Betsy on the balcony.
Here we are on top of Gaisslachkogl.
Another view from Gaisslachkogl.
Roland at the spa.
Betsy at the spa.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Just got back from Tirol!
Betsy on the balcony.
Here we are on top of Gaisslachkogl.
Another view from Gaisslachkogl.
Roland at the spa.
Betsy at the spa.
Monday, February 06, 2006
A few of Vienna...
I had a request for some photos of Vienna, so I am adding a few from my parents' visit last fall. Let's see what we have here...
Shopping Passage.
Cobblestone streets...
This is the walkway outside the Minorettenkirche in Vienna.
Outside Cafe Central, complete with horsedrawn carriage!
Shopping Passage.
Cobblestone streets...
This is the walkway outside the Minorettenkirche in Vienna.
Outside Cafe Central, complete with horsedrawn carriage!
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Monday, January 23, 2006
The good and the bad of no English TV
When we moved to Austria, Roland and I decided not to invest in the big cable package that included some American and British channels. We decided it would force me to watch TV in German and more easily learn the language. What this actually did was made me an excessive CNN watcher, forgoing any attempt at Austrian news early in the morning. Maybe I know more about the world but it's only out of laze. Sometimes I watch Fresh Prince and The Simpsons auf Deutsch, but mostly the lack of good ole American trash TV has just helped cut television out of my daily life...daily life that is...it also encouraged BINGEING.
(I just love that somehow it would be more productive to watch Fresh Prince than CNN!)
Bingeing - I started my 4 to 8 hour binges with the series 24. I can rent a DVD with four episodes of a series for a couple bucks at an English bookstore/video store nearby. During 24 binges, I was sometimes sometimes known to pick up 2 or 3 at a time. Despite the right-wing propaganda , Roland and I became completely addicted. We justified watching a FOX TV show by saying we were doing "socio-political research," looking for examples of ridiculous FOXy-type crap. (For example, please note that on 24 good guys seem to watch FOX News and terrorists watch CNN!) Really, I was just renewing a teenage crush on Kiefer.
After finishing 24 - up to the present season - I watched the entire first season of the new version of Battlestar Gallactica in one weekend. Roland did not participate in this weekend of sloth and thinks I am insane. I am hooked and dying for this season to end so the new DVDs will come out!
But, most favorite of all and the show that manages to make me cry every single episode (and speaking of rekindling teen-dream lust...Hello, ROB LOWE!) - "The West Wing." I love to see the random shots of DC, to determine down which streets characters are walking and to annoy Roland with explaining in detail how "it is impossible for a motorcade to go THAT way to the Capitol"...etc. I am looking forward to season 3, DVD #3 tonight! Until recently, I loved the fact that I still have 3+ seasons of entertainment to go. But then I heard that Leo died. And then I heard the show is cancelled after this season! I am not sure what to do with myself but know I need to slow down.
So, there you have it. I was never much of a TV-watcher before moving here but now, starved for weeks without American TV, I go on rampages! In a couple months, I'll need recommendations of other addictive series. For now, I will savor Rob's last few shows and anxiously await the arrival of Jimmy Smits!
(I just love that somehow it would be more productive to watch Fresh Prince than CNN!)
Bingeing - I started my 4 to 8 hour binges with the series 24. I can rent a DVD with four episodes of a series for a couple bucks at an English bookstore/video store nearby. During 24 binges, I was sometimes sometimes known to pick up 2 or 3 at a time. Despite the right-wing propaganda , Roland and I became completely addicted. We justified watching a FOX TV show by saying we were doing "socio-political research," looking for examples of ridiculous FOXy-type crap. (For example, please note that on 24 good guys seem to watch FOX News and terrorists watch CNN!) Really, I was just renewing a teenage crush on Kiefer.
After finishing 24 - up to the present season - I watched the entire first season of the new version of Battlestar Gallactica in one weekend. Roland did not participate in this weekend of sloth and thinks I am insane. I am hooked and dying for this season to end so the new DVDs will come out!
But, most favorite of all and the show that manages to make me cry every single episode (and speaking of rekindling teen-dream lust...Hello, ROB LOWE!) - "The West Wing." I love to see the random shots of DC, to determine down which streets characters are walking and to annoy Roland with explaining in detail how "it is impossible for a motorcade to go THAT way to the Capitol"...etc. I am looking forward to season 3, DVD #3 tonight! Until recently, I loved the fact that I still have 3+ seasons of entertainment to go. But then I heard that Leo died. And then I heard the show is cancelled after this season! I am not sure what to do with myself but know I need to slow down.
So, there you have it. I was never much of a TV-watcher before moving here but now, starved for weeks without American TV, I go on rampages! In a couple months, I'll need recommendations of other addictive series. For now, I will savor Rob's last few shows and anxiously await the arrival of Jimmy Smits!
Spa fetish!
Want to be jealous? Check out the spa in Tirol that Roland and I will go to for four days next month!
http://www.aqua-dome.at/therme.html/lan/en
http://www.aqua-dome.at/therme.html/lan/en
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Most important discovery in Austria
You will all be relieved to know - as am I, quite literally - that after almost 16 months of living in Vienna, I have found an Austrian equivalent to Excedrin! I will still smuggle back Sam's Club-sized bottles of The Headache Medicine on trips to MD, as it costs about the same for 30 pills here as it does for a bottle of 250 in the States! But, in a pinch, I am covered. You can all rest easier now, I am sure.
Cutest girls in the world!
Okay, there they are! I dare anyone to challenge that title! (Okay, Rudy, I know you have argument with that...but you understand!)
Photo
Oh, that photo is so big! I was really trying to add to my profile so you could see my face when looking at the blog. I can't figure out, however, how to add it to my profile. So, if you want to see me, scroll down! Also note that this photo is from my wedding and I look completely different now! My hair is much longer than any of you remember. Shorter, if you haven't seen me in 10 years...but well below my chin. I also wear my glasses a lot these days, so I look exceedingly intellectual at all times. (Really, my contacts dry out in a minute, so I can only bear the specs.) I will add photos of the most adorable girls in the world as soon as possible. You know who they are!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
I'm back!
I am not so good at this blog thing, huh? I was thinking about what a great and effective way blogging might be to communicate, allowing me (and you!) to avoid mass-email annoyance. And then I realized - I have a dormant blog! So, I am aiming to revive it and fill you in a bit on our life in Vienna. I also won't pressure myself to come up with cute stories and funny stuff because, contrary to public belief, I am just not that cute and funny!
To update everyone - I am now working for HIAS (the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society) , helping Iranian religious minorities seek refugee status in the U.S. Yes, I am an actual social worker again! I interview three or four families a day about the persecution they have experienced and write reports for their cases, which go to a DHS officer. The officer reads their statements and interviews my clients and decides whether they are in or not. So, it is true, friends - Paul McCloskey and I are working on opposite sides of the same system! No, I don't see any debates in our future...just as there were none in our past, right?!
Roland and I did some running around before Christmas, after I gave him the "you-promised-me-the-heart-of-Europe-and-we-haven't-even-been-to-Graz" speech. I went to Berlin for a weekend to do some work with two extremely cool women I will be doing some programs with in the future...then Roland and I went to Budapest for a weekend...and then spent another weekend at a spa for Roland's annual birthday spa trip! I was in the U.S. for one short, short week and then back to Vienna. We are kind of staying put a while but planning to use Christmas money to go to another spa in February and we'll try some cross country skiing! Wish us luck! :)
Okay, I WILL be better at the blog, promise! Now that you are updated a bit, I can proceed with day to day life in Vienna...stay tuned, if you are interested!
To update everyone - I am now working for HIAS (the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society) , helping Iranian religious minorities seek refugee status in the U.S. Yes, I am an actual social worker again! I interview three or four families a day about the persecution they have experienced and write reports for their cases, which go to a DHS officer. The officer reads their statements and interviews my clients and decides whether they are in or not. So, it is true, friends - Paul McCloskey and I are working on opposite sides of the same system! No, I don't see any debates in our future...just as there were none in our past, right?!
Roland and I did some running around before Christmas, after I gave him the "you-promised-me-the-heart-of-Europe-and-we-haven't-even-been-to-Graz" speech. I went to Berlin for a weekend to do some work with two extremely cool women I will be doing some programs with in the future...then Roland and I went to Budapest for a weekend...and then spent another weekend at a spa for Roland's annual birthday spa trip! I was in the U.S. for one short, short week and then back to Vienna. We are kind of staying put a while but planning to use Christmas money to go to another spa in February and we'll try some cross country skiing! Wish us luck! :)
Okay, I WILL be better at the blog, promise! Now that you are updated a bit, I can proceed with day to day life in Vienna...stay tuned, if you are interested!
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Interesting impressions of the U.S. - #1
Some of the most interesting things you learn living abroad are not so much the new ways of the new culture. Sometimes learning how people of new culture see your home can be quite enlightening.
That is, what are the perspectives that everyday Austrians have of the U.S.? Often, they seem colored by Hollywood and the media. Sometimes, it isn't so clear where these ideas come from! I try to withhold judgment, though, seeing as most Americans think that "Edelweiss" is the Austrian national anthem!
A good example of a surprising U.S. stereotype comes when one asks an Austrian what images come to mind when you say "Chicago." For me, as an American, it might still be Michael Jordan and the Bulls, a lot of cold weather and wind in the "Windy City." I don't know, maybe the Lake?
Not so for the average Austrian. This is interesting and best exemplified with the following anecdote.
There is a story that the Mayor of Chicago was visiting Vienna a few years back and, though he didn't speak German, noticed the word "Chicago" on a campaign poster on the street. He asked his host, the Mayor of Vienna, what it meant and the embarrassed Austrian had to explain that this poster was part of a campaign against organized crime! It said something to the effect of "Vienna cannot be allowed to become Chicago!" In his defense, this was a campaign of a right-wing party here in Austria but was embarrassing, nonetheless.
And it indicates that just the word "Chicago" invokes clear images of organized crime for the average Austrian and is still synonymous with Al Capone, so much so that it's used in an anti-crime campaign to effectively get the point across to the general public!
Very funny for an American girl with her own stereotypes about organized crime being primarily based in New Jersey...the problem with stereotypes...
That is, what are the perspectives that everyday Austrians have of the U.S.? Often, they seem colored by Hollywood and the media. Sometimes, it isn't so clear where these ideas come from! I try to withhold judgment, though, seeing as most Americans think that "Edelweiss" is the Austrian national anthem!
A good example of a surprising U.S. stereotype comes when one asks an Austrian what images come to mind when you say "Chicago." For me, as an American, it might still be Michael Jordan and the Bulls, a lot of cold weather and wind in the "Windy City." I don't know, maybe the Lake?
Not so for the average Austrian. This is interesting and best exemplified with the following anecdote.
There is a story that the Mayor of Chicago was visiting Vienna a few years back and, though he didn't speak German, noticed the word "Chicago" on a campaign poster on the street. He asked his host, the Mayor of Vienna, what it meant and the embarrassed Austrian had to explain that this poster was part of a campaign against organized crime! It said something to the effect of "Vienna cannot be allowed to become Chicago!" In his defense, this was a campaign of a right-wing party here in Austria but was embarrassing, nonetheless.
And it indicates that just the word "Chicago" invokes clear images of organized crime for the average Austrian and is still synonymous with Al Capone, so much so that it's used in an anti-crime campaign to effectively get the point across to the general public!
Very funny for an American girl with her own stereotypes about organized crime being primarily based in New Jersey...the problem with stereotypes...
Friday, March 18, 2005
Ice Cream in Vienna
You have to love a city that opens its ice cream shops the first day the temperature is above freezing!
Yes, it finally stopped snowing here and actually the temperature spiked up to around 55-60 in the last few days. Yesterday, there were lines out the ice cream shop doors and kids were eating cones in the streets! We've all been waiting (im)patiently for the sun to make an appearance and I have to say I appreciate that they go all out and celebrate with ice cream!
Today, the cafes had even set up tables on the sidewalks. Could it be spring?
Yes, it finally stopped snowing here and actually the temperature spiked up to around 55-60 in the last few days. Yesterday, there were lines out the ice cream shop doors and kids were eating cones in the streets! We've all been waiting (im)patiently for the sun to make an appearance and I have to say I appreciate that they go all out and celebrate with ice cream!
Today, the cafes had even set up tables on the sidewalks. Could it be spring?
A real compliment!
I have finally been complimented on my language skills!
The other day, in the usual Viennese subway rush, I was running down the escalator, head down, when I collided with a man and had to stop short. I forgot my German and said, "Sorry!" as he pointed to the problem. Someone had committed the cardinal sin of city living - standing to the left on a subway escalator!
"No problem," I said, again forgetting German in a flustered moment. "Must be a tourist." (I can say that, now that I'm an official Austrian resident!)
"Your English is so good!" the man replied, "Where did you learn to speak so well?"
So, thanks goes out to Joe and Susan Anthony for providing me with absolutely perfect Southern Maryland English!
And there you have it. Six months of German classes have gotten me a compliment on my fluency in English. I have to be happy I have one language down, if nothing else. (Don't tell your British friends I said that!)
The other day, in the usual Viennese subway rush, I was running down the escalator, head down, when I collided with a man and had to stop short. I forgot my German and said, "Sorry!" as he pointed to the problem. Someone had committed the cardinal sin of city living - standing to the left on a subway escalator!
"No problem," I said, again forgetting German in a flustered moment. "Must be a tourist." (I can say that, now that I'm an official Austrian resident!)
"Your English is so good!" the man replied, "Where did you learn to speak so well?"
So, thanks goes out to Joe and Susan Anthony for providing me with absolutely perfect Southern Maryland English!
And there you have it. Six months of German classes have gotten me a compliment on my fluency in English. I have to be happy I have one language down, if nothing else. (Don't tell your British friends I said that!)
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Still snowing
It's snowing on March 8 and still the Viennese don't slow down. I mean, snow after March 1st?! C'mon - we need a snow day!
Thursday, February 17, 2005
SNOW!!!
It has been snowing almost constantly for the last 48 hours. There's an accumulation of a foot, more or less.
No workplaces have closed and I have had to go to school everyday - all this on time, no less! Streetcars seem to work just as well, everyone is still driving on the roads. Nothing seems to have changed with the snowfall.
What's up with that? Don't they know that governments close down for 3 or more inches of snow? No one's supposed to go to school in these conditions! What do little Viennese children have to look forward to, if not snow days? Jeez - and they say Americans are all work...
No workplaces have closed and I have had to go to school everyday - all this on time, no less! Streetcars seem to work just as well, everyone is still driving on the roads. Nothing seems to have changed with the snowfall.
What's up with that? Don't they know that governments close down for 3 or more inches of snow? No one's supposed to go to school in these conditions! What do little Viennese children have to look forward to, if not snow days? Jeez - and they say Americans are all work...
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Expat Moment #4798
Ich hätte gern Briefmarken, bitte...ich hätte gern Briefmarken, bitte...ich hätte gern...This is me walking down the street, preparing to enter the post office to buy stamps. "I would like some stamps, please." Anytime I enter an Austrian shop, I practice the conversation I intend to initiate upon entering. Of course, this always goes the wrong way. The cashier asks questions I am not prepared for, I am thrown for a loop and get flustered, often too flustered to recover. In the case of the post office, though, I can usually hold my own. The other day, I entered the post office, repeating this over and over in my head and with lips moving. I approached the counter and automatically spit it out, only to be told that I had just asked for stamps in a bank. Yes, Najuma, I did it again. And, yes, that means I did it once before. I would post examples of the bank and post logos but then you would see exactly how ridiculous this mistake was, expat or not.
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