It is way to cold to be the 2nd day of summer and almost the end of June. It is some kind of sign that my time in Salzburg must come to an end. The weather really is bizarre though. I'll get off the plane in Huntsville and have to catch my breath with shock from the heat I am sure.
I have now taken 2 of 4ish exams. My lit exam is next monday and my other German grammar test is written part on Wednesday and oral part next Monday. Then I also have 2 papers to complete this week. It is all doable, but I have so much on my mind. This happens when I get a little stressed.
I can't seem to focus on whatever work I am doing. Instead I make mental lists of things I don't need to forget to do. Even when I literally write down the list, I am thinking about it. So weird, but it will calm down soon enough.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Survey: Save or Spend?
The very first picture is to show that I started collecting Euro coins. Each EU country has their own national design on the back of each coin piece. When I realized I had many different countries I figured I would hold on to some. Here is where I need your help. In the picture you see 21 Euros, which is probably 30 or so US dollars. The question is do I also save these 1 and 2 Euro coins for a collection or because of their real value spend them on groceries, or chocolate, or gifts to bring home? What would you do?
The second photo requires explanation as well. I clearly don't know the first thing about quality coffee, or maybe I am a natural blond like my sis Nancy, or maybe I there are just some parts of the German language I haven't mastered yet. I was grocery shopping and had coffee on my list because Kristen and I had run out of grounds for the coffee pot we keep in our room. I am looking at the aisle of coffee. 1) I must make sure I don't mess up and buy instant coffee. 2) I also don't want to accidently buy a capucinno mix (accidentally did that this fall). 3)I don't have a grinder so I can't buy coffee beans.
Well I see this bright yellow back with the logo "FRÜH BIS SPÄT". I think Wow that is clever. I like to drink coffee in the morning (early=früh) and sometimes if I need to stay up I will drink coffee at night (late=spät). Clearly this coffee is for me. I add it to my basket and go on my way. Maybe a day or too later, I glance at the coffee package again and gasp. I finally notice another word on the package "Entkoffeiniert". Mary what were you thinking? - says myself and my roommate as she laughs at me. Just guess what that word means..... decaffenatied. I can't actually spell it in English, but I can tell you what it tastes like in Austria.
The rest are mostly all random pictures about which I had comments to offer. Above is a slide show or you can click on this link.
The second photo requires explanation as well. I clearly don't know the first thing about quality coffee, or maybe I am a natural blond like my sis Nancy, or maybe I there are just some parts of the German language I haven't mastered yet. I was grocery shopping and had coffee on my list because Kristen and I had run out of grounds for the coffee pot we keep in our room. I am looking at the aisle of coffee. 1) I must make sure I don't mess up and buy instant coffee. 2) I also don't want to accidently buy a capucinno mix (accidentally did that this fall). 3)I don't have a grinder so I can't buy coffee beans.
Well I see this bright yellow back with the logo "FRÜH BIS SPÄT". I think Wow that is clever. I like to drink coffee in the morning (early=früh) and sometimes if I need to stay up I will drink coffee at night (late=spät). Clearly this coffee is for me. I add it to my basket and go on my way. Maybe a day or too later, I glance at the coffee package again and gasp. I finally notice another word on the package "Entkoffeiniert". Mary what were you thinking? - says myself and my roommate as she laughs at me. Just guess what that word means..... decaffenatied. I can't actually spell it in English, but I can tell you what it tastes like in Austria.
The rest are mostly all random pictures about which I had comments to offer. Above is a slide show or you can click on this link.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Not NFL Europa but pretty close
Countdown for my return to America: 2 weeks
Exams start tomorrow. I feel like I am behind on homework and studying but it will all work out in the end. This semester has gone by so fast. I think I mentioned before that with Easter and all of the church holidays that follow, we have had many long weekends. Some of the time I stayed in town and enjoyed Salzburg, but mostly I traveled with one trip in Austria to Graz and the rest of the trips in Germany.
Kyle Horne, a classmate from Wofford, came over in May to play football in the German League. Of course I can't turn down the opportunity to watch a football game, no matter what continent I am on. So for 3 weekends in May I went to watch him and his team, the Schwaebish Hall Unicorns, play. It was great. I got to meet some of Kyle's teammates which made it tons more fun to cheer for people I know slightly. I wish I could see more of their games but I was glad at least that Kyle let me and my roommate stay at his house so we could see the town he lives in (pics from that part of the trip later).
I definitely learned a lot about train travel during those 3 weekend trips to watch games. I'm glad that the trains are available, but really I miss my car for taking road trips. Check it out here. Can you tell I am proud? http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019010&id=54001446&l=789062c9a9
Below is a photo album, again with my commentary included. I think that my last posts here will be photo albums with comments or individual pictures that I post daily or so.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bicycles
I have had some unforgetful experiences in Salzburg. Anytime I hear people back in America talk about biking or cycling, here are the flashbacks and thoughts that I will have:
Tip: Fasten your bike lock onto your bike, otherwise it will fall off while you are riding and then you will attempt, unsuccessfully, to retrace your ride to find the lock.
We'll see how much my bike is worth, or if it looks valuable. A friend said that no one would want to steal my bike. I won't risk it for too long. After the holiday tomorrow I will go buy a new lock.
I felt completely unathletic aka lazy today. Usually I don't mind when people pass me on the bike path. I just think, well these older men and women have ridden bikes their entire lives, so their muscles are already strong. And the adults who pass me wearing the typical bike gear clearly spend a lot of time riding. BUT tonight I was passed by a guy who had is girlfriend riding on the front of his bike. AND I had passed them earlier, so he was clearly faster than me. Even when I passed him again 2 minutes later, it didn't count because he was biking two people.
The wind around here is pretty terrible. I don't notice, of course, when the wind is helping me bike, but oh my goodness when I am biking alongside the river... 9 times out of 10, the wind is against me and I feel so pathetic or pitiful trying to bike. I could probably run faster. Then I think well at least this is kind of a work out.
Countdown for coming home begins. 3 weeks from today (Wed July 1) I will be coming home. I will have to find a way to get rid of the bike aka sell it for more than 20 Euros even though I bought it for 50 Euros.
Well feel free to share your bike stories. Maybe I will have more stories in Ohio, if I decide to buy a bike again there.
... three days later...
Of course as soon as wrote this post more bike stuff happened. I hit a person while biking. I was following my roommate and the girl passed behind her without seeing me coming as well. I shouldn't have been biking on the pedestrian friendly street. For all I know there could be a law against biking on these roads downtown, but I was doing it. Since I began riding I've become more bold in using my bell around people. So I figured I could just ring at people so they knew I would be approaching to pass them. Apparently she didn't see me coming. So I hit her accidentally, kind lost of control and came off my bike and swerved to get back on. No one was harmed so all I could after was be annoyed and laugh it off.
Tip: Fasten your bike lock onto your bike, otherwise it will fall off while you are riding and then you will attempt, unsuccessfully, to retrace your ride to find the lock.
We'll see how much my bike is worth, or if it looks valuable. A friend said that no one would want to steal my bike. I won't risk it for too long. After the holiday tomorrow I will go buy a new lock.
I felt completely unathletic aka lazy today. Usually I don't mind when people pass me on the bike path. I just think, well these older men and women have ridden bikes their entire lives, so their muscles are already strong. And the adults who pass me wearing the typical bike gear clearly spend a lot of time riding. BUT tonight I was passed by a guy who had is girlfriend riding on the front of his bike. AND I had passed them earlier, so he was clearly faster than me. Even when I passed him again 2 minutes later, it didn't count because he was biking two people.
The wind around here is pretty terrible. I don't notice, of course, when the wind is helping me bike, but oh my goodness when I am biking alongside the river... 9 times out of 10, the wind is against me and I feel so pathetic or pitiful trying to bike. I could probably run faster. Then I think well at least this is kind of a work out.
Countdown for coming home begins. 3 weeks from today (Wed July 1) I will be coming home. I will have to find a way to get rid of the bike aka sell it for more than 20 Euros even though I bought it for 50 Euros.
Well feel free to share your bike stories. Maybe I will have more stories in Ohio, if I decide to buy a bike again there.
... three days later...
Of course as soon as wrote this post more bike stuff happened. I hit a person while biking. I was following my roommate and the girl passed behind her without seeing me coming as well. I shouldn't have been biking on the pedestrian friendly street. For all I know there could be a law against biking on these roads downtown, but I was doing it. Since I began riding I've become more bold in using my bell around people. So I figured I could just ring at people so they knew I would be approaching to pass them. Apparently she didn't see me coming. So I hit her accidentally, kind lost of control and came off my bike and swerved to get back on. No one was harmed so all I could after was be annoyed and laugh it off.
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