A Long Delayed Update!

So I realise it has been far too long since my last update - which combined with my tendency to ramble does mean this will most likely be rather long so apologies in advance!  I have meant to write one a couple of times, but in the end didn’t - which is however a good thing, as the main reason I’ve delayed it so long is I finally have some good friends who I’ve been spending a lot of my time with!  That and spending some time catching up with old friends too, which is always great.

Katie and Aby around for Christmas mimosas

Hanging out with Aby and Nadina

I’m still loving living here in Austria - as I’ve said in previous posts I am so enjoying the opportunity to live in another culture and continue to learn more about the world, other people, and especially myself.  Still enjoying the challenge of trying to improve my German, though its definitely still feeling like an uphill battle that I’m not winning.  One downside (the ONLY one really) to spending most of my time with English-speaking friends.  Though considering without them I doubt I’d still be sane, I think its a fair trade-off!

But even if its slow going, the process is still giving me plenty of opportunities to learn more about myself (or consolidate things I already knew).  Number one: my sometimes over-politeness can actually be a bit of a disability, especially when it comes to clear communication and especially in German, as it really doesn’t translate well.  English as a language has definitely facilitated this over-polite tendency of mine, as well as our English speaking habit of beating around the bush.  It has, I believe, caused some confusion for some German speakers I communicate with, but as they get to know me they (I hope) are learning to figure it out.  Definitely something I need to work on though, at least in German.  The second thing I have noticed: I talk a lot.  Just general, silence-filling chatter or lots of off-hand remarks in a conversation, but its something I have really noticed because I am unable to do it in German.  Which makes me feel very silent when in a group conversation in German - so then when I switch to a conversation in English I’m either compensating for my lack of speech in German, or it just feels like I’m talking a lot in comparison.  Apparently it also means I come off as shy in German - something I haven’t considered myself as since Year 9 or 10.  Also makes me ponder the idea that your personality can change between languages.  I’ve come to the preliminary conclusion that while obviously speaking another language doesn’t change who you are and therefore your personality, in the eyes of others it could seem to , because your communication is so much more limited and so its harder to express your personality.  Particularly if you’re reliant on words/talking to convey it, which I think I am.  But anyway, the last more introspective thing I’ll put here is that I’ve really realised lately how much I appreciate English.  How it sounds, feels... But I won’t try and wax poetic, because that is one thing I’m definitely not!  I guess also I just appreciate it more now because I can do so much more with it than I can with German.

So anyway, what have I been up to since my last update?  Not 100% sure actually, and can’t check as I am writing this on the train with no internet.  But I believe I left off at the end of November.  At the start of December I did a day trip with my friend Aby to meet my uni friends Dorea and Jacob in Füssen and go and see Schloss Neuschwanstein (aka the Disney castle).  Despite spending much of the day feeling half frozen, it was really lovely.  From figuring out we were on the same train 15 minutes after getting on, to walking through the castle (which Abigail called the nerd castle due to the fact that the king had all the rooms themed to his favourite stories - to the point that there was a small room made to look like a cave) and then just walking around chatting and catching up while freezing together.  It was also one of the longest days, as it was a Sunday so we got up at 5:30am to walk to the bahnhof since there were no buses running early enough, then got home earlier than we had originally thought and so found our first smoke-free restaurant in Bregenz for dinner.  All part of the fun though - makes it feel much more like an adventure when you set off at abnormal times!  

Same boots!

In between then and Christmas was a whole bunch of just general hanging out.  Meeting up with Aby and/or Katie to go for walks or just hang out at my place.  A musical hosted by ICF, the church I’ve been going to on Sunday nights.  I also went to a youth group type hang out thing, which was quite fun.  Though cos it was an overnight thing, the lack of sleep was the one thing that made me feel old, and also made the next day such a struggle!  My German skills are definitely not enhanced when I’m exhausted.  I have also been to a couple of Couchsurfing meetings now, which I really enjoy.  It’s always such a great group of people to just hang out and chat with.  

And of course there were the obligatory Christmas market visits in December!  I love a good Christmas market, and I managed to get to five this year - Bregenz, Dornbirn, Feldkirch, Lindau and Munich.  Well six including Prague, but I’ll get to that later.  Most were quite small, but so cute!  And its the atmosphere more than anything - everything shining brightly, people coming together to chat with hands wrapped around a hot glühwein, and the smells of delicious market food wafting by.  Definitely a highlight of Germany/Europe in winter!  

Munich Christmas market

Delicious market food in Feldkirch

But aside from this there was also of course Christmas!  I think I enjoyed Christmas as much as possible, considering it was my first one entirely on my own - last year at least Grace was with me.  Also all of my extended family was together this year, which I was a little bummed to miss.  But considering where I am and why I wasn’t there, I know I don’t have much right to complain too much!  My Christmas celebrations were quite prolonged really.  On the 20th I headed to London for pre-Christmas and birthday celebrations with my friend Jo.  Also managed to catch up with Nic and Dave, old school friends, which was lovely.  It’s funny how much time can pass but when you meet friends again it doesn’t feel like much has changed.  Jo and I managed to have a pretty relaxed weekend, as is usually our style - a bit of Christmas shopping which included my first look at Selfridge’s and Bond Street, a night out for her birthday, and just general chilling out.  It’s always great to catch up with her and her lovely family.  

My lovely handmade Christmas decorations

I returned on the 23rd, which in Austria is actually the day before Christmas because they celebrate on the night of the 24th, and so Aby and I headed to the Christmas markets one last time.  The 24th actually surprised me - I figured because for them the 24th is Christmas day, everything would be shut.  But in fact it’s only a half holiday, so everything was open in the morning and then shut in the arvo.  Which was strange but nice - I went into Bregenz with my host parents and there was a great holiday feel, with everyone out doing last minute errands and meeting friends on the street, like a true small town.  I walked home from Bregenz via Aby’s house, where I had lunch with her and her host parents.  Then I had Christmas dinner and gifts that night with my host family.  That was quite nice, they put up a huge Christmas tree during the day, while Jakob (the youngest kid) waited upstairs.  Then when it was all ready in the evening they rang a little bell and the kids came in, and they sang two Christmas carols together in front of the tree before doing presents.  After presents was dinner, which was a type of fondue - three different fondue pots, two with soup and one with hot oil, and then platters of seafood, chunks of beef and broccoli to cook in them.  Definitely different to an Aussie Christmas dinner!  Also because for us lunch is the main event.  Anyway, due to the wifi in the house being down, after dinner I walked to Aby’s house where I stayed the night so I could Skype my family.  That was what really made it feel like Christmas, skyping all the family.  I love being overseas, but the main thing I miss is not being able to go to family events or friends’ events.  So anyway, skyped them nice and early, and then as I’d managed to miss brekkie with my host family Aby’s host parents invited me to have brekkie with them.  Then in the arvo I went home, played with Jakob on his new Wii-U then had an afternoon nap before dinner with my host family and my host mum’s parents, where I also had my first taste of lobster (and definitely confirmed I’m not really a seafood fan!).  After dinner I again headed off again this time to my friend Susana’s to stay the night so I could Skype Jo (Australian) the next morning.  This Christmas period was a succession of internet hopping for me - in the days following I also went and begged internet from two other friends in order to get my Prague trip organised. I also have to say Christmas is not quite the same when the reason for the holiday is forgotten - it was weird not going to church on Christmas Day.

The huge Christmas tree

Christmas dinner - fondue

But before Prague I had the house to myself for a week, which was kinda nice.  Cooked with Katie and Aby, did a little cleaning and just enjoyed the quiet.  I also went to a NYE party in Bludenz which was really fun.  Just a bunch of people hanging out in a house that I think is normally used as a youth group hangout, we had raclette for dinner (which I’ll come back to), then later all trekked up a big hill in a cool torchlit procession to get a great view over the area at midnight.  There’s no single fireworks show put on because you can buy and set off your own, which is what our group of course did too.  To my Australian brain that was at times a bit nerve-wracking - maybe OH&S has made me soft, but I was surprised that nothing and no-one was set alight!  It was pretty awesome though, if not somewhat smoky - when I blew my nose the next morning the tissue was black!  When we all made it back there was a lot of dancing and hanging out.  The first all-nighter I’ve done in ages (maybe since the night I spent at the airport in Edinburgh with Meredith? Though admittedly I was nodding off in my chair...) because the first train home wasn’t until 5:40am.  It was surprisingly easy though and definitely worth it.  When we got home Aby and Katie crashed on my floor and we slept half the day, then Aby and I dragged ourselves to the supermarket while Katie kept sleeping and we all made burgers together for early dinner/very late lunch.  Altogether very different from Hogmanay in Edinburgh, but equally enjoyable!

One of the smaller fireworks set off...

Aby being a pro at pool :P

Fun failed baking times!

And just before I move onto Prague, the last event in my very long recap, I’m going to come back to raclette!  NYE wasn’t the first time I’d had it - when I went to my friend Nadina’s to use her internet, not only did her parents invite Aby and I to stay for lunch that day, they also invited us back for lunch the next day too, and we had raclette.  It was so lovely of them, and I’m happy to say yet another family I can add to the list of people I’ve met in Austria who were just so friendly, welcoming and hospitable.  Much like what I like to think Australians are usually like.  But also, in case you’re wondering what raclette is, its basically where you use a special set to melt cheese, with whatever you want to add to it in it (bacon, corn, etc...), and there’s also a hot plate you can cook other stuff on.  Then you have cooked potatoes, which you can cut up/smash/whatever and scrape your melted cheese + toppings over the top.  One of my new favourite dishes!  Thinking I might have to look into getting my own raclette set... Which would definitely mean sending stuff home separately!  Though that’s kind of a given now - for Christmas my host family gave me a cook book full of traditional Austrian recipes, which was a lovely gift as I’ve mentioned I wanted to collect some Austrian recipes, but it is so huge and heavy that I can’t imagine fitting it into my luggage!  

My huge new cookbook

Pic of raclette I found on the internet

Anyway, finally on to Prague!  I headed off on the 2nd of Jan to meet my friends Dorea and Penny.  I actually wrote this on the train home, but it will have to wait until I have internet again before I can publish it.  Prague was great - it is definitely up there on my list of most beautiful cities I’ve been to in Europe, alongside Edinburgh, Salzburg, London and Strasbourg.  As with last time, I do find it initially a little confronting going from a German speaking country where I can understand basically everything to not understanding a word.  But you get over it pretty quickly.  The long train journey - 3 hours to Munich then another 6 to Prague - also made me wonder how I survived the plane trip to and from Australia, but I was also getting sick which definitely didn’t help.  At the least, I did eventually make it there, and was joyously reunited with Penny and Dorea not long after arriving.  The few days were a nice mix of hanging out and catching up as well as some obligatory touristy stuff.  We weren’t very ambitious tourists, mostly because Penny and I were both sick and so constantly tired.  But I no longer feel the need to kill myself trying to see everything there is to see in a place, its nice just to enjoy being there.  We did do a free walking tour, walked around the castle, the Christmas markets (which I was very excited to see were still there!), a bunch of walking around the Old Town and Jewish Quarter, and a classical music concert by a string quintet, at the seat of the Prague Philharmonic.  That last one was great, and something I had never really done before, even though the music was so lovely and soothing that I was constantly fighting to stay awake!  

Prague + Christmas markets - magical!

The two lovely faces I travelled to see

Concert program

One of many selfies...

But aside from being in Prague, the real highlight was getting to hang out with good friends again.  We added significantly to Dorea’s Europe selfies collection much to my enjoyment but also occasional embarrassment!  Heading home was bittersweet, since this time I have no idea when I’ll see them again, but that’s life I guess!  

Note our party picks which we had to use as spoons… All class!

So to end, I’ve slightly missed the New Year’s boat but I’ll say this anyway.  2013 was a great year for me: travelling through Europe as an end to my exchange in January, graduating in July, moving to Austria in September, and of course being blessed with so many great opportunities and wonderful people in my life.  I know that this year there will be so much more of the same in store, and I look forward to keeping those of you interested, updated through this blog!