Ugly It Up!
Another week, another set of adventures. If there is one thing I can say so far about my life in Austria, it's that I am taking advantage of every possiblity to a) have fun, and b) learn/see/do something interesting/strange/new, etc. This week was certainly no exception.In terms of teaching, it was about the same as the previous week. Some classes were cute, some classes were hostile, and some classes were as responsive as a class full of trees (and by trees, I don't mean the kind that walk and talk like in Lord of the Rings. I mean the kind that sit there and kindly and silently offer their shade to all who pass.) I'm honestly not sure yet how much use I will be to the school, though. This week, I was scheduled for 14 classes (I'm supposed to teach 12/week), but due to teacher absense and to being forgotten, not needed, or double-booked, I only taught 7 classes. Hmmm....not sure how it will play out in the end. Also, it seems like all the TAs are having very different experiences from me. I am the only one, except for Kelly, who has had to do actual lesson plans and teaching. The others are being used as teachers' aids, etc. I kind of wish that was me because I still feel like I have no idea what is going on. Meh. Teaching is part of my grant, and as such, I will do it well and enthusiastically to the best of my ability, but it is not why I came here, and I will only focus on it as much as necessary.
Uni classes finally started this week. Hurrah hurray!!! I am such a nerd, but I have always loved being a student and going to school, and I still do. I think I have decided on three classes for this semester. Next semester, I'll probably pick up at least four (hopefully another language among them), but for now, three is a good number. Not too overwhelming. Wednesday afternoons, I have "American Poetry in the 20th Century." I know I know it has nothing to do with Multilateral Diplomacy: A European Perspective, but I don't really care. Nancy, the Fulbright professor, is teaching it, and so far, she is a great prof. Very enthusiastic and engaging in the classroom. Also, I haven't taken a lit class in English since freshman year at HC, and I have always wished I could have taken more. I love books, poetry, you name it, so this class should be interesting. We are studying one of my favorites: "A Lovesong for J. Alfred Prufrock," by T.S. Eliot!
Thursday evenings I have "From War to Peace: Int'l Conflict De-escalation," which I already love. After taking "Philosophy on War and Peace" at HC, I wanted to learn more about the PolySci perspective on the issue, so this class should be good. It is taught in English, which is beneficial because I will probably learn more, but it is also not so good because it won't help me improve my German. Naja, it is a wash, I guess. Anyway, the class was HUGE. At least 120 people were in the room, and there weren't enough seats for everyone. Because I went to the wrong room originally, I ended up sitting on the floor, right under the prof's nose. I could hear really well, though :-) She basically went through the syllabus and started with an overview of the different eras of war. Pre-modern (aka, till the Peace of Westphalia in 1648), Clausewitzian (1648-1945ish, aka modern war), and post-Clausewitzian (1945-now). I'm really looking forward to the rest of the semester, and hopefully the class will thin out a bit. Funny story: I introduced myself to the professor after class, and she remembered me from my email, but I could see the surprise when she realized that Herr Fowler was actually female. Teehee...she was really nice though, and she seemed excited to have me in the class.
My third class meets Friday afternoons, and it is called "Empire und Demokratie." Bet you can't translate that. It is a seminar, which I didn't realize, so it is a lot smaller. Only about 40 people (yep, that is considered "small.") I'm really nervous about it though, because it will be a lot of individual and group work and presentations, and I'm just not sure my German is up to snuff. A challenge will be good for me, though, so I won't complain. We'll see how it goes, I guess. I introduced myself to my prof after class, and he seemed to think I can cut it, so I guess I will trust him. It's not like I'm taking it for a grade or anything, though, which is good! It should be an interesting class, especially in terms of any discussions that arise. Whereas my Conflict De-escalation class was made up of students who look and dress basically like me, this class is made up of the Euro-liberal look - nose rings, dreadlocks, hobo clothes, etc. Their political tendencies usually lean towards vitriolic anti-Americanism. *Sigh* Yet again. We'll see, I guess. It should be interesting at least.
The rest of my week was really good. Monday night I went to the ballet with Danny, Kim, Jen, and Kristina. We saw 4 vignettes choreographed by Diaghilev, who I studied in Prof Cary's history clas
s. The featured piece of the evening was "Petruschka," which was written by Stravinsky. It was fantastic!! We also got to see the "Specter of the Rose," written by Carl Maria von Weber, which is always glorious :-) The ballet was performed at the Staatsoper, which was thrilling because I finally was able to see the inside. How beautiful, and how unlike any performance venue I've been to in the States! It was a very fun evening, even though we basically played musical chairs around the balcony. Cheap seats always require a bit of maneuvering, right? :-D Anyway, this week, I think I am going to go see Giselle at the Staatsoper and a concert of Lieder at the Musikverein...yay for cheap student tickets and marvelous concerts and events every night!! I love culture :-PFriday I had my day off (except for class), and I was very productive. I sent sissy Bridget a "thank you" package and (finally) mailed off my official residency permit application, which meant that I braved the scary post office. I don't know why (and I'm not the only one who thinks this), but going to the post office is very intimidating in a foreign environment. I think it is because everyone at the post office is always in a hurry, and you (meaning I) as a foreigner will invariably screw something up and hold up the line, thus pissing off the natives. Anyway, I survived the post office and headed to the bank, which gives me the same feeling. (It was a very courageous day for me.) I (finally) picked up my atm card and (finally) have access to my Austrian account....and even more exciting, I (finally) have money waiting for me in there!!!!!! Must be frugal. Must be frugal. Must be frugal.
Friday night was Kristina's birthday, which was soooooo much
fun. We all met at a Fulbright gathering for TA's and went to dinner at the delicious Thai restaurant across the street from my apartment (you know, I don't know if is appropriate to describe a restaurant as being "delicious"...) Kristina had booked the whole place and had ordered an all-you-can-eat Thai buffet feast for the small price of 10E per person. Yeah, it got ugly ;-D (see picture of me in a food coma....someone had the bright idea that it would good to not eat the entire day so we could save up room in our tummies for yummy Thai food....and Fulbrighters are supposed to be smart....)Kelly and I also thought that it would be funny to "ugly it up," aka take the ugliest pictures of ourselves that we could possibly conjure up. This is what we came up with:
Youch that is bad!!! Needless to say, dinner was a blast. We were at the restaurant for probably 3.5 hours or so.
Mom, before you go ballistic because I put such a hideous photo of myself online, just below there is a much better picture from Saturday. :-D Aren't I a dutiful daughter?
So Friday night was rid
iculously fun. Saturday was just as interesting, and completely different. A few weeks ago, Uli, our contact at the Fulbright Commission, sent an email inviting all the grantees to visit a vineyard in Niederoesterreich (about 1.5 hours from Vienna) for Weinlesen, which means, "it's time to pick the grapes." Not literally translated, but you get the idea. Anyway, it is that time of year, so we got to go to a family-owned vineyard and be their labor force for the day. The weather was gorgeous -- sunny, but not too bright, cool but not too cold, the perfect fall day :-) We arrived about 9:30 and were working by 10am. They basically drove us straight from the train station to the vineyard, handed us clippers and said "get to work."
We worked for about 2 hours, and in that time, we finished picking five rows of vines, each of which was probably about 100-200 yards long. We stopped for a short Mittagspause (lunch
/midday break), where we were fed and watered with homemade goodies, juice, and wine. We then hit the vineyard for another 2.5 hours or so and finished another 10 rows (these were shorter than the first set.) All told, apparently the eight of us picked enough grapes for about 2500 bottles of wine. That is a lot of labor!! Haha not really.
After the afternoon picking session, the family (named Gindl) took us back to their home (I rode in the back of a van...and by the back of a van, I mean one of those vans with no windows or seats....interesting experience!), and they fed us a delicious dinner of homemade Wienerschnitzel, salad, and potato salad, along with their own wine. We got to try several different varieties, and each of us received a bottle of white wine as a gift when we left. All in all, it was a really fun day, work and all :-)
After we got back, Kristina, Alexis, and Kim came over for a little bit of girl time/chick flick watching (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days...a classic.) I don't know why, but being with the girls always seems to bring out the goofy in all of us...more fun pics from that evening. If you are interested, check them out on my photo site!
Tonight Kim and I are headed to the Viennale, a film festival here in Vienna. We are seeing the Corpse Bride at 11:30pm, which should be really fun. It's going to be a late night, though, and I have early work tomorrow!! Oh well, that's how it goes, I suppose :-D I'll just take a nap tomorrow afternoon.
I miss you all. Ciao.
Mom, before you go ballistic because I put such a hideous photo of myself online, just below there is a much better picture from Saturday. :-D Aren't I a dutiful daughter?
So Friday night was rid
iculously fun. Saturday was just as interesting, and completely different. A few weeks ago, Uli, our contact at the Fulbright Commission, sent an email inviting all the grantees to visit a vineyard in Niederoesterreich (about 1.5 hours from Vienna) for Weinlesen, which means, "it's time to pick the grapes." Not literally translated, but you get the idea. Anyway, it is that time of year, so we got to go to a family-owned vineyard and be their labor force for the day. The weather was gorgeous -- sunny, but not too bright, cool but not too cold, the perfect fall day :-) We arrived about 9:30 and were working by 10am. They basically drove us straight from the train station to the vineyard, handed us clippers and said "get to work."We worked for about 2 hours, and in that time, we finished picking five rows of vines, each of which was probably about 100-200 yards long. We stopped for a short Mittagspause (lunch
/midday break), where we were fed and watered with homemade goodies, juice, and wine. We then hit the vineyard for another 2.5 hours or so and finished another 10 rows (these were shorter than the first set.) All told, apparently the eight of us picked enough grapes for about 2500 bottles of wine. That is a lot of labor!! Haha not really.After the afternoon picking session, the family (named Gindl) took us back to their home (I rode in the back of a van...and by the back of a van, I mean one of those vans with no windows or seats....interesting experience!), and they fed us a delicious dinner of homemade Wienerschnitzel, salad, and potato salad, along with their own wine. We got to try several different varieties, and each of us received a bottle of white wine as a gift when we left. All in all, it was a really fun day, work and all :-)
After we got back, Kristina, Alexis, and Kim came over for a little bit of girl time/chick flick watching (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days...a classic.) I don't know why, but being with the girls always seems to bring out the goofy in all of us...more fun pics from that evening. If you are interested, check them out on my photo site!
Tonight Kim and I are headed to the Viennale, a film festival here in Vienna. We are seeing the Corpse Bride at 11:30pm, which should be really fun. It's going to be a late night, though, and I have early work tomorrow!! Oh well, that's how it goes, I suppose :-D I'll just take a nap tomorrow afternoon.
I miss you all. Ciao.
posted by Carly Fowler @ 1:16 AM
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