a bitter-sweet 'bis bald'!

So, today is my last day in with my Austrian family, and I'm going out with a bang!  Gisi turns 7 today and the whole family is in town for a celebration.  We will have a big meal for lunch, make homemade pizzas for dinner and top it off with Gerburtstag Torte :)  I'm really gonna miss them; I cannot believe that it has already been a month, crazy...  But also, I am super pumped for Freiburg.

But first, I must catch you up on the past week.  Last night we returned from a week long ski vacation in Ausseerland, a mountainous region (part of the eastern Alps) about 2 hrs away from Weiz.  It was wonderful.  The first day we got there it was a beautifully warm day for skiing, probably about 40 degrees.  Lets just say, I didn't exactly know what I was getting into.  I wiped out a good hand full of times.  The mountains are bigger, steeper, snowier, bumpier, I guess all around more intimidating than my previous skiing experiences (even CO).  Probably any black diamond I have ever skiied would be an intermediate slope here. So, I have some gnarly bruises...none the less,  I caught the hang of the runs and had so much fun.  I have never skiied so much in my life; we skiied 6 full days in a row.  They don't kid around ;)  Gerda taught me some new tricks and we had a blast gunning it down the mountain and through the trees.  Also, just so you can get a better picture (also you an look at my facebook pictures), you have to ride 3 pretty lengthy chairlifts to the top.  On the clear days, being at the top was absolutely breath taking!  Gahhh!  I really love mountains... Even on the cloudy days it was awesome because we would ride a chair lift up through clouds and then ski through them again on the way down.  Your ears even pop on both trips.  We would eat lunch about half way up the mountains at a Gasthaus, usually a toast (grilled cheese with ham) or a Riesengerm Knodel (a soft yeast roll filled with plum preserves and drenched in vanilla sauce :)

But yeah! Overall the skiing was fantastic.  Also, one day we went to a indoor spa-poolish thing...oh my, it was so funny. It was everything you would expect...speedos, hair, and naked kids.  I guess thats four words...whatever. 

But alas!  It is Sunday.  Tonight I have a 13 hour train ride to Freiburg, where my German friend Betti will meet me at the train station (that is, assuming I will make all the correct train connections and not end up in Prague!) 

Quick list of things I will be leaving/thing I am going to miss:

-hilariously adorable kids

-homemade bread, butter, milk man delivered milk

-the thick Austian dialect of German

-days with absolutely no schedule

Quick list of things I am leaving here:

-hopefully a good (or better) impression of Americans

-a hand full of new card games

-the knowledge that all Americans don't all survive on McDonalds diets and media centered entertainment

And last but not least, some tings I will be taking with me:

-6 cuts of meat, 3 jars of marmlade and 1 liter of juice (all from their farm) and a bag of Lebkuchen!

-hopefully better German speaking

-and so many priceless memories and some good laughs

Sorry this was so long!  I miss you all and will be able to use skype soon, if you are interested.  Bis bald! 

when cultures collide!

So, I have decided that if food and music aren't the quitessence of culture, than I don't know what is.  

Cultural Collision 1:  Thus far, the most of the music that I have experienced from the radio here has been either 80's pop/rock (think ABBA), hip-hop hits of today (think Flo Rida) or occasional German pop artists.  It has been both funny hearing Austrian kids singing the words to American rap songs, because they don't always know what they are saying. 

Cultural Collision 2:  When I got here two weeks ago, the Artners asked if I would make them a 'real American meal' sometime.  Yesterday one set of grandparents and an Uncle were in town, and guess who was cooking??  So, I decided that I would make beef chilli and twice baked potatoes.  I was able to get most of what I needed at the market and in a grocery store, but everything is just a little different.  For example, cheddar cheese does not exist.  None the less, I managed to do ok and only spilled one whole pitcher of milk into my sock :/  The meal went splendidly and they all wanted to know what was in the potatoes (butter, milk, cheese, garlic, and onions).  None of them had ever had an American meal, so it was fun to see them enjoy it.  I told them this type of food would probably be eaten when watching football...they said they wanted American... We finished off the meal with my favorite coffee that I brought them from the Pour House. Nifty!  

Weiz life, etc.

The weather here has been beautifully warm and windy, so I have enjoyed spending time outside playing with the little ones, reading, or walking around downtown Weiz.  This past weekend we had a grill-out and enjoyed delicious kabobs, grilled potatoes and veggies, salad and wine.  It was great!  Often times in the morning I attempt to read the local news paper, but mostly just end up reading the titles and looking at the pictures :)  None the less, I understand that there is a lot of violent conflict occuring at the moment in Egypt.  During the grill-out Herr Artner asked me what I thought of American involvement in foreign affairs...it was a pretty commical scene, trying to explain what I thought of American politics with a limited vocabulary. Over all, it has been really fun to tell them about my life in America and experience the way they live here.  Much is the same and much is different.  Kids aren't allowed to wear shoes in school!  So cool!  On Sunday, I met their grandparents, which was awesome. If you have seen the movie My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding, and remember the grandfather character, that is who I met.  It was so funny, the entire time he was talking about root words and language evolution and also loved talking to me in english (score!).  Yesterday I wandered around their town of Weiz for awhile, enjoying the scenery.  And today, baked some bread with Tina, one of the nannies and the two yougest kids.  I miss you all and hope life in America is just swell :) 

good thing I am no longer a vegetarian :)

Gruß Gott! (my new favorite greeting, translated means something like, "I'm greeting God in you."...roughly...but really, it is just a way of saying hello.)  Anyways, I made it!  I am in a small town in Austria called Weiz.  The family I am staying with has 4 children, Gerda, Georg, Gisela, and Güdrun.  They are ages 12, 7, 5 and 3, and all adorable.  Also, they have 4 cats, 2 dogs, 1 donkey, 12 horses (not all at the house), and many chickens, ducks and geese.  Thus far, I have survived the jet lag, eaten great food (lots of meat), and seen a bit of the Austrian country side.  It's very beautiful here, rolling hills, winding roads, and houses settled in the woods.  Tomorrow, I am going into Gerda's English class to talk to them about the American school system.  And after that we are going to go to Graz, the second biggest city in Austria, to do some exploring.  My German speaking is pretty challenging as they speak in dialect, but they are all very patient.  I have found that the cartoons that the little ones watch are as beneficial for me as they are entertaining for them.  More stories to come...peace!