Hausaufgaben...is homework.

 01 December 2011

One word has worked itself into every aspect of the last few months of my life in Vienna: Homework.  My last semester of graduate school is almost complete and I am really looking forward to having my life back!!  Three years ago, I decided to embark on this journey through advanced education not understanding where it would lead me (or how insane it would be coupled with full-time employment!).  It has helped me understand this crazy world of clinical research to a point I did not even know was possible.  Now, with the finish line arms length away, it is overwhelming to feel the joy coated with disbelief that it will soon be over.    

The concluding moments of this past summer were marked by days of warm, beautiful weather and with me sitting outside at Café Kandinsky.  Reading, writing, pondering and being served delicious coffee and tasty creations in a great environment made my inner-student shine.  The café’s owner is a nice man who was the first Vienna-born person able to judge my accent as not only North American but from Northern Michigan. 

My late summer development of severe Achilles tendonitis and bursitis in both heals offered plenty of time to focus on homework.  It was difficult to walk, much less practice yoga…and my basketball playing and zumba shaking was completely halted.  In the days I desired to walk through Volksgarten or spend time exploring the Vienna Zoo or Schönbrunn and the surrounding grounds, I was instead sitting and healing.  And, of course, diligently churning out homework. 

Once it turned cold and sitting outside at nearby Café Kandinsky nearly threatened frostbite, I found another great location to research my final school assignments: my couch.  The wall of windows in my living room is amazing and the couch is nestled directly in the midst of it!  I have decided, one day when I build a beautiful house overlooking the sea, windows like I have now will be a mandatory component of the architecture.

On one nice Sunday afternoon, I actually took a break from homework and met up with some recently introduced folks at the Vienna Oktoberfest in the Prater.  It was big tents, lederhosen and dirndls as far as the eye could see.  Amongst the traditional Austrian heritage, the huge beers and good company were a very welcome break from all that damn homework.  And now, I leave you with some pictures as I contemplate returning to finish the last of the homework…

My spot at Cafe Kandinsky

Cafe Kandinsky is located down a beautiful walkway

Cafe Kandinsky - the view from my table...

My windows :-)

A tent in the Prater for Vienna's Oktoberfest

Girls in Dirndls holding a xylophone...only in Austria.

Full.

06 September 2011

Such a full summer it has been!  Full of travel, visitors, and fun shaken up with some intense conflicting thoughts and feelings… 

In July, I had a wind and rain filled trip to London for a weekend to see my friend from Madrid as well as my friend who lives in London.  The weekend was half tourist, half party-your-ass-off and completely no sleep!  It was a fantastically good time!  When I got back from London, I met my friend Jenn that next morning at the Vienna International Airport.  Having her come to visit me was special in many ways including because it was her first trip outside of the US and because it was very good for me to have a visitor who is as spontaneous and crazy as I am.  During her time here, we took the train to Prague for a long weekend.  Prague is an amazingly beautiful city with great options for tourists, delicious beer and the chance for entertainingly interesting learning experiences (e.g. you only talk to Nigerians if you want to buy drugs – ah! Who knew???).

A few days after Jenn left to head back to the US, I also left for the US.  Almost 3 weeks in my home country for which I was very excited!!  I continued to be very excited until a few days after I arrived back in the frustration of Washington DC.  Then I was suddenly excited to get back to Austria!  Do not get me wrong, it was really good to see my friends and reconnect on things that make cultural sense to me, but there is something about Vienna, Austria that suits me in a way Washington DC never did.  I am comfortable in Vienna - very safe, not frustrated and just comfortable. 

Upon my return to Austria in Mid-August, I found myself stuck in a tug-of-war internally.  I was almost afraid of how I felt mainly because I felt so displaced.  Here I was arriving back in a country that is not my home and yet no longer feeling like my home country is well suited to me.  I felt like I belonged everywhere and nowhere and it was an overwhelmingly lonely feeling.  Now that I have had a couple of weeks back here in good old Austria, these feelings have sorted themselves out.  There is no more tug-of-war and I am content again with being an American living in Europe.

In front of Prague Castle

In a London pub...

One of my favorite parts of being in the US was waking up at my best friend's house in Tennessee :-)

Realizing Vienna

 26 June 2011

The weather in Vienna has been a bit Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde lately.  Today concludes a fabulous four day weekend with each day spotted by rain storms and sudden drops in temperature.  Between the rain drops, however, I found enough sunshine for several activities.  I took my first motorcycle ride in about 7 years.  The ride was a little over an hour and the destination was one of the biggest lakes in Austria: Neusiedlersee.  Coming from Michigan, the lake spanning from Austria into Hungary was not so impressive in size but amazing in itself.  I also fit in a lovely bicycle ride, drinks with a few great ladies, a trip to the donauinselfest, discovery of the Millenium Center (a shopping center near the Danube), two great yoga classes, cooking delicious fresh asparagus and several lovely walks. 

Also accomplished was starting and finishing a new book from Yann Martel called “Beatrice and Virgil.”  The book sticks with me the most of all my weekend activities.  Especially the end that offered questions such as “You are about to die.  Next to you is a stranger.  He turns to you.  He says something in a language you don’t understand.  What do you do?” and, “A doctor is speaking to you: ‘This pill will erase your memory.  You will forget all your suffering and all your loss.  But you will also forget your entire past.’ Do you swallow the pill?”  These questions posed at the end of this strange story left me shocked, terrified and very thoughtful.  I decided my answer to both questions would be to simply smile truthfully and accept my fate.  In reality though, I found I had a bit of emotional complaining to do sparked by a realization.

Realizations often arrive in the most surprisingly casual way.  As I walked up the stairs to my apartment yesterday, I realized I am the only woman tenant in this upscale building of “business apartments.”  All business men reside here who have no spouses, no significant others and then there is me.  The person who is mirrored back at me by the place I live is a successful woman in a man’s world.  This is overwhelming.  I do not want to live like a man.  I am a woman who wants all those things a woman wants including a partner in life, a child, a big fluffy doggy and a home to fill with love.  Where I am right now does not define me, it is simply an interesting stop on my path filled with inevitable and blessed happiness.  Even when life is difficult, it is light.  We must always embrace this light.

The bar where we sat and had a drink on Lake Neusiedlersee



The view while sitting at the Sun Set Bar



The Donauinselfest of this past weekend - I did not bring my camera so here is a link:
http://www.2011.donauinselfest.at/

Time Travel.

04 June 2011

The last few weeks have been marked by important internal transition for me.  With my internal travels through a lifetime of thoughts, my physical body has also traveled.  Recent time spent on airplanes and long walks in new places has provided time I needed to process and become my new perspective.  Displaying a quality that may never change about me, I will tell you about the places and all the new faces but I will leave you to guess where my mind and soul has wandered through.

Berlin, Germany welcomed me on 22 May, 2011.  It is a city like no other.  Soon after my arrival, I set out to wander the streets of Mitte.  I walked slowly noticing how it is such a hodpodge of beautifully designed historic buildings, modern buildings and many 1970’s-esque industrial style structures.  Berlin is a city that does not appear to believe in matching its shoes to its belt.  The mixture, however, makes it what it is: a city with a shaded paste of murder and a complete lack of consciousness, bombed and attempted to be torn to bits, divided, reunited and rebuilt.  The rebuilding seems to continue as everywhere I turned there was construction. 

In between the construction, there was great beauty.  Museum Island, the river Spree, statues, Brandenberg Gate and the Reichstag building were all photo worthy.  I walked and walked until I saw it and it became all about one building.  The magnificent Berlinerdom absorbed my attention.  I feel in love with the building…we dated for a while, had great times and now I will always remember it fondly.  Berlin was good to me.

When speaking of beauty, nobody can overlook Paris.  I landed in France on 27 May, 2011 and though the drive from the airport was long and full of traffic, it was exciting to see everything.  I have finally been to Paris!!  The goals of my trip were to get my picture in front of the Eiffel Tower and see Erica and her family (including her brand new nephew!).  These were accomplished as well as a walk through the park, a meal at a café and a dinner of delicious Thai food. 

Despite all of the beautiful buildings lining every street in Paris and the enormous size of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower stands out in my memory the most.  Immediately upon exiting the Metro, the Tower first showed itself to me amidst a beautiful blue sky backdrop.  Poking through the trees and above the buildings, it said, “hello.”  As we walked closer, my excitement to stand under it grew and my want to go up inside it skyrocketed.  Then we got there, and I loved standing under it and looking up in amazement.  We got in line so we could go up the elevator into the Tower and suddenly, I did not want to go.  It was going to take forever and there were so many other things I wanted to do.  I quickly and firmly decided it was not the time to go up and get to know the Tower better.  It was, instead, the time for further exploration elsewhere.

After some time in Paris, I joined Erica and some friends and family at a country house in Vouzon.  We rented a car and drove the 2.5 hours south not knowing exactly what we would see or how it would be.  It was, delightfully, perfect.  Quiet, beautiful and relaxing.  Upon my return from France, an unusual period of 6 weeks with no travel commenced.  My thoughts are in a good place and my continued growth shall flourish as I relax in Vienna for a moment.

As I am in Vienna now for several weeks, with much time for reflection, I think of where I am and who I am.  It is overwhelming sometimes to think of how this lady who I became grew from so many different pots and flower beds.  So many places and situations tended in multiple spectrum ways.  Sometimes watered and fed, sometimes left for dead.  From each replanting, though, I have prevailed.

I captured it well in a poem drafted hundreds of days ago…

Reincarnation

Reincarnation?

No need to brush me off this earth

For a rebirth to occur

New forms I take

Appearance

Social status

Occupation

But the friends stay the same

In my 30 years I feel

I have lived 10,000 lifetimes

Walking varied paths

Through different worlds

Each one leading to

A peak of chaos resulting

 In change

Change in direction

Change in dimension

Change in me

Each rebirth carries

Knowledge and experience from

Each past life

There is a method to this.

Me and the Berlinerdom:-)

The Berlinerdom!

The Eiffel Tower

"T" is for Travel.

 21 May, 2011

Travel has been my only constant lately (yes, I know, not so unusual for me).  It has been great to see so much of Europe in the past few months!  So now for the most recent adventures....My last three weeks have been kept busy with two flights to Belgium (with one extended detour through the Amsterdam airport), a train trip west and one train trip south.  I have now visited Gent, Antwerp, a couple of spots in Tirol and Graz.  My first trip to Belgium was to Gent.  I loved it there and walked around for over an hour after I arrived.  I got some fantastic pictures as both my exhausted feet and the weather cooperated.  On my way home, I picked up some Belgian Truffles to share with my colleagues and everyone seemed to enjoy them at the office the next day!

My next trip was west by train from Wien Westbanhof to Kufstein.  It was about 4.5 hours on the train and the time passed quickly as I was very excited to get there.  My trip was prompted by an invite to a barbecue from a great guy who I met at a happy hour in Vienna.  It was so beautiful there…I truly did not want to leave to come back for work on Monday.

Then it was back to Belgium to visit a site in Antwerp.  I had an extended layover in Amsterdam and got to see what the airport had to offer.  It turns out it had a great bottle opener keychain to offer me which I took home with me (both because I needed a keychain bottle opener…and because I found it hilarious to have a souvenir from my “visit” to Amsterdam).  Promptly upon my return, I headed to a party thrown by two of my colleagues - I was tired after the travel home, but the party was worth it!

The last trip was to Graz.  It was another train trip, but this time through a different beautiful area in Austria: Styria.  The ride was gorgeous and even though my time in Graz was short, I got to take in the sights at the university campus.  The campus was full of lush trees and great old buildings.  I would have been happy to take a break from travel after returning from Graz…but that break will be delayed.  I leave for Berlin in the morning.

Today, however, Vienna left me much time for contemplation.  The plan was always to be in and out of here – a quick 6 months.  Now I am already looking at an additional 8 months and trying to figure out what another 8 months in limbo means.  Every place so far in my life has been only a stop along the river with no permanent camp in sight...I might have come to the point where I am done drifting.  Maybe I am tired of finding great friends only to separate from them?  Years ago, change was what I needed; now I feel like it is all I know.  When really, all I know is something has got to be enough.  I learned when I was only a child that chasing a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow only makes the end of the rainbow seem to move farther and farther away…trying to reach that ambiguous treasure gets old after a while. 

For the last several years, it has been unpack to repack, end to renew.  How about a real goal marked by motivation to make my dreams come true?  It is time for a real destination without ambiguity and a place to call home, at least for this portion of the journey.  It is my new change.  I want to change so I can be the same and actually sit still for a minute.  No more looking over the next hill (or plane ticket, or move, or train, or…).  I am going to sit still for a while…ya know, after this next trip. J



Part of the City Center in Gent



Tirol - Amazing views everywhere!



A statue in Antwerp



Easter in Romania

 08 May 2011

A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to Romania for the first time.  It was amazing!

I have been to the land through the trees and discovered a place where it is so easy to breathe.  Transylvania welcomed me calmly with a friendly offer to “just sit where ever you like” from the driver hired to pick me up in Sibiu and drive me to Brasov.  I am happy I chose Brasov as the place where I would spend my first night in Romania.  The people were so friendly, the views so diverse and everything was so affordable.  Casa Wagner was my home in Brasov.  Raluca, at the front desk, was very helpful and made sure I was secure in the directions she gave me as I explored the town.  She also arranged a driver to take me to Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s Castle) on my second day as well as drive me back to Sibiu. 

To explain more thoroughly why I felt the region of Transylvania is a place where it is so easy to breathe… Perhaps it was all the trees (either the extra oxygen...or the serene forests created by uncluttered ground and further than average spaced trees)?  Perhaps it was the comforting tone of voice offered by the locals?  In the end, I am convinced there is something special and blessed about the land.    Transylvania is not flashy, fun-filled or exotic, but it was soothing.  Maybe it has more to do with my state of mind than the place itself, but it is a special place that gave me time to relax and refocus. 

The Romanian language sounds very similar to Italian and is very pleasant to hear.  When I was not listening to locals talk or taking in the views, I was in the car.  On my rides between Sibiu and Brasov, I was intrigued to see so many hitchhikers ranging from business men to women with small children.  The driver was the same all weekend and on the way from Bran Castle back to Sibiu on Saturday afternoon, I explained to him how similar the landscape was to N. Michigan (minus the mountains).  He thought it was great that there was somewhere in America that looked like Romania and decided to drive me back on country roads so I could see more of it.  The drive back was amazing and I got to see shepards moving flocks of sheep along the road which also curved by a gypsy camp.  It was a great trip for the long Easter weekend.







The square in Brasov





One of the views from the top of Bran Castle



Bran Castle



Sheep!



Volkssommer.

09 April 2011

            The month of April is off to a great start!  Vienna comes alive in the springtime with such vibrancy characterized by a billion activities focused at those who live here, not just tourists (unlike other cities in which I have resided that shall remain nameless...and here in Vienna, I will call it Volkssommer, where summer is for the people).  Vienna does, however, throw in a few tourist-centric activities but they seem to keep those quarantined to the Rathausplatz. 

            I learned there is one whole department of the city government focused only on keeping the greenery and flowers beautiful and alternating the arrangements appropriately as the seasons progress.  This knowledge was acquired as I walked through the city this past Sunday with a new friend and neighbor.  She used to work as a tour guide and was able to offer me some interesting insights in a manner only a former tour guide could master.  I learned one of the huge structures near Stephansdom was to honor those who died or thank God for those who lived (or something like that) during the time of the plague. 

We set out that sunny Sunday afternoon in search of the 1^st district Easter markets.  Unfortunately, we discovered they did not open until the following weekend.  But this may have actually made things better because it gave us a chance to wander to the Rathausplatz and catch the bike expo that included a mountain bike jumping competition.  (The guy from the US was pretty awesome and took second place – go USA, go USA!).  I also had my first beer/lemonade concoction that is known as a “cyclist” and it was yummy.

            This week’s top highlight was going to Rock the Ballet in Halle E of the Museumsquartier.  It was thoroughly entertaining!  Here is the breakdown…the show opened with the Black Eyed Peas’ song “I Gotta Feeling” and out came the “amazing boys of dance” in brightly colored T-shirts and jeans.  They hyped the crowd and showed a preview of only about 1/8 of their dance potential.  This was followed by the introductory number for the one female in the show to Lenny Kravitz’s version of American Woman.  Then the rock and roll stopped and classical ballroom music started quickly followed by laughter as the guys entered stage-left dancing with pornshop blow-up dolls!  It was hilarious and amazingly choreographed.  Then there were several songs and a whole emotional love/hate relationship sequence between the one female dancer and the male lead (who happened to be the tallest dancer I have seen in a while! Hotness!).  The first half closed and when the second half opened, I finally saw what these “amazing boys of dance” could do!  The stage was dark except a screen in the back covered in one bright color after another and the dancers were shadowed.  It was stunning as they curved and moved their bodies so fluidly that you could feel the amazement ripple through the crowd.  The best part came next… The guys took their shirts off!!  That’s right, these amazing male specimens with their perfect pecs and abs bared their chests and made the women scream.  There was a nice Michael Jackson montage to round out the show and it ended in an encore of Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” and yes, they were!!

            Last night, I had my first date in Vienna.  A very nice guy took me out for a drink at Sky Bar.  I loved Sky Bar and he was...nice.  Another nice guy with whom I have absolutely no chemistry with bites the dust.  At least I have confirmed this unfortunate class of men exist in Austria, and not just America.  As my co-worker assured me last night after I got home, it is summer and a good man will come along.  Until then, I will soak up the sunshine and enjoy myself.

The Statue Remembering the Plague

 

Mountain bike jumping competition in front of the Rathaus



 The only picture I could take...such a great show!

About to walk out the door for my date!

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

01 April 2011

It is the first day of April and in the past month I have expanded my geographic familiarity while making myself exhausted!  My visit to Madrid to see Mr. Adam J. Martin, who is also from the great state of Michigan, rounded out the month of February.  Madrid is a city so alive, beautiful and fun, yet slightly soured by a lack of cleanliness.  The Prado museum’s Goya exhibit was exhaustingly fulfilling.  The tour of the Palacio de Real was more emotional than I imagined a walk through former living quarters could be…some of the rooms, like the throne room, had heaviness to it.  It was strange how all of a sudden when we entered the throne room, everyone started speaking in whispered tones and moving more slowly.  My time in Madrid was a whirlwind that ended with a drink at Why Not, where the YMCA is still alive and well!

After Madrid came Dubrovnik Croatia.  The Southern Dalmatian Coast was amazing!  Adriatic Sea views were framed by terracotta rooftops placed like steps up the mountain.  One of my best friends met me in Croatia where we walked, wandered, shopped, climbed and on the third day, we drove to Montenegro.  Montenegro was not nearly as much of a pleasure as Croatia.  Upon our return to Dubrovnik, we promptly sought out more Croatian red wine to erase the misery we viewed on our drive through a land still touched by war.  Speaking of Croatian wines, and changing the subject from war, wow!  Amazing taste and very well-priced.  I was sad I did not purchase any to bring home…well, until my bag was stolen at the Zagreb airport and I realized the wine never would have made it to Vienna to be enjoyed by me anyway.  Outside of the stolen luggage, my first trip to Eastern Europe was a great adventure!

The middle of March marked my first ski trip that involved real mountains.  My company took us to the Austrian Alps where I rekindled my love of skiing!  The views, the powder, the après-ski party!  It was all fantastic.  After our day on the slopes at Flachau, we met up to drink and sing songs.  Some were Austrian ski songs…but there were a few American songs thrown in like Sweet Caroline, Country Roads, and Highway to Hell followed by some electronic dance music strongly stating “Barbara Streisand” every 5 seconds!  It was hilarious and so much fun!

Shortly before the ski trip, I found out that upon my return from the ski trip, I had to head to the US for a week in the Gaithersburg, Maryland office.  I loved seeing my friends in the evenings (dinner at Ray’s the Steaks with Sarah and Jen was perfect and so necessary!) but it was really stressful to be at that office.  As of yesterday, everyone I loved working with there is gone due to layoffs and new jobs.  I am finally thankful there will be no job for me there when I leave the Vienna office to go back to the US.

Now, I am back in Vienna and springtime decided to meet me here!  The sun is shining and the rain is falling (yes, the weather is as confused as I was upon hearing my COO yell out “Barbara Streisand” on the post-ski dancefloor), the flowers are blooming and I need a new umbrella.  Hello April, so happy to spend 27 of your days in Vienna, Austria J 

 Adam and I leaving the Palace

 A View of Dubrovnik

The Austrian Alps

A social life is good!

 24 February 2011

The lack of any new blog entries is directly related to my recent acquisition of an actual life in the lovely city of Vienna.  I now have both Austrian, various international and American friends.  There are already so many things to do here and everyone says that social activities spike sharply once the temperature gets above 20°C (that would be almost 70°F). 

This weekend, I will be visiting Madrid Spain for the first time.  It is so exciting to think of both the city and the company I will keep there.  I hope Madrid is ready for me because I am certainly ready for it!

During the past week, I joined a gym, made going to a private Sunday evening aerobics class a regular thing (going two weeks in a row = “regular thing”), met up with a group of expats at a bookswap, and went bowling with co-workers.  I got 4 strikes and a few spares.  Please feel free to apply that description to any of the activities I have described in this paragraph.

One of the ladies I met at the bookswap is American but works between Austria, Germany and the US.  We had an instant connection and exchanged contact info plus have plans to go shopping for Mexican food (she knows of a store that has all the Mexican staples) and then out to dinner.  She is a very pretty lady and has an excellent ability to really look at you and focus her energy toward you while having a conversation.  I already know I will continue to enjoy her company!

I have my first German/English language exchange set up with a student at the local University.  He needs assistance with his English class presentations…and well, I just need help!  It is a great way to work on language skills and is facilitated by a website called Tandem City.  He sent me a message after I set up a profile and we established a time and place to meet last weekend.  Simple!

Another simple thing was ordering a new camera from Amazon.at when my Fuji finally decided it was time for retirement.  I got a cute little red Samsung that was one of the few cameras not overly priced compared to their American counterparts.  I received it yesterday and will resume to capture photographic evidence of my time in Vienna promptly.

My favorite little neighborhood pub, called Café 2K, has continued to be a good source of entertainment for me.  The owner is still fantastic: lots of fun, helpful and willing to translate.  I met a new bartender this time – his name is Herbert but because Herr is the German word for Mister, we joked and called him Mister Bert.  On the same evening I met Mister Bert, the owner introduced me to a gentleman who thought it was terrible that I had not yet had Weiner Schnitzel – he got up from the bar and ran around the corner to get me a typical Austrian meal.  It was yummy and hilarious!  Then I excused myself 2 drinks later when he started talking about wanting to kiss me…

A Kino.

11 February 2011       

The remembrance of emotions other than shock and excitement marked my evening.  Not in a bad way.  In a way found at the Artis International kino in the middle of Vienna.  I spent 112 minutes watching the big Hollywood movie about the girl who wasn’t perfect and the self-conscious womanizer who was redeemed as she fell apart…so he could put her back together and they could live happily ever after.  Yes, they needed (and had) each other.  And then I remembered it.  I remembered feeling alone.  Ugh!  It followed me all the way across the Atlantic Ocean!  Loneliness, you are truly not wanted here.

Good thing I quickly walked out of the theater into the cold night filled with centuries old cobblestone and pretty store windows.  Very quickly feeling alone was once again nicely replaced with oooh and ahhh.  Which is good, and only, for now.

And also for now, I am continuing to make good friends.  I met one new friend at Rochus tonight after work (before the movie).  Rochus is a great café/restaurant/bar on Landstrasser Haupstrasser (the main road by my apartment).  It is very urban and young, which is unlike many of the other spots in this part of town.  No matter where I was sitting, though, I was with good company.  That company was a lady with a good heart who I learned a bit more about tonight.  One thing that made me feel closer to her was learning she has also been married before.  Her marriage ended in a much different way than mine, but it ended.  When it ended, she started her life completely new.  Sometimes new, with its ooohs and ahhhs, is exactly what a soul needs.