Graz Graz!

       Well I just have time for a very quick post before I have to catch my train.  I had fun meeting the other TAs in Vienna.  It'll be nice to know some more people going into this week of orientation.  We went to a brewery for beers and dinner, and then went to an Irish pub to meet up with more former TAs.  I had to leave a bit early to catch my bus back to Baden (which takes about 45 minutes), but I'll see them all again today!
        I'm heading down to Graz for orientation today.  I'm really excited to be going back!  I'm sure I'll probably end up visiting Graz a few times this year, as I have friends down there.  Anyway, I'll be down there until Friday, and I probably won't be posting from Graz, so have a good week!

Parkin it

     So I didn't write yesterday because there was really nothing to report.  I started off in the morning on my way to Bad Vöslau, but by the time I got across town I realized I was wearing the wrong sock/shoe combination.  I already had a big blister on my heal, and I still had 5 miles to go.  So I decided to turn back to town and just wander through the parks instead.  It was a really nice day, and I ended up sitting on a bench near a pond in the rose gardens soaking up the sun.  Like I said, a nice day, but nothing too much to report.
     This morning was more of the same.  I walked up into the Kurpark, took some pictures, wandered around.  Then I stopped at the bakery and outdoor market and headed back here to my apartment.  It's another great day out, so this afternoon I'll be out wandering through the parks in town a bit more.  Tonight there's an informal get together in Vienna for all the TAs in the area who are here already, so I'll be heading into the city late this afternoon to meet up with them.
     Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

One of my favorite roses from the rose garden.

Geschafft!

     Well it was another great day here in Baden, the weather was great, sunny and warm.  I got everything on my list for the day done (and some things that I'd forgotten about)!  I now have a bank account, Vorteilskarte, Monatskarte, and I turned in my completed Meldezettel.  I also found a Kik (discount store with a smattering of everything) and got some things I'd been needing for the apartment.

     My route today: Up to Ruine Rauheneck back down and through town

      When I finished lunch I headed out on my walk.  From looking at my map it looked like it would be a shorter hike than yesterday, so I didn't stop at a bakery on my way out.  This hike was really pretty, and not as challenging as yesterday.  The ruins are smaller, pretty grown over, and clearly less visited than Ruine Rauhenstein, which is exactly what I want in my ruins!  I was surprised at how large they actually were, I thought it would pretty much just be the tower (which is triangular), but there was a decent sized complex to go with the tower, and you can walk through everything.  I found a room with two chimneys (Kitchen?), the chapel, and a lot of other nooks and crannies.  There are steps up to the roof of the tower as well, and it's pretty dark in there since the only windows are really narrow slits, but for some reason this climb didn't bother me (maybe because I couldn't see!).  The view from up there was really great, pictures don't really capture it.  I could see all of Baden (and it's surrounding suburbs), Sooß, Bad Vöslau, and further into the Wiener Wald (which goes on forever!). The only disappointment was not being able to see mountains, but I'll see them one of these days!

Looking from the tower across the valley to Ruine Rauhenstein. More pictures: Check out my SmugMug

      I had planned to come down on another trail, but of course I ended up (accidentally) taking a longer trail.  It really doesn't bother me when I do this, as long as I know the direction I need to head in (down, and towards town) I figure I'll get there eventually.  The trail ended on someone's driveway, which was really steep and curvy, glad that's not my driveway!  I came back home through the city center because I had to stop and pick up some bread, so that made the walk longer.  Not really sure what I'm going to do tomorrow, maybe I'll hike to Bad Vöslau and check it out, stop for lunch at a Buschenschank on the Weinstraße... who knows, I'll fill you in afterwards!

Up, Around, and Down again

         Well I just got back from a 3 hour hike, so if this blog is a bit rambly its because I'm worn out! Today was a really great day.  I feel like I'm getting into a rhythm (minus not sleeping well), and I can find my way around pretty well (at least in town).  I didn't actually get the three things on my list for the day accomplished, but its not because I didn't try!
          First I went to the office where I was told I could pick up my Aufenthaltstitel (residency permit), but because I hadn't turned in my Meldezettel (register my address with the city- not a direct translation), and it's not October (?), I couldn't get it yet.  However, now I know exactly where I need to go in that huge building, and the woman was actually very nice and interested in what I'm doing.  Then I went to the Rathaus (city hall) to turn in my Meldezettel, the woman there was also very nice and chatty, but unfortunately I didn't know my apartment number (it wasn't provided in my lease) and I couldn't remember my landlords name (oops!).  So I have to go back tomorrow.  The third thing on my list was going to the ÖBB (the Austrian train company) office and getting a Vorteilskarte (discount rail card) and a Monatskarte (Month ticket) but they were closed when I stopped there (at 10:45), and by the time they reopened I had decided to go for a hike.
          I was really pleasantly surprised by how nice all the office people were, it's a much different experience than I had in Graz.  I was so nervous starting out this morning, but in the end (even though I got nothing done) I was really pleased with myself (and my German).  Now I know where to go, and I won't be so nervous going back!
          I remembered another helpful tip for any of you who will be visiting Austria: DON'T WALK ON RED! When you're at a crosswalk with lights you must wait until it turns green to go, even if there's not a car in sight, DON'T WALK!  Otherwise if your at a crosswalk, without lights, just go for it! You barely even have to look before you cross (although I always do).  Cars always stop for pedestrians, even if they're not in the crosswalk yet.  So far I haven't quite gotten into the habit of just going yet, so I've pissed a few drivers off who stop at the crosswalk and wave me across because I'm standing there waiting for them...oops!
          Something else that I've been noticing in my wanderings through town is how green Baden is.  There are trees lining almost every street (which is why from the hill tops around here the town looks about like a forest), and there are city planted flower beds along many of the streets as well.  Most people here have a very tiny space for their lawn/garden, but anyone who has space has a tree, a bush, and flowers (lots of really incredible roses).

The route I took (roughly), according to MapMyWalk.com it's about 6.5 miles.

          Alright, so now to tell you about my hike!  To start it off I knew I'd probably want a snack break somewhere in the middle, so I took an apple with me, and I stopped at what is now my favorite bakery (because its one of the few non chains in town) and got a Marille Kuchen (apricot cake).  Apricots are really big here, and anything with Marillen is always delicious, *hint hint* Cafe 27 ;).  I had checked out my maps before leaving my apartment, and I planned to hike out to a castle ruins, then through the woods and down into the Kurpark.  I did exactly that, only I took the wrong path at some point, and ended up going much farther up the hills and into the woods than I had planned.
         The first part of the hike up to the ruins was amazing, it went right along the hillside, so you could see out across the valley.  I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to because my battery was dying, but I'll do that part of the hike again for sure!  The ruins themselves are HUGE, I can't believe they built such a huge structure on top of a cliff way up on a hillside, needless to say, they were pretty safe up there.  Those of you who have traveled with me (or read about my travels) will know that climbing around in ruins (not restored ruins, but actually crumbling-around-you-ruins) is one of my favorite things to do here in Europe.  These were real ruins, and there were so many different areas to go in, and 1/2 missing stone steps to climb... it was great! Climbing to the top of the enormous tower on the wooden ladder/stairs they installed (maybe in the 80s?)... not so great, especially coming down... but the view from the top was worth it once, I won't be doing that again.
            Anyway, I continued on my way up the path...and up...and then I stopped and ate my cake... and up... and up, until I was at the top of the hill (Just for you mom! But I couldn't see any mountains on top because there were too many trees).  By the time I got to the top I was pretty much ready to be done, so I started following the signs toward the Kurpark.  Little did I realize how far away I was to begin with, and how big that damn park really is!  In the map above it just shows the park as that little green strip where 5 is, but really it starts up closer to number 4.  It took my awhile to realize just how far off from my planned route I was, but as I entered the Kurpark and consulted my map again I knew that I wasn't where I thought I was... hows that for confusing! It took a long time to get out of the park because there's really no direct, clear route out.  I ended up doing a lot of zigging and zagging, but some of the views from up there were great and I was able to snap a few pictures, but I don't know how they look compared to what I saw.      
           Now I'm home, drinking some wine (which I find goes well with blogging) and thinking about making dinner.  My camera is charging, and as soon as its done I'll post the pictures from today, I hope they convey at least a little bit of the great views I saw!  Oo, and I have a Schoki Croissant and an Apfelstrudel...one of which I'll be enjoying tonight, I couldn't resist buying more bakery on my way home.
Tomorrow: Actually turn in my Meldezettel, go to the ÖBB, and hike to the ruins on the other side of the valley.

First Impressions

         Well last night after I unpacked I went out in search of dinner.  This was a bit difficult as I had no map of Baden, but luckily I have a pretty good sense of direction (not in the North/South way, but in finding my way through towns).  It was also raining pretty hard, and incredibly windy, so it was hard to see much of anything or get a sense of the town.  After wandering for about a half hour I managed to find a small BIPA (grocery store chain) where I bought a sandwich and some stuff for breakfast this morning.  Then I came home, frozen and totally soaked, but with food!  I watched some TV (Sex and the City in German, it was funny), and then slept for 12 hours! Needless to say, my bed is comfortable and warm.

A flower bed in the Kurpark

         This morning I took my time eating breakfast and getting ready since it was grey and windy again.  I decided to go have a look around town, and buy more groceries.  I didn't take as many pictures as I normally would have, I felt a bit self-conscious at first (as there aren't many tourists here), and then with the wind and clouds it wasn't a very nice day for photos.  I was looking for the tourist information place (as they're incredibly helpful here in Austria), but I forgot my guidebook, with map at my apartment, so I was going by memory, and then I got distracted.  I found a permanent outdoor market with little buildings and a roof over the walkway, only a few stands were open today, but they were selling local brews, fruits, flowers and veg.  Then I wandered up a street and found the Casino, it's HUGE and gorgeous, and the park (Kurpark) next to it is another great place that I accidentally wandered through.  There are a ton of paths through the park, with many benches, flowers and different plantings.  I went up to two different look out spots to get some pictures of town, but there's a lot of paths yet to wander!  I finally found the Tourist office, which is next to one of the Spas in town, so the air around that block smells of sulfur.  There I got some maps of town (although after my wanderings today I know where the shops are) I also got some maps of hiking trails around here, there are a lot of them since I'm on the egde of the Wienerwald (where the royals went hunting).  The woman at the office was very helpful, she marked on my map where I can find grocery stores, bakers, and cheep but good restaurants.  I did some grocery shopping, but there's a few things I wanted to pick up for my apartment, that you can't get at grocery stores, so I may go out again later and look for those.
          In my wanderings yesterday and today I remembered some things about Austria/Austrians that I'd forgotten.

• People here don't smile or greet each other on the street/path.  
• Workers in the grocery store aren't friendly (especially when you forget how buying produce here works)
• Buy bread at a baker, not the grocery store. (I guess I didn't really forget that one, since I was looking forward to that today & was not disappointed!)

       Anyway, it was a good morning, and before I go out again I think I'll have a glass of wine and read a bit as it's raining again.  Tomorrow should be sunny and warm, so I'll do more wandering and take more pictures then.  Here are some pictures of my apartment, for further pictures from today check out my smugmug site (link at the top right).

The front of the house

The walk back to my door (at the end of the house)

My inner door, closet (behind the curtain), coat rack, and bathroom door (first on the right)

To the right of the closet is the main room with the beds, TV, sofa...

shelves, and desk.  Then there's my kitchen and table!

I'm here!

Wow... what a trip! Everything really worked out well, it was just a lot of schlepping all my junk here and there.  There are things that you'd think I would've learned from studying abroad about packing, but I forgot what I learned until today... so not looking forward to packing and taking all this back home in June! Anyway, some tips for others (and to give myself a record to look back at when I'm packing the next time):

• Take as little as possible as carry on, or pack your carry on in a backpack or small rolling suitcase. (Mom did suggest this to me, so another note: Mom's are smart, listen to them, take their advice, it will help!) 
• This tip is especially true if you're going through multiple airports, because you always end up walking from one end of the airport (up & down) and back again.
• Either go with 1 big suitcase, or 2 small ones... seriously... hauling a huge and medium sized suitcase around on public transport sucks!
• There are more, but they've already slipped my mind, as have many other things due to sleep loss, nerves & stress.

So some stuff about the trip! We got to Madison earlier than planned, so we picked up lunch at the new Willy Street Co-op (it's really nice, and has a great deli).  The apple store was open early, so we got in and out of there pretty quickly.  I spent a big chunk of the bus ride, and some of my first flight transferring and setting everything up (still not done, but I was running short on battery and wanted to try to sleep).  SAS (Scandinavian Air) was pretty nice, decent food for an airplane, beers, blankets, pillows & headphones (all free).  The Stockholm airport on the other hand is a little odd, when we flew in (and out) we went over a dirt race track, a huge lake, lots of woods, and then you land and drive through the Stockholm business district, it really doesn't look like you're landing in a big city.  By the time I landed in Vienna I was totally wiped out, but it was so great to hear some Austrian German (even though English seems like a challenge to me at the moment), and now I'm in my apartment, which is better than I thought it would be!  Pictures to come... but now I want to unpack some, maybe go get a bite to eat, and shower because I feel gross.

Counting down...

Well these three weeks at home have been really great.  I got to see everyone in the community (they're essentially family) again, hang out with friends, earn some money working at the Cafe, and pack.
There have been some good get togethers in the past few weeks, including my going away party.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect night!  We spent the day cooking, running errands, setting up tables, and I made the most eclectic play list ever.  We also set up some croquet courses, but we ended up not playing because the conversation and food was too good.  We ate a great meal under our grape arbor and had great conversation until our only light came from the full moon (and some candles too I suppose).   It was a great send off!  I'm really going to miss our group of friends here, but hopefully some of them will come for a visit.
I've spent most of today packing, and reading the Austrian TA Handbook (which states that I'm not responsible for American Foreign Policy since World War 1, good to know!).  I'm pretty much packed, just a few last minute things left to pack... and then decide which bag I'm using as my carry on.  Even though I'm flying out in two days it still doesn't seem real.  I feel like there are a lot of things that I still need to do, but when I set out to make a list of things I need to do/get/find I never come up with much.
At this point the only thing that I haven't found that I need is my Austrian cell phone, since I already have one, and don't want to buy a new one, but it's totally MIA, so I've given up on finding it really.
Anyway, it's time to go to the Central Waters brewery one last time, and then tomorrow I'm having breakfast at the Cafe one last time.  Then it's back to packing and getting everything ready for a year abroad!
The next time you hear from me I'll be in Austria!

Who's the next big German rapper?

This girl!  So I found the video, of me and my house rapping about the Eisbär, it's pretty epic!

Denglisch: the language of camp counselors

Well being a Betreuerin (camp counselor) and LKT Lehrerin (high school credit teacher) was AWESOME.  I was really nervous going into it all, since I'd never been to summer camp as a kid, and had no idea what to expect.  At first it was really hard to get in with the other Betreuer because most of them have known each other for years, and even if it was their first summer on staff they'd been to Waldsee as kids.  It was also weird having another name, my camp name is Ines, and it took awhile to sink in, but now that I'm back I sort of miss being Ines.  Once I got into the swing of things more I started making friends.  I really love working up there in the woods, speaking German all day, teaching kids a new language, and having fun with my co-workers.  I want to go back next summer!
There are so many stories from the past 7 weeks I could never retell half of them here, and some of them are just for Waldsee, because I'm pretty sure they don't make sense outside of camp.  I'll stick with the story of my career as a German rapper.  Every night at camp we have an Abendprogramm, it's usually a game or activity for the kids to do and have fun with while speaking and learning German.  One Sunday night, while living with the 4 week high school credit students, we had a Grand Prix der Lieder.  Every house picked a camp song, and a musical style. Our song was Eisbär (polar bears), which is a song about a German hockey team, and our style was rap.  We had a half hour to go home and figure out how we were going to do it, and get costumes.  It really wasn't too hard to "remix" the song, and we all had our own parts, and our baggy pants, hats & sunglasses made us look pretty hard core ;). I was the MC (sort of) I got the song started, and ended it.  While planning it all the girls were pretty surprised with my rap abilities (I was too), and after we were done performing we got a good response from the other groups.  It was so much fun, and also pretty damn hilarious (especially when I lost my hat about 1/2 way through the performance). I'll post the video here later, at the moment it's not on my computer.

My class was also a lot of fun, I had the German 1 and 2 group, and it's really amazing all that we accomplished in 4 weeks.  My students named the class the Eisbärvögel (polar bear birds), and Albert, who's a really amazing artist, drew our class emblem (see the photo above, with my lovely students).  The first week and a half we did a lot with basic functional language and grammar, then we moved on to reading German children's books (then they wrote their own), and our last unit was current events around the world.  I think that was their favorite unit, they loved watching a daily German news program and reading the articles together.  They read daily headlines to the camp after dinner, and in the end we made our own Waldsee news program.

I also lead an Arbeitsgruppe in the last two weeks, it's basically an elective class that meets once (or more as needed) a day.  My class was a project based on Hundertwasser architecture (my favorite architect ever! see pictures above), I had 5 students, and when we met outside of our usual time we had quite a few other LKTs helping us as well.  Our camp dean told me that we could remodel Baden-Baden, our outdoor shower house which was not too visually appealing.  We went to town coming up with about 50 different projects and plans for fixing it up.  In the end we only had time to repaint the outside, rip out an interior wall, finish the inside walls, paint them & put in two support posts.  I'm really proud of my students, we got a lot done, and had so much fun too!

So that was my summer! Now to get everything packed for my move to Austria!