics.

So enjoy! The photos are pretty representative of what I see every day...and, according to the locals, will see every day for the next four months. At least while I'm in Amstetten...

Goulasch!

In keeping with my new theme, I must, of course, show you what I made for dinner.

Although typically Hungarian, goulasch is still considered a staple meal in certain circles here in Austria. There are some "leftovers" (tee hee) from the Austro-Hungarian Empire that are just harder than others to...throw away. Such as:
                         1) Austrians are very proud of their distinct historical and cultural heritage

                         2) Austrians can sometimes be assholes about other people's cultures because they are so   

                          proud

                         3) Austrians still eat a lot of goulasch.

OK, so here I am, little miss vegetarian sitting in the land of Wiener Schnitzel and goulasch. I can't go out and try the "authentic" versions in a restaurant because they will all be chock full of meat...I want to experience real Austrian culture, but I have my principles! And plus, I find meat disgusting, if you want the honest truth. After 15+ years of being vegetarian (thanks, Mom!) I have no desire to eat *actual* beef stew or deep-fried pork.

Yet, I am feeling a bit left out. So I decided to make my own. Substituting potatoes (and more vegetables) for the meat.  From a recipe I found in Woman. See, the magazine was totally worth it!

I ended up serving it over rice, because, although you can serve it as a soup, I am getting sick of soup (first I made a garlic-cream soup - also an idea originating in Hungary - and then all I ate was broth when I had my cold...)

My other option would have been spaghetti. So, I think I made the right choice. I do not know how to make the noodley dumpling things they serve all over the place here: Spätzle, or Knödel or whatever else there is - like twelve varieties of potato- or egg-dumplings... Plus, you can buy premade ones at the grocery store, but they are way too salty (high blood pressure, anyone?) and I don't like them. Mom's are the best anyway :)

To serve with, because I am totally nuts about wine...and getting the best bang for your buck (or Euro, as the case may be...) I got this white Hungarian wine at the the grocery store - €1.99, dude! From the Lake Balaton region, which sounds nice.

Unfortuantely, once I tasted it, I discovered that "lieblich" means sweet. Like a dessert wine. Which does not go very well with goulasch. Did that stop me from enjoying it? Hell no. I just had to have a dessert then. Manner wafers do very nicely as a follow-up to goulasch...or just about anything.

Die Familie

Monday night, I was invited to have dinner with my host family.

Well, in the interest of accuracy, it is sort of difficult to explain what exactly they are. They are not really a host family, as I am renting from them (my apartment is on the Erdgeschoss, and they live upstairs). But, they are nicer that regular renters, like, for example, in a bigger city, because the husband used to be the headmaster at one of the schools where I am teaching, and the wife used to teach (they are both retired). Also, they do nice things like invite me to dinner. And I am one of a long line of teaching assistants who has lived in the apartment downstairs.

So, yes. Dinner was lovely, although I think they were a bit confused as to what to feed a vegetarian. We had two very lovely (typically Austrian) white wines with dinner - a Riesling and a Grüner Veltliner, I believe - and a great *interesting* conversation (finally!) Like, for example, once they were asked to sing in North Korea at Kim Jong Il's birthday party (because he wanted people from all over the world to tell him how great & wonderful he is, apparently). And when they found out I had lived in Berlin, we talked about life during Communism, and what things were like before the Wall fell (well, I don't actually know anything about it, so I mostly listened). And what the differences are between Austrians and Germans (just ask and they'll tell you!) - all really great stuff to know. Oh, plus, we talked about how the school works and everything. Practical stuff I will need to know when I'm teaching.


Excuse the lack of photos. I am trying really hard to change just for this blog, but I am not one of those people who takes her camera with her everywhere she goes to take a bunch of random pictures...especially not when I am invited to someone's house...maybe I can sneak a couple in next time! 

My Apartment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some picture of my apartment! It is SO GOOD to feel like I have a place I can call my own! Even if I'm just renting. And 90% of the stuff in here is not mine. I have the keys and I am my own master. It is such a great, adult feeling to have. YIPPEEEE!

So, enjoy. There's not much more to say, so this is probably going to be one of the shorter posts I've got.
(There are only so many pictures I can take in a small area :) )

desk

My table/armoire/TV

Another armoire & a very nice chair to sit in and people watch ;)

The view from my window - they are doing some annoying construction project, which will (they say) be done by November

 And the other side of the street---endless construction!

kitchen

bed