Girl who sleeps in Cars

My first Package form Canada!
Only the essentials - Card, Money and American Apparel

In my defence it's exhausting being an exchange student! And the quite hum of the engine lulls me to sleep... My host family always jokes about it.

In other news, I am now the proud owner of new dark blue Birkenstock knock-offs. They are not uncommon to wear and I quite like them. I’m feeling one step closer to becoming an true Austrian. This weekend I will be going to Wien to do a little shopping, and then attending my first Matura Ball. 

I’ve had quite an exciting few weeks. Happy perusing! 

TAUPLITZ:

I am back from the sheets of rock that is Taupliz. What was advertised as a hike became in fact a rock climbing/scaling adventure when we reached the top. Crevices were engraved so far into the stone that in some cases the bottom was nowhere in sight. I was reminded of Albert’s Abyss* as we looked down into its dark depths. This hike was followed by an awkward line for the showers, dinner and then a possibly dangerous night walk. When we lined up outside in the dark we had heard rumors of where we were going (a disco), but no idea how we were to be led there. Soon people started emerging out of the house behind us with freshly lit torches. Yes, adults were giving 16-18 year olds torches with the intention of everyone’s help to light the way. We paraded down the streets of the small town periodically shouting quotes such as, “Grab your torch and pitchforks,” and “Rape, pillage and plunder.” As I looked into the restaurants, where bewildered Austrians gazed at us with terror, I believed that they may have though for a minute that the Apocalypse might be taking place. But their fear was not without cause. Needless to say, some people should not have been given torches, but no accidents occurred on our quest to the disco. When we arrived to the glass gazebo, similar to the one in The Sound of Music,* music waiting for us to dance, and have a coke or an Almdudler*. 

We had our latest Rotary event night yet - 11:30pm. The next morning we took the windy bus ride down to the train and off home we went.

                                       FILM REVIEW: 

My first film recommendation is “Keinohrhasen” or “Rabbit Without Ears” in English. It stars, was directed and partially written by Til Schweiger. He is a German actor who you may have seen in the Tarantino film “Inglorious Bastards” when he plays the silent but deadly Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz. Schweiger is also a director, writer and producer.

This film is one of the few well written rom-coms out there, and esthetically delightful to watch. If you are in need of a pick-me-up it’s the ideal choice. 

Please don’t be afraid of the sub-titles... they won’t bite. I prefer to watch movies in the original language anyhow.

SCHOOL:

School continues to be an amusing part of my week. I love music class to death where this week we continued to work on “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel and “Yellow Lemon Tree” by the German group Fool’s Garden. Music history is taught by the same teacher. This week we learnt about the origins of music and how it grew to be part of the Catholic Church. Though I couldn’t recite you the lesson verbatim I definitely caught most of it, my teacher is very accommodating with the language gap. Today in Art we modeled a skull with clay that we had previously drawn the class before. (Fun Fact: skull in German is Totenkoft, literally translated to “dead head.”)

SOCIAL LIFE

Yes I do in fact have a life apart from Rotary and school. Last night my sisters took me Bowling where we heard some Tom Jones playing in the alleys. Good to know the Austrians appreciate the classics. After we went to an Asian buffet restaurant - Chen’s Cooking. I think it was the best Asian food I’ve ever had. 14 euros got you a pass to try the full Chinese, Japanese and Thai tables along with some Austrian salads. The Thai food was by far the best. They have a table with about six or eight different kinds of raw fish (calamari, shrimp, beef) which you scoop on your plate then head over to the raw veggies (asian variety) and hand the plate over to the stand-by cook to whom you have told your sauce choice. He then cooks it right in front of you with his big wok. It tasted AH-mazing. I have never eaten so much in my life and I do not regret a single bite. For a buffet, that’s saying something.

*Albert’s Abyss - From the movie Garden State (2004). The main character visits an antique jewelry trader/ keeper of a sort of infinitely deep rock quarry named Albert. 

*The Sound of Music - Refer to the gazebo from the song “16 going on 17.”

*Almdudler - an excellent Austrian drink; tastes like lemon juice, ice tea and mineral water.