Heimat

I'm back from my ever so quick visit home. Enjoyed a really relaxed Christmas which was lovely to see my family and friends as well as to see how much bigger our puppy is, but it's really nice to be back here. I feel like this is my new home, I feel like I belong here...

I didn't get back til 2am after waiting on buses, taxis, planes, trains and more buses! On the flight I chatted to a man who teaches golf in Heilbronn but I didn't enjoy the conversation too much as I spent most of it clutching the seat in front/armrest due to turbulance!

The new year sees me aiming to be more organised/read more/relax more which I have already begun. Also, is it just me or is anyone else absolutely shattered in winter? I sleep lots but it annoys me when I plan to read books before bed in order to relax (incorporating all three of my 'resolutions') and I end up waking up with a sore neck half an hour after beginning the first page...

Onto something completely random...after just pouring a cuppa, I've noticed icky bits of calcium floating around and have checked the inside of my kettle which is white, need to be a decalcifier (I doubt this is the word, I think the German is decalker or something!) Sorry to bore you all!

Hope you all (if anyone reads this) have had a lovely festive period and have a wonderful new year, wishing you all lots of health and happiness!

frohe Weihnachten! :)

With less than a week before I return to the UK for Christmas, I feel like it is the beginning of the end of my time in Heidelberg. I would've really loved to stay here a whole year, otherwise you up sticks and move just as you begin to feel settled. It's gonna be fun moving with all the things I've accumulated here, most notably seven pairs of shoes....a girl needs shoes!

Actually, living abroad and knowing you'll be on the move again soon makes you realise that material things really do not matter. I'll be giving a lot of my posssessions to friends and only taking with me the essentials. This whole experience has allowed me to meet some really amazing people from all across the world. I adore our group of friends and will never forget the time we have spent together, which always involves lots of eating and laughing. I've been truly happy here and I hope with my optimistic outlook I find another set of lovely friends in Paris.

However I still have around two months left here so I'll be making the most of it. I've got an amazing opportunity to interpret for two weeks in January, then I'm back for a week before exams start, then it's bye bye Heidelberg, city of dreams!

Before I get ahead of myself, above are some photos from our Christmas day we had at the weekend. It took us around six hours to prepare all the food, but it was the loveliest, relaxed day with my 'family' here.

Having a ball!

Ok, I know I know I know I know I was supposed to be a good little blogger and update every week. Maybe more. Butttt life happens and suddenly I'm having too much fun and going on spontaneous trips to Cologne and Venice to think about a blog. But I really should document my whizzing-by-in-a-flash Erasmus trip. Experience. Life. I don't know what to call it but it's pretty perfect.

Poetry Slam. A concept which I fear would be laughed off in the UK but me and my fellow Brit David were loving every minute. Contestents (mostly studends but a few middle aged) would read their poetry on stage for 5 minutes then we would applaud them. The contestent with the loudest applause/cheers wins. Simple, and in most cases, hilarious. Did wonders for my German too (I think!)

Cologne was great. We decided to really be cheap students and stay out all night, coming home on the first train back. Only do this if your immune system is tip top. Ours, after a few hours of Gluehwein (Christmas market, it's a must!) and banana beer plus no sleep and a dodgy kebab, we weren't feeling our best. However dozing on a train with the sun rising over the Rhine is the most gorgeous thing.....

Venice was like a dream. Like walking around in your imagination, so beautiful with an old charm. I am now compelled to learn Italian. I'll add that after Russian, Croatian and Maltese (I just want to spend my life travelling & collecting languages). Our hostel was really not the best and one night we were freezing cold, the next boiling hot due to problems with the heating but we had a brilliant location. Had a few problems with our airline, Ryanair, which has prompted me to send angry emails every day since returning and the flight back was pretty scary with turbulence. It seemed like we had landed a few times, we were rocked about so much! Hopefully everything goes smoothly when I fly back to the UK in two weeks exactly! Cannot wait!

November!

Yet again, time has zoomed away and we're already into November! Life is as busy as ever here, with a very exciting interpreting offer on the horizon. Moments like this make me more motivated to achieve all my goals and quash the occasional doubts I have about my language ability, as all of us do over here.

So in the past few weeks I've just been settling into classes (and not finding some well-hidden classes) and celebrating friends' birthdays, which are like buses... you wait ages for one then three come at once!

Yesterday we went on a walk along the Philosophers Walk, surprised by how warm it was and in awe of the beautiful red shades of the trees. Then onto Dossenheim where we enjoyed a BBQ/fire for Bonfire Night!

So, time for some ERASMUS tips:

1) Make sure you know how many credits you need to pass the year and take enough classes.
I can't stress this enough, me and Natalie, my friend from my home university, both started off with about 12 classes, each being an hour and a half. All very interesting classes, but shattering! We need 30 ECTS points to pass the year and luckily each class is worth 5 (we thought they'd be about 2/3 points!)

2) Tandem partners are vital!
So you want to learn French. You sign up to meet a person on a one-to-one basis and speak for an hour or two in that language. In return, the next time you meet up you speak English or whatever your mother tongue is. Educational, fun and you make friends, it's a win-win situation, and here in Heidelberg you get ECTS points for it!

3) Find a new hobby.
I'm quite sporty so have enjoyed going to several fitness classes here and I hope to learn photography a little bit better through a new friend. Also, I spend A LOT of time cycling which at home was completely alien to me... now I never want to part with my bike! The point is, the benefits are numerous, meeting new people, learning new skills, even finding a talent and pursuing it as a career!

Why I love you, I'll never know

I really never have any time to write, which is a shame as I need to keep a log of all the things I've been up to!

After an amazing brunch at the end of our Sprachkurs, we took a short bike trip to Ladenburg. During said trip, I was moaning about how I missed the sea, so we had the bright idea of jumping in the Neckar with all our clothes on. Then we continued the journey, bought some amazing humous, bread and wine and had a picnic in the sun to dry off. Food, friends and the end of summer...perfect.

We also went to Canstatter Wasen/Volksfest Stuttgart's version of Oktoberfest which I have been to once before. I'd like to think it's better than Munich as is not so much of a tourist trap and a little smaller so not too overwhelming. We had a great day in the sunshine and I made a promise to buy myself a dirndl!

I also spent a few days in Strasbourg, which was brilliant and great to practice my French! We spent the days eating foie gras, gooood wine, enjoying real pain au chocolats again, taking boat rides and parties and climbing cathedrals (where I got bit by a spider we think, yikes!). I really had such a lovely time and spent it with such a good friend and amazing person.

My university classes started yesterday so this first week is mostly introducing the course and syllabus so I'm excited for what the next 16 weeks will bring!

Ich hab' mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren (I lost my heart in Heidelberg)

The castle at night. This picture (as all pictures) do it no justice, you just have to come and visit to see for yourself!

Tomorrow will be the last day of my 4 week language course which is sad as our little class has become quite close, it almost feels like the end of an era (dramatic!) as we all go our separate ways.. some people are studying medecine, some chemistry, and it's interpreting for me.

I wanted to mention a bit about the various sports I've been doing. I feel really motivated and keen to take all the opportunities that are available to me. Boxing really killed my arms for about a week. I think I pushed myself too hard, but then again I did get shouted at for not keeping up with the press ups. Note: I can hardly do them with me knees on the floor, let alone with boxing gloves on! 'Fit for Fun' was doing lots of running, weights, sit ups and push ups and generally feeling sick! 'Bauch Beine Po' (tum, thighs and bum) had really good music but was a lot like 'fit for fun' so I'll do one or the other. I've also been to Hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga. I preferred the latter, despite the odd breathing technique of 'fire breathing'. It was a little amusing at first, but after an hour we all got into it and afterwards I was the most relaxed I've been in ages, I recommend it to anyone!

I love sitting here and watching the sun set, the most beautiful pinks and blues I've seen in my life....

Wilkommen in Deutschland

I can't believe it's been more than a month since last writing here! Since posting, I've moved to Heidelberg, Germany and am all settled in, nearing the end of my four week 'Sprachkurs' which focuses on my grammar, ahead of lectures beginning in October. The highlight probably is the 30 minute break in which there are coffee, pastries and rolls on offer. Yum yum yum!

I am already so happy here and hardly have a moment to myself, I've; done all the registering at the town hall, got a new SIM card for my mobile then had to get a contract, bank account is all up and running (just lacking the money!), bank details and address info documents have been sent back to my home univeristy, been to a hippy wedding reception, enjoyed many a good sunset sitting on the sofa on the balcony, enjoying brilliant Lebanese food and learning a little Arabic every day, been aching all over from boxing and keep fit classes and have also tried my hand at yoga.. I've bought a lovely bike with a basket and enjoy any excuse for a cycle, I have been offered a job, baked a chocolate and beetroot cake, seem to make friends with only Physics students, dream in German, love a good Heferweizen, got a haircut and my nose pierced! There's so much going on I've no doubt missed something, I really need to make it a habit to get back into blogging!

ne me quitte pas

I'm exhausted from a long weekend travelling to meet up with friends, catching up over calzone and watching the Scotland v Italy rugby match at Murrayfield, the first one I'd ever seen! The photo above is Suzie, Annie and myself (l-r)enjoying the sunshine before the game.

As everyone does, I've been wondering recently what I will do with my life after graduating (2 years away but when did that ever stop me from daydreaming?!) Then I spoke to a friend who is travelling, asking what his plans are when he returns back to Australia and he said "I barely plan the next few days, let alone a year away". That is my main goal I guess, living for the moment and enjoying the now. I'll only be who I am and doing what I am doing right now, so best to revel in it while I can.

Nevertheless, I would quite like to fill up all my spare time abroad with some volunteering plans (I figure the busier I am, the less time I have to dwell!). I am looking into teaching/childcare/human rights and of course interpreting/translating jobs but the latter seems SO hard to get into. I am also really interested in spending next summer working at an orphanage/doing community work, but there seems to be so many companies offering this and other gap year type work I have no idea where to start narrowing down. Please feel free to share your experiences on this! However I worry that if I started doing such work, I wouldn't want to return to do my final year of my degree..

“Love for yourself means love for all, love for animals,
love for everything, for you are all one.”
— Swami Vivekananda

puppy power!

We have a new addition to the family! We've always had golden retrievers and have had a 2 year break since having our last dog so the time seemed right to get little Oscar! We absolutely adore him, he seems so at home already but I wonder if he's going to grow up into a dog or a lion as his paws are HUGE!

#

I really enjoyed a weekend showing my sister the city I've called home for the past two months (Vienna, if you've not been reading).

I'm finally back home after getting annoyed at airport security (why is it never consistent? They took my photo this time at Heathrow!) and staying in Newcastle for a few nights (the Wagamamas was deeeeelightful!) and we watched the final Harry Potter (how unconvincing are their older selves?!) Glad I wasn't tempted by the shops as my wardrobe/chest of drawers are groaning, I really have gone crazy these last years... I'm thinking I won't really *need* to buy anything for a good few years, but that's not going to happen, living in Germany and France (Paris, no less...) however there is that pesky suitcase weight limit..... it's all about the capsule wardrobe, Beth!

Tonight was not only my first night back, but also Zumba night. Mum is obsessed with it (this brings with it her discovery of Shakira, Lady Gaga and J-Lo!) and I was surprised to find myself absolutely knackered after an hour of it... I was very impressed that women A LOT older than me kept going that long... I blame it on being weighed down by lots of cake and sausage/schnitzel from my time abroad... I wonder how long I can use that excuse for?! I'll definately be going back next week!

Hello August!

I've finished reading 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. Although quite amusing and an easy read, to me, the story didn't really go anywhere (perhaps I should read the sequels?!) and was left unsatisfied with the lack of deep and meaningful quotes I thought I'd find. (I need to accept things for what they are!)

I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is (We always search for answers and solutions and never really know what we really want in the first place?). I guess this book, more so than others, can be interpreted in so many ways and that is why you either love it or loathe it?

Anyway it was the first book I've read in far too long and I'm going to try and keep rotating between English, French and German books.

This weekend I visited Sigmund Freud's old residence where you can sit down and read his works and lots of other books on psychology in the 'Living Library'. Hundertwasserhaus and Kuntshaus Wien left me feeling very happy and inspired, I want to visit the church he designed!

Tonight I'm going to register for my classes at Heidelberg university, book flights and look up info on my accommodation! They've been extremely helpful in sending me lots of emails keeping me up to date on the never-ending stream of paperwork us ERASMUS students have to do.

Know hope.

Where has this week gone?! It's zoomed by so quickly... not that I'm complaining because in a week I'll be meeting my sister for a weekend here before flying back home to see my boyfriend and family, all who I've missed like crazy! I've also missed walks on the beach! Wherever I end up living will have to be near the sea (helloooo south of France?!)

Last weekend 'Haus der Musik' made me fall in love with classical music (if the men dressed up as Mozart on the streets didn't), after watching the following:



So so so brilliant, I have been humming Strauss all week!

After this, I went to a restaurant all on my own! Something I've never really felt comfortable about doing before. I know this comes without a second thought to some people, and I love eating at different places, but on my own?? I would always worry what people thought of me/where should I look if I have no one else to talk to? Wouldn't people think I was weird/staring at them? However I got over these silly thoughts and enjoyed a nice Italian meal with some wine and Sacher torte for dessert, yum! I felt a little invincible... one small step for man...

It's all in the palm of your hands

I am exhausted. It's never good to think too much.

I've not updated for a week or so as we went on holiday to a farm on a mountain... having no internet was a killer! The week consisted of a lot of table tennis, seesawing, a wood museum and a 2 hour ride on a steam train! We had to extend our holiday by one day as the whole family, apart from me, caught a virus, not so much fun!

Burgenland adventure

"Ce qui doit arriver, arrivera"

On Saturday I went to Neusiedler See which is about 2 hours away from here, dubbed the Austrian's Med, it's a huge lake which would take you the whole day to get all the way around. We approached it from the east before enjoying the view at Neusiedl as the sun set. We walked along the jetty which had a jazz band playing. Everyone was sitting at the edges with their glasses of wine, taking in the view, the sky's hues of blue and pink reflecting off the still water....

Yesterday was about 35 degrees in the city... I couldn't even spend 10 minutes in the sun... Cue lots of ice cream and frappucinos... it had to be done!

Hold on tight to your dream

This song has everything you could want from a song, it makes you feel great, you can dance to it AND some French. Perfection!

This song means a lot to me and it came on yesterday when I was in a Heurigen (wine tavern) having lunch (schnitzel, of course!) and it instantly made me feel ten times better!






Here are some photos from my day spent going westbound alongside the Danube through Lower Austria. The weather wasn't the best, rainy and very windy, about 13 degrees so jeans and a jacket (which I've only had to wear about 3 times since getting here!)

We visited Grafenegg'scastle and gardens, where there is an outdoor stage 'Wolkenturm' for concerts. Then onto Dürnstein's church and ruins, meandering along cobbled streets where I overheard some English(!), then onto the gardens and abbey at Melk, which seems like a perfect setting for a wedding!

My sister has just told me that she is able to visit me in August so I've got the task of finding us a hotel and planning our weekend jam packed of sightseeing, good food and drink, shouldn't be hard to do in the coffee capital!

You and your heart shouldn't feel so far apart

The perfect end to a pretty perfect day was arriving home and seeing the little two year old's face beam up at me.

After a pretty low low, has come a pretty high high.

Over the past month I have learned a lot about dealing with different types of people. I have really accepted who I am, I will do what I am comfortable with and not worry about other's opinions of me, good or bad, I'm not looking to seek acceptance from anyone else. I can't control what other people think about me and it's futile to dwell on what has passed.

Life can seem to have it's problems, but only if we allow them to be. We can label something as a problem, or we can accept it and move on/deal with it. We can choose to worry, or we can choose to be happy. No, it's not 'easier said than done', it really is easy. Plus, think how better you'll feel once you realise you can be happy all the time, whatever your circumstances (who decides what good/bad circumstances are?)

"Tell me what can you want, when you've got it all?" - The Libertines
(don't we already have everything we need?)

Moving onto today... I went into Vienna, wandered around Naschmarkt, got interviewed for the Austrian radio and fluffed up my grammar, discovered cobbled streets and a tiny gallery with beautiful paintings where I chatted to the old artist who tried to tempt me to buy a 5euro card "this is real... and this is fantasy". I headed to Belvedere which is amazingly beautiful, however I am sure I am going to get a crick in my neck from constantly looking up in awe at all the buildings! There I met Georg, a student and we strolled through the gardens and into the Innere Stadt for lots of coffee (Melange) and a few games of chess (I lost) whilst occasionally chatting to some people at our table. That's the main thing I love about Vienna/Austria, is that you can strike up a conversation with anyone, it feels effortless and everyone seems to generally care/be nice, who knew?! I feel in Britain we are perhaps too wary of strangers, or maybe other people in general(!), but here you are greeted when you go into any shop, it's just a nice touch.

So if I can't explain myself and my newfound carefree attitude, I'll let Jack Johnson do it........ now I really want to go surfing :)

ich und ich

Just outside Spitellau's U-bahn station, you stumble upon a brilliant Hundertwasser building, for.... *drumroll* a waste incineration plant (producing electricity). I think it is a great idea to draw attention to the plant and renewable energy/recycling, something that is very big here! Most houses out here in the country have solar panels and of course we have various coloured bins for various materials. I even went to the local tip - just a huge site filled with skips but oh how everyone seems to care so much... "oh no some wood in the metal skip".... On one hand, I thought "who could be bothered to go to all this trouble?", but on the other hand, it doesn't take long and you feel good for doing your bit, Britain take note!

Last Thursday was a free day (Feiertag) so I decided on a trip to Vienna was in order! However with the dad off work and no Kindergarten, tis surely should've registered in my tiny head that NOTHING WOULD BE OPEN and buses would be s p a r s e. You can say that again.

Realising that I couldn't get into Vienna in under 2 hours, I decided to take the bus for an hour (also very annoying but the bus drivers here are charming!) to St. Pölten, which is the main town in the county (Land) of Lower Austria (Niederoesterreich). Beautiful, but also with only restaurants and café's open, I took so many photos and sat myself down at Café Schubert and whiled away an hour or two with a few latte macchiatos, writing in my diary and reading my French book, 'Les Sept Pechés du Diable' (The Seven Deadly Sins). Very hip!

Sadly, I got caught in a crazy storm on the way home and SOAKED. I think this, or perhaps the fact I left my memory card in my laptop overnight, must've deleted all my photos from the day.(I need to find the German equivalent of 'GUTTED'!)

On Sunday I went to the Donauinselfest, a music festival that lasted the whole weekend. It was nice even if I was on my own! Sunny and not too crowded, I flitted from stage to stage with an ice cream in hand, nabbed a free body lotion sample (highlight of the day, rock and roll!) and tried to spy any German rock stars to no avail.

As I've worked all day today, I'll have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off so I am taking full advantage of this and hounding people on Facebook to be my friend, can't go wrong eh?

Ich wunsche mir...

Graffiti in Vienna. 'Wir greifen immer mehr und begreifen immer weniger', translates as 'we want more and more and understand less'.

It's 10pm and I still have my bikini on under my vest and shorts, got a few tan lines after spending 5 hours at an outdoor swimming pool in 32 degrees heat (we applied suncream by the bucket load!) It should've been more exhausting, constantly going up the stairs to slide down various slides with the 5 year old as well as teaching him how to swim, but I think my inner child came out to play and I had just as much fun as him! The most tiring was trying to get the 2 year old to not try and escape from me and find his Mum... I keep worrying when he screams for his Mum and pushes away from me that people will think I'm kidnapping him, especially as he has bright blonde hair and doesn't look like mine!

Also today, one of the parents' friends, Tony, a farmer (very jealous of his tan from being outside all day!) came over today and asked me to give him English lessons. He speaks the dialect and not Hochdeutsch so it's gonna be interesting!

I go through phases of wanting to be more chatty/confident and thinking about what I 'should' be, when all I really 'should' be is me, maybe a bit on the quiet side, or maybe just a good listener?! Though I would often think that wasn't good enough. Good enough for who? As we all know "those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter" and I am coming to the realisation that you can't really change some people's opinions of you, especially if they take a dislike to you for no reason!

Tomorrow I don't need to work so some exploring in Vienna is on the cards! Really need to make some friends though, I am going to exhaust all Couchsurfing and Facebook options!

A Letter

This needs no words, einfach nur schoen!

I'm a dreamer, a distant dreamer, dreaming far away from today

My knees and ankles are aching after a long day meandering around Vienna! So glad I wore trainers (typical tourist fashion sense) and not high heels and a dress... which I secretly wanted! Not practical considering I walked non stop for about 5 hours, including to the top of Karlskirche.

Before I got on the train to Vienna, I overheard a group speaking English - they were having difficulty working out if they had the correct tickets, so I went over to lend a hand. In the group were a couple from Cornwall who are staying nearby and it was so nice to natter away and hear a proper English accent.

Whilst wandering around the city, I was a bit fed up that I had no one to share this experience with, as Vienna, which I'll repeat many times, is so incredibly beautiful! After an hour or two on my own, discovering places without a map, I decided to do a little bit of shopping (I bought a navy blazer, beautiful suede wedges and a bracelet) and also spent a little too much on a city guidebook, which I sat down to read in the park. Then I strolled around some more before a guy attempted to speak German and ask me to take a photo of him. We chatted and it turned out he is travelling on his own before heading back to the States in August. We strolled around the Hofburg (Imperial Palace) and I asked him if, like me he ever felt lonely travelling alone? He explained that he just strikes up conversation with the nearest person. How easy does that sound?!

The whole of my legs are now aching, so tonight will be spent listening to Duffy and reading bits from 'Babyjahre' by Remo H. Largo - a book about the development of babies/infants and why they do such crazy things!

dlhighdflnfgkjfgjg

I'm doing a bit of online shopping but it's all in vain, or at least for the next 2 months! I can't really buy something, only to open it in August and I don't want to buy anything online and have it delivered here (I've heard it may take a good couple of weeks as we live out in the sticks!) Plus I need to think of the money I'll save!

I'm hoping for a fun weekend sightseeing/meeting new people in Vienna. I really need it. Another week of feeling off and down about my language ability. Sure I can understand 90% of what I hear and read but speaking and my grammar in particular is just ein Durcheinander (a muddle!). I know this is just a slump and I'll get over it, it's just quite hard to see that right now (although perhaps it's a good sign that my English is also mixed up?!)

Full moon, half moon...

Tonight the parents explained the reason for their kids extremely excitable behaviour was the full moon! I didn't know whether they were joking or not, but they explained the children will sleep through the night and sleep longer in the morning. I don't quite know where they found this out but if the boys sleep for longer, I'm not complaining!
So I looked up human behaviour in accordance to lunar patterns and that made for some interesting reading.

I think the idea of the moon making people more unstable at certain times is a little bit unnerving/spooky although I tend to read such articles with a pinch of salt. Depending on your point of view, any statistics can be manipulated "I think more crimes are committed nearer a full moon... and yes they are". Is this really to do with nature, or are more people scared of a full moon/believe it has a power and is some mass consciousness allowing more crimes? Even so, you never know the methods of how such statistics were rendered. Having said that, if I am to have any surgery in the future, lets hope it falls on a new moon!

her fate hangs by a thread

Just had Skype chats tonight with my parents and my friend from uni, Roger. Both tormented me with thoughts of Tetley tea and Dairy Milk!

This weekend has been a long, tiring one. On Saturday night I joined the host Mum's niece to a fire brigade fair not too far from here. On the walls were about 30 trophies from competitions against other fire brigades across Austria. Apparently they train in the middle of the night in the dark in order to be the fastest and thus best! I really noticed how friendly everyone was and, despite it being midnight, some of the older firemen who had been working all day were still keen to chat to us. Today we went on a short hike to Gföhlberghütte which was easy with the kids and had such stunning views of other mountains in the distance too! It was so peaceful there, a world away from the hubbub of Vienna! Again, I noticed how complete strangers we met on the way would take time to stop and talk to us and even ask about the children. I was told that during such walks, you can use the familiar 'du' form instead of the more formal 'Sie' with anyone you meet. I did have my first nasty encounter with a tick though, they are rather persistent! I love being in the Great Outdoors... just not with these little critters (children sometimes included)!

dis-moi encore...

This week has been mentally exhausting. I'm a bit down and have been asking 'the big questions' about what I want out of life, if languages are something I really want to pursue or not. I've decided that for now, yes, as I enjoy it most of the time, despite feeling at times completely lost and useless. Hopefully I will make it as an interpreter/translator, but then again if something else unrelated to languages decides to comes my way, that's ok too, that's life after all! Communication is all we have and sometimes I can't even pick up the simplest of foreign phrases! As every learner of a language will also know, understanding more than you can speak is also frustrating! I really should stop being so hard on myself though!

I am really missing people back home, so need to find some friends quick.. Personally I don't like wandering around on my own (as I always get lost due to my rubbish sense of direction) and prefer to explore a city with other people.. I get too lonely on my own! To add to my frustrations, my laptop is having a love/hate affair with the Internet here, so Skype conversations have been at times incredibly tedious...blurry faces, robotic sounding voices and echoing. Top of my list of hates (if I had one... which I don't as I'm a carefree, happy-go-lucky gal... unless you mention the aforementioned 'S' word!)

This week I vow to get my bum in gear and go for a run/cycle through some fields, of which there are many!* May also start mediating/doing yoga in a bid to find my inner self, ja. Seriously, I do think I need to relax a bit more and not let worries get to me!

*I really hope this happens....reality may be another thing!

Vienna calling

It's been a week since I arrived in Vienna. I am working as an au pair for a few months for a lovely family and it has already been hard getting to grips with the Austrian dialect and changing nappies before breakfast! Most places I go, I feel like I can chat to people, in shops, at bus stops etc. which is really good for improving my German. However on the bus back from town I had to pay double... I explained to the driver that my trip into town was half the price and he said that would get me nowhere. Not wanting to hold the queue up any longer and feeling that my German was failing me, I gave up and sat down. An hour later and the last person on the bus, I arrived at my stop and showed the driver both tickets (half price and full price). He explained that I must be a student/under 26 therefore it was half price. I had a bit of a rant about wanting my money back and that he should have asked me if I was a student and that I didn't know due to being foreign. He said it was too late and I should tell the driver next time. I got off the bus and cried, feeling really frustrated and alone! So if you're a student, I advise flashing your card at every opportunity!

Aside from that teeny tiny glitch, I love Austria. 'Quaint' perfectly describes the endless rolling hills and colourful houses with their own character and story to tell. Inside Vienna, the architecture is so beautifully intricate and the city seems easy so far to navigate (I have an awful sense of direction!) I can't wait to explore more. I met another au pair, Dominika who helped me find my way around the city. On Thursday we went to Schönbrunn Palace to watch the Vienna Philharmonic's Summer Concert. I had never been to Schönbrunn before and it is so beautiful, espescially looking up to the gloriette on the hill, which lit up red and blue during the concert. Unfortunately, despite being close to the stage, the music was quiet and we went for a wander around the city instead.

I have also had my first experience at the dentist (in both several years and in a foreign country). Due to my EH111 card, I didn't have to pay (or at least not yet...!) I am also on insurance overload with my host family and I bought some for my whole year abroad. It is also advisable for British citizens to register with .LOCATE, even if for a short trip abroad.

Finally, I apologise in advance if this doesn't read well, I've noticed it's already hard to think in 'proper' English and when the parents ask me for 'the correct way to say things in English', I have to think a while as my poor little brain can't handle two languages!

birthday weekend

It was my birthday on Friday but I spent most of the morning nervously awaiting my final French Liaison exam which involved discussing the census and Jedi Knights.... fun! I had to ask back a lot and was not confident with my overall performance but I have a year to improve to almost perfect interpreter status (J'éspere)!

I had a great day relaxing with everyone else from uni who had finished exams and chatting about our summer plans. My flatmates bought me a cake (with truffles on top yumm), I got lots of lovely presents and I went out in the evening with my boyfriend for food and dancing, perfect!

I also moved out of my flat this weekend and it hasn't really hit me that I'll not be in Edinburgh for a good couple of months! Right now I'm back home trying to work through the bureaucracy that is Student Finance and preparation for my summer abroad then ERASMUS year. I'll continue to update on my paperwork progress in the hope that it helps future students studying abroad. Sometimes I do just leave questions blank though, even the English ones!

Come on boys, come on girls

I did have a huge post written and thought I had saved it, but no! Very annoyed as I was, of course hilariously witty and articulate.

So Eurovision has come and gone in the blink of an eye. My pick of the favourites below, enjoy the cheesefest!!

Eric Saade (Sweden) - I will be popular
Fun lyrics and very catchy... I just found out he is younger than me, I thought he was at least mid twenties!


A Friend in London (Denmark) - New Tomorrow
Really loved this song, Eurovision all over, simple, rallying up the countries for a better future... almost brings a tear to the eye!


Lena (Germany) - Taken by a Stranger
This has quite a Goldfrapp-y feel to it. Love the song but not for Eurovision!


I did like our (UK) entry and after an early 12 points from Bulgaria I was sure we were on the way to victory... but then I remembered the absurdity that the UK, with a population of 60 million can vote 12 points to country X and this will hold the same value as a 12 from San Marino, which has a population of 30,000. Of course the enclave of Italy gave their 12 to Italy.

Still, when next year rolls around I will still firmly believe 'this will be our year'... much like the World Cup... but that's another story!

It's one for the money, two for the show..

After a German interpreting exam in which we made some silly mistakes, us students consoled ourselves by hitting the town the other night. Being bored of the usual nightclubs, we went to The Rat Pack which proved to be very entertaining! With an Elvis impersonator taking requests, telling jokes, some dubious dance moves (and even more dubious wig!) I came back from the toilet to see him conga-ing out the door and up the street with my friends! A good night of dancing and laughing!

Not out of the woods just yet.

The studying woods, that is.



My interpreting exams begin in less than a week so I've been busy researching and spending any free time relaxing and (re)discovering gems such as Leazes park (Newcastle) and good old Arthur's seat (Edinburgh)... proof that the best things in life are free!

I have so many things on my to-do list before I leave the country at the end of the month; studying of course, choosing which classes to take next year, insurance, various accommodation, checking out healthcare procedures abroad, haircut (this should be at the top of the list before I morph into Medusa), dentist (despite having nice teeth I fear not having had a check up for a good few years hasn't done me any favours!) work contract and catching up with cheesy German soaps.

Bonjour tout le monde!

So, in true Beth fashion I have decided to begin blogging when I should be doing other more important things. Notably a 3,000 word essay due in less than three weeks. But this is how my brain works, so why not?

I hope to keep this blog as a bit of a mash up of my ERASMUS year abroad in Germany and France and other travels as well as day to day life, writing about what interests me and who knows what else?