I forgot what classes feel like

Whew! So, I actually had classes this week. Our German Language class continued for 3 hours a day in the afternoons and we got culturally sensitized in the mornings which actually wasn't that bad. I learned a little about Austria, and got to see a part of Linz I had never been to before. We had group project where each group got a list of directions to a part of Linz we had probably never been. We had to take pictures of our place and find a person who lives there to interview. My group lucked up and only got sent a few tram stops down from where we live, but it was in a part of town that was really really nice. It was the first big houses I had seen in the city since I have been here. They were all very modern and all looked quite expensive. The modern architecture still throws me off, but I would love to live in one of these houses. They are on the side of a hill so you get a great view and there is a really old church at the top of the hill with walking trails all around it. The lady we interviewed was really nice and I was lucky that the other members in my group all spoke better German than I do.

I got confirmation of registration for all the classes I wanted yesterday, so that is very good. As of right now, I only have classes Monday afternoon, some Tuesdays, and Wednesday afternoon. Awesomeness. One of my classes doesn't have dates and I am a little worried about that. I probably need to email someone and see what is up. Scheduling at ETSU sucks. I was going to take genetics this summer after I got back, but now it is not offered the term they initially said it would be. I may still take some summer classes either cell bio or possibly German...I am still entertaining the idea of turning my anthro. minor into a second major and I would need some more foreign language credits, I think, to do that. We shall see; it all kinda depends on what classes are offered next semester and when. I was also looking at the new Carrer Services site...thinking maybe of foregoing classes for a summer job or internship if Icould find something in the right field that is still taking applications for summer. Whatever. I am not going to loose sleep about my summer plans while I am here.

I have got big plans for tonight and may go to a concert/party thing tomorrow, more news on that to come. Well, I am exhausted from actually having to wake up and go to class...I even had to take a test today, so I am going to catch a quick nap before I go out tonight.

Wow, I can't believe it has been a week since my last post! Time is starting to move fast here. My German class is going well. We have had alot of information thrown at us all in a very short amount of time, but I am at least starting to get the hang of some of the basics. I feel much more empowered when I go into shops and can recognize some of the words people are saying to me. I am a little worried about the test we have at the end of this week which determines if we pass the course, but I will deal with that later. Starting a new language is hard because you have to start at the very beginning and it feels kinda like being back in kindergarten. I also have another class starting at the end of this week called Cultural Sensitivity Training...which I guess with help me to become more culturally sensitive.
Other than classes, I have been finding lots of stuff to keep busy with. We have been enjoying the fact that class doesn't start until 2:30 and staying out late. I had a particularly interesting night at a club where it was lady's night a few days ago. Rachel and I were talking about how odd it is that all of our friends in the States are getting ready for midterms and I haven't even started real classes yet...but I guess I will make up for that when I am still in class in the middle of June.
Last Saturday our group took a tour of Mauthausen which was a concentration camp and is now a museum and memorial. It was a very emotional experience and definitely not happy, but I am glad that we got to go there. In a way, I think that our group going to Mauthausen was particularly poetic because it was hatred and fear of "the Other" that caused much of the atrocities committed by the S.S., yet we are such a diverse group of people who have all come together to learn more about each other and become friends. Below are a few pictures, there are more on Picassa which I now have a link up for on the upper Left hand side of the page. Hope everything is well with everyone else! Oh, and Laura asked me if I had heard anything about the protests here, and I have not. I didn't eve know they were going on until she told me about them, but rest assured that I will not be getting in to trouble while I am here. The last thing I want is to end getting deported.

This is a picture of the quarry and the "stairs of death" where prisoners where forced to carry huge stones up and out of the quarry for 8-12 hours a day.

One of the watch towers where guards watched from above as prisoners suffered in the overcrowded yards. In some places, guards would not enter the actual yards because of the disease that was so rampant among the prisoners.

One of the many memorials now in place to remember the people who suffered in Mauthausen.

Grüß Gott

Today was our first day of Intensive German Language class and man was it intense. 3.5 hours of trying with frustration to pronounce that guttural back of the throat thing that only native speakers can really do...ha! But most of the people in the class were about on the same level as me, there was a small group of people who actually know something about German that were bored out of their minds while the rest of us were completely lost, trying to make sense of the half-english, half-German instructions our teacher was giving us. So, it should be an interesting next two weeks. I still am not sure what classes I am going to be taking this semester, right now it is looking like a random mix of electives because all of the science classes I wanted are only being taught in German. On the bright side, class doesn't start till 2:30 tomorrow, so I am going have some fun tonight, and I got a sweater from H&M yesterday for 5 euros! Wish me luck tomorrow as I attempt to pay my rent. Hope everything is under control back home!

Schlierbach and Steyr

Greetings! Saturday all of the International Students took a trip to another part of Upper Austria (the state of Austria that I live in) to do some sight seeing. First we went to Schilerbach which is a monastery decorated in Baroque fashion. The monastery used to hold hundreds of monks, but now is an elementary school. I can not imagine going to school in a place decorated like this.

We also got to go inside the Beauty and the Beast-like library.

The monastery is also now know world wide for their cheese production and for housing several famous glass makers. The end of the tour led us to a gallery where we could see some of the famous glass pieces and sample the cheese! The gallery also had an incredible view of the mountains and the town below.

We spent the rest of the day of the city of Steyr which was founded in medieval times. The picture below is of the palace where the lord of the town used to live. The city was beautiful, but Saturday was the coldest day we have had so far. It snowed on and off while we were there and we had to continually take breaks from our wandering the city to sit in cafes. What a life!

Saturday we also hit up a club, or disco as they say here, in Linz which was quite fun. Europeans really can't dance, so I fit right in and they played American eighty's music most of the night. No joke Vanilla Ice, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Rapper's Delight all came on back to back at one point. I relaxed Sunday and we hung out in the dorm, today will be much of the same and a little getting ready for German classes to start tomorrow. I have more pictures of my trip on my Picassa page and am going to try to get a link up for that soon. Look for it on the side of my blog.

Hit the nail on the head

Yesterday and today were filled with more orientation stuff, ie tons and tons of information being thrown at us through thick Austrian accents, but I am starting to feel like I have my feet on the ground here. I have gotten all the really important stuff mostly figured out and everything else will work itself out as time goes along. Last night, the mentors took all of the international students to a local pub to help us unwind...we descended upon this little pub for a specific reason: nalgn. A game to be played while drinking, but not a drinking game. To play nalgn, several people gather around a sawed off tree trunk and all players start their nail by tapping it into the wood so it stands on its own. Players then compete to see who will be the first person to get their nail completely nailed down. Each player gets one swing to try to hit the nail and then must pass the hammer on to the next person in the circle. Things are further complicated as players are only allowed to use the wrong side of the hammer. Here are a couple of pictures:

As you can see, we had a great time last night. Today I continued to get stuff done on campus this morning. I was supposed to have a meeting with a professor to discuss my classes today, but he didn't show up...I guess some things are universal. This afternoon, my mentor took some of us to Ikea to get supplies for the dorm. I now have a cup, plate, and cooking supplies! Cooking will be much easier now. I am always amazed by Ikea, my whole trip only cost about 25 Euros and I came out with a ton of stuff. Then we ate at an Austrian restaurant where I had the Strudel and it was delicious. Well, I am turning in early tonight because we are taking a trip with the school tomorrow and leaving early in the morning.

Address

This is my address while I am here:

Emily Smith
Julius-Raab-Straße 10 Room 214
A 4040 Linz

And, I just got a cell phone, well I am borrowing a phone:

+43-676-4802256

And its getting better all the time

Greetings all! Everything is starting to come together here in Linz. Last night I attended my first kitchen party which are apparently a nightly occurrence here in the dorm. The students who were here last semester are carrying on a tradition from semesters past. I met many new people including many Czechs and a couple Italians. They were all incredibly nice to me and more than willing to practice their English on me while we played a couple rounds of foozball (you always want the Italians on your team). My suitmate also moved in yesterday; her name is Monica and she is from Poland. She is also incredibly nice and came with 3 other Polish girls who are also very friendly. So, things here are getting quite a bit busier and quite a bit more fun.

We had our first day of orientation today where I met more of the international students; there are people here from all around the world. I have to do alot of registering: for the city, the university, my classes, my health insurance...but there are some people around to help me get all of it worked out. We also took a guided tour of the city today. Linz is a very interesting city. Part of the city looks like an old European town while other parts of the city are made up of very modern buildings. I think the look of the city was purposeful as it reflects both the history of the city and the steel and chemical industries that are located here as well. Of course, the green way was one my favorite parts of Linz. It is located on the west side which is the hilly side. We took a walk through one of the parks and came to a point where we could look out over the whole city including the Danube River which was breath-taking today (a cloudy, foggy, cold day) and I can't wait to get back there on a clear day because supposedly the Alps are visible in the back ground of it all. I know, I know, you are wondering where the pictures are, well I didn't think to grab my camera this morning, but don't worry. I won't be making that mistake again.

I finished up my day hanging out with the Polish girls who tried to give me a lesson in Polish, but I had a hard time with it. Poland would be a horrible place to live if you could not say you sh-'s properly. And another kitchen party although I had to turn in a little early because I am exhausted and have another long day tomorrow. How is everything at home-wherever you may be? Till next time!

getting moved in

Well, I have spent the last couple of days since my last post getting moved in, unpacked, and learning my surroundings. My room is nice, an average sized dorm room, bed, desk, etc. The best part is that my room opens out into another room where my closet, bathroom and a small kitchen are. Eventually, I will share my room with another person and the outer room with a third person, but neither of those people are here right now, so it is just me. My favorite part about my room by far is the fact that the lights in the outer room are motion activated-no light switches-as is the sink in the bathroom. Very high-tech.
Yesterday Elmar, my mentor, took me on a tour of the campus. It is a little smaller than ETSU which I am glad for because it means I have a hope of eventually learning my way around. All of the buildings surround a duck pond which makes it totally cute. The campus seems nice, there are several coffee shops and even a bar in the student center-there is no such thing as a dry campus in Austria. I found out where the International Studies Office and REFI (the student organization for international students) are located, so that will be helpful in the days to come. I also found a grocery store yesterday and stocked up on food (and it only took me two tries to buy it! My first time through the line I learned that the store didn't take visa, so I had to go to the bank outside and get cash).
Today I spent more time exploring the parts of the city near my dorm. I got an important lesson in using cross-walks from a nice Austrian lady who fortunately spoke some English, and I found where some other stores were located and was able to buy a towel, shampoo, and conditioner. All very important things when making friends is a goal. I am starting to slowly meet people. Next week alot more of the people who are studying here this semester will be arriving and we have some activities with REFI, so I am sure I will meet many more people then. I don't really have big plans for tomorrow, apparently everything closes down on Sundays, so maybe I will get a chance to meet more people in the dorm. With some help from Laura, I am starting my German lessons a little early. I am trying to learn how to say "I'm sorry, but I don't speak German" and a few other phrases so that people in shops won't think I am rude or crazy or both. Until next time!

Oh, and if anyone has skype, my skype name is emilys52486, same as my aim, and I just got an ICQ name, but I don't remember it. I will look it up and put it on here later!

Well, I am here

Hello, all! I made it to Austria safe and sound. After a rushed last night in the States spent packing, I spent my morning getting all the last minute stuff I realized I had forgotten. Mom and Aunt Nancy dropped me off in the Knoxville Airport and I left for DC. The weather was a little bad which made for a bumpy flight, but we made it okay and I made it to my next gate with time to spare. The flight from DC to Frankfurt was long (as expected), but not too bad. I was in the canter isle seat, but the person who was supposed to sit next to me got up and moved giving me two seats to stretch out on. I still didn't sleep a wink and arrived in Frankfurt groggy. I found my next flight (that airport is a maze) and went through security again (they don't mess around). The last flight from Frankfurt to Linz was short, and seemed even shorter to me since I fell asleep before we even took off. I woke up when I felt the descent begin and quickly looked out the window to see my new city. Linz is very nice looking from above...nothing like the US. My mentor picked me up at the airport and took me on a driving tour of Linz before taking me to my new dorm. The city looks like it is going to be a great place to live. The town center is exactly what stereotypical European towns should look like complete with cobblestone and a statue. I got checked into my dorm and found my room. My roommate has already moved in, but she is not here tonight. Many of the rooms around me are under construction (and I thougt I would be able to get away from that), so I don't think there are very many people living on my floor right now. After making a couple of calls when I got here, I crashed and took a very very long nap...making me wide awake at 4 am, thus the long post. Well, thats about everything I have done so far. I'm going to unpack now and maybe take another nap here in few hours in order to try to get on some type of sleeping schedule. I hope everyone is doing well!