Pray your little socks off please!

At the moment I'm booked to fly home on the 7th of December. I don'T want to come home so early, and it disruptes plans for my brother to visit me here. i'm on waiting lists for the 20th, 21st and 22nd, so please people, if you could just pray that a place will be found for me on one of those days, that would be fantastic! No anti-praying just because you want to see me again... I'm sure t could be all in the plan for me to come home earlier, but I DOAN WANNA!

Thanks! and enjoy the rest of our program...

i've written a poem!

And you can too! Here's a lovely procrastination thing for all you bored bunnies! We had to do this in Englisch WPK (Wahl Pflicht Klasse - our elective) and I thought you'D all love to read it! Please note, I used some poetic licence, so most things are not the MOST something, or I've just plain made it up or written the first thing that came to my mind, but take it to Shani, and i'm sure she'll tell you I'm a confused person with an affinity for kangaroos... Whereas an English teacher will probably decide I am questioning my place in life, using past memories as clues as to where i'll be going. A maths teacher I suspect would just see I was jsut wasting time in German arranging everything... BTW, most embarrasing/stupidest thing ever done, yes is a true story, if the victim remembers it, sorry bout that one, if not, don't try! Here goes!

Three aqua coloured cats swim in a pink bath
Bashing at a piano keyboard above my head
Why?
A kangaroo because they jump so much and so far
A kangaroo because they jump so much and so dar
Asking someone if he returned his girlfriend 'to the shop, like a toaster' because she 'just wasn't right'
A kangaroo because they jump so much and so far
Kayaks, home, books, chocolate, hugs
Asking someone if he returned his girlfriend 'to the shop, like a toaster' because she 'just wasn't right'
Huon River because I've had so many good times and made such good friends there:

1. Kayaks
2. chocolate
3. hugs
4. books
5. home

I wish I knew where I was going here!
Huon River because I've had so many good times and made such good friends there
Three aqua coloured cats swim in a pink bath
I wish I knew where I'm going here!
Why?

So there you go, my artistic masterpiece! Now here's how you can write one too! Call in the next 10 minutes and pay with credit card and get a FREE set of Steak Knives! That's right, so pick up that phone, our operators are waiting... It's actually not at all hard to do, despite the many instructions - they're telling you exactly what to write!!

1. take a blank piece of paper
2. write the letters A - H down one side, leaving a couple of lines between each
3. follow the sub instructions.

Sub-Instructions:

1. A - should include 2 colours and the first and last word must be of one syllable (must not start with A, these are just reference points)
2. connect part B5 with A3 and attach with screw 45x... Sorry... skip this one!
3. B - your first memory, in as few words as possible
4. C - the first question you remember asking that your parents couldn't answer
5. D - the animal you would choose to give your conciousness to, and why
6. E - most embarrassing memory/ stupidest thing ever done
7. F - 5 favourite nouns
8. G - Favourite place and why
9. H - 'I wish_________'. No more than nine words
10. See sub-sub instructions

Sub-Sub Instructions:

1. ORganise sentences like this (doesn't have to be in verses, that's just to make it easier to follow the letters now!):
   ABCD
   DEDF
   EGFH
   GAHC
2. Read through, adjust in anyway that makes it better and post it in my comments...!! Or just keep it to yourself!

Ok, well, my train isn't such a long time away now, so i'll be off, have to go and have a quick look for cheapish autumny water-proof shoes (only have my boots, and they're not good everyday - my feet hurt at the moment from standing for half the day in them, which is partly why i'm posting for the 2nd time in 2 days - good chance to sit down!)

I was invited to donate blood here!

Teehee! I got a letter from the Gemeinde (local council I guess would be the best translation) telling me all about a blood drive that was on last week, and how they'd love me to donate blood... Of course I don'T really want to leave traceable evidence of me ever being here, so I declined, but it was exciting! Actually, no I do want to donate blood, but would prefer to do it in Australia, as well as it said 'can'T have had contact with hepatitis in the last 12 months' and i was given my latest hep something shot in january, so I thought that might count against me... I feel special!

Well, I rang erica for her birthday, just after writing my last blog, and remembered lots of things I wanted to write here, but have forgotten them again (my memory has gone down hill since I've been cramming it so full of german!)...

So, currently sick, with a mild cold (although they all think I'm going to die or something here, because my nose is doing it's usual niagara falls thing) but have discovered asprin does a ver nice nose drying job, which meas I don't have to venture into the scary world of the apotheke for drugs...!! Did you know that here they don't sell ANY drugs in the supermarket or anywhere! Not ever asprin or anything, have to go for EVERYTHING to the Apotheke! Anyway, back to my cold. They have a really funny attitude to getting cold here, refuse to go outside even in summer just after hair washing in case they get cold (I've been forced to promise I won'T ever go outside again with wet hair - they think that me being outside for about 15 seconds on saturday with damp hair when it was about 12°C is responsible, I know it'S just the cold I expected to get from being back at school! Apparently the 12°C here is different to the 12° in Australia) Then last night when I said I had to wash my hair beofre I went to bed (I refuse to hair dryer my hair!) I was told I shouln't, just in case my head got a little cold from it... Argh! Never had a problem before, and i've been washing my hair in the morning before school in winter before waiting for the bus in almost frozen conditions for years! But just for the peace, I comply! What was funny that I then read in the paper this morning a quote from some Austrian kayaker at some competition in Sydney saying how she 'couldn't understand Australians because tehy wear shorts even when it's only 10°C or less'... I thought that was nicely ironic (maybe nt ironic, I've never been quite sure of what is and isn't irony, but you get the idea!)

Going to the movies on Saturday night, with Dina, who's parents own a restaurant at the cinema, so hopefully nicely priced tickets for us! Everyone else is going to a concert, but i'm not that keen, partly because it'll be so smoky and horrible for my niagara falls nose, partly because I don't really like the style of music (it's a group of bands, with guys from our class) and a few other reasons... Dina didn't want to go at all, so I said, hey, lets go do something different then! Dunno what we'll see, I'd like to see a film Die Weisse Massai (no idea what it's called in English, The White Massai?) about a white lady who goes to Africa, falls in love with an African warrior or something but then lots of issues etc etc... Is from a true story, and actually looks very intersting, was at the Toronto Film Festival, and I think a few others... Click here and read all about it!

WEll I think that's all snotty little me can remember for you at the moment... Must go, Dawson's Creek is about to start....!!

After 15 years of friendship, she turns 19...

...That right, today is Erica's birthday! (well, yesterday or a few days ago for most of you probably, but it's the middle of the day here...!) We've known each other for almost 15 years, which is a bit scary really, although I've known others longer! What'S scary is we've been to school together through ALL that, and still somehow managed to stay friends....! so HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICA!

Anyway, back to the mundane world of Linz! I went to the uni open day on friday, which was scarily similar to tas unis! Everything even looked similar, although fewer gum trees.... I went along because it was far more interesting than sitting in school for a day, with only about 5 other people from my class! I was also interested to see what another uni looked like! I collectexd so much paper, as usual, and also about 5 pens... Will never have to buy one again I think! Now have pens with German writing all over them! The excitement!

Yesterday was a Kinder Flohmarkt, in the town square of where I live. That is a Flea Market, where lots of children sell all their old toys and games and stuff! Not where you can buy children... (I thought slavery was abolished here, but wasn'T entirely sure....!!!) I was going to buy the Lion King on video, in German, but someone else got in first! Bought Wo die wilden Kerle Wohnen instead... (where the wild things are... who knows this book? I love it)

I thought this was going to be a really long post, but now I can't actually think of any of the things I was going to say, or I've run out... Umm... HAve to find a Ball Dress, eeek! I've never been formal dress shopping before, but this time it's really hard because I want to spend as little money as possible... LAthough I could just buy an expensive one and sell it (apparently there's always a good market for old ball dresses...)... But it's kinda fun, in an Eeeeik! I look like a potato kinda way....!

Meredith, glad you enjoyed America, although mum tells me your return home was a little confused! JOno congrats on confirmation! Bridget, have fun in Mexico (do you gho this week?) And HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL THOSE PEOPLE WITH BIRTHDAYS! I could list them for you, but that would take about half a year... There are a billion odd people out there...!

Have to help Dina find a good Bill Bryson book (naturally i'll guide her towards Down Under) for her English study! Then in a few hours I've got p.e.... wahoo! Hopfully we'll play a game... And i'm not getting the back to school cold... The rest of my class may have it, but I refuse, and I know my sore throat is just a result of talkign to my parents for too long yesterday... wink wink...! Tschüssie!

Robbie Williams sings falsetto

I don'T actually know what categories a voice needs to fit to e singing falsetto, but Robbie Williams seems to be doing pretty well in his new song that's HAUNTING ME! It's following me, whenever I turn on the radio, what do I hear, but him singin ridiculously high... Don't get me wrong, despite his slightly dubious personality, i've always thought he's gt a fairly good voice for a famous person, but this song (what's it called, Spin?) is following me... It actually reminds me of some of our After Juliet music for some reason, which is a bit scary, because that was all 80's music.... I don't know if te song is as big there as here, but since almost all the websites are teeny boppy, I can't avoid it (Hanson'S MM Bop is also getting a little too much air time....) OK, over it, but thought you should know!

Well I’ve had one week now, of school that is, and this time classes are shaping up to be far more enjoyable than last semester. I actually understand far more now, which is a fantastic feeling, and I feel much more comfortable in the class (not that I didn’t before, just that now because I can speak far more, it’s easier to join in with everything!) Today I ‘understood’ maths, I have no idea how to do the maths, but that’s because it was all the silly graphing functions with vectors and high and low points and comfusing stuff that I don’t understand without a graphics calculator in English! Where am I going to need it anyway!! This is probably going to sound really silly to all you people who’ve never been in a foreign speaking school before, but I’ve never before appreciated being actually able to work in class! The timetable for this week is not permanent, is just for this week, but today I had English (where I had to concentrate to talk in English – when I started to read out loud, I couldn’t for a bit, wanted to say all the names with a nice German accent! Is a strange feeling to have to concentrate to speak in one’s own native language…), then French (where I just sit and decorate my notebook – I’ve done the equivalent of joining a TCE French class, taught in a foreign language, when I don’T have any French already! I’d like to see you trying to learn something there!), then German, where we just discussed a film we saw last lesson (Wiener Waldgeschichte or something, apparently the girl was the daughter of a Zauberkönig… umm, Wizard King? But I personally didn’t pick that (wasn’t exactly concentrating on the movie spoken in very strong Viennese dialect…) so I just listened and learnt, so next time, part two will make more sense! In maths we did evil things with lots of y = and stuff (they’ve even got different signs for maths here, . is x, , is . and / is ,) so we’ll skip that one! After that was music… where we just listened to lots of snippets of classical music from the romantic period, and had to say what they were (I picked Schubert’s Ave Maria, and Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite… That was a highlight of the day!) Then a break, I went to the library, got out a whole heap of books, in cluding a few ‘must reads’ (reading a lot of them at the moment, the library is stocked up well! Read Hard Times last week, by Dickens, very unDickensish I must say! Enjoyed it though…) I felt insulted in English today (and you know how hard it is to insult me) because the teacher basically said that if we hadn’t read Stevenson’s Treasure Island, then we mustn’t read at all… This is me he was talking to….!!!! Got that out though…

Anyway… Supposed to have had history this afternoon, but the teacher had a meeting, so had to wait around until religion, which was fine… Did ‘know yourself’ test things. I was in a group with the beautiful front row girls, who aren’t actually too bad (I’ve known that pretty much all along, but they’re still the ‘beuatiful ones’ in my mind!) and we just had to cross the box for lots of questions, scaled from good to bad. Was kinda funny – wasn’t entirely sure what all the questions meant, but did my best, and don’t think I offended anyone…!! After that went into Linz, posted (yet another) birthdaypostcard (people stop getting older!), went to the internet café for a bit, read my email, blah blah blah, bought yummy food for afternoon tea (kebap, as in pita bread with meat and salad… Mmmm!) then found I had a message from Kate (yay, but why were you smsing at midnight?) and then got home… And that’S been my day… Fascinating I know!

Yesterday however I had an extra English class! I think it’S the same one as last semester (or last year as they call it here, which is very confusing!), but with a different teacher, who, I think, has an Irish accent! Not certain though, sometimes she sounded totally neutrally British, occasionally American twang, and then there’d be these massive Dr-Sam-Ryan-on-how-Jane-Doe-died moments! She mentioned something about how something’s said in Britain, so I guess she’s spent time there. Seems really nice though, and I love being able to go somewhere where I can help other people (some people CANNOT understand why I’d want to go to an English class, where it’s not going to help me and my German… Please kick me whenever I have moments that are as selfish as that! Actually starting to get fed-up with just how selfish and self-centered some of the people here are, but they say the faults that irritate us the most in others, are our own, so from now on, I’m going to be watching myself so much more closely!)

Well someone did THAT count recently, and we discovered 13 weeks until Christmas… Wow, less than 13 weeks and I’ll be home… that’s 13 Saturday morning sleep ins, 13 episodes of Desperate Housewives (not actually that many left, but anyway), 13 missed Sunday Night Lives… Not much really! Maybe I should stat thinking about pressies and stuff for home… Actually have a lot of stuff to do soon… Can feel it all just piling up, but I have to find a cheap Ball Dress, will go second hand shopping, but they don’t have many second hand shops here… Dunno what I’ll do about shoes… Worry about that when I get there! Will have to definitely get my hair cut though – the water here is tearing it to shreads or something – so split! Will prolly come back with a crew cut or something… Nah, not really! But do want to get something different!

Oh, and my brother is coming to visit me in December, just a couple of weeks before I leave! Hooray! Someone else to load up with stuff to take home for me… No, don’t worry! Not really! But I’m looking forward to that now!

Spirited Away is on tv tomorrow night, will try to tape it, Save the last dance as well, but Bibi wants that one, and the repeat is at 3 in the morning, and it might be a little triky to change tapes for it… Wilt al kto her though, and see! Found where I can buy videos, so will buy a couple as well, want to buy the Incredibles, but a bit expensive, so will stick to Lord of the Rings or something instead… Can’t get too much though…. Stupid baggage weight restrictions…! Don’T actually know what I’m going to do there… Is amazing how muchjunk one collects… and when you’Re like me, and can’t throw anything away….

Ok, bibi needs the computer in a moment, so will post this (there was actually a point, but as usual, I’ve forgotten it! Will start writing all over my hand again soon!) Oh, she’S practising piano, so bi more time, but I think that’s enough blabbering for a while (when I defined blabbering in class today as what I always do, everyone understood, funnily enough!)… Homesickness all gone, hooray! But still looking forward to going home a bit, although I reckon it’ll be a bit tricky to leave all my good friends here… Most have promised to come and visit me, when it’s winter here, so that’s good!

Going to make a recipe book (bought the book, just have to get the recipes) so I can make everyone real apfel strudel and stuff when I get home!

Remembered the point of this blog! Well done on getting this far though! There’s a BIG thing here called Matura Reise, basically a trip after the final (final final) exams, that almost everyone makes. There are a couple of organised ones, for thousands of people, called Summer Splash and Mission 2 Beach, in Turkey, for 1-2 weeks, or people go off to other sunny places for lots of fun… Now why don’T we have such a thing…? But they’re SOO expensive! But everyone is organising already… Is crazy… Is the lack of a year off between school and uni that does it I think – they have to cram a years worth of school break into a couple of weeks (few people take a gap year or anything, so they all presume I’m here as a part of my academic studies.... Pah, if only they knew….!) Anyway… There you go…. I've been trying to persuade them a nice Matura Reise to Australia, for a winter trip would be great, but so far they don'T seem to convinced...

This should be about school, but moves on to tv fairly quickly...

Nun, wir sind wieder in der Schule… We’re back in school, as of Wednesday, and it’s lovely, fantastic and as much fun as ever…. Hmmm! Actually, it’s really nice to be back, to have other people to talk to, and, wait for it, wait for it, to ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE SAYING!!! I hadn’t realised how much my German has improved, but now I actually understand what they say, most of the time, although there are still a lot o times that it’s just so boring I can’t bear to listen! But the option is there…. Nah, don’t worry, I do listen as much as possible, but when the rest of the class isn’t listen, it’s kinda hard to! This year we’ve got philosophy instead of psychology, biology (but they di the cutting up a few years ago… sadly…) and pretty much everything else is the same… Still cant understand the English teacher’s English (he asked me SOMETHING about my holidays, not entirely sure what, but that may have also been the chattering ‘beautiful girls’ wall in front of me…!) Speaking of which, hey Claire (or anyone else) what’s the best Beautiful Girls cd (do they have more than one?)… Anyway… Umm, had pe today… blergh, tiring! 20 minutes of laps around the netball courts (well 12 in the end), then situps, push ups and other random strengthening things… I enjoyed it, made me not feel like SUCH a lazy bum, but was tiring… Then played a weird version of baseball, which was weird but kinda fun…

Umumum… Our classroom is at te top of the school, right in the middle, so we have to go up 4 BIG flights of stairs to get it, and the toilets are really far away… Rather funny though, the smokers have to go down the 4 flights, and another little one, to get to the smokers zone, and there are some who like to go out every break (10 minutes between all the classes)… They come back puffing anf panting… I shouldn’t laugh, and I don’t, but I think it… I haven’t got a window seat, which is very sad, instead I’m RIGHT in front of the teacher, but back a row, which is kinda weird… At least now I understand them, and can nod and look interested! It’S funny, the front row beauties don’t know I actually speak German now, well they know it now, but this morning Paulie was asking Bibi how many Ball tickets I need (Ball!!!), and all my friends told her I understand (it’s always nice to hear people saying ‘sie kann foi gut deutsch’ (she can speak really good german)… bit of a ego booster really.. Hmmm..!) Then later, another was telling me I was the ‘lucky’ one to be the team captain, started in English, then the other beauties corrected her… Rather funny! But quite a few people have asked me, or asked my friends, if I understand it now… Was I that bad before… Ja, wahrscheinlich…

I’m so ashamed of myself, now addicted to Dawson’s Creek… HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???? It’s on every afternoon at 5, and Bibi watches it, and I kinda gravitate towards the tv, and now I’m addicted… Will Pacey and Dawson ever be friends again? What’s the story with Jen and the weird Ben Fraser look alike from her old life? Is Jack really gay? I now understand however the quote in 10 Things… It’s such a bad show.. At least I’m not addicted to the Bold and the Beautiful… Although looking forward to Desperate Housewives on Monday (and started watching Lost again, 2nd series, still don’t really like it all that much, but is intriguing!) I don’t actually watch too much tv, prolly more than at home, but there are just so many channels, so much Simpsons, Malcom, Scrubs, terrible MTV reality shows (Date my mum… guy picks girl after going on date with her mum… funny) Then there are also some classic ads as well… One of my favourites is for a bank, for a youth account or something. Lady looking at cloths in shop, pushing pram. Looking at nice men’s shirt, and a long arm reaches out from the pram for a Marilyn Manson t-shirt. Look into pram and there’s a teenager. The mum takes away t-shirt. Next scene, another 16 year old guy sitting in trolley. Pram guy and trolley guy do the 2 finger ‘I know what you’re going through’ wave (like a salute, without the head)… Is very funny… Contradictory is one where there’s lots of rich people campaigning against some big lotto jackpot, man says ‘the rich will never be happy’… The slogan is then ‘you’ll be richer than rich’. Does that make sense to anyone else???? I understand what they’re getting at, but it seems all very contradictory to me!!

Hmm… I’m sure there were other things I wanted to tell you all about, but can’T remember! Dina’S birthday tomorrow, I bought her the Blue Day Book, in German (the shop didn’t have it in stock in English…) so hopefully she’ll like it…

Just worked it out, I’m replacing Blue Heelers with other bad tv!

Guardian has changed it’s format, which I don’T mind, except they seem to have just changed it to put in more ads… Bigger more irritating ads as well! The Guardian is the newspaper I buy here, btw, when I need a dose of English news (please take note, I also ‘read’ the Oberösterreichichen Nachrichten and the Standard, in German (well, read is perhaps a little strong, I look at the pictures, and read the articles that are short and movie related, or other big event, like the hurricane or something!).. .SO it’s a bit disappointing that it’s been changed for such mercenary reasons, but they were saying the new Saturady one will have a cooler review section, so will see before I really make my judgement… There realls is no completely international newspapaer though, which is just sad! Maybe that should be my life’s aim…

Interesting evening

Well, I was bought my first drink by a complete stranger last night, while we were out and about in Altstadt enjoying our last weekend of freedom. It was rather random and alarming, considering the guy (while rather funny and with very good English, part of a strange phenomenon here where guys will try to talk to you in your own language, presuming I guess you don’t speak theirs, or that it’ll impress… I don’t know, usually it’s not all that good anyway, but this guy’s was just about perfect) was a little ‘happy’ due to either alcohol, drugs or both. Don’t panic concerned parents, I wasn’t in any danger from these strange Austrian men. But I’ll get to this incident in a moment, after a nice summary of our evening in Altstadt (which is btw, in case you haven’t taken all this information down from previous posts, the nightlife area of Linz, is very cool with millions of pubs, bars, clubs (maybe, sorry, haven’t seen any like in the German movies, so don’t really know if they do other sorts here and I just haven’t recognised them!)

First event of the day. Host parents having big (well, 8 people, but still means lots of flaffing about) dinner party, so lots of doing random small things just to look like we were helping (both Bibi and I wanted to help, but were refused!) and a bit of stress in the house. Left at 5:50pm… Got into Linz, walking to Maria’s, and were stopped by two men in suits. ‘Uh-oh’ I thought, they want to talk about Jesus… Yep, two Mormons (that is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints yeah?)… They asked if we’d heard of them before, and I told them, ‘yeah, but in English’… Suddenly, we were away from Jesus, and onto randomness… One of them was from America (possibly the worst American accent I’ve heard) and the other from Germany. Suddenly we were into English (it’s that freaky phenomenon again), and the American was talking about Dumb and Dumber…. Don’t ask me why… Not a clue! Chatted to them for a bit, said that yeah I knew about Mormons, had a friend, but I was Christian… ‘oh ok’ they said, ‘that’s nice’ And that was that… I looked at my watch, said ‘we’ve gotta go’ and we were off… Kat, is that normal? Do they usually give up so easily, or let themselves be sidetracked so easily? Was funny….

I was with Bibi and Maria, and we set out from Maria’s (she lives in the centre of Linz, very handy!) sometime after 9, after they tried to find me something different to wear from Maria’s (large) wardrobe, as all my clothes seem to be in the wash, and they thought I wasn’t nearly colourful enough! Couldn’t find anything, I’d worn the wrong bra to go under all the possibilities, so I was happy sent out in what I’d started! We first went to Walker’s (where I’d spent Friday night too, but with other people, and only until 10:30pm because of trains) but wasn’t anything happening there, so prepared to move on. Stepped outside, and the rain started to POUR down. Cats and Dogs and Hippos were falling from the sky so we stood around for a while under shelter, then ran, under newspaper, into the centre of Altstadt. We dropped into a few places, looking for people we (well, Maria – she’s very useful to have around when we ‘fahrt gehen’) knew and settled in a place with not too loud music (the place before, Segabar, had SUCH loud doof doof music it was just stupid) where we sat and played hangman on the newspaper, and wondered where everyone was. Met a friend of Maria, he asked that inevitable question ‘Australien… Gibt’s Kangarus da?’ and I told him yes, too many, I’ve tried the meat (can’t actually remember if that’s true or not, but I know on the Kakudu trip was something about eating kangaroo, and it gets such a funny response – they can’t imagine wanting to eat the big furry jumping things, they’re too novel!) etc etc… Moved out from there, after Maria’s 3 tequilas and something else… (that was her alcohol for the night though) and roamed a bit more before settling into the Living Room. This was where the slightly too enthusiastic guy comes into the picture…

The Living Room is a very skinny but long bar place, with two levels, first go in and there’s a long counter and booths and dancing area, then up just afew stairs into a section with more booths and a shorter counter. We sat down at one of the booths, and almost immediately these two guys came over and started to talk to us (well to Maria. Bibi and I thought she knew them, can never tell with her!) It came out that I was from Australia, and the attention switched to me, one of the guys having disappeared. Suddenly he reappeared with 2 rum colas, and gave one to me (I’d just like to mention at this stage that it was actually the friend of the weird guy who did this, I think for his mate… Anyway!). The other guy told me to drink it, I had a little sip, and while I don’t mind rum and cola (for alcohol), my brain was going into paranoid/stubborn mode and I wasn’t that keen on drinking it (actually it was more stubborn than anything) The eventually it was drunk by the happy guy (never found out his name) and they disappeared, after he had displayed his enthusiasm for shrieking and being ‘happy’. (Can you tell this week has been a bit boring… this was probably the most exciting thing that’s happened all week…. I need a life….!) Other people we know (well Bibi and Maria, I vaguely recognised the faces) came and sat down and we talked to them. Suddenly Happy Guy was back again, sitting next to me, trying to get me to have fun by shrieking with him. My stubborn thing kicked in again (You know, when the more people tell you to do something you don’t really want to do, the more you resolve not to) and eventually he went away (finally) after trying and failing miserably to convince me I wasn’t having fun because I didn’t want to shriek (not scream, shriek!) he came back a couple more times, before we finally decided to run away to somewhere else…. So there you go!

After that we heard him in Segabar (went back, just to check it really was so loud), and then went back to Walker’s briefly then walked home to Maria’s, at about 3am (Linz is fairly safe). We have no idea where everyone was, or why the streets were so empty at that time (normally they’re full of ‘happy’ people at that time) but it was a fairly quiet night everywhere… And home by 3am… For Maria and Bibi they tell me that’s about 1.5 hours too early!

Got home at 2ish pm, and have just blobbed about, proofed an English essay thing (ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! I understand the pain of teachers when they say SPELL CHECKER!) and will go and eat something soon… Is funny with the English though, some pages are now just covered in writing (I do try not to change too much, but so often they’re just typos!) but others are just about perfect… Bit suspicious… But now I know all about Stephen King… Wow his books sound so pattern based…!

And I think that’s all… Will check emails, and add anything relevant! Nup nothing relevant, except the best reaction to my early home coming, thankyou person who squealed in the middle of meeting on reading my sms....!

She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes....

Hooray! Hooray! I’ll be home for christmas! PRolly only a day or two before, but I’ll be there for the first with all the family in several years! Here’s how it happened.

THE STORY OF A BROWN CHRISTMAS
Once upon a time was a 18 year old Girl living in Austria, as part of a cultural exchange. She was there for a terribly long time, and began to miss home a little, but enjoyed being in this strange country with funny toilets and lots of dubbed bad American tv. Thinking a White Christmas would be lovely and novel, not to mention the opportunity to let off fireworks at New Years, she opted to return home at the beginning of January. This felt like a very long time, and the Girl started to wonder what Christmas without all the normal traditions would be. Slowly she started to think that really it would be nice to be back in Australia, but since there wasn’t much she could do about it, she decided to just embrace the new opportunity and deal with it. The only thing she could really think of to do was to pray that she’d feel comfortable and not miss home terribly for the most important celebration in the year. She did this, and after asking for support from her friends, she knew she’d make it through. January the 4th still felt a long time away, and the Girl was starting to feel rather homesick. She called her Local Support/Representative, and asked if they could meet and discuss a few things (although going home earlier was not one of these). Suddenly a change was in the air, and an opportunity was presented. The Local Supporter told the Girl her Host Family wanted to go on a long holiday over Christmas, the Host Father being ultra-stressed from his job. The Girl was given an Ultimatum of three choices. First stay until mid – end of January, and holiday with the family. Second have Christmas with a different family, just for the experience. Third, go home just before Christmas. The first two options were not particularly appealing to our Heroine, and having plans for January and not really wanting to gate crash a random family’s Christmas, she opted for the third choice. Having not heard this option before, the Girl was very surprised at how excited she got when she thought of having Christmas at home. She realised this was an answered prayer, and after a short discussion with her Host Mother, and a slightly longer one with her Normal Mother, she rang the Local Supporter with jubilation. ‘I want to go home for Christmas!!’ she exclaimed, thinking of all the things she’d previously resigned herself to missing out on; whatever gets offered at BeeWaa, Midnight Mass at All Saints, seeing the whole family together, Taste of Tasmania, camps! From then on the homesickness that had previously plagued our Girl was gone, replaced by a sense of ‘I’m going to be home for Christmas!!!’ This is a true story, it happened to … Me!

Hooray! I’m serious when I say that I’m genuinely excited about being home for the most important celebration in the year, I hadn’t thought it was an option, and was amazed at my brain jumping up and down with happiness when I heard it! Of course, I don’t know if I’ll get to do all the things I look forward to – if I get in on Christmas Eve, BeeWaa might be tricky, but my jetlag should be perfect for getting me off to Midnight Mass! I’m sure it’ll all be sorted and looked after!

Anyway, that’s my news for the week, back to school next Wednesday, so last week of freedom! Doing lots of German grammar revision (even bought a grammar book), sitting in the sun that’S finally come out (must be the school effect – always happens in Tassie too – nice weather when back or almost back at school!) But anyway, this is meant to just be a short post, so will stop now! Btw, if anyone has any requests for anything small cheap and portable from here, tell me! You may not get it, but I’ll think about it, and it’s the thought that counts! Nah, I’m largely thinking of things you can’t get in Australia (like the chocolate people always have to buy for us when they visit Denmark)…!

I'm bored!!

Hello all! This is a 'it's the last full week of holidays, and i'm bored' post! First of all i'd just like to say hello to Lisa, and anyone else as Dad's office who reads this (well he tells me you read it, could jsut be a ploy to get me to update...!)

Hmmm, now that I think about it, what can I write about? Have I already told you about the zoo we visited in Vienna? Was very cool! Lots and Lots of animals, not nearly enough Aussie ones, but anyway! We went there because I was too poor to visit Schloss Schönbrunn, the famous castle of Vienna, and i've already seen so many old buildings - completely churched out now! So we went to the zoo instead! Was fantastic - penguins, tigers, pelicans, goats, giraffes.... etc etc! Koalas and a few reptiles were the few aussies there though... But there's often Australian docos on tv... Yesterday was one about the prehistoric animals that ate all the aboriginies... Or Steve Irwin was on, dubbed, for a while... As was Blinky Bill, with even teh song dubbed... Dubbing maniacs here!

i miss Aussie tv... Never thought I coul d actually miss the goings on of Mount Thomas, although Kath and Kim was slightly expected, but i do... Used to be British tv i craved, now it's aussie movies and tv... Argh, so sad really! I'm a tv-holic! Maybe it's just a result of the small homesickness i've got at the moment! I imagine it'll all be good once i'm back at school, at the moment I just don't have anything to occupy my mind!

Going to go and see the new film from the Spirited Away guy soon, maybe today, or tomorrow, hopefully will be able to understand it all in German! Hope it's as good as SPirited Away, which is on tv soon, will tape it (and other random movies, maybe a James Bond!)... Ok, actually, isn't a very new film I don't think, 1986, provided I was looking at the right one, alhtough the English name fits with the german one... Don't know why it's only just on... But there you go!

Anyway, want to read Sydney Morning Herald or the Age or soemthing, so better get going before all my time runs out! This was my, I'm bored, looking forward to going back to school (which for some reason I associate only with snow, as though it's going to snow on the first day or something!)...

Hello once again to the random (but very welcome) people who read my blog!