Danke, Nikolo!

What a lovely weekend it’s been! The week itself was full of ups and downs, but the last 24 hours have more than made up for it. One of the ups: On Wednesday we held our first film in the Stainach English Film Series. We watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the students who showed up (about 14) really enjoyed it. Our next film is A Christmas Story on December 17.

Speaking of Christmas traditions, this weekend I went to Öblarn to attend the Nikolospiel (St. Nicholas Play). The play is performed outside (yes, in December!) on the town square. The basic plot: A mountain family is discussing whether devils and saints really do exist. They are visited one winter night by Krampusse and other strange creatures (goats, moss men, straw figures known as the Schab) led by Lucifer. They are wild, noisy and violent. (Dear Santa, this year I want a camera that takes videos with sound)

Then St. Nicholas arrives to send the evils back to the depths where they came from. But not before reading the sins of the family out loud, indicating what must change in the coming year or Lucifer and Co. will be back! You can read more here.

I was especially interested in these straw figures which are about 6-7 feet tall without their horns. With the horns they must be 15 feet tall. They snap their whips in rhythm and it was really an impressive, if short, performance

On Sunday, my friends Ingrid and Theresia took me hiking in St. Nikolai. There were about 10 cm of new fallen snow, and it was really a winter wonderland. We had lunch at a country inn.

On Monday, I met Ash and Caitlin for lunch, then had dinner with adult students from the night school in Aigen. It was fabulous, and so nice to meet new people!

On Tuesday morning when I arrived at school (after a three day weekend!) there was a chocolate St. Nicholas in my box. I don't know who put it there, so all I can say is "Danke, Nikolo!"

omg, the moon just swallowed Venus!

Devil's Night 2008

It's Krampus night in Irdning! Heavy metal music, pyrotechnics, good vs. evil... What's not to like!? Last year I wrote about Krampus in Stainach and Schladming. This picture showing the juxtaposition of Christmas decorations with devil figures and the security guy pretty much sums up the atmosphere of Krampus night:

There were plenty of St. Nikolas' running around with angels to save everybody's soul.

This year there were some new costumes (remember the bat?):
And some very realistic masks (it's the eyes that always get me!):
And some lovely, traditional carved wooden masks:
I think this one was my favorite!

Thanksgiving and More!

It's been a big week, and most of my classes consisted of discussing Thanksgiving (pilgrims, Squanto, Louisiana fried turkey, green bean casserole, turducken, football, Black Friday). Thanksgiving was also my big shopping day. Thursdays I usually teach in Liezen, but my schedule is such that I arrive at 9:00 am and am kept busy until 4:00 pm. By that time I'm too tired to walk back into town and shop. This Thursday, however, I didn't have to teach. I rode with my favorite bus driver into Liezen, and proceeded to help the Austrian economy by shopping for clothes, books, speakers for my laptop, etc. I also had coffee in my favorite cafe and a pre-Thanksgiving salad in my favorite kebab house. At 4:00 pm, Rob and I met at Caitlin's place and prepared the traditional Upper Styrian Thanksgiving dinner: turkey schnitzel and mashed potatoes. We also found (wait for it!) real Pillsbury crescent rolls! Frau Auer, Caitlin's neighbor contributed broccoli, and I made an apple pie for dessert, which we served with vanilla ice cream. Heaven!!!

I have been keeping busy with 13 hours of teaching per week, plus at least 5-6 hours of tutoring. Last weekend, I went to a pottery workshop with Irene where we learned some free form pottery techniques, then made some items to be glazed and fired for Christmas. We drove home in nearly white-out conditions in some places.

Tomorrow is the Krampus parade in Irdning (unfortunately scheduled for the same night as the big Krampus parade in Schladming). Hopefully there will be some of the more traditional Krampusse in Irdning (wooden homemade masks instead of store-bought plastic). Next weekend there is a Krampus event in Öblarn that I've been waiting a year to see! These are the straw figures known as the Schab (note whips in hands). If they aren't cool, I don't know what is!

Grimming in Snow

Still snowing!

36 hours later, it's *still* snowing in the Enns Valley (6.5 inches = 16.25 cm)! When I get the courage to venture out in the 20 degree weather, I'll snap a few more pictures!

and SNOW it begins...

It's snowing! * When I got in tonight * there was just about * 1 cm on the ground. * * Then I looked at AccuWeather.com where * they are predicting 106 cm over the next * five days! Of * course, * * that's * just in the mountains, * * but I imagine some snow * will filter down to the valleys making * the Ennstal a * winter wonderland. * * I'm glad I've stocked * up on cocoa * and carbohydrates!

* * * * * * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * * ** * *

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

That's right! 33 years ago today (November 10, 1975) the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm on Lake Superior. We listened to the song in two classes today and I taught my students about American ballads and the mnemonic device for the Great Lakes (HOMES). I also read off the names of the 29 crew members since we didn't have a church bell.

So, be honest... do you get a tear in your eye, or lump in your throat when you hear Gordon Lightfoot's song? I look forward to reading your response in the COMMENTS!

What a week!

Where to begin?

Last Friday, I went to the anglophile party where I indeed met lots of interesting people! The venue was a beautiful Thai restaurant/inn, run by a Brit. Saturday I began my novel for National Novel Writing Month. Over the next three days I wrote 5309 words. And then... the election hit.

As an American assistant in the Austrian school system, I am responsible for teaching not only "American" English, but also American culture. This means that since January I have had to be the expert on the 2008 election and American politics in general. Let me say now that I am glad that the election is over! And I extend thanks and congratulations from all of my friends, students and colleagues in Austria to the entire United States of America. You made a good choice!

The first of November was All Saints Day (the reason for Halloween... I also have to be the expert on American holidays!). Since Austria is predominantly Catholic, everyone goes to the cemetery and lights candles on the graves of their loved ones. At night, the view is spectacular! In the distance you can see the Grimming, Schloss Trautenfels and the church in Pürgg:


We are enjoying the most beautiful days of Indian Summer, and we have been reading McCutcheon’s Injun Summer in school, in conjunction with a unit on native Americans. Tonight there is a native American performance at CCW, the local cultural center.
The big news is that Nicholas Cage is filming a movie in Bad Aussee and is reportedly staying at Schloss Pichlarn, less than a mile away from my house!!!

I am going back to writing today (the blog is just my warm-up!). Unfortunately, this cartoon pretty much sums up my writing routine:

25 Traumhafte Stunden - Stainach Maturaball

The theme of this year's Maturaball (for the difference between a Maturaball and prom--and more photos--click here) was "25 heavenly hours" because on the night of October 25 we set our clocks back one hour to European Standard Time. I told the students they were so lucky... most people only get an extra hour of SLEEP.

This year, the Stainach Maturaball and the Liezen Maturaball were scheduled for the same day, and there was no way to go to both. The girls at the BAKIP understood when I told them there were boys at the Stainach ball!

The evening officially kicked off with a Polonaise, a complicated formal dance performed by the seniors. The girls were dressed in white dresses with white gloves, and the boys were in suits with blue ties and white gloves. The students selected "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane to begin their Polonaise. Throughout the evening they played songs that reminded me of junior high school dances (Highway to Hell, You're the One that I Want from Grease)

After the Polonaise the students asked their teachers to dance. I was invited to dance by two boys from the 8A class. This is the same class that included me in their yearbook (I nearly cried!) and found me a date for the evening, religious studies colleague Reinhold.

Between the Polonaise and the Midnight Entertainment, I chatted with students, past and present. It was nice to see the students who graduated last spring and to hear what they're up to these days. And everyone, all the students and faculty, looks soooooo different when they're dressed up!

The big difference, of course, from prom is that in Austria, you can drink beer and wine at 16 years old, and the hard stuff at 18. Several bars were set up throughout the building, one serving champagne, one cocktails, one schnapps. Students bought me a Vodka-Red Bull. Can't say as I recommend it, reminds me a little of Dramamine!

At midnight, the seniors performed a skit that they wrote and produced themselves. The premise was that the devil and an angel were vying for the souls of six senior boys. I will have to make a link to the video when they put it up on YouTube. It was really well done, and the ending included three of my colleagues who played David Hasselhof and the Baywatch Babes who saved the day!

Although I wish we could have stayed longer, at 2:00 am (when we set the clocks back) I got a ride home from neighbors in Irdning. Probably for the better, because in the wee hours of the morning the students tend to drink a little too much and do stupid things. And last year, you may remember, I had to take the Discobus with all the drunken students!

So, all in all, it was a lovely evening! And we had Monday off to recover from all the champagne and the time change!

Done by noon!

TGIF! Although I don't usually work on Fridays, I went to Liezen today and discussed American religion and Halloween in two consecutive lessons with class 4a. The past few weeks have been occupied with discussions of the election, Halloween, native Americans and a play by the Vienna English Theater entitled "Virgins." (the theme of the play actually figures into the Republican campaign!) If nothing else, this election is the most entertaining in my lifetime. Next Wednesday we're having an Election Returns party at my school in Stainach.

A week ago today I attended one of the best concerts since I've been in the Enns Valley. It was billed as "Ireland in Steiermark" and featured Irish musician/singer/composer Bob Bales with the Hackbrett virtuoso of Austria, Sigi Lemmerer. You can get an idea of what it was like here on YouTube and here and here. They were phenomenal, and the venue was a room at Schloss Trautenfels Museum, decorated with mythological frescos from the 17th century. Irene and I got to talk to Sigi during the break and after the concert. You meet such fascinating people in Austria!

After a rather chilly start to my stay in September, the past couple of weeks have been very nice with temperatures in the 60-70 degree range and more sun than rain. Winter is coming though -- most of the leaves have fallen in Wörschach, apples have been harvested and the sickly sweet smell of those that have fallen to the ground combines with Landluft (the unmistakable smell of the country) and wood smoke. Orion can be seen peeking over the eastern horizon most nights.

Today is indeed Halloween, and I am heading to a party this evening. But it's not a Halloween party -- a British chef (no jokes!) is cooking a meal for his friends, and I've been invited by the friend of a friend of a friend. It should be fun, and maybe I'll meet more fascinating people! But at midnight, I turn back into a pumpkin and begin writing for National Novel Writing Month.

So you want to write a novel?

If you are a budding author, National Novel Writing Month is coming up in November. Check out www.nanowrimo.org The idea is to write 1667 words every day (about 5 pages, double spaced) and at the end of the month you will have a novel-length manuscript. Of course, it will need to be edited before you publish it, but at least your ideas are on paper! If you sign up, find me under pocketjoey and we can be writing buddies!

The last two weeks

My school year hasn't gotten off to the best start! First I was hospitalized, now I'm fighting some sort of respiratory crud. But I am back at school in Stainach and Liezen, which is a relief!

Despite all that, I have managed to get out of the house. Two weekends ago, I hiked up to the Stallaalm (1450 m) where there was 10 inches of snow! The people who were there before us built a snowman:
On my day off last week, I toured Wörschach, a little town I've ridden through a hundred times on the bus. I took some nice pictures there, especially of the fall colors and the architecture:


And over the weekend I made an apple pie from the apples in Irene's garden. Last night Irene and I peeled and sliced enough apples for two big apple pies and seven apple strudels!

Live from the LKH Rottenmann!

When we last met, I was heading to the Sturmfest in Irdning. I drank two small glasses of Sturm and walked home about 11:30 pm. At 4:30 am I was awakened by the worst bedspins of my life -- it felt like I was on the Tilt A Whirl! I figured it must have been a bad batch of Sturm, and tried to go back to sleep. But every time I put my head down on the pillow, I had terrible bedspins. On Monday I decided to see a doctor. Thus began my foray into the world of socialized medicine!

The doctor in Irdning adjusted my spine and gave me tablets. "If you get through the night without any dizziness, you don't need to do anything. But if you have vertigo again, I am giving you a referral to the hospital in Rottenmann for further tests." Monday I was o.k., but Tuesday I was still having trouble lying down on my right side. I figured I'd go to the hospital on Thursday after school or Friday on my day off. But then I made the mistake of telling my mentor about my ailment. He was so distressed that it could be something serious that he made me go to Rottenmann on my first day of work (coincidentally, the same day my Austrian insurance kicked in).

Funny thing about socialized medicine: In the U.S. doctors assume that you have something very simple; in Austria, doctors want to rule out any serious diagnosis so they put you through a battery of tests. So far I've had blood work, an EKG, spine x-rays, lung x-rays, an MRI, an ultrasound and a contrast MRI. As an American, I'm calculating all the costs in my head and thinking I'm glad I've got Austrian insurance! I met with the ENT doctor and he said most likely my dizziness is due to otoliths. These are tiny crystals in the inner ear which can get dislodged and cause Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV). The ENT gave me some exercises to do which should coax these crystals back into place. In the meantime, my symptoms have virtually disappeared. So here I sit, day three of my stay in the Rottenmann hospital. I've had visitors (thanks, y'all!) and Rob brought me my laptop yesterday so I'm back in touch with the world. The paperwork is being processed so I can leave the hospital this afternoon, and I should be able to go to a concert this evening. At least, that's the plan! (UPDATE: Arrived home in Irdning at 4:30 pm Friday, none the worse for wear)

Being a verb...

I’ve been in Austria over a week now, and I’ve seen the sun shine for maybe 5 minutes total. It is cold (8-10° C = 46-50° F during the day) and rainy off and on. The only blue sky I see is over the Iowa cornfield that I’ve set up as my computer desktop. Despite the weather, I’ve got lots accomplished in the past few days: secured my residency permit, registered with the local authorities, ordered a new train discount card, sorted and filed all my school papers from last year, met with friends, flirted with the bus driver, shopped for essentials, and written – As my friend Robin would say, I’ve been a verb – (and an active verb at that)! School for me starts Wednesday, October 1, and because I’ve been so industrious, I have nothing hanging over my head for the first time in I don’t know how long. With my new-found freedom I will work on writing projects, taking time out to go to Sturmfest tonight. Sturm is the newly fermented wine that comes in three flavors: white, red, and Schilcher (a grape native to Styria). It tastes like grape juice but it’s a little fizzy and if one is not careful, it packs a powerful punch. Needless to say, I am always careful! Here’s a picture of me, Irene, Rob, and Rob’s girlfriend Diana as we celebrated our reunion at a local inn last week (http://www.imdoerfl.at/en/index.html). Note the glasses of red Sturm!

From Sheep to Cows to Pigs with Lipstick!

Sorry, I couldn't resist the title, since at the moment I left Cedar Rapids, McCain and Palin were campaigning at the airport. Proof!

I arrived in Austria early expressly to see the Almabtrieb in Donnersbach. This a festival in which the shepherds (or in this case cowherds) drive the cows from the mountain pastures where they have spent the summer months into the valleys where they will shelter for the winter. The cattle are decorated with flowers and ribbons and bells and mirrors to ward off evil.

The festival is not at all kitschy as you might expect. There's a wonderful brass band, and really good food--just clean, wholesome fun. Well, not so clean actually... they are cows after all! And the Stiertreiber runs around covered in "pitch" (actually a mixture of cold cream and soot) and hugs all the women leaving black marks on their cheeks. You've been reading this blog long enough... Are you really going to be surprised when I tell you that this is supposed to be a fertility ritual?You can see more pictures from last year's festival under September 2007 in the Archives.

World Sheep Festival

Every year on Labor Day Weekend, the World Sheep Festival takes place in Bethel, Missouri. When I lived in Kirksville, Missouri, this was an event not to be missed! For $3 you could get a weekend pass (which included a souvenir button) and see all the events: sheep dog trials, sheep to shawl competition, mutton busting, plus all sorts of sheep merchandise and lamb dishes (lamb burgers, kabobs, BBQ lamb sandwiches).

This year, I passed up a trip to Minnesota with my family to attend the World Sheep Festival. (Those who know me well know that next to Austria and Iowa, my favorite spot on earth is Minnesota, and I haven't been there since I was 17). I went to Bethel, Missouri instead, with every intention of reliving the Sheep Festivals of my past. I wanted to take a picture of sheep in spandex (sounds a little kinky, but it's just the way the exhibitors keep the wool clean before a show) and I wanted to buy a new pair of lambskin moccasins.

Bethel is about 160 miles from Iowa City, mostly on narrow two-lane highways with virtually no cell phone reception. So much for meeting up with one of my friends at the festival! When I arrived, I realized why no admission was being charged this year. It was a poor spectacle... about a quarter of the size it used to be. Only about half the stalls were filled in the sheep barn, there were no sheep in spandex (the lamb and goat show was the day before) and the only slippers in sight were a men's size 12, made of alpaca wool. In fact, nearly half of all the exhibits and merchandise at the SHEEP festival were angora rabbit, angora goat, llama or alpaca. They used to have a fiber arts contest, where women were judged on the clothes they made of wool as they paraded through the show barn with their pet sheep (a highlight of the festival). As it was, I ran out of things to look at after about 15 minutes.

But determined to make the most of my trip, I first took in the sheep dog trials which are always entertaining.
I stayed for the mutton busting, where small children wearing padding and helmets take a tour around the ring on a real live sheep (hoo boy...). I ate a lamb kabob which was o.k. Then I went to the parade. Of the 25 entries, probably half of them were political candidates stumping for votes with candy and election literature. There were only four sheep in the whole parade. And the C.S.A. was represented, complete with Confederate battle flag and a bumper sticker that read "Keep it flying." For the record, Missouri was considered a northern state, but there continues to be a population sympathetic to the Old South and all that implies. Here, on cue, one of my naturalized citizen friends would put her hand over her heart and sing in her most sarcastic tone, "I'm proud to be an American."

Bethel is an old German colony, and they keep their traditions alive with a volunteer oompah-band that also participated in the parade:
After the parade, I'd pretty much *done* the Sheep Festival, so I cut over to Kirksville, taking pictures along the road. I visited with my friends Christine and Rowan, then headed back north, taking blurry pictures of an otherwise fantastic sunset, and arriving in Iowa City about 9:00 pm. I'll leave you with one of the best shots of the day (works nicely as a desktop!):

Take me out to the ball game...

Last week my family went to a Cedar Rapids Kernels baseball game. The Kernels are a minor league (Class A) "farm" team affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels, currently playing in the Western Division Finals this weekend. We had dinner at the ball park: hot dogs, french fries, and root beer. We sat along the first base line in front of these adorable young fans (Thanks for the photo-op, boys!) We sang the Star Spangled Banner at the opening and Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch. This is what summers are all about in the U.S.: Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, (and fireworks!)

My mom also brought her baseball glove to catch a foul ball, although it was her sister, Miriam, who almost got beaned by one!

Iowa has a romantic history with the American pastime of baseball. The movie "Field of Dreams" was filmed in Dyersville, and one of the dialogues from the movies is:

"Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."

Gives us all a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Gustav, Hanna and Ike

So here we are, about a week after Gustav hit Louisiana, and all of my friends are still without electricity in Baton Rouge (for a justified rant, click here). Hanna damaged 80% of the east coast island homes (my aunt lives on Hilton Head). Now they're predicting that Hurricane Ike will likely enter the Gulf of Mexico. Haven't we had about enough of this nonsense?

Hurricane Gustav

They say that the damage in Baton Rouge is the worst ever sustained in a hurricane. Winds at the airport were clocked at 91 mph at the height of the storm. There was a lot of rain and wind which took out electricity to 1.4 million customers. The last report I read was that half of Baton Rouge should get power back within one week, and the other half will get power back in three to four WEEKS. After Katrina, 140,000 refrigerators had be be discarded after food went bad in them. I imagine that will be an issue again.

Here are some photos of the damage left by Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana. http://www.2theadvocate.com/multimedia/27800409.html
http://www.wafb.com/global/Story.asp?s=8929420

Because Gustav was not the television ratings bonanza the networks thought it would be, the news crews have turned their attention to the other storms in the Atlantic, named Hanna, Ike, and Josephine. So I haven't seen any pictures of damage from Lafayette or elsewhere in Louisiana.

Classes at LSU have been canceled until Monday. Sounds great, but remember, there's no electricity, no air-conditioning, very few grocery stores and even fewer restaurants are open. Not a vacation, by any stretch of the imagination. But the LSU Tigers and the New Orleans Saints are planning to play football this weekend. As long as they've got their priorities straight...