Endlich eingelebt...was noch? (finally settled in...what now?)

Wow, so it’s been a long time since I’ve posted.  Or at least it feels like it.  Let’s try a numbered list of my accomplishments and goings-on this time just to mix it up.

1.       Another roommate moved in.  His name is Joe and he is from Thailand.  He is very polite and friendly and spends almost all of his time in the kitchen using the internet and Skyping in Thai. 

2.       Went to the Czech Republic to the city of Ceske Budejovice for just one night (it’s only about an hour and half drive away).  My father and I are still debating about how this is properly pronounced.  And he provided me with this most helpful link:

http://www.forvo.com/word/%C4%8Desk%C3%A9_bud%C4%9Bjovice/

Basically I was with a group who geek out a little less about history then me.  So our main entertainments were counting prostitutes on the side of the road on our way in.  We then spent about 10 hours finding a place to park the car because the roof box hit the top of the parking ramp and broke some lights (oops).  Then we went immediately to a grocery store to buy vodka. Obviously.  We dubbed ourselves the “Vodka Movement” and we are planning on going on frequent subsequent outings.  When we returned Josh even thoughtfully created this picture for our group:

Vodka Movement members from left to right : Panta, Nick, Farrah, Calum, Tasha, William, Josh, and myself.

3.       Halloween.  Josh and Tasha and a TA named Becca (from a small town outside Linz) came over on Halloween and we all dressed up.  Josh and I were zombies.  Here’s a snippet to give you an idea:

J: I don’t look like a zombie, I look like a mime.

M: Josh, that’s because you just put the white.  You have to put the grey now for shading too.

Proceeds to cover whole hand in more white and slap into his cheek

T: (laughs uproariously) that’s not how you do it, just put some on your fingertips!!!

J: Aw, Maddie, I feel dumb, I don’t look like a zombie.  I just feel like I’m wearing makeup.

Josh looks so forlorn that I basically do his face paint for him

-15 minutes later-

J: YESSS!!! I want to put more blood.  Like all over my shirt.  And on my face.  Is this too much?  Is there any more? Should I use the fake scars too? Let’s walk around dragging one leg like this and moaning at passersby.  This is brilliant. Take a picture.*

* unfortunately said photos are on Tasha's camera and she has not yet posted them...

Needless to say Josh was very enthusiastic for the rest of the evening…which brings me to my next point

4.       And then there was Josha.  I apparently played a major part in getting Josh and Tasha together (they are now dating).  Josh made me a dinner and bought me wine in celebratory thanks.  Awesome.

5.       Teaching.  I’ve been doing it a lot and I like it.  After I did my introductory lessons in one of the classes the teacher had the students write a newspaper article about me.  He then chose some of their mistakes to talk about in class, and he showed them to me.  Here they are for your enjoyment:

“Minnesota is in the North of the USA in Canada.  Everything is a bit slowlier there.”

“Medelin has got a Germany heritage.”

“The stereotype of Minnesota is for example the passive aggressive and a lot of the people has got german heritages.”

“Madeline is a fan from the Minnesota Twins.”

“Football, baseball, and b-ball are the popularst sports there.”

 “She likes and interests the most on baseball.”

“In MN are the people to each other very wholsome and nice.”

“She spoke to us in her dialect once and nobody understands here.”

Cute.

Various subjects I’ve taught on : MLK, Obama, gang violence, advertising, the Victorian age, newspapers, American holidays, Route 66, the midterm election in the USA…

6.       Maturaball.  So the 8^th form (seniors in high school) in Austria have to take a huge ass test at the end of the year called the Matura.  It’s a like a frightening combo of the SATs, AP tests, and the OWLs.  So as a consolation they also have the Maturaball, which is their equivalent of prom.  I went to two Maturaballs in the past weeks.  One was for the Peuerbachstrasse (one of the schools where I teach) and the other was for the Akademisches Gymnasium (a school where I lead a conversation circle after school).  These balls are quite interesting affairs.  The 8^th form performed an Austrian waltz, and the girls wore all white with long white gloves.  But then of course they have like 2 costume changes throughout the evening because they do at least 3 different dances for the spectators.  So basically this ball is a BIG DEAL.  I don't have any photos of the event, but I found this online and it could give you an idea:

The second ball I went to I happened to see some of my students from the Petrinumstrasse (the other school where I teach).  Apparently they just showed up for the party.  They were 16 and fairly wasted and crowded around me:

Ulrich: You are such a great teacher, I cannot in English (conversation lapses into German) everyone wants you for their teacher.

Moritz: Yes, because you are a beauty.

Me: Then why are you always half asleep in my class?

Ulrich: Because we cannot speak English at all!

Me: Then next time I will make sure to call on you every time I ask a question, Ulrich, so that I know you are paying attention! 

Ulrich: NOOOOO!

Florian to Calum (who is another TA and was my date for the evening): Can you tell her that Ulrich is gay so that she talks to me instead?

At this point the students buy me a tequila shot.

It was really quite interesting. 

7.       So I joined a tandem group at the university and because of that got and invitation from a girl named Elke to do some activities with her because she had an English speaking friend coming into the city.   One event I attended was on November 11, the first day of Fasching in Austria (which means the beginning of preparations for Carnival in February).  On November 11 they have what is called the Martinsumzug.  This is an event involving kindergarten children.  So the university tandem group people and I climbed the hill to the castle to watch a cute little performance.  A woman narrated the story of Martin the Saint:

Martin galloped around and around the city on his horse (cue a kid in a red cape on a hobby horse running around).  It was very cold.  He meets a poor man. (a kid enters and proclaims, “I am poor!”).  Martin wanted to help, but he had no money, and no food.  Then the poor man said he was cold, so Martin took his warm cape, the only thing he had, and tore it in half.  He gave half to the poor man (the kid gives part of the cape to the other kid).  That night, Martin had a dream about the poor man, but then the poor man turned into Jesus and said, ‘Well done Martin, when you share with others you share with me.’

Then, if we pledged to share with our fellow man, we got red cloth strips to represent Martin's cape as a token of our promise.  After this, the children paraded around holding up lanterns and singing a song called “I Hold My Lantern”…except the parents actually sang because the kids were struggling enough concentrating on keeping their lanterns up. It was too dark for photos, but I found this online:

As part of this event I met a girl who is studying Economics at the university.  Her name is Caroline and we got along really well, she lives nearby, so I think we will hang out again soon!

8.       PAYDAY.  Monday I got paid for the first time since being in Austria.  Josh hosted what he termed the “We’re So Fucking Rich Party.”  It was ten Euros entry and then we were treated to salmon, caviar, champagne and various other hor devours.  Hopefully photos will be forthcoming.

9.      

10.   Shout out to Libby and Becca, both of whose birthdays happened since my last blog post!!! :-)

11.   Lastly, I am going to Vienna with William on Wednesday for a conference on academic exchange (so that I can be so extremely culturally awahhh)  and also to see more of Austria.  So excited!!!

Sorry for the obscene length of this post.