Orientation ... let's make party!

So starting on the 26^th of September, we had orientation in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

It’s a resort town that is fairly far from where I live, relatively speaking. For those visual learners out there…here is a map.

For all of the seminars and teacher-y things, they divided us into groups that were based on our geographical regions. Since Vorarlberg is pretty small, they combined us with Tirol. Making a super group called TV. We are rockstars. TV is made up of some of the coolest people from all over the U.S. and Britain. Oh yeah, the British Council also sends TA’s here, too. So needless to say, I learned a lot of British English in a couple of days.

 view from my bedroom in the place we stayed

Orientation was basically all about teaching us how to be teachers, which I thought was kinda funny. Mainly because…I thought I already did that?!?! And it took 4.5 years not 4.5 days. Oh well, it’s still nice to get an idea of what is expected over here as opposed to back home.

Orientation was also a big intro to Austrian life. In other words, we went on a hike. Herbert, the totally awesome little grandpa-like Austrian in charge of orientation, told us it was going to be very cold on said hike. Ha! It was the exact opposite. This was a problem for me because I took Herbert seriously. Being a Georgia peach, if someone says it’s going to be cold and they are not from the South, I take that to mean I need layers and layers of warm clothing. So I dressed in long pants, warm socks, long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt, a cardigan, and a scarf. Who was I kidding?

I must also tell you what they fed us before this hike.

Schnitzel and fried chicken!

Overwhelmed with excitement at the offering of fried food goodness, I enjoyed multiple servings of both…most likely grossing out the people at my lunch table. Honestly, I ate an obscene amount of schnitzel, chicken, and potatoes. 

Then immediately afterwards....hiked up a mountain. In hot weather. Dressed for frigid temperatures that never came. Let’s just say it didn’t take long for the meat sweats to kick in. Gross, I know. Thank God a fellow Vorarlberg girl named Amanda was going at my pace. I made it though and even did the optional climb to the very top (after a long rest and fresh alpine water).

Here are some pictures from that lovely hike…. notice my silly layers around my waist.

It was really beautiful!

Anyways, I made some super sweet friends that are in different places all across this beautiful country. Hopefully, that means I’ll have tour guides and free lodging in a variety of cities. 

I’ll leave you with the great words that Herbert spoke to us over the P.A. system the last morning to wake us all up after celebrating the end of orientation the night before:

Read in an elderly Austrian accent

“Good Morning! I know life is hard sometimes. Arise from your beds and come downstairs and eat something from our breakfast. It should renew your spirits.”

P.s. I may or may not have been shanghaied into teaching everyone at orientation the electric slide. 

Hospitality

So, sorry for the delay in posts. I have been ohne computer for a while. Hopefully that won't happen again.


I arrived in Austria 3 1/2 weeks ago now. I have been overwhelmed with how nice people are here. However, I have also learned you should put limits on people's hospitality.


Especially that of these folks:

That's Tony and Elisabeth, my landlords. If one is not careful and extremely adamant, they will kill you with Vorarlberg hospitality. Perhaps they'll take you on a hike, buy you dinner at a Gasthaus, and then proceed to buy you every type of Austrian alcohol that exists and refuse to take no for an answer. It's dangerous. 

They may also call friends after normal Austrian working hours to try to fix your computer.

Tony might just drive you around to get all of the administrative tasks done in an afternoon and help you figure out the new city you live in.

He might also make things really simple for you based solely on the fact that he knows literally EVERYONE in this town. I guess that's what you get for being a teacher/principal for 40 years!

Also (and this is where I draw the line on hospitality), Elisabeth might just clean your whole apartment while you are out of town and wash and iron your dirty laundry. 

So, there you go. An introduction to my very sweet and chatty landlords.

Feeling right in a new home

So, earlier this evening...


it's currently 1:12 a.m. but I am not one of those annoying "It's technically tomorrow so you should say last night (insert the 'I have to be right' face)" type of girls


So, earlier this evening...


I went down to lake for the first time. I know it as "Der Bodensee". Apparently it's English name is Lake Constance, which is weird if you ask me. Anywho...the lake is wonderful. There is a long promenade lined with trees and gardens. In the water there are even ducks and swans. Which, of course, makes me plenty happy. You may or may not be aware, depending on how long you've known me, but ducks are my favorite animal. Hands down. No contest. My first word was even "duck" or so my mom says. That's not really the point here.


The main thing to see down by the water is the Seebühne, or the lake stage. I had seen pictures of it already online because when you type "Bregenz" into a google image search you will undoubtably see lots of pictures of it. Mainly because it's a big deal here. There is actually a huge opera festival held there every year in the summer. It's basically a stage on the lake. Maybe "in" is a better preposition. It's in the lake. Essentially a giant, elaborate, floating stage is what you should see in your mind's eye. 


Or right here:

Here's a picture of all the things the stage has been in years past:

Yeah. I think it's cool at least. And they just let you walk in there and walk around when it's not in use. Which, coincidentally, is how I took those pictures.

Before you get to the stage there is a gold colored modern statue that is surrounded by a shallow pool of water. This is where I had a really cool moment earlier.

So, I am walking up and begin to hear music...but not opera...so I knew it wasn't coming from the stage. Then I see that in that shallow pool of water surrounding the statue is a PIANO! In the water! With a guy playing it for the people to enjoy as they take a nice Friday evening Spaziergang along the lake at sunset. I sat down for a while and relaxed and listened. He played in kind of a Damian Rice-y/Regina Spektor-y/Kate Nash-y type vibe but fancier. It was lovely. And in that moment, I realized how happy I am to be here. I have been in Bregenz a week and already feel comfortable here. Yes, I still feel like a foreigner, but that's ok. I am one. But still, it's nice to know I can be happy in this place.

So, I'll leave you with pictures and a sideways video of the lovely piano man in Bregenz.

and bigger/zoomed

notice the ripples from him using the pedal...just too cool for school

And now that I have finished my beer and this post, I can say "Gute Nacht!" and hit the sheets.

My Crib, Yo

Don't hate me for the lameness (...and not to mention the weird audio level changes) of this video.


Here it is, as promised.

Discovery of the day: French fries with malt vinegar taste just as good as Pommes Frites mit Apfelessig. Gross as you may find it, I enjoyed my snack.

Grüß Gott, Bregenz!

I'm here! Where exactly?

I arrived in my new city a week ago tomorrow. What has surprised me is how much I want to compare and contrast everything with Regensburg. Basically, Bregenz doesn't have as much obvious charm as Regensburg. I am perfectly alright with that though. They are very different places in two different countries. My comparison is unfair. 

That being said, Regensburg doesn't always win in the war for my heart. In fact, my apartment alone makes Bregenz feel more like home than Regensburg ever did. Plus, Regensburg wasn't right next to a giant lake nor was it near the Alps. Also, the people here are unreal. Seriously. I am convinced some of the nicest, sweetest, and most hospitable people on Earth live in the province of Vorarlberg. They almost put us southerners to shame...but more on that later.

Today was a great day in my book. I spent the vast majority of it on the bus. Having not exactly figured out the best way to get to school yet, I sat down last night with a variety of Fahrpläne and made the decision to do some trial runs today.  You know, to figure out the fastest route. And that's exactly what I did! *Side note: If the Amazing Race came here and needed to get to my main school, I would be the perfect person to ask.* Now, to most people a day spent on the bus/waiting for a bus may not seem fun. However, I LOVE it. It's great for people watching and getting oriented to a new city. Plus, I got to see some pretty views.

See...

Anyways, I eventually arrived at my first school after two trial runs and took pictures of the signs. 

Coming soon...or at some point, anyway..... to my blog: A video tour of my apartment. Get excited.

Things I will miss in Austria pt. 5

America---and all of it's conveniences.


This is likely the last thing I will write before leaving...maybe.


I just have been thinking in the past few days, as I have been getting things together, how convenient my home country is. For being hard working people, we Americans sure know how to enable laziness in everyday life. Need an example? My family has automatic trashcans in our house. Too lazy to step on a pedal or open a lid? Not a problem here!


No, but really. I can hop in my own personal car and drive to a Walmart or a Target and find just about anything I need for really cheap. I'll definitely miss the ease of such activities here. 


More than the silly conveniences America offers, I will miss one more. The fact that so many people I love live in this country. I will miss them (especially that new little McCarty girl) but I am ready for an adventure. 


God has blessed me immensely. Because He put such passion for teaching and other countries in my heart, I can go to Austria and take this awesome opportunity. He's pretty great. Just saying.




So...off I go! I'll update upon arrival and then make this blog public.

Things I will miss in Austria pt. 4

This is a two-parter. 


1. Fried Chicken

I used to try to deny I was a southerner, telling anyone who would listen that I was born in Illinois and my family were northerners (read:Yankees) and grew up in the Metro-Atlanta area, thus making me immune to the "country-ness" of Georgia. For all that denial, I have come to understand that it is a part of me like it or not. One of the loveliest things about the south is the availability and quality of fried chicken. I was trying to explain what the "fried chicken" I had in Germany was like today over some proper Sunday Chicken from Cracker Barrel. It was basically pan seared with a baby bit of breading dusting the top of the piece of chicken. Not great. So I will miss this very much while I am away....although I am sure my arteries will not.

2. (which should in all actuality be #1) My beautiful sister Wendy

I love her so much. She may or may not know it but she is the family member I try to please the most. I remember very vividly being a very picky eater as a child. Sometime in middle school or high school that stopped. The reason? Wendy was always an adventurous eater in my mind and I wanted to be like that too. She taught me basic Algebra (for fun) when I was in 3rd grade sitting at the kitchen counter. We both have liked languages and culture from an early age. When it came time to pick an after school activity for Wonderful Wednesdays at Dyer Elementary, I picked french class partially because my cool older sister took french in high school. When I went to Germany in 2009, Wendy was indispensable as a person to bounce travel ideas and plans off of. Again, travel is something we both love and planning is just in our blood. Hers was the opinion I wanted to know after Landers visited in August. I love the nephew she's given me and the niece who we'll get to meet on Friday. She amazes me with her work ethic and how she manages to be good at so many things. Wendy is so patient with Kaiden and insists on doing what is best for him. She is a great mom. She is also the most rational and level-headed person I know but with so much love and humor to go along with it. I am going to miss hanging out at her house with her and complaining about silly/ridiculous things that come up in our daily lives. Although, I am pretty sure I can still do those things on Skype. I know she is having a hard time with me leaving but I never doubt that she is excited for me and proud of me. God has blessed me so much to have her as my sister.