It's Marie Lively sending yet another monthly report. Well It's the middle of November16th. Exactly my three month anniversary of being here in Austria. Well what can I say to catch you up on my life here.
FAMILY NEWS:
I went to Linz, Austria..a few weeks ago to visit my host aunt..I guess you would call her. She was very nice..and was a very good cook. She gave me this dessert called "Heisse Leibe" literally translated..HOT LOVE!! So you can just imagine how good it tasted..I was in heaven. Did I mention I like the sweets here..well obviously..since that is the beginning of my monthly
report. Then we went to this Thermal Bath place ..it was so nice. All natural spring water ..heated naturally through the earth..and saunas and massages and everything. My family wanted me to go in the sauna with them..and I was all gung ho about it..until I found out that you have to go completely..naked..and I was like" UH sorry I'm just a little too American.. and I don't event think my real mom sees me naked.." But they understood and luckily weren't offended. Maybe in a few more months..I'll be able to sweat in the buff with the fam.but not yet..I'm still trying to remember birthdays here. Well what else. My youngest host brother is the
funniest little kid. He is 9 and I swear this kid was born to be an actor. He does these Oscar winning death scenes like none I've ever seen. Full in costume and everything. So he entertains me a lot.which is good..since there are only two television channels. But I'm having a great time with my family..and they are so wonderful.
FRIEND NEWS
Well lets see..I've met a lot of people..I've made a lot of friends. But I haven'T really made any close Austrian friends yet..My closest friends are other exchange students. Mainly the ones from Mexico..I don'T know why I get along so well with thembut I think it is because they are so loud and crazy..and well..so am I. I think it scares the Austrians a little when I get in a "happy mood".. They're like " Okay..who let the weird American girl out of her cage again". But Hey..I'm having fun!
SCHOOL NEWS.
Okay time to be honest..I really don't like my school at all. My class(all girls)..are very..well let's just say that they have the maturity level of a bunch of 12 year olds. And there really isn't any extra curricular activities or anything. I did find out though that we have a school choir and I joined it..which is nice. So I go to school and come home and yada yada yada. I'm still having a hard time understanding the teachers..but I know it will get better with time. But I haven'T completely given up hope yet..I think the Austrian kids will talk to me more once I speak a little
bit better German. Who Knows????
TRAVEL NEWS:
Well lets see..I think I've had two rotary meetings since I last wrote you. One was in Bad Mittendorf(still in Austria)..and I climbed a mountain..yeh I think I told ya'll about that one. Yep..I did..and it was like seven hours or something. Anyways..our last meeting was at he beginning of November and it was in Innsbruck( Austria). WHAT A BEAUTIFUL TOWN. Innsbruck was absolutely beautiful. Here where I live..in Lower Austria..ther really aren'T that many big mountains..so it was nice to see these magnificentrock ..things. They looked like paintings..just hung in the sky. And there was snow on the top ... really beautiful. I drove (well rode) in a car with one of the rotary counselers to Innsbruck..and on the way we stopped for one hour in Salzburg..and we got the quick tour of a church a monistary..a graveyard you know the usual. But our next rotary meeting in December is in Salzburgso I'll get to see more of it then. A little
random fact about Salzburg..DID YOU KNOW..that the only McDonalds in the world that doesn't have a bright yellow M is in Salzburg? I went ot it. It has this little pretty bronz M above the door. The people in Salzburg..didn't want to ugly M because it's right across from Mozart's
house..that is not historically prettyanyways..a little fun fact. What else.OH!! I went ot Hungary with my host mom and a friend of mine from Ohio who goes to my school too. We went to Sopron, Hungary for the day to go shopping. Everything is really.really cheap there..so those of you exchanges who are near Hungary..and are broke like me..then there's the place to go. Lots of stuff.and ridiculously cheap. I was very exited. I love bargain buys.
LANGUAGE NEWS:
Mein Deutsch ist besser und besser jeden tag. Ich kanne verstehe alles..abe ich kann nicht alles sprechen. Verstehen sie????? So to sum it up...I'm still a little on the rocky side of German. But I can understand almost everything..at a normal pace and it's getting to where I think sometimes in German. It's still hard though..OH! but I found this group of people who
are..half from England and America..and the other half are from Austria. My age group..and a little older. Every Tuesday nightwe all get togeter at this nearby pub and for half an hour speak English..and the next half an hour speak German..and so on and so on. The Austrians..who are there need the English fot their Matura..and the English speakers need the German to
survive in this country..so It's really coolbecause I pick up phrases and stuff that are "Austrian" Which is quite different from German. I have that tonight.
Well what else to say.I guess that is pretty much about it. If I suddenly remember something..I will write it to you. Life is getting pretty routine hereOH WAIT!!!!! I almost forgot
IT SNOWED YESTERDAY..the first snow of the winter. I t was so cool.I went ot sleep and everythnig was green and brown and I woke up..and all was WHITE!!!!!!!!! It wasn't a lot..but it was enough. I was so exited that I ran outside..and my host mom nearly had a heart attack because I was in my pajamas. It was cold.. I like the snowbut it is nicer from inside by the
fireto look at. But today most of it melted.I assume more will come though. Okay nw I think that's all.
I hope to send pictures soon..but developing here is so $$$$$$$. I found someone with a scanner so as soon as I get my 6 rolls of film developed I'll send pics.
Okay so I hope to hear from some of you other exchanges soon. Hope life is okay..and all is well. Tschüss!!!!!!!!
Servus! Auf Wiedersehen! Chow!!( isn't that weird?? Every one here says chow..and it's Italian..) Anyways.
Marie Lively
Rotary club of Coral Springs/Parkland
