Holiday Season

Happy Holidays!

Christmas is coming up quite fast especially here in Austria since they celebrate one day earlier on the 24th.

I remember my parents telling me on my birthday that time would really start to fly and it has.  It seems like December just started the other day and now its well over halfway over.

I've been taking in as much of the Christmas market as I can, trying the different foods and drinks.  Unlike other souvenir shops and sights, the Christmas markets are only open around Christmas time.

Last week, we visited the Christmas market in Mariazell!

For those of you who don't know where or what Mariazell is, I have provided a small map:

Mariazell is a beautiful little city that lies near the border of the states of Styria and Lower Austria.

I don't think these photos do the actual scenery justice.  It is absolutely beautiful there!

We went by train and explored the Christmas market and the nearby sights that afternoon.

Aside from the popular Christmas markets in Vienna and whatnot, we also have a little one at home...

My host brothers enjoy making little crafts and selling them in their own little Christmas markets.  I think it is so cute and I've already visited (and bought a few things) already.

This past Sunday was my host mother's birthday!  We had a bunch of little surprises for her throughout the morning, including a stylish limousine ride wherever we went!

One of the things we did on Sunday was go on the Riesenrad, a giant ferris wheel in Vienna!  

It was quite cool, the ferris wheel has gondolas that you can stand and move around in, much like tiny rooms.

Being up high on the wheel made for some beautiful views.

This view in particular I think is a bit funny.  In the picture, you have modern buildings and a skyscraper, but you also have this much older-looking church (I think it is a church anyway).  It really sticks out and shows the differences of architecture in Austria with a mixture of old and new.

I have really been enjoying this holiday season.  I LOVE the Christmas markets and it has been cool to experience some of the traditions that my host family and Austria in general have. 

I likely won't write a blog next week because my host family and I plan to go on a skiing trip to a place not too far from Mariazell.

That is all I have for this week!

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!!

Start of the Christmas Season

Hello!

My apologies for not posting a blog last week.  It was a very slow week and nothing much happened, on top of that I was really tired and didn't think I could write a good post.

I'll just have to write for two weeks this time!

Last week, I spend Thanksgiving in Vienna with a friend.  We walked around the big Christmas market in Vienna.  Since Thanksgiving isn't celebrated out here, I was able to get a head start on the Christmas season.

We got our first snowfall of the season last Thursday (November 30th)!!!  It was quite magical being able to wake up to snow falling.  

It was also warm enough that the snow was perfect for snowman building!  So of course, my host brothers and I build a snowman.

I think the snowfall really started up the Christmas spirit, at least for me.  

This past week we made some gingerbread cookies!

The dough had already been made, but I think we all really enjoyed just cutting out (and of course eating) the cookies.

Today (December 6th) is the day of Saint Nicholas' Day.  Saint Nicholas is somewhat like America's Santa Claus.  He has a book that he checks to see if children were good or not throughout the year and he brings the good children gifts.  

There is also Krampus, who comes and takes away the bad children.  Thankfully, Krampus did not come to our house this year.

The celebration of St. Nicholas differs from country to country and possibly region to region.  For us, he came and read what good things my host brothers had done this year and gave us each a little bag of goodies.  I think my host brothers were all very excited, I don't think they stopped smiling the whole time he was here!  

This past Saturday makes 3/5 months of my exchange here in Austria.  It feels both like I have been here forever and that I haven't been here for that long at all.  Its hard to believe that I have less than 2 months left now.  I hope to make the most of it.

I go to Vienna a lot, especially with friends.  It is so nice living so close to such a big city.  A lot of times, the trips I take with my friends start out as little shopping trips and we end up in a part of Vienna we had never seen before.  I think I have discovered some of the prettiest sights, coolest stores, and nicest cafes just wandering than I have actually planning out where to go.  

I also love going to the Christmas markets in Vienna.  It is so pretty and there are so many opportunities to try "typical Austrian" foods and drinks.

Well, that is all I have for this week!

Thanks for reading!

Fun-Filled Weekend

Hello!!

This past weekend sure was an eventful one!

This past weekend, there was a small circus in our village.  I went with my youngest host brother and host mother.  It was small, but it was still pretty cool and very fun to watch!  The circus is put together by a family of 5 who all take part in and run the circus.

Saturday, I went to Klosterneuburg with a few other exchange students and some others from STS for Leopoldi Fest!  We checked out the church, slid down a really big barrel, and enjoyed the festivities.  The barrel that we slid down used to hold 1000 liters of wine.  You slide down the barrel and make a wish that will eventually come true.  

The whole event was set up like a carnival or fair with food stands, games, and rides.  The other exchange students and I walked around and enjoyed some of the food and rides!

On Sunday, I became a legal adult!  I am now 18!

 My birthday was this past Sunday and my host family really made it a good and memorable one.  We had cake for breakfast and I got some wonderful gifts from my host family (including a little Austrian dessert cookbook (; )! 

For lunch, we ate at the Donau Tower, which is a tower in Vienna with a restaurant at the top and it slowly spins to give you a 360º view of the city.  It was so amazing and the food was fantastic! 

From there, we went into the center of Vienna and took a horse carriage ride around!  Very cute and very fun!  I saw some things that I hadn't seen before and enjoyed just seeing the city in a cute little horse carriage!

Afterward, we got some desserts at a little cafe then went to check out the Christmas markets that had just opened! 

The markets are basically a bunch of little shacks lined up in rows.  They are each filled with lots of different Christmas knick-knacks.

Overall, it was an amazing day!  I am so thankful for such an amazing host family!!!

My school peers seem to notice the improvement in both my and the other exchange student's German.  Things are kind of starting to fall into place as far as understanding the language.  Both my peers and my host family have been a huge help.  In my room, I have a bunch of German words and their English translations.  Sometimes, I'll try to pronounce them or use them in a basic sentence and my host brothers correct me if I'm wrong or tell me if I'm right.  It is so cute and very helpful (:

Well, that's all I have for this week!

Thanks for reading!!

Halfway Through

Good day!

I believe that this week marks the halfway point in my exchange!  I've learned over this past two and a half months and I can't believe how fast it went by.

I haven't really stopped to reflect on the past two and a half months yet so my mind is kind of all over the place.  I do know that I feel a lot more comfortable here than I did and have normalized living so close to Vienna and being able to go there so often and just being in Europe in general.

Speaking of being in Europe, this past weekend we took a trip to Budapest, Hungary!  We went by train, which was only about three hours, and spent Saturday night there.  Most of the time we wandered and explored the sights that Budapest has to offer.  

We also took a little bus tour around Budapest and were able to see a lot and listen to some history as well.  Apparently, Budapest is two cities, Buda and Pest, that join together to make Budapest.  Buda is west of the Danube (Duna in Hungarian) and Pest is east.

Something funny that we learned when we got there, is that Hungarians don't use Euros, they use their own currency called Forints.

Hungarian Forints

However, most places in Budapest accept Euros as well as Forints.  Some places even accepted US dollars!  One Euro is about 300 Forints and a US dollar is about 265 Forints.

I was confused at first when I saw prices for stuff everywhere because the abbreviation for Forints is Ft, just like the abbreviation for feet.  I thought everything was about distances.  I had to remind myself that 

1. That's the currency and

2. They use meters anyway.

I really enjoyed exploring Budapest.  It is absolutely beautiful!!

In school, I've found that I am able to understand more and more German.  If I really focus, I can get the main idea of what someone is talking about or I can read a children's story.  It does get tiring sometimes but I try.

My peers enjoy hearing the other exchange student and I speak German.  They also speak to us in German slowly and correct us when we say something wrong, which is really sweet!

Today we had school off because of St. Leopold's Day.  Only Lower Austria (the federal state that I'm in) and Wien celebrate this day.  We just spent the day relaxing at the house (:

Well, that's all I have for this week!

Thanks for reading!

The Rest of Autumn Holiday

Hello!

We are already a week into November!


The weather still hasn't made up its mind.  It has stayed pretty chilly overall, but it warms up and cools down a lot.  Just yesterday when I walked home from the bus station and was almost sweating in my winter coat, then today when I walked home I was almost shivering!  (Not that I mind.  I like the walk after school.)


Last Thursday and Friday I visited a friend, whose name is Amelia, in Villach.  Villach is near the southern border of Austria in the federal state of Carinthia. 

 

I took a train which was about 4 1/2 hours.  I read a lot.


While I was there, Amelia showed me around and introduced me to some "typical Carithian" things and phrases.  We went and saw the Pyramidenkogel Observation Tower, which is a big tower that you can go up and get a good view of a bunch of Carinthian villages and lakes.  We didn't get the chance to go up it, but where it sits is still pretty high so we got a pretty nice view!

Pyramidenkogel Observation Tower

 We also went on a bike ride/walk to an old, broken up road that dates back to the times of the Romans. 






Something that's cool about this is that you can see where the wagon/chariot wheels dug into the road.








We also played a bunch of card games and did some baking.  I'm glad I got the chance to go out there!


The rest of the weekend was pretty calm and we didn't do too much.  I did do some baking with my oldest host brother.  I'm still getting used to baking in grams instead of cups.  Though, it is nice because you can just put the bowl on a scale and set the weight to 0g each time you add a new ingredient.


School has started up again after our week and a half off.  It just continues as normal.  Next Wednesday we don't have school because of St. Leopold's Day, which is a holiday celebrated in Lower Austria and Vienna.



I have my first German test tomorrow!  German grammar is so confusing, but our teacher is really helpful and so sweet.  I don't get grades in school out here, but I still want to try my best and do well.


  I really don't have much more to say, so I guess that's all!


Tune in next week for another episode of:  Cora's Adventures in Austria!

Thanks for reading!!

Autumn Holiday

Hello!

Tomorrow (November 2nd) it will have been two months since I got to Austria!  
I definitely speak and understand more German than I did when I first got here.  I've been able to have lots of little conversations with my host brothers.  Each night I try to do some online German exercises just to refresh what I know and to learn new vocabulary.  

I am currently in the middle of a 10 day autumn holiday from school.  It has been nice and relaxing, but I do miss school, mainly my classmates.  The weather has been pretty cold and windy, which keeps us inside most all the day.  

This past Friday was my host dad's birthday, so we all went to Bratislava, Slovakia for the day!  It's just to the east of Austria and is so pretty.  We went on a little tour on a bus/trolley type vehicle and got to see a good chunk of the city and learn some history along the way.

Bratislava really isn't that far from where we are, I think our total travel time was maybe 1 hour 45 minutes.  Even though it isn't that far, it's amazing how different people look and sound from here.

Here are some pictures I took in Bratislava:

Bratislava Castle

Bratislava Castle

Grassalkovich Palace

The picture at the very top of this post was also taken in Bratislava.

Like I said before, it has been cold out so we haven't done all that much this past week other than Bratislava.  I did go to Vienna for one afternoon but it was too windy and cold to walk around outside, but I did find this sign in one of the trains in Vienna:

It basically says that in Maryland, it's illegal to take a lion to the movies.  You would think that it would be a general assumption that you can't take a lion to the movies but nope.  It is a law specifically in Maryland.  I just thought it was funny.


Also, I decided to try playing handball!  I actually started last week but forgot to write about it.  My host mother helped me find a team, and I've gone to two practices so far!  If you don't know what handball is, I would just look it up. (;  I'm not entirely sure how to explain it.  
I've really enjoyed it so far, and the players are all so nice.  They are a team of girls from the ages of 16 to about 28.  I have played for fun at school and such but it's pretty obvious that I've never played for real before and I do spend a good amount of time standing to the side watching, but it's still a lot of fun!  I'm glad I am getting the chance to try it.

Since Halloween has come and gone, I keep thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas which has stirred back up some homesickness, since I've always spent holidays with my family.   Though, I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas differently than what I am used to and sharing some of the ways I've celebrated. 
 My host mother offered that we could celebrate Thanksgiving and I said I could try to cook some typical Thanksgiving food.  I've been thinking about how to make some little candy turkeys that one of my Grandmas makes every year for Thanksgiving (:


Speaking of holidays and Halloween being over, it's taking a lot of self-control for me to not start listening to Christmas music...


That is all I got for this week!


Thanks for reading!

Enjoying Fall

Hello!

I hope October has treated you well thus far!

It's just starting to feel like fall here.  The leaves are turning and the weather is getting cooler and staying cold all day (as opposed to cold mornings with warm afternoons).

This past week has been pretty calm.  Though, we did do some fun stuff this weekend.

Saturday afternoon, one of my host brother's friends came over and stayed until the next day.  Later on, we went for a walk along a path that goes through our village.  The weather was a little chilly but still very nice.

Though Halloween isn't really celebrated out here that much, my host mother got us all some pumpkins to carve for Halloween!

I also had a Kinder Surprise egg for the first time!  If you don't know what they are, they are a hollow chocolate egg that holds a capsule with a little toy in it. Apparently, they are illegal in the US, so I can't bring any back with me :(

I got a cute little animal print stamp in mine.

There are a few school holidays in the next week, and though it varies from school to school, my school chose to just take a whole week and a half off instead of having a few days on then a few days off.  So today was my last day for the next week and a half!

I have gotten a lot more comfortable with and better at speaking what German I know.  My classmates have started speaking more and more German with me by asking me simple questions or giving me simple answers in German.  Though, German grammar can be a headache...

That is all I have for this week!

I'm definitely looking forward to not having school for the next week and a half.  (:

Thanks for reading!

Lots of Little Adventures

Good day!

I feel like October has really flown by so far.

Last I checked I thought it was still the end of September.

This past week has been fairly eventful and full of a bunch of little adventures and experiences.

Friday I went to Vienna with a friend from school.  I don't remember all that we did, but I do remember that we found a small cafe that has cats in it just walking around.  The cats were so cute but they definitely ruled the place.  They seem to know that people will follow after them to pet them.  

Saturday my host family and I went on a hike with a bunch of families from my oldest host brothers' school.  I was able to make conversation with some of the parents and I also met another person here on exchange from Taiwan.

View from a place we stopped on our hike

Sunday morning we went to Vienna by train.  We got some roasted chestnuts from a small shop and walked past the Schönbrunn Palace on our way to the zoo.  The palace was quite beautiful, though I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy staring at it while also eating the chestnuts.  The zoo was also very nice and fun!  Part of the zoo was a big circle with a restaurant in the middle and with the exhibits as the border.

We got back from Vienna late afternoon and later went to a jazz concert.  They played a lot of Frank Sinatra and the two vocalists and band were amazing.

Tuesday left me pretty emotionally exhausted.  Our class and one other class from school went on a trip to the former concentration camp Mauthausen.  We toured around and in the former camp and saw the memorials, where soldiers spent free time, where the prisoners worked, where the prisoners lived, and where prisoners were killed.  We had a tour guide that gave us a tour spoken in German.  The teacher who was with us and a friend of mine helped translate for me.

It is one thing to learn about the Holocaust in schools and hear about it from time to time, but it really hits you when you're actually inside the former concentration camp and can look right into the gas chambers where so many people were killed.

Standing in the middle of the concentration camp

I'm glad that I have friends here to talk through the trip with.  It was a lot to process.

On a bit of a lighter note, during the bus ride back we passed by a couple buildings for a company called OBI.  I had to take pictures of the signs and I almost immediately sent them to my brother. 

I think he appreciated it.

Yesterday I got the chance to go to Vienna with another friend from school.  We spent most of the time just walking around the center.  

She also got me some Sacher Torte from the Sacher Cafe in Vienna.  It was SO good and I understand why she wanted me to try it so bad.

Yes, it tasted as fancy as it looks.

Overall, it was a good week!

Thanks for reading!

Until next week!!!