Nationalfeiertag

First Bank Holiday of the year! Hurray! I asked several classes why 26th of October is a Bank Holiday. Some students had no idea. Others told me it was to celebrate when the last Russians left Austria at the end of the Second World War. Actually it's to commemorate the signing of a treaty to restore Austria's neutrality in 1955. I was quite surprised that they had no idea about their history. I asked them if there would be anything worth seeing going on in the city and they told me no, it would be boring. Well, they were wrong! I normally hate the days when the shops are shut in Austria (they are wayyyyy too frequent!) After looking online I discovered that there would be things going on all day in Heldenplatz, though the things in the morning didn't look particularly interesting so a group of us met up and headed over at about 12.30. There were lots of military looking people around, including what looked like a genuine Habsburg, complete with ridiculously Austrian facial hair and plumed helmet. I could see that it was going to be a good day because there were tanks and helicopters and lots of interesting things like that. The first actual event we saw was a kind of parade, though I was a little disappointed at the lack of marching.

There was lots of shouting and synchronised rifle twirling though, which was vbeery impressive. What was more impressive was that the soldiers doing the display were the newest recruits who only joined the Bundesheer in July. At one point the man who was giving a commentary (I liked to think of him as an Austrian Terry Wogan) commented on how well they were doing and how amazing it was that nobody had dropped a rifle. Literally seconds later there was a loud clatter as a rifle hit the floor. I felt bad for the poor boy who dropped it. Sadly, a lot of the parade looked like this:

because two very inconveniently placed military policemen kept getting in my way. There was a marching band as well, and they were very good. They played a nice selection of American military tunes which I thought was very fitting. Oh, and at one point there was a promotional video for the Bundesheer of lots of men running around looking manly and shooting things. The soundtrack: techno followed by Pirates of the Caribbean. I kid you not. The Austrians are ALWAYS trying (and failing somewhat) to make things "cool".

After this, we wandered towards the Ring because Bill had read somewhere that there was going to be a huuuuuuge parade. Turns out the article he'd read was out of date by FIVE YEARS! Presumably for the 50th anniversary there had been a celebration on a much grander scale. Whilst wandering around, Joe spotted a soldier with the same surname as him. Using our best tourist German we asked if he could have a photo taken with him. The soldier was only too happy to oblige. In fact he launched into telling us in great detail about how many other Zabinskys there are in Austria (15) and gave Joe his and his brother's email address. Sometimes the Austrians can be so friendly! So, after we finally got away from Joe's extended family our meandering took us a bit further and we ended up going for a look around the Außenministerium which was actually really interesting. I talked to a man about studying to become a Diplomat (potential new life plan), entered a competition to win a trip to New York and got a bag of free stuff, including a USB stick which I thought was very nice.The band from earlier on were playing again so we listened to them play more American sounding military music. I must say I was a bit sad that there was no oom-pah band. Still, they were very good. Further proof that brass bands can't swing though, a long since forgotten fact that I discovered years ago when I was still young and talented enough to be considered a musician.

On this National Holiday (which I was beginning to like more and more) you can go inside all of the government buildings for free and meet all the important politicians. The queue the meet Heinz Fischer, the president was massive, so we decided to get in the queue to meet the Bundeskanzler, Werner Faymann. He's the equivalent to the British Prime Minister. We queued all the way through the Bundeskanzleramt, which was very fancy- lots of chandeliers and gold, but when we got to the door to the room where he was we were told that we were too late, the last people had been admitted. We missed him literally by seconds! So I am not very keen on Mr Faymann I don't think, when I am a diplomat I shall have plenty of time for my subjects!

here I am sitting at the Bundeskanzler's desk!

this was what we saw in one of the offices. I suspect the wings belong to Faymann and he could not see us because it was time for dressing up.

After our state visit we decided to go to Centimeter for lunch. I forgot how awesome it was there, will definitely be going back again! Refreshed, we went back down to Heldenplatz to go and look at some machines. They were SO COOL. Here I am with a tank (the Austrian soldiers laughed at my pose):

 Here I am looking soldierly and tough climbing out of a truck (there was a queue of children but that did not stop us from playing!)

This picture was possibly my favourite part of the day. I WENT IN A TANK! I was so excited. I also held a machine gun but sadly there is no photo of this. I decided I could definitely not be in the army as I am too weak. Weapons are really heavy! All of this military fun had completely worn us out so there was only one thing for it- we had to go for some Punsch. My first of the season. Hurrah! 

Neusiedlersee (Eventually)

Hello again! Lots more to tell so here is another blog post. Saturday night was Karin and Devid's engagement/stag/hen party. To be honest I was really not looking forward to it but as it was taking place in our flat I had no choice but to go. It turned out to be quite nice actually. Verena came, so it was great to see her. I actually really miss living with her, she is so amazing. I met some other new people who were very friendly but I still felt kind of out of place. Devid cooked some African food which I LOVED. It was so spicy.   I was tired and went to bed before everyone had left (but not til 2.30!) and I felt OLLLLLD.

But there was a reason... I had to get up early to go on a day trip on Sunday! Joe, Abby and I met at Franz-Josefs Bahnhof as there is a supermarket there which opens on Sundays. A very strange concept to the Austrians, but it is obviously a very popular idea because the queues are always massive. We got to the train station either 55 minutes early or 5 minutes late, I am undecided which. After a scenic train ride, during which I realised the countryside in this area is incredibly flat, we arrived in Neusiedl am See. First thing we saw as we stepped off the train was this "map"

We should have realised that this was a sign of things to come. The day was an adventure to say the least! Abby had been to the lake during the Summer, so she knew how to get there. Well, this turned out to be a HUGE LIE. We headed off in what felt like the right direction and after about 20 minutes we stopped by a play area to eat our picnic. In the distance we could see something vaguely lake-like. Joe made a joke doubting that we would ever actually get there. At this point we had no idea how close to the truth he was. So, we continued on our merry way. Turns out differences between American and British English are plentiful enough to provide entertainment for many, many hours. We came across a turning which felt like it might lead to the lake. It may well have done, but we came across the following sign:

(No Entry. Warning: Hunting)

Needless to say, we carried on regardless, Joe helpfully shouting "don't shoot us, we're human!". We turned back and then decided to follow the train tracks. After maybe half an hour we came to another train station. and a very long, straight road which we proceeded to walk down. We passed the Beauty Farm (?!) and Age Art (a shop for old people?) and then came to the "Tierpreparaetor". Abby said "Oh! I remember this totem pole (see below), we have to turn off to the right here, we did this before." 

Ten minutes later we reached a dead end, at which point Abby realised that this was what happened the time she was there before. So back we went to keep going down the long road. We took the next two turnings, neither of which was right. We got to the end of one and we could see water and boats but sadly they were through a locked gate. We came to this:

and Joe and I thought this might be the Neusiedlersee. But then we saw this:

...and we weren't so sure. When we came to this:

...it all became too much because they all looked lakey but somehow they weren't quite what we were expecting. To cut a long story short, 3 hours after setting off from the train station we arrived at this:

...and we decided this was probably what we'd been searching for. Was it worth the epic journey? No. We sat on a bench for 10 minutes and had a drink (wine) and then went to the cafe. It was pretty bleak. A really fun day though, we laughed so hard, mainly at Abby. Really we would have appreciated some prior warning about her spectacular lack of directional sense but it was hilarious so we can't stay mad at her.

We eventually returned to the city (after making plans to come again in the winter when the lake is frozen because we want to ice skate to Hungary) and went for burgers at an Irish/Australian/English speaking pub which I think is to become a Sunday tradition. I have no complaints about that. This was followed by a drink in the Museums Quartier and a sleepless night because of the government spending cuts meaning that whether I want to or not, spending a second year as an assistant is pretty much out of the question.

Today (Monday, the first real day of my Herbstferien) Abby and I went shopping for Halloween supplies. I am not going to tell you what I am going to be because it is going to be a surprise. We came across an Indian restaurant and decided that we had nothing better to do than go for lunch there. This was a wise choice as it was very good. This evening I intend to watch some films, probably Disney, as it is freezing and I do not feel like going out.

Well, after that post of epic proportions I will bid you all a fond adieu!

Cultural Differences

Last night was the first time I have ever heard "But I'm American" used (without the faintest trace of irony) as an excuse for being arrogant. "I'm from New Jersey, it's kinda my job to be this way" was the next sentence from this guy's mouth. Everyone I was with was shocked that he genuinely believed that his nationality gave him license to be an idiot. Even one of the other Americans (who I happen to find incredibly irritating) said she'd punch him in the face if he said again. I have never seen Jersey Shore, but I have seen the South Park episode where they ridicule it. It is a programme I will inevitably watch at some point because my love of terrible TV is seemingly uncontrollable. I am expecting everyone to be like this guy who came out with us last night, but hopefully they will be considerably better looking. Thankfully he isn't in Vienna this year, he's up in the Styrian mountains somewhere. Had he been invited? NO! He just turned up and hijacked our evening. Because he'd lived in Vienna for a semester four years ago he was obviously an expert on what we should do and where we should go, so we ended up going to a terrible (and very overpriced) Chinese restaurant. The original plan was just for Abby and I to go somewhere for tea and then go to her friend's flat to watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It all happened, but we were considerably worse off for having Hat Boy with us (I don't even know his name, nor do I want to. All I know is that he wears a stupid brown hat ALL THE TIME). I would just like to point out that I have nothing against Americans in general, most of them are normal human beings. Some, however, really do live up to the stereotypes! So we watched the film and had a good laugh and then luckily he was too tired to come out for a drink afterwards. Abby and I went out with a German to somewhere in the Bermuda Dreieck where there are loads of bars. It was really fun. Oh, and the weirdest thing happened... I bumped into one of my students from two years ago. Seriously! It was so strange but actually really nice to see him. When I taught him he was not interested at all but when I speak to him in German he seems like a genuinely nice guy. What's more, he's another Austrian I can put on my friend list and he is someone with whom I can speak German, as I don't seem to be speaking much at the moment. All good! So I stayed out rather longer than intended (I thought I'd be home by midnight) and finally got into bed around 5. I was getting a bit worried that this year was not going to live up to last year. This has given me hope!
TTFN!

Schnupfen

Booo. I have got a cold. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the French are hypochondriacs, but it is a lesser known fact that the Austrians are just as bad. Yesterday I went into school for one hour and during the time I was there I was offered:
-scented tissues
-throat sweets
-herbal tea
-a different kind of herbal tea
-a nasal spray
all by one teacher. Very nice of her to care so much, but also a little over the top given that it was little more than a sniffle yesterday. Did they offer me anything that might do some good, no. Though the thought was nice.

Ever since I decided to come to Wienna, people have been telling me about how rude the Wieners are. I have found that not only are they rude, they are arrogant, inconsiderate and incredibly selfish as well. It seems that unless you are elderly or pregnant (in which case people are only too happy to give up their seat for you on the U-Bahn) you are not entitled to any manners from your fellow citizens. Boarding public transport is a free for all where the fastest man wins. Walking down the street is like an Olympic event; if the person walking in the opposite direction has sharper elbows than you, you haven't got a chance in hell. You either end up walking in the road into a stream of oncoming traffic or squashed up and becoming very well acquainted with the wall. Yesterday I was looking at a coat in a shop and I dropped it (seems I'm clumsy no matter where I am in the world!) and in the millisecond it took me to pick it up, I delayed an old woman going about her business. She shouted at me like I'd not only ruined her day but kidnapped her kids and burned the bingo hall down. So much for European hospitality!

In other news, I have rediscovered the power of playing games as a teaching method. It means the students learn but they think that they're having fun! Oh, how young and easily fooled they are. I have played UK Blockbuster with all but two classes this week. In one of the others we played New York Blockbuster. That was a bit more challenging to make as my only knowledge of the city is from watching Sex and the City and Gossip Girl. Educational as these programmes are, they aren't something that a group of 17 year old aspiring engineers can relate to! The quiz actually turned out alright though. Maybe I'd even go as far as to say fun!
Well, that is all for now. I have a date with some food and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Until soon!

Good things and bad things...

Hmmmm this week I have realised several things. The first is that I took my life as an assistant last time for granted as I had it so easy in all of my schools. Also I took for granted where I lived. Also I took for granted that I did not stay still for long enough to think about missing anything (or anyone) in the UK. The other thing I have realised is that I probably think about my year abroad through rose tinted glasses, and that maybe this time I am not giving things enough time. I think I was kind of expecting things to be totally amazing from the start. This, unsurprisingly is not the case.


Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy here. There are just certain aspects of life here that could be better. For a start, I wish the Austrians would just stop smoking all over me. And stop barging past me in the shops, and getting onto public transport, and I wish they would generally stop being so rude. They're not all bad, but I can certainly tell a huge difference between the people here in Wienna and where I lived last time, in that they are much more friendly in the countryside.


Even though I have only been working for three weeks, I have got a favourite school already. The other one. Camillo Sitte is OK, but everything about Rennweg is just so much nicer. The teachers are friendlier, the students are more enthusiastic and interested and the coffee is better. None of the teachers at Camillo Sitte speak to me in the staffroom and they don't seem particularly helpful. Yesterday I went to school for the second lesson, which starts at 9.05. As I walked in the teacher said "Oh, Ruth, how nice of you to join us. Perhaps maybe next week you could try and make it on time". I was actually not late, she'd just misread my timetable. I really did not appreciate being told off in front of the class, it's just not on. Also, the students at this school do not make things easy. I understand that English is not their strongest subject and that they are not really interested in in but would it really be so much effort for them to participate? Especially when I'm trying to make things interesting and fun for them. It's so difficult to get them to speak in English, this is not helped by the fact that some of the teachers speak a lot of German with them, even in the English lessons. It just makes no sense to me!


Not all is bad though, some classes really enjoyed the game I played with them this week. So much so that the teacher has asked me to do a similar quiz for different topics. I was really glad to be off today and I've had so much fun. I met up with Abby and Stella and we went for lunch at Flanagan's Irish Pub (mmmmmm, real chips!) and then went shopping. We have two Halloween parties to go to, one of which is pirate themed, so we have to find two costumes. As a reward for all our hard work we decided to go for coffee and cake at Aida.

While we were there we realised that there are 28 branches of Aida in Wienna and at least this many types of cake so we are going to attempt to go to each one and have a different cake every time. Also we have started making travelling/celebrating plans. Between Austria/Britain/USA I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find something to celebrate every week!

That's all for now, Tschau!

Ooh de lally!

Hello again! It feels like the end of the weekend, even though it is only Saturday evening. Here are some musings and things that have happened. Despite there being plans for a load of assistants go go for pizza, I controversially opted for a quiet night in with a couple of other girls with some films and wine. Yes, that's right, I CHOSE not to go out. We have pooled our film resources and have discovered that we have so many to see that we're going to have to have regular film nights. Last night we watched 10 Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale, it was a veritable Heath Ledger fest. Such a shame he died. Oh and we watched Center Stage, a ballet film. Made me a bit sad that I am such a terrible dancer. It was a really nice night though. We started watching the Disney version of Robin Hood too but fell asleep after about 10 minutes so finished that off this morning before going for a burger and REAL CHIPS at the Australian bar near the Oper. It was expensive but worth it. I was planning an evening of sitting around in my pyjamas and making a star on the chocolate that Greg sent me but a friend text me and asked if I fancied a drink. As she wanted to go at 6, I decided I could go and still have my evening of lounging around. We were meeting at the Naschmarkt and I had forgotten that Saturday is Flohmarkt day. Oh my God, I am going to have to go again for a longer amount of time, if not to buy anything just for sheer people watching opportunities! I was shouted at and chased surprisingly quickly by a man with no legs and only one arm (I couldn't tell why he was shouting me). I saw an old man wearing what was quite clearly a Jewish Star from the Nazizeit. Now, I am all for retro and vintage things but is that maybe going a bit too far? I would be inclined to say that it is. Oh, and a man who I assumed to be Spanish wearing dungarees and a big floppy hat shouted at me because I wouldn't give him a Euro. There is certainly a mix of people in this city; it's much more multikulti than the rest of Austria, which I like. So, Jade and I headed to this bar where her housemate and his band were playing. We were not really expecting to like it and were just going to have one drink and then head home. Well, they were BRILLIANT. The bar was crowded and everyone was dancing and the band were spectacular. I don't really know how to describe the music, I guess the best I can say is that it was Eastern sounding- kind of Turkish, kind of Arabic, kind of something else. There was a pianist, a guitarist, a couple of percussionists and a clarinettist. He was absolutely amazing, I've never heard anything like it. Because Jade knew one of the drummers, we were introduced to the musicians during their break and I think they are going to become my new friends. They're so cool! They were from all sorts of places (Romania, Tunisia, Macedonia, Austria) and seemed really keen to talk to us, in German no less! We were invited to go out with them after the gig and had I not been so tired I definitely would have. My one complaint about today is how ineffective the smoking ban here is, but I think that is a rant for another day, my bed is calling to me! 

Ooh de lally, ooh de lally, golly what a day!

Post!

Maybe the claims that the Austrian postal system is the fastest in the world are true within the country, but I would disagree for sending things within countries. Mother and Father posted me a package (thanks, by the way) on Tuesday 5th October. I received it Thusday 14th. Greg sent me one last Friday (many thanks) and I just got it this morning, so it took a whole week. There is something wrong somewhere. Having said this, I should be sending Alastair's Christmas present to Japan around now if I want it to arrive on time as it will probably take around two months to get there. Seriously. So I had better get my thinking cap on about what to send.

In other news, my weekend started at 11am yesterday (Thursday) Brillo pads. This time next week my Herbstferien will have started. Amazing. This job is pretty sweet, I'm not going to lie. Yesterday I went into work and there was a huge pile of biscuits in the staffroom; one of the teachers had been up baking until the early hours. Maybe I could use this to fill my time. I was not overly keen on the idea of students adding me on Facebook so I changed my name. Less than 24 hours later, I received the following message:

Hi,
I'm a pupil of the HTL3 Rennweg. You spent a lesson with us on wednesday with Mrs. Stracke Weiss.
And as you can see: I found you.
It was quite simple. Because you have told us that you can't be found, I thought about it. And than I searched my notes. And I found it. A way to find U. I searched for your Brother, Alastair Coates, in Facebook and than I looked up your second name in his friend list.
If u really don't want to be found, you shouldn't tell pupils your brother's name. ;-)

Yours sincerely
Jonas Keisel (2DI)

The teachers were not wrong when they said the students were all hackers. I suppose it was pretty naive of me to expect students at a school specialising in ICT not to know how to find me without any difficulty.

So far my weekend has been spent less than productively. I watched numerous episodes of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (this is a recommendation, v funny) and FINALLY set up Skype. It is my new favourite thing and I spent approximately 4 hours on there yesterday. Just need to buy a new webcam now to complete the experience!

Well, that is all I have to say for now, quite a boring update. Sorry!

PS I have no idea why my blog looks like this today, I can't sort it out!

Updatings

Hello lovely people! I thought it was time to write again and fill you in on the daily goings on of a wannabe Wienerin. So, did I mention that I have now moved out of the totally amazing flat which I had all to myself and into the other flat? I don't think I did, so now you know. It is a really nice flat, but my bedroom is smaller, the bed is smaller and I am sharing with my flatmate and her boyfriend (I don't know how long he's going to be here, he may have to go back to Nigeria for a year) Anyway, here are some pictures...

So yeah, I am all unpacked properly (or as properly as I will ever be!) and have all my things up on the wall. I especially love the one Spaddock made for me (see above) though it kind of makes me a bit sad that my time here is already going so fast! Either way it is a much appreciated reminder of home.

What else is there to update? Errrrrr... This week I started working at my other school properly. Even though I've only done two days I really like it there, more than at the other school I think. The teachers are so nice. The English teachers have their own staffroom and it is totally brilliant because there is always cake or chocolate. Today it was Guglhupf. Think I will take some mince pies in when it's Christmas. Maybe I'll even MAKE THEM. Oh actually on second thoughts I probably won't because my spare time seems to be very full of doing nothing at the moment. I am really enjoying working with classes of all boys so far, they all seem much more up for a laugh. I got them to make name cards so I didn't have to just point at them. One kid insisted that his name was Stormtrooper. None of them seem to be able to get their heads around why I've chosen to come back to Austria. And when they ask what I don't like about Austria and I say Sundays they look at me in a very bemused fashion. So far I have only got the giggles uncontrollably once and I felt very bad.

Me: Do you like English?

Student: *Silence*

Teacher: Hey, Ruth just asked you a question! DO YOU LIKE ENGLISH?!

Student: Oh yes, very much. Music has been my passion for many years. I always listen to music the whole time when I am driving with the bus or writing my homework or such things. I am playing the guitar since 10 years and the drums since I was 12 years old. I like it because I can express my emotions through it and there are so many different types of music, there is something comfortable for everybody.

Me: (through my giggles) Well that's very interesting, but how do you feel about English?

Then I felt really bad because the rest of the class laughed at him. My bad. Oh, and I had another very funny lesson talking about the internet with a 3rd year class. We were talking about advantages and disadvantages and one boy shouted out "Chat Roulette!" So I wrote it on the board and then this boy and I spent about ten minutes trying to explain to this teacher (who is around 60 I would say) why she shouldn't go on the site "just to see what it's about". The only thing I don't really like so far about this school is having to get up so early to be there in time for my first lesson but this is not an insurmountable problem, just means I should probably not stay up watching The Joy of Painting (new favourite programme) so late.

What else... oh yes, things that I am not particularly impressed with in Austria: bureaucracy. I had to faff around yesterday going from one school to the bank to the other school because of the Austrian obsession with signatures and stamps. The bank didn't stamp or sign a piece of paper to say I'd opened my account and without this apparently I wouldn't get paid. Why school couldn't tell me this when I first took the form in I don't know. Oh, another thing is the postal system. Karin just told me that according to a new report, the Austrian Post is the fastest in the world. I think this is A HUGE LIE. Unless they are referring to post sent within the country, because my parents sent me something over a week ago and someone else sent me a parcel last week too and I have received neither. Boo hiss.

One last thing... I just found out that I have the week after next off! So I guess I need to find somewhere to go. First I thought about going back to the UK for a couple of days but then I thought there was probably not much point as I'll be back in December anyway. Most flights are pretty expensive now so I will probably get the train somewhere like Hungary or Czech Republic and do some exploring .Whether anyone will be up for coming with me, who knows! Watch this space!

TTFN dudes!

Have I made a huge mistake?

So, here is another update of the things that make my life in Austria what it is. On Tuesday I went into my second school just to introduce myself and fill in paperwork and stuff. The school is absolutely huge and in a lovely building with loads of archways and stuff. It's a technical school and they have lots of labs and stuff, including one where the students build robots! I had a quick look and they are pretty impressive. The teachers are lovely, all women, and in the English staffroom there is always cake and chocolate, so I think we will get on well. Also on Tuesday I did my first full day of teaching at my other school. I actually really enjoyed it and most classes were really responsive. The only class that did misbehave a bit were told by the teacher at the end that if they were going to mess about then they wouldn't get to work with the native speaker (me) again so I think they will be better next time. The students are mostly boys but I kind of like that, last time it was always the lads that are more eager and have more to say. One class want me to do a lesson on Top Gear next week so I think that will be a pretty cool group to work with.

After my one lesson on Thursday I put on my visiting shoes and headed up to Leoben for the Gösser Kirtag, which is basically a beer festival with lots of Lebkuchenherzen stands. It was fun, and really nice to see people I'd met at the induction course last week. I was home and in bed by 12.30 as well, not that it mattered as I had Friday off

 Gösser Kirtag in Leoben, Steiermark

Inappropriate break-up method?

During the day on Friday I did very little, but in the evening I went to Katie and Jenni's flat with loads of the other assistants who are in Wienna and the near, where they cooked us dinner. It was really nice, and we ended up going out to a bar afterwards for lots of fun and dancing!

And now to whether I have made a huge mistake... should I be in Wienna? Or should I have gone back to Bischofshofen/Radstadt? I was invited to the ball of the BORG Radstadt, one of my old schools. Going back there was so nice, I'd forgotten how beautiful it is. Obviously I love being in the city because I like having different things to do around every corner, but the Pongau (area where I used to live) is so lovely. It was great to see the old teachers again, and as the ball was organised by my favourite class I got to see loads of students. It was great, I didn't realise they liked me so much! They made me feel appreciated. They'd obviously worked really hard organising the ball, it had a Russian theme so all of the decorations were red, white and blue (why do so many countries have these as their national colours?! In my opinion there is not enough purple in this world). The students from the 8. Klasse all looked lovely, the girls were all wearing very expensive looking white dresses and the boys all had suits. Even the Mitternachtseinlage (a kind of performance the eldest students of the school do at midnight at the ball) was really good, which I was not expecting because they were terrible at the balls I went to last year! Now I am shattered from three nights out in a row so am going to go to bed early and watch Zwei Ohr Küken I think in preparation for another busy day tomorrow. Oh no wait, that's a lie. I have the day off so will probably spend the day wandering around town. The weather has been amazing today so hopefully it will be the same for the rest of the week!

Tschau for now!

Ze first school day

First day of work today. Well, actually I had to go into school for 20 minutes this morning. It took me AGES to find the school, really should have looked more carefully at the map! I got there eventually, just in time. The school (http://www.camillo-sitte-lehranstalt.at/) is absolutely HUGE. There are 140 teachers, nearly as many pupils as were in my last three schools, and 1400 students. This does not bode well for learning names, especially if my other one is as large! A very friendly teacher showed me to the staffroom and introduced me to some teachers, not that I remember any of the names. My Betreuungslehrerin is really nice, though much older than I was expecting. They have given me a key to the classrooms and the school; obviously nobody has made them aware of how brilliant I am at losing things. After about 10 minutes of doing paperwork I went home, but agreed to go to the evening school.

In the interim (now there's a word I like, must endeavour to use it more!) I carried out some domestic chores. I worked out how to use the washing machine, which is not so easy when it's all written in German! Oh, and I opened a bank account. The lady was so friendly, she was very impressed with my German and somehow made it so I didn't have to pay for my account even though I'm no longer a student. Result! Oh yes, did I mention that my bank is just down the road from Hundertwasserhaus?

As night was falling (at like 6.30, it's starting to get dark ridiculously early!) I made my way back to school for the Abendschule. The teachers warned me that the students were very shy, very quiet, and not very good. Their predictions were correct. The phrase blood from a stone would not be out of place when talking about the two classes I met tonight. Most of them can't even form a full sentence, so I can tell that it is going to be a real challenge working with them. Hopefully it will be rewarding though. God, I sound so grown up. 

So, I will be doing alternate weeks in each school and my timetable for this one is amazing. I basically work Monday and Tuesday mornings plus Abendschule on these days and one hour on a Thursday. I have Wednesdays and Fridays off! I'd forgotten how amazing this job is! I think that's about all for now, Tschüssi!

Right...

So, it seems that all too quickly I have been reminded of one of the negative aspects of life in Austria. Racism. And before I start ranting, I am by no means saying that all Austrians are racist, or that all Austrians are supporters of the FPÖ (the Austrian equivalent of the BNP). The great majority that I have come across are tolerant, well-balanced people. Well, aside from the one class I taught last year who could not sit through a lesson on anything without turning the conversation round to immigration, and how I was the “right kind of foreigner”.

On Saturday night, rather than go to the Lange Nacht der Museen (this happens one night a year when all of the museums in Austria are open until 1am and you can go to as many as you like for a set price), I decided to go out with my housemate and her boyfriend. We went up to the U-Bahnbögen (archways under the train lines), where there are loads of different bars and clubs. First we went to Chelsea’s, a rock bar which was really good, there was a really nice atmosphere. Everyone was dancing together and just having a good time. After a while, David got a bit bored of the music as it wasn’t really what he liked so we decided to go elsewhere. There is a club that on a Sunday night has an African night, and both Karin and David had been there before, so we decided to see what it was like on a Saturday. We were turned away by the bouncers on the door. Assuming it was just because the club was too full, we went to a club further up. We were turned away again, being told that it was too late. However, not even a minute after we’d tried to get in, a huge group of students was let in. So we decided to try the club next door, Loco, where I’ve been before and had a good night. We were turned away again. David was told in no uncertain terms that “his kind” would not be admitted entry. “His kind”?! What kind of democracy allows places to have such policies, where people are turned away because of the colour of their skin? This is supposed to be the 21^st Centruy! Obviously we were all angry, so we decided to take a taxi to Titanic, a club just off Mariahilferstraße that Karin and David had been to last weekend. When we got to the door we were told that the club was closed for a private function. Fair enough, we thought, so we started to walk away. At this point, another group, consisting of 3 black men and a girl approached the doorman. He began to tell them that they could not enter, but when one of them said that he had been there the night before, they were allowed in with no trouble. So David asked why he had not been admitted. It is completely pointless to argue with people like that, they aren’t going to change their minds, and eventually we went to a bar a couple of doors away. It had a really negative impact on the night, and made me realise that for all I admire Austria for keeping many of their traditions that seem to me old fashioned, these kind of bigoted attitudes that have not been seen to this extent in the UK for the past 30 years or so really make me want to reconsider my opinions.

Ironically, on our way up to the clubs that we were promptly turned away from, we passed a “Party gegen H C Strache”, which was obviously taking place the night before the pre-election polls. Great idea, I thought. 

Thinking about it later, I realise that this kind of resistance is futile. I think they got 20% of the votes yesterday, putting them in third place behind the SPÖ and the ÖVP. Their popularity is increasing, and every day they become more of a prevalent concern. There are election campaign posters for every major party all over the city but none of them make such extreme statements of the FPÖ. What they are basically calling for is an Austria for Austrians and nobody else. Today on my way home I was approached by someone from the street team who was trying to give me their manifesto. From the Green Party I got a balloon the other day. The SPÖ representative gave me a pen. What were the FPÖ offering? A lighter. Obviously this will appeal to the youth of Austria because a large percentage of them smoke. This, and the fact that they campaign in nightclubs means that more and more young people are supporting them. This is what makes this party so dangerous. I can see that in 5 years or so the situation in the UK will not be dissimilar and it really is quite worrying.

Graz- the induction course

Just got home from induction course for all the British and American TAs who are going to be in this side of Austria. There were about 100 first years and four other second years. It was really good, but I am SOOOOO tired now. It was held in a castle just outside of the city and it was a really nice location, though it wasn't big enough for everyone to stay there so some people had to stay in the city and get the bus between. Not a massive problem but it was kind of a shame because I didn't really spend any time getting to know the people who weren't where I was staying.

There are some really nice people around this year, I think it is going to be amazing. There are also some incredibly annoying people that I will be glad never to see again. It was really nice that as a second year I didn't have to pay, I basically spent 5 days sitting around and laughing with the other second years.  Occasionally I had to answer a couple of questions and I had to show one of the lessons I did that worked well, but nothing too strenuous. On one of the days we had a tour of the city which was done by some students from one of the local schools which was really nice. Their English as incredibly good considering that they'd only been learning for 4 years but they were really quiet and shy.

It was nice that this course was so different to the one I went to last time, this one was a lot more calm than two years ago at Hinterglemm. Most people didn't seem interested in parties or going out apart from on the last night. I guess it's because the course was so intense and therefore everyone was tired all the time. The food was really good, especially the cake. I really don't need to eat much for the next week! Three courses for each meal is a little bit much though I think. I was introduced to The Joy of Painting this week, Bob Ross is AMAZING. Think I will probably end up watching every episode I can find! The train journey back to Vienna was a bit stressy this morning because there was a huge group of us and it got a bit difficult to organise. Finally went to the Bezirksamt today so I am no longer an illegal alien. Still have to to my Anmeldebescheinigung which apparenly costs 55 Euros now. Last time the fine for not doing it was 50 Euros so it might be worth just not doing it and having to pay the fine if I get caught. Though that is obviously not the responsible approach to the situation. It's nice to be able to just sit down in front of the telly. Right now I am watching Mieten, Kaufen, Wohnen but at 7 Das Perfekte Dinner will be on so obviously that is what I am waiting for. I am now realising that I should update this more often because there were definitely loads of other things I wanted to say but I have forgotten now. 

Tried to open a bank account this afternoon but the bank was closing. Nice to see that silly opening hours apply across Austria, not just in teeny tiny places! Well, I have run out of things to say now, so I'll stop for now until I have something interesting to update!