Too Early

I have successfully gotten out of bed too early. I'm meeting AIFS people soon for a "hike." We're taking a bus up a mountain and then walking down it. This will actually take a great deal of time. 

But I got up to early. I blame the bells. The bells in the church next to my house ring at 7am. I guess they're silent all through the night, but once it's 7am, the whole neighborhood is up. Maybe I'll get used to them by the end of the semester...

I'm starting to really miss people. It's strange to be doing something so extraordinary but with no one I actually know. I'm getting to know people, but you know what I mean. I wish someone would visit me. Preferably family or my boyfriend (with the exception of Bekah). But hey, if you're a friend of mine and wish to visit, come on over! 

Yesterday was the first day we had all to ourselves. There's a festival going on in honor of someone who, I'm sure, is much more important than I'm giving him credit for. His name is St. Rubert and Salzburg is throwing a 5-day party for him in disguise as a small fair. Every other stand is one selling over-priced tourist things. I bought postcards and an Austrian patch. I like getting patches for each country I visit (with legitimacy--I've been to Belgium and France but don't have patches for them because I was in both countries for less than a day, if that). 

You're probably thinking "Oh, she got postcards, well I'll be looking for mine." Well reader of mine, not so fast. Postage is expensive. I'll be doing this slowly. Each stamp to America is 1.40 Euros. If you do the math, that's something over $2/stamp (I said YOU do the math, not me).

I'm happy to report that a great deal of my culture shock has passed, as well as the horrid bratwurst. They tasted good, but put me through hell. Food-wise, I've been taking refuge in something that is much healthier and is a comfort food--Italian. Italian food is wonderful stuff. Even in Austria, it surpasses anything "Italian" served in America. Even the Olive Garden. 

When I'm in my intensive German class, I wonder how my sponge-like German learning self from about 4-5 years ago would've done in a German-speaking country, versus how I'm doing now. I know that many of you think I'm simply being modest when I say that I don't speak German fluently. Well folks, I'm being HONEST. I do not speak fluent German. I can have a conversation, but even with a native German speaker there are points when I don't understand anything the other person is saying. It's a struggle to understand my hostfather. I don't know if this is because of an Austrian accent, or because I just suck. I understand my German teachers, but they slow things down and speak much more clearly. 

I bought wine yesterday and the cashier asked for my I.D. (which is slightly offensive: do I really look younger than 16?). I had no idea what she said. I have this bad habit of saying "Was?" which means "what?" That's rude in German. You're supposed to say, "Wie, bitte?" or "Noch einmal?" which both mean something like "Could you please repeat that?" Nope. I say "what" and get strange looks. Then I feel dumb.

The weather here is just like Washington or Oregon. I hope we get snow while I'm here. I miss the snow.

One guy who works with the program was intrigued by my name when we were getting our student I.D.s. He said (with a very thick Austrian accent) "You have a very interesting name! Hillary, like the candidate Hillary Clinton [it will never end], and Morgan like the British car!" British car? What? I was expecting him to say, "Like the rum!" or "Like the horses!" He was stunned to learn that I had no idea what he was talking about. Apparently there's a car made entirely by hand in Britain. It is very expensive, and displays my last name.

Something often taken for granite in the US is about to be enjoyed by me: cereal! I'm going to have a bowl before my roommate and I head out for our hike-down-the-mountain hiking trek. 

Also, auf wiedersehen. Oder, auf wiederschreiben.

Ciao!

Hillary