polling

Hey there

I was having trouble getting this weeks poll to work.  You can expect in the next day or so... or next week.  :-)  We'll see.

I have one more day left of freedom before tests and teaching start again.  I'm going to enjoy every last minute that I have remaining to relax.  Okay, that's not true- any one who has ever taught knows that a vacation isn't complete without working on lesson plans.  I will also work on some things for BLAST (we have another school the 6-8th of March).  And.. I have a test on Wednesday morning.  Sooo, really, I am only going to pretend to spend my last minutes relaxing when in reality I am working on many things.  

Happy Monday!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

and in case I don't come back again before then- Happy Ash Wednesday!

Frühstück (Sorry, Jason!)

I must say, I've really grown fond of the typical Austrian breakfast.  A cup of coffee or black tea along side some bread with meats and cheeses and a bowl of joghurt and fruit makes for the perfect start.  I even like the sour joghurt now.  The family I am staying with here in Hrvatska drinks Turkish coffee.  Yes, Debbie, it's that "nasty stuff" we gave Ebert.  While it's pretty good when made correctly, it still isn't the best coffee I've ever tasted.  In fact, I always feel a bit queazy as I finish the last few sips.  

Back to the typical Austrian breakfast, though.

Bread-

The bread in Austria is delicious.  There's a great variety of darker, whole-grain breads.  I'm not a huge fan of many of them yet, but it will come with time...maybe.  Toast is commonly on my menu.  It's cheap and it lasts longer.

My all-time favorite bread here is the laugenstange. Basically, it's a pretzel stick but doesn't have to have salt on it. Mmm... it's so good with the "good cheese" (description coming soon).

Meats- Austria is known for it's sausages and salamis.  Out of respect for a favorite reader who happens to be pregnant with handsome Levi whom I'd really rather not make sick, I won't include pictures.  The meats are of all different kinds.  There are salamis from beef, pork, venison, and so on.  There are pepper-stuff salamis and cheese salamis.  There are some that have so many chunks of extra stuff that it makes me sick to my stomach when I see it.  Needless to say, I've learned to try the salami without looking at it first.  It seems to taste better if I don't see what's in it.  

Cheeses- Cheese here is hard, soft, spicy, sweet, strong, or mild.  My preferred cheeses are tilsiter, gouda, and butterkäse.  Butterkäse (Butter cheese) is what some of us have resolved to calling the "good cheese."  There's a particular brand that is absolutely delicious.  Mmm.  It's a soft and mild cheese that has a great taste with the laugenstange and salami (and it's not expensive!).

That's my typical breakfast on later mornings.  Mornings with an earlier start, I usually just have toast with butter and joghurt with fruit.  

What do YOU prefer for breakfast?  Check out this week's poll and leave a comment about your choice.

Learning Lessons

This week has been a very productive week.  I'm slightly impressed with myself.  Combining our productivity rates, Julia and I decided that we had good reason for a movie night last night.  A set of bagpipes made a short appearance in our film.  That's when the following conversation took place:

J: (excitedly asks) What do you call those in English?"  

C:  Bagpipes.  

J: (now sounding very disappointed)  Really?  That's it? 

C:  Mmhmm

J: (very matter of factly)  We call it Dudelsack (doodle-sack).

Sometimes, German just makes me smile.  Dudelsack is FAR better than "bagpipes"...

Oh, and I learned this week that the Electric Slide isn't international.  I never would have guessed.  I taught one of my 14 year old classes the Slide yesterday and tomorrow I'll be teaching the 12 year olds.  Ahh... still changing this world one adolescent at a time.

Valentine's Poll

The new poll is up- What's your favorite TRADITIONAL Valentine's gift?

Before I respond to the current poll, let me respond in retrospect.  :-)

While I love the fun of the "Big Game" on Superbowl Sunday, being a Husker means EVERY game is a "Big Game" during college football season.  Therefore, the pro's leave me bored.  I love the heat of March Madness and the World Series.  I think this is the Marylander in me- Baseball and Basketball.  What can I say?  

Back to this week's poll-

Chocolate is an easy winner for every day.  My favorite Valentine's gift to give and receive would definitely be homemade valentines, though I'll settle for a printed card.  

Have a great week!

Don't forget to post a comment about WHY you choose your answer!

Happy... Anniversary?

Well, I'm not entirely sure what to call it, but as of Thursday, Feb 5th, I've been here for 6 months! WHOO HOO! Here are some photos from these first 6 months.

Regine and I at our GINORMOUS "brunch" with the Kirschen and Co. [August]

Jason, Julia, me, and Denisha storming the Hohensalzburg (High Salzburg Fortress/Castle). [August]

Steve during bar ministry in Wolfsberg. [October]

Julia and I at Nevena's Matura Ball! [November]

Some of the girls from my Deutschkurs at the Kunsthaus. [December]

Joy playing in the snow on a Carinthian mountain the day after Christmas. [December]

New Years was PERFECT with Steph and the other Nebraskan girls here! [December/January]

I have some more pictures from a January trip to Bavaria but I've been too lazy to upload them from my camera- you'll just have to wait.  

What's coming in the next months?

February- A trip to Zagreb, Croatia for a worship rehearsal.

March- Advanced Schools, Sarah will be in Germany, and probably another worship rehearsal in Zagreb.

April- Who knows?

May- Women's Conference in Sarajevo (I'm playing for worship there and this is why I have rehearsals in Zagreb), my birthday, CLE IS COMING (lots of playing and a trip to Italy and/or Budapest)

I don't know anything beyond May at this point.  :-)  But these are the things you have to look forward to hearing about!

Life and Blog Update

My application for the Fulbright Teaching Assistantship is nearly complete. I should receive my UNL transcripts tomorrow 9according to FedEx tracking!) and I can send all the materials on Tuesday. HOORRRAAAYY! I will be sure to let you know what the say.

THE MOST EXCITING UPDATE RIGHT NOW IS..............
...CLE IS COMING! That's right, my faithful prayer partner from Abel Hall; my CP sermon-note-copying pew-mate; my UNL-SOM emphatic relief; my sense-of-humor-sidekick; among the best of best friends I have, CLEARTHUR is coming over to play! He comes in May for 3 weeks. I am so incredibly excited! Cle and Cree united again to rock the Austrian culture and teach them about Cwee and Cwe!

Now the blog update...
Changes are still coming. Most you cannot notice and probably will not notice, but they are things that will make blogging run more smoothly at least from my end. Thanks for continuing to bear through this with me.

Things you will notice-
World Clock-One of the most popular questions I am asked when in conversation with someone State side is, "So, like, what time is it there?" Here you have it. I am 6 hours ahead of the Eastern Time zone and 7 ahead of Central. Your clocks are included for easy reference.

Poll-In honor and respect of Erin, I've decided to continue the blog poll here. We'll see how long I can manage to keep up with it. Leave comments about WHY you chose a particular answer and I will also share my answer.