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.