Here is my address for the next 10 months or so.
Marion Chamberlin
c/o Therese Speiner
Hochweinbergweg 27
NÖ 3270 Scheibbs
Austria
I am still working on gettin internet set up.
oi.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Move-In Day
I am moving into my apartment in Scheibbs tomorrow, and am very excited about buying some orange juice!
Oh the small things in life...
As is, I will probably be out of touch for awhile (Until I get my own internet running)... but I am reachable at
from America
011 43 664 956 1404
011 is to get out of America, and 43 is the Country Code for Austria.
Bis dann,
-Marion
Oh the small things in life...
As is, I will probably be out of touch for awhile (Until I get my own internet running)... but I am reachable at
from America
011 43 664 956 1404
011 is to get out of America, and 43 is the Country Code for Austria.
Bis dann,
-Marion
Monday, September 22, 2008
For such an orderly lot of people, the austrians SUCK at public swimming
Grausam, grausam Tag...
Today I had to get up at 6:00. GASP! But the day was full of interesting surprises!
I bought a cell phone. I can RECEIVE calls for free, but I can not make them for free. I loaded 40€ onto it, which should last me if I don't spend too much time chatting... In other words... once I memorize my number I will post it here, otherwise, ask Maia or my Mother and they would, I am sure... be more than happy to hand it out. Remember, I am 6 hours ahead... no wild, middle of the night, drunk dialing please, or I guess I should say, early, to late evening, drunk dialing...
Okay... on to the topic of this post.
FOR SUCH AN ORDERLY PEOPLE, THE AUSTRIANS SUCK AT PUBLIC SWIMMING.
Upon entering the pool today, I mentally prepared myself for a struggle, briefly recounting my earlier attempts to swim in München three years ago... And much to my chagrin, all was as expected, except for the fact that not only am I a much better swimmer now, I am faster and less patient... sad, but true.
After I found a nice little spot on a bench for my towel I began to scan the water for a possible entry point, taking care to notice the sign that said 'Reserviert für Schulbefreiendzeit' Reserved for school free time. I got in where I thought an empty lane was... they have NO lap lanes. Frustrating, I know. There existed one TINY divider that separated the School Children zone from the regular zone.
Okay, this is where the fun begins...
You would think that after three people were practically mauled by my impressive speed and strength that they would move out of the way... make room for the 'swimmer'... but no... it was only an invitation to cut directly in front of me and swim breaststroke at a snail's pace... maybe even slower than that, because I saw a snail the other day, and man, relative to its size... it was bookin' it.
I honestly don't think there is anything more annoying while swimming than to have someone swimming in front of you moving at a much slower pace than you are when you are in the middle of a set, especially if you are doing fly and you've gone maybe... 15 meters. I wanted to scream.
Finally though, I think people got the idea that I meant business, because they gave me some room, and no one followed behind me, or cut in front of me... they edged in a bit too close now and then, but no more smacking arms with someone who is trying to do backstroke by spreading themselves as wide to the side as they can, kicking fiercely, and simultaneously trying to stroke. OI. That's all I have to say on the actual pool.
The locker rooms are very nice. You have to buy access to them though (1 hour, 2.5 hours, or 4 hours), which is annoying, because as I found out when I exited, once you have used your card to go through the little swinging doors marked 'Ausgang' or Exit, you can not re-enter, even if you have not used up your 'bought' time. This became increasingly annoying as I had not thought it necessary to relieve myself BEFORE exiting, and I had to wait three hours until Eva could pick me up after work. Needless to say, I used my amazing American wiles and got access to the W.C.
Now for some photographs.
Today I had to get up at 6:00. GASP! But the day was full of interesting surprises!
I bought a cell phone. I can RECEIVE calls for free, but I can not make them for free. I loaded 40€ onto it, which should last me if I don't spend too much time chatting... In other words... once I memorize my number I will post it here, otherwise, ask Maia or my Mother and they would, I am sure... be more than happy to hand it out. Remember, I am 6 hours ahead... no wild, middle of the night, drunk dialing please, or I guess I should say, early, to late evening, drunk dialing...
Okay... on to the topic of this post.
FOR SUCH AN ORDERLY PEOPLE, THE AUSTRIANS SUCK AT PUBLIC SWIMMING.
Upon entering the pool today, I mentally prepared myself for a struggle, briefly recounting my earlier attempts to swim in München three years ago... And much to my chagrin, all was as expected, except for the fact that not only am I a much better swimmer now, I am faster and less patient... sad, but true.
After I found a nice little spot on a bench for my towel I began to scan the water for a possible entry point, taking care to notice the sign that said 'Reserviert für Schulbefreiendzeit' Reserved for school free time. I got in where I thought an empty lane was... they have NO lap lanes. Frustrating, I know. There existed one TINY divider that separated the School Children zone from the regular zone.
Okay, this is where the fun begins...
You would think that after three people were practically mauled by my impressive speed and strength that they would move out of the way... make room for the 'swimmer'... but no... it was only an invitation to cut directly in front of me and swim breaststroke at a snail's pace... maybe even slower than that, because I saw a snail the other day, and man, relative to its size... it was bookin' it.
I honestly don't think there is anything more annoying while swimming than to have someone swimming in front of you moving at a much slower pace than you are when you are in the middle of a set, especially if you are doing fly and you've gone maybe... 15 meters. I wanted to scream.
Finally though, I think people got the idea that I meant business, because they gave me some room, and no one followed behind me, or cut in front of me... they edged in a bit too close now and then, but no more smacking arms with someone who is trying to do backstroke by spreading themselves as wide to the side as they can, kicking fiercely, and simultaneously trying to stroke. OI. That's all I have to say on the actual pool.
The locker rooms are very nice. You have to buy access to them though (1 hour, 2.5 hours, or 4 hours), which is annoying, because as I found out when I exited, once you have used your card to go through the little swinging doors marked 'Ausgang' or Exit, you can not re-enter, even if you have not used up your 'bought' time. This became increasingly annoying as I had not thought it necessary to relieve myself BEFORE exiting, and I had to wait three hours until Eva could pick me up after work. Needless to say, I used my amazing American wiles and got access to the W.C.
Now for some photographs.
Krems in the rain. This is how I started off my day.
I don't like the light in this one, but I have named it... 'Der Unsichtbare Schuh' (The invisible shoe)
Selbstbildnis bei Hallebad (Self Portrait at Hallebad (Swimming Pool)
I was fascinated by this glowing drop of water. If only I had a macros lens!
Now, for two photographs that I took on Saturday that I forgot to post...
Eva's garden.
The church Side Building.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
500 year old buildings... what!?
My house for American standards is very young, but for European standards it is a spring chicken!
Today I woke up to grey (gray? I can't spell anymore) skies and cold weather... I could actually see my breath.. ha, I wonder how warm it is in Waterford... I'll check right now... handy dandy weather.com... 73° according to my findings... What temperature does air have to be in order for one to see one's breath... 50°? 45°? I don't know. After eating breakfast I ventured outside to the cold frontier that has now become my home away from home... So melodramatic I know... I took some photographs of Eva's garden and found a HUGE slug, which are called die Schnecken (pl). I will enclose pictures of it at the end of this post. When I saw the slug I immediately thought of you, Maia, and the photograph you took and then gifted to us in our IDS class. I saw Nistershums (talk about not being able to spell) and for some reason seeing the same flowers growing in Eva's garden that I earlier photographed at home, in Waterford lit up my heart. I am over 3,000 miles away from where I grew up, but the same plants are growing here as grow there! AMAZING!
After I took pictures of the flowers, I went with Emmerich up into the town of Idolsberg to document the 500 year old church side building with him. They tore the ENTIRE thing down this afternoon, and hopefully I can get some more photographs of it tomorrow, when the light comes back.
Here are the photos... The amount of flower pictures I took was limited because the wind picked up about halfway through... and the flowers became 'unshootable'
Today I woke up to grey (gray? I can't spell anymore) skies and cold weather... I could actually see my breath.. ha, I wonder how warm it is in Waterford... I'll check right now... handy dandy weather.com... 73° according to my findings... What temperature does air have to be in order for one to see one's breath... 50°? 45°? I don't know. After eating breakfast I ventured outside to the cold frontier that has now become my home away from home... So melodramatic I know... I took some photographs of Eva's garden and found a HUGE slug, which are called die Schnecken (pl). I will enclose pictures of it at the end of this post. When I saw the slug I immediately thought of you, Maia, and the photograph you took and then gifted to us in our IDS class. I saw Nistershums (talk about not being able to spell) and for some reason seeing the same flowers growing in Eva's garden that I earlier photographed at home, in Waterford lit up my heart. I am over 3,000 miles away from where I grew up, but the same plants are growing here as grow there! AMAZING!
After I took pictures of the flowers, I went with Emmerich up into the town of Idolsberg to document the 500 year old church side building with him. They tore the ENTIRE thing down this afternoon, and hopefully I can get some more photographs of it tomorrow, when the light comes back.
Here are the photos... The amount of flower pictures I took was limited because the wind picked up about halfway through... and the flowers became 'unshootable'
roses
black-eyed susans
die Schnecke
die Schnecke - all other wildlife in Austria is very small, except for some reason, the slugs grow to mammoth sizes...
Wie ich jetzt fühle...
the inside wall... yeah, I'd say this building's been around for awhile.
500 year old Cellar. WOW.
the toilet in the building...
just as a little side-note. If you click on the images, you can get to a larger version. They are a bit confined and small on this blog. enjoy!
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Hills are alive... Really
My flights were extremely uneventful, which is a good thing. The first flight, the one across the ocean was very spacious as it was nowhere near full. I had two seats to myself and I think I might have slept, but I’m not entirely sure. I arrived in Copenhagen around 1:50 am my time, and had to wait for two hours to board my next flight to Vienna. I arrived in Vienna at 4:50 my time, where I was greeted by Erich. We drove to Krems, where we had lunch at a little restaurant called “Hoppala”, then we drove the rest of the way to Idolsberg, where they live. I was so tired I fell asleep with my eyes open… It was a bizarre feeling, because by the time we got to their house I had been awake for 25 hours. I practically fell into bed, asleep before my head hit the pillow. I slept for four hours, woke up, watched some T.V. with Eva and Erich, and then at 12:00 am here, went to sleep again, sleeping all the way to 12:40 pm today.
I took Robbi, the Canadian Collie for a walk. He is such an interesting dog. They say that he is a little strange because he came all the way from Canada… I can believe it. But, he has such a wonderful personality, and keeps me company. He also remembers me from when I was here two and three years ago. Their cat, simply called “Meetze” which is the diminutive form of cat, probably most equated with the English “kitty-cat”, slept on top of my chest for the better part of an hour. I am finally getting the animal love I have missed so much since I was in High School.
Tomorrow, Emmerich and I are going up to Idolsberg, where Erich wants me to take pictures of a building they are in the midst of tearing down and then rebuilding… Cool opportunity.
It’s cold here. I had to wear jeans, sneakers, and a sweater outside today while walking the dog. I don’t know how I feel about that. The climate change was so abrupt.
I hope all of you are doing well back home. Know that I am thinking of you and missing you already. But it is so beautiful here, it’s hard to be preoccupied with the country I left, instead I am soaking up the ability to walk out of a house and take a hike literally in someone’s backyard.
Robbi, the dog, and myself. this is an amusing photograph... i was not ready for the timer on the camera to go off....
I took Robbi, the Canadian Collie for a walk. He is such an interesting dog. They say that he is a little strange because he came all the way from Canada… I can believe it. But, he has such a wonderful personality, and keeps me company. He also remembers me from when I was here two and three years ago. Their cat, simply called “Meetze” which is the diminutive form of cat, probably most equated with the English “kitty-cat”, slept on top of my chest for the better part of an hour. I am finally getting the animal love I have missed so much since I was in High School.
Tomorrow, Emmerich and I are going up to Idolsberg, where Erich wants me to take pictures of a building they are in the midst of tearing down and then rebuilding… Cool opportunity.
It’s cold here. I had to wear jeans, sneakers, and a sweater outside today while walking the dog. I don’t know how I feel about that. The climate change was so abrupt.
I hope all of you are doing well back home. Know that I am thinking of you and missing you already. But it is so beautiful here, it’s hard to be preoccupied with the country I left, instead I am soaking up the ability to walk out of a house and take a hike literally in someone’s backyard.
Robbi, the dog, and myself. this is an amusing photograph... i was not ready for the timer on the camera to go off....
An Austrian tree with the flag colors and a frog on it...
Coming back from our walk... the Webers live in between Idolsberg and Thurberg, and the mountain in front of us I call Webersberg, simply because it doesn't ACTUALLY have a name so it seemed only appropriate that they own it...
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
15 days and counting...
Pack, pack, pack.
I am setting up this blog for a couple of reasons. One, as a way to document my adventures while in Austria, and two, as a way to remain in contact with those of you back in the States whom I will miss dearly. I hope to update this fairly regularly to keep each and every one of you aprised of my movements in Europe, and so my parents won't freak if they call me and I don't answer... I will post links to my photographs as well so that you can see my images! I am very excited to make my 'hop across the pond' as my father would say. See y'all on the other side!
Until the 18th or so of September!
-Marion
I am setting up this blog for a couple of reasons. One, as a way to document my adventures while in Austria, and two, as a way to remain in contact with those of you back in the States whom I will miss dearly. I hope to update this fairly regularly to keep each and every one of you aprised of my movements in Europe, and so my parents won't freak if they call me and I don't answer... I will post links to my photographs as well so that you can see my images! I am very excited to make my 'hop across the pond' as my father would say. See y'all on the other side!
Until the 18th or so of September!
-Marion
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