10 years later ... part three

The first day of school in 2013, I pitched up at the business college without a residency permit because it still hadn't been approved. And the director who had hired me said, "oh, by the way, we don't have enough hours for you here, so we're sending you to a technical college up the road to complete your contract." This was the first day of school!  And the technical college up the road was 15 miles up the road.  I didn't have a car.  I didn't have any money because I didn't have a contract because I didn't have residency yet!

10 years later... part two

I can honestly say that the decision to be a Fulbright teaching assistant in Austria changed my life.  Already during my first visit to Austria in 1986, I knew that someday I wanted to live in this magical place.  The assistantship allowed me to find out if my German was good enough, and if I could be accepted by the locals.  I rented an apartment from a former English teacher, and shared living space with a 24 year-old heavy metal rocker.  My mentor taught me so much about being a teacher and living an authentic life. I met friends and gained a lot of experience teaching in different settings. And it took a long time, but my German (or at least my Styrian dialect!) improved. I also realized that I didn't need loads of money to be happy, because my pay as an assistant was half my measly salary in the States.