AEI Part 2

I feel it fair to be writing on this blog again.  Sure I'm back at school, but I think there are still a few more days of summer technically left, and I'm traveling again, so I find it only fitting.  Once again, I'm 30,000 feet in the air, listening to Cher Baker, and sipping on a Coke, heading for DC.

Last time I went to a conference at AEI (the American Enterprise Institute for those of you who don't remember), I decided to join their Student Executive Council to represent them at Bryan.  I got invited back to a follow up conference for those students who are the heads of their council - being the only member has its benefits at the moment.  My prayer for this trip is making more connections that will lead to more opportunities in DC.  In light of the things I learned in Austria this summer, I feel as if I should be working in our Capitol.

The sessions don't technically start until tomorrow morning...so today is just a relaxed day of flying, metro-ing, and finding my hotel.  I'm rather happy I'll be able to understand the language once I land.  ;)

I'll be taking extensive notes at this conference as Colonel Petitte has me presenting to my class about it when I return (that was my compensation for missing tonight's class), so we'll see how that goes.

I've been to DC enough now that I know my way around, but even still, I manage to pick the one metro kiosk that has the scanner on the side.  Idiot status achieved!

Checked into my hotel, pensively awaiting the arrival of my roommate whom I haven't met before.  Sessions start tomorrow at 9!  We'll see how this goes.

Austrian Internship: Heading Home

Today was another early morning, and we headed to the Frankfurt airport in a steady drizzle.  Being the genius that he is, Mr. Smith got our tickets quickly and we got around an enormous line.  After scortching our tongues on some McDonald's coffee, we sprinted through security and made it to our seats 10 min before the doors closed.  Now here on the airplane, the screens in the seats are showing a slide show of famous American geographies...And let me tell you, I am super happy to be going home.

Two movies, two hours of sleep, a small airline meal, and a very sore rear later, we have begun our descent with less than one hour to go.  Lemme tell you, we say at the station that doing nothing on a shift is tiring...but goodness flying for 9 hours is even more so.  I'm ready to get outta here.

My day ended by being greeted by my family and grandparents with signs, laughs, and hugs all around.  I'm still dealing with jet lag, a day later, but boy...is it good to be home.

Austrian Internship: Day 35

I am writing to you once again on board an ICE train bound for Salzburg,  and eventually, the Smith's house in Frankfurt.  We just said goodbye to our last two Austrian friends Daniel and Sandra, who have done so very much for us.  We have a long day ahead of us: we figure it should take about 8 hours to reach Frankfurt.  I'm amazed that we're already finished with our internship.  I'm amazed at how much we have learned and how many fantastic friends we made here.  I'm very sad to be leaving, but my home country is pulling me back by the heartstrings, and it will be so good to be beneath the red, white, and blue once again.

The train we're on goes direct from Vienna to Frankfurt...meaning we'll be on this train from 11am until about 5pm.  Ironic to me that we're going to spending nearly the same amount of time crossing Austria and Germany as we are crossing the Atlantic.

There is a mother traveling with three of her kids in the same train with us, and her boys are *adorable.*  She just played a game of UNO with the youngest, and after besting her rather badly, he stood up in his seat and did a hilarious victory dance.  She is traveling with luggage nearly as large as she is (she's small, but still).  I don't know how she's managing it.  I had to help her put it in the storage space above her because she couldn't lift it.

I'm such a sap...I've been listening to Michael Buble songs and looking at old pictures of me and my crazy siblings.  I'm so ready to go home and goof off with them again!

I think my Austrian friends would laugh if they could hear the progression from "farmer German" back to the "high German" used near Frankfurt.  I think I like the Austrian German better.  It sounds friendlier.  ;)  it is also MUCH colder in the Germany area than it was it Neusiedl.  I'm really glad I wore my new hoodie.

One thing that I have learned for sure is how to get around a new traveling infrastructure with a language barrier.  That makes DC look tame.  I now feel like a hardened veteran of public transit.

After crashing back at the Smith's house, Mr and Mrs treated Hawkins and me to a *fantastic* steak house.  Talk about an amazing welcome "home" present!

We're getting up early tomorrow, crossing our fingers that our luggage isn't overweight, and flying home!  Next time I write to you will be in the airplane.   I'm SO happy.  Goodnight from Europe, for the last time.  At least for now.  ;)

Austrian Internship: Day 34

Well, our last full day in Austria has been a slow and relaxing one, at least for the beginning of it.  Tonight, we're all puttin on our fancy duds and attending the Summer Gala at the Oranjee at the Esterhazy Palace.  Should be pretty cool!

People have told us we're "exotic" here,  but I didn't realize it until even the bartenders said as I passed by "oh,  you're the American!"  I had never seen them before.  Even the chief of Eisenstadt knew me because of my American breakfast, and introduced herself by saying "you must stay and cook for me!"  I I got a good laugh from that.

There was a polka band at the Gala like Dad has always wanted to see, and the shindig was started by official dancers.  And wouldn't you know it, since we were special guests, we were pulled out into the first dance, but thank goodness it was only a simple waltz.  I missed Jessica something awful tonight...We've always been dancing partners and learned new dances together, and tonight we could have torn up the dance floor.

We tried to explain all the rules at Bryan to Markus (no drinking, smoking, dancing, etc)...And he asked us if Bryan was a convent or a monastery - because it sounds similar to European rules there.  Hawkins and I laughed pretty hard at that.  Wish some people at Bryan could try explaining all of that like we did.  Maybe they'd loosen up a little.

I wish I had the words to thank all the wonderful people I met here in Neusiedl and in Jennersdorf.  You all know who you are, and you will all be missed more than I ever thought I'd miss someone I've only known for 1 month.  You have all made my time in Austria so very special and important for me, and I'll never forget you.  As the Austrians say, you always meet someone twice in your life.  And I greatly look forward to that second meeting.

Austrian Internship: Day 32-33

My Tuesday is uneventful,  but I am so very thankful for the restful downtime.  Today I have accomplished some simple things, like reading, washing and drying my laundry, doing some repacking, etc.  It's been raining steadily all day, and it's so very peaceful here.  I don't feel lazy one bit, but I am, instead, enjoying a slow day of rest.

This morning (on Wednesday) I was presented with a letter of recommendation Bruno, along with several very generous gifts from the Red Cross in honor of my time here.  Markus and I are planning to go to Pandorf later in the afternoon, and Mario might even join us!  Speaking of which, I finally made use of the Station's N64...And I'm beating Bowser before Markus arrives.  ;)

Markus arrived after midday and was the bearer of amazing and fantastic presents from my colleagues at Jennersdorf,  including Austrian chocolate, beautiful handmade cufflinks, and a huge photo collage from my time there.  I am so very overwhelmed with the kindness of my new dear friends.  I hope they get to visit me in TN one day so that I can repay the kindness a little bit.

In Parndorf (I've been misspelling it...), Mario bought us some natural ice cream, and it was fantastic.  I had a great time shopping with Markus, and got a new shirt and a cool yellow hoodie, but I think a shopping trip with Jessica is in order...shopping in Europe is WAY too expensive compared to home.

Markus and I set off to Eisenstadt to meet Sandra for dinner, but got a bit lost on the way.  I think our adventures together weren't quite over.  ;)

We met a friend of Mario's for dinner (Sandra couldn't wait on us for the amount of time we got lost...oops...), and we went to a super cool lounge called the "Mangoo"...A very tropical feeling place that had a small book of a menu for cocktails (which we didn't partake in tonight as I was the only person not driving).

All in all, it was a great day.  I was so very happy to spend time with Markus again, and I greatly look forward to the day when he comes to visit me in TN.

Tomorrow, I sleep in, and relax throughout the day (I'm certainly going to start reading the wonderful new Rilke book my Jennersdorf friends got me), and then we are going to attend a gala at the Oranjee at the Esterhazy Palace!  Super excited.

For now, goodnight!

Austrian Internship: Day 31

Hawkins and I have discovered that a great way to wake up quickly in the mornings is taking an ice cold shower.  As it is, we're not doing it voluntarily,  and we hope that we can get it fixed soon...but I'm considering calling Guinnes World Book of Records to come time us...

Today we head out to Vienna to be presented to the General Secretary of the Austrian Red Cross.  I've been informed that the leadership was originally skeptical of having American students come study here, but Bruno is proud of what we've done, so apparently we're a success.  I guess today is our victory celebration "woohoo we did it" day for our leaders.  ;)

The official building for the Red Cross was the old house of Christoph Willibald Gluck, which I found extremely interesting.  They told me I was the only person to visit there who actually knew who he was.

Meeting the General Secretary was quite the experience.  He was very kind and asked us what was done well and what could be improved, and with every new person we met, we got to retell our Austrian adventure story.

After meeting the General Secretary, we met with the head of International Affairs, which was probably my favorite discussion we had.  After telling us about his job, he randomly asked about Obamacare and what we think about it, which of course led to deeper discussion as we are a conservative minority in the States.  I got to ask him Why he participates in the humanitarian work he does; I was interested to see what he would say.  The answer was chilling to me.  He said he does it to give his life some meaning.  I think I will write a paper sometime soon on the way people in Europe view their lives, as this was a perfect continuation of my thinking from last night.

I was given the entire opera Orfeo on audio as a gift before we left, which I am extremely excited about.  I can't wait to listen to it.

We walked to the opera house in Vienna and to the university, and were given a brief tour of each. Zach came along with us (a friend from Bryan), and I got to speak Southern again.  You wouldn't believe how nice that was.

We spent the rest of the evening in the station in Neusiedl (after fantastic history lessons from Bruno about Vienna), cooking our own dinner of spaghetti and wurst.  Tomorrow we don't have any solid plans, and for that I'm happy.

Goodnight!  I'm going to take a hot shower.  We got the water fixed.  ;)

Austrian Internship: Day 30

Welp, today we go to the blood drive, and we're sposed to be picked up at 1:30 for a shift that lasts until 11pm at least.  Found out the hard way that *nothing* is open on Sunday, so we couldn't go grab a sandwich before our shift.  It's like everything here took a lesson from Chickfila, and that ain't cool.  Speaking of which, I'm now craving a chicken sandwich.  Stupid stomach...

I'll let you know how the blood drive goes later on.  I don't really know what to expect.

Turns out this place is almost exactly like the fall festival at home: rides, food, blood drive, etc.  I was responsible for collecting donations at the entrance for 2 hours and then got 2 hours off, and continued this rotation all day, and we're supposed to be here until 11.  Talk about a loooong day.  I kinda feel like a beggar.  ;)

An Austrian teem walked past me wearing a shirt that said in big white letters on the front: WHO AM I?  I found it extremely insightful into the spiritual climate of the area.  I would be asking the same question if I were from here... is there anything to life outside of living,  working, and dying?  It's worth thinking about.

Anyway, as we weren't actually needed until 11pm tonight, and since most of the crew were wither staying in Gols or leaving at 2am, we were put on a taxi and headed back to Neusiedl for the night.  Hoping we make it, as our driver doesn't speak English.  ;)

Well we made it back safely, and in plenty of time for good sleep tonight.  Tomorrow we head to Vienna to meet with the General Secretary of the Austrian Red Cross!

Austrian Internship: Day 29

My "shift" this morning was a quick one.  I was working with the Team Austria Food Bank, and as I can't speak German, all I could really do is help set up.  I'm so sad to be leaving Jennersdorf today, but I am very thankful for my time here.  The crew at the station is like one big family, and they made me feel like a part of it while I was here.  I couldn't have asked for a better place in Austria to spend my time.

After repacking all of my things (I hate repacking...), I'll be heading back to Neusiedl with David this afternoon, and having lunch with Markus one last time in Güssing. I'm not exactly sure how these last few days will play out, so you'll be knowing just about as much as I do, until I'm actually told what to do.  ;)

I sincerely hope I'll be able to come back to Jennersdorf one day.  I'm leaving a piece of my heart here.

I got to have lunch with Markus one more time before I headed back to Neusiedl via David and the "Sticker Car."  I'm glad I got to see him one more time, and it was good to have more Schnitzel.  ;)
The next few days will most likely be laid back and relaxed.  I think I may try to visit Pandorf,  per Markus' recommendation...maybe do some shopping.  We shall see.

My drive up with David was a good one.  We talked about all sorts of things and had a good time.  But much to my great chagrin, I locked myself out of the building and Sandra had to drive all the way over here to let me in.  I feel awful about it, and she's done so much for me already.  Erg.

The night ended nicely with me and Hawkins catching up on all of our adventures.  Tomorrow we head to a blood-drive the Red Cross is giving in a nearby town to work most of the day.  Looking forward to sleeping in, but not looking forward to working without my dear Jennersdorf friends.

Until tomorrow!

Austrian Internship: Four Weeks!

As I got to bed last night at 1:30am, I slept in rather late, but got to cook pancakes for a few of the guys when I got up.  There was a slight misunderstanding about the chocolate chips...they thought I meant the cereal, and not what you bake with.  As it was, the grocery store didn't have real chocolate chips anyway.  Go figure.  But the pancakes turned out pretty well anyway.

I've started saying goodbye to my friends to my very good friends today, and I am reminded how much I hate goodbyes, especially when it is unsure if I'll ever see them again.  So very sad.

This evening, we (my normal group of friends here), all made our way to Riegersborg to the huge chocolate factory there.  On our way over, More Than a Feeling by Boston came on the radio...made me miss my dad and jamming and singing loud in the car.  ;)

The chocolate shop was absolutely amazing.  There were chocolate fountains, chocolate beans, drinkable chocolate...And the flavors!  Asperagus, scotch and whisky, 100% cocoa, fish, rose petal, chili, bacon, cheese, "Sacramental Wine," vodka...365 different flavors, and we might have tried 50 of them.  It really can't be described.  Check out my Facebook pictures.  It was crazy and now I have a huge sugar high.

I've started thinking about things I want when I get home, and so far, I want to wear my American jersey and my black Converse, hug everyone in my family, drink a Mountain Dew, and eat an American hamburger.

It has been a wonderful last day.  I love my friends, and I don't have enough good words to say in appreciation.  You all mean so much to me.

Austrian Internship: Day 27

The housekeeper here is incredibly kind.  She has washed my clothes for me twice now, and hung them up nearly to dry.  Saves me the hassle and it gets done better (because she can actually read the instructions on the washer).  Everyone here is so incredibly nice to me.  I'm excited to be back home in the US soon, but I'm going to miss them all so very much.

I "officially" finished Visions of Vocation today.  The epilogue was just as powerful as the rest of the entire book: if you haven't read it, you should.  It will completely change the way you view what you do, why you're doing it, and why it matters.

After lunch today I went on a mountain biking excursion with Chris.  I really wish I was going to be around here more, because I love going on adventures with him.  At any rate, we set off from the Red Cross on bike, went through a few villages, down (and up...I'm feeling the up quite a bit...) through the forest, until suddenly we found ourselves in Hungary, and there, to my great wonder, stood a small portion of the barbed wire fence that made the Iron Curtain.  An old watch tower had been restored there too.  It was very surreal for me to see.
After that, we cycled forward a few more kilometers (and up many more hills in the forest gravel road), and found the "Three Corners," the place where Austria, Slovenia,  and Hungary meet.  I stood in 3 different countries at once.  How cool is that?!  38 km later (that's 24 miles), I'm back at the station, and eager and excited to attend the Marriage of Figaro with Red Cross President and my friend, Bruno.  But first...I need a shower.

I am on duty at the Marriage of Figaro tonight, meaning I got in free of charge!  The opera is actually being held in a castle about 15 minutes from the station in an open-air fashion.  I'm extremely excited to hear how it sounds,  so I can begin mentally preparing for playing in it later this year.  I noticed that the trumpets in the (very young) orchestra are all rotary valve, which I found fascinating.
Being on duty means I have access to everything (and that I have to stand through the entire productuon), including backstage and the orchestra pit, which I have thoroughly explored.
While I was waiting on the opera to start, I briefly met with Bruno, who told me he has heard I am the "darling of Jennersdorf, winning everyone over with my Irish charm."  Bruno is a charmer himself, but extremely kind to me.  He gave me a program for the night, and made sure I'd be stationed midway up the audience: meaning I have a perfect view for the whole opera!  I can't believe I'm seeing Mozart's work produced in Austria.  This is a huge dream come true!  It really makes me miss Katie and Stacie and Josiah though...I want to be all dressed up and going with them to this.  Soon though, we'll all go to concerts together again!

They produced the opera in German, which I spose is to be expected...but I sorta hoped it would be in Italian.  The lead female role sings too much through her throat...or maybe it was the 3 cigarettes she smoked before the show.  Figaro, however, is amazing.  His voice and range are powerful and strong.  I can't help but keep wondering who will get what part when we produce it at school.
One of the actors was, I swear, a breeches role (a woman playing a man)...but holy smokes, it's a man with the range of a soprano...that can also sing tenor.  He blew me away.  The opera overall was fantastic.  The singers were powerful and their acting spot on.  The orchestra, while young (and the timpani being a bit sharp the entire night) was very impressive; they were good enough to have a conductor who merely "interprets the music" instead of directing the beat.

At any rate, it will be a late night and a very early morning.  The opera won't be over until midnight, and I have work at 7am, where I'm supposed to cook pankcakes.  We'll see if I'm alive enough to do that tomorrow, although at this rate, Markus may have to come drag me out of bed.

Tomorrow is my last full day at Jennersdorf, and I am sad.  We have plenty of great plans though.  Until then!

P.S. As the opera wasn't over until midnight, Markus told me to not worry about getting up, for which I am quite thankful.  After today, I need it!

Austrian Internship: Day 25-26

Yet again, my favorite part of the day centers on helping a little bit in cooking lunch.  We've been on call for 5 hours, and there hasn't been so much as a peep on the radio so far.  We're making up for it by having home-cooked burgers, and I'm cooking the bacon.  Of course.  ;)

I'm nearly finished with Visions of Vocation, and I've loved every bit of it.  I've taken to dog earing pages and writing extensively in it.

Combining two days because I didn't do enough yesterday.

Read Colossians 3 today, and it was perfectly applicable to my life.
Spent my early morning editing a politicap science paper for a friend and making a trip to the Penny Mart with the guys for food cause we're all hungry and bored.  But David and Marco and I actually had a mission this morning!  It was am easy transport, but at least it got us out of the station for a while.  It was only in Feldbach, so it wasn't too far, and it's an easy drive.

Shortly after, Markus, Stefan,  and I went to the Spar grocery store for lunch, and to visit the 92 year old woman who works there.  She has every price of every item in the store memorized!  I was super impressed.

Well, I was sposed to go to Graz today, but there were going g to be too many people.  Instead, I was whisked away to an emergency call.  Blue lights, speeding, sirens, the works.  Our patient had a stroke but was conscious.  Philip and I had to carry her down her apartment stairs to the ambulance and we rushed her to the hospital.  She's 93 years old.

Traveling at 130kmph, we took her to Feldbach because it was the only hospital nearby capable of dealing with strokes.
I actually feel accomplished with this mission.  We saved someone's life with our speed.  I guess this is my first taste if something like that.

Just before we got to the hospital, "Born in the USA" came on the radio.  Murica.

After work today me and my good friends (the same crew who went to Oberwart) all went over to Markus' house for a bar-b-q.  Marco is a pro at American football.  I'm so proud.  We ate well and had our picture taken 345565325 times by Marco...And I'm not going to edit this post any further because I'm tired.  Goodnight all!

Austrian Internship: Day 24

Today largely uneventful, as I had the day off.  Fear not, though...Markus has me super busy the next week or so.  ;)

I finally got my Scarlequain blog post up and the author of the book I heavily reference shared my post on Twitter.  I was...ecstatic,  to say the least.

In the afternoon, I took a short ride to the Hofer (that's Aldi's to you guys at home) on my bike, and holy SMOKES am I out of shape...especially in the seat area.  ;)  I felt every bump.

Tonight I to the Red Cross helicopter pad in Oberwart with David, Michael, Marco, Rafael and his girlfriend, and Markus.  It was super cool to see the helicopter come in from a mission, and take off to another.  I've never been so close to one like that.  Made me think of Steven.

We were to meet Markus before going to the helipad, but we were early, so we browsed a local mall.  I only knew two shops: Gamestop and Claire's, and I was *this close* to buying a pair of royal blue jeans.  I think I should have.

Found out tonight Markus doesn't like dog drool.  ;)  That was quite comical to watch, once the helidog tried to get him to play fetch.

To finish off the night, w ate a "snack" of rack ribs and wings.  I can't even begin to describe how good it was to have "American food" again.  Don't get me wrong...I have LOVED the food here.  But tonight was much needed.

Anyway I'm on call again tomorrow starting at 7, so it's an early day for me!  We'll see what adventures and heroism tomorrow has in store.  ;)

Austrian Internship: Day 23

I have been to some type of church service all 3 weeks that I've been here.  The first two were both masses at celebrations, and all three have been in German, but finally, today I attended a very small Protestant church with Markus and his relatives.  The organist there asked me if I had ever played in church with an organ because "they go very well together."  I chuckled and told him that was certainly something i was accustomed to.  After the service was over, I was asked how many protestants are in America, and the question took me by surprise.  Apparently,  there are only 500ish Protestants in the surrounding area, with Catholicism being the largest religious practice in the region, if not country.

Tradition is a large part of church going here in Austria, and per there usual habit, we accompanied Markus' relatives to a small nearby cafe, which almost the entire church goes to afterwards to socialize.  Markus told me the tradition was almost more important than going to church itself!

After talking with the extremely friendly members of their church, we drove a half hour out to a restaurant that sets on the edge of a lake.  On our way we saw the oldest tree in Europe: 1000 years old.  I couldn't quite wrap my mind (and certainly not my arms) around it.  Anyway, the restaurant was a traditional Austrian one (plenty of soup and Schnitzel, which I loved, but I wasn't particularly fond of the fried cauliflower), and it was all you can eat style.  Markus' uncle is extremely generous, and had me eat a ton, all topped off with an enormous slice of cappuccino cake with coffee.  Markus and I together couldn't finish it.

After eating, we took a stroll around the lake, seeing a small play area near the water.  There, I saw a slackline set up in the middle of the park!  Apparently it's much more popular here than it is in the States, and apparently I'm out of practice.  I couldn't stay on to save my life...but we'll say it was because I was wearing shoes.  ;)

When we got back to the station, I met a friend of a colleague's who lives in Vancouver but is originally from Connecticut.  It was so weird (and refreshing) to speak to an American in my real, Southern accent (which I quickly readopted after not having used it for nearly a month).  I actually had to translate his "Northern English" to Markus so he could understand what he was saying.  I felt pretty accomplished.

We finished the night with a spectacular evening at a local restaurant called a buschenschank.  It was nestled in the hills with vineyards sprawling away from it in every direction, the restaurant itself an old cement building with red tiled shingles: essentially the exact American conception of a restaurant in Europe.  The food was mainly meats that were brought out to us in plenty on a cutting board, with fresh veggies and sheep cheese stuffed pepperinos (which Dad would have loved).  With a glass of sweet wine that was grown right next to us, the meal was pretty much perfect.

I came back to the Station and crashed hard after my great food-filled day.  I'm sure whatever I burned off cycling to Slovenia I gained back again, plus some.

I haven't been able to talk to my family or girl much, which is sad, but I know they're all doing great from the messages they send me.  I'm looking forward to hearing about Jessica's work and coming college (still can't believe that), talking American TN football with Jacob (and hopefully catching up on our movie list some), hearing all about Jen's nee volleyball experiences (I'm so proud she took up my sport!), and telling mom and dad and Virginia all about my amazing stories from Austria.  For now, I'm going to spend the next few hours tempting internet fate by trying to write my Scarlequain blog...again.  Wish me luck!

Austrian Internship: Day 22

Well I was sposed to go into the Food Bank this morning, but last night after the festival I came home with a roaring headache...The kind that make me awful sick, and I was up throughout the night, so I ended up not going in and instead waking up at 11 am feeling like a train had run over me.  It's a stupid twist of fate that I get such headaches without getting drunk.

Today was very uneventful but very restful for me: I watched some cartoons, attempted to write my Scarlequain blog (the internet crashed and deleted it all), I read more of my Visions of Vocation book, and now I am sitting in the church in downtown listening to the organist practice.  I believe it is Bach.  I'm just riding Markus' bike around town stopping where I want.  It's lovely.  The organist is now playing a traditional hymn.  This is extremely pleasant.

I ended up riding out of Jennersdorf and into the countryside.  One sign led to another, and as soon as I saw the sign that said "to Slovenia"...I knew I had to go.  So, 19 miles later, after visiting the beautiful Slovenia/Austria border, I can now say I've cycled all the way to Slovenia.  What a day!

Austrian Internship: Three Weeks of Awesomeness

This morning saw me sleeping in until 9ish whereupon, after a shower and a good cup of coffee, Chris and I set off to climb the castle of Riegersborg.  It is the only castle of its kind - one that is high up on a cliff and where it is actually legal to climb up it using a system of wires and climbing harnesses.  I hadn't been rock climbing like this for several years - at least since I've been in school.  It was fantastic to be that high up on a rock face again, taking in Slovakia, Hungary, and the Burgenland in the distance.  Chris kept getting phonecalls, and would clip his safety harnass in to answer them.  I got a great picture of it once.

About half way through, there was a small metal mailbox on the side of the rock.  We opened it, and inside was a small notebook wrapped in a plastic bag with all the signatures of the people who have climbed through that area.  Now there is a signature from Maryvill TN there!  Pretty cool.

After we got back to the station, Markus was just finishing up some dumplings for lunch...I forget the German name for it...but they had peaches, apricots I think? plums, and chocolate in the middle.  SUPER good (and yes Dad, I tried more than just the chocolate).

After tidying up my last blog post that was lost by my phone, I'm going to go relax for an hour or so before we shove back out to the festival.  Tonight we're supposed to see the Austrian military band perform and have some good food.  I'm looking forward to it!

The festival is a huge big deal: the television was there, hundreds of ppl, the ambassador from Tyrkey, the minister of Austria, and tons of other dignitaries.  One of these was giving a lengthy speech in German, and was suddenly speaking in English, apparently for a EU ddignitary who was present.  I hadn't been paying attention, but when he switched it felt like I fell off a cliff, and he instantly had my attention.  It was apparently a large enough reaction on my part that Philip laughed at me.  I thought it funny.

The Hungarian Mayor from St. Gotthardt was dressed jn period armor and had to be translated into German because he only spoke Hungarian.  The Turkish Ambassador spoke with a translator as well.  EIGHT speakers.  Bwah.

There were tons of traditional Austrian and Turkish foods, and there was traditional Austrian and Turkish music and dance.  DW will be proud of my "musical experience."

We had one emergency while we were there: one man passed out from heat exhaustion.  But it was a problem easily solved.

Markus has a fantastic schedule worked out for me for the rest of my time in Jennersdorf,  and I'm super excited about it.  For now though, it's bedtime.  So goodnight!

Austrain Internship: Day 20

Well.  I spent an hour expanding this post and then my phone crashed and I lost it all.  And I'm typing on my phone because the internet won't work on my stupid laptop.  So here.  Have my notes.  I'll expand it tomorrow.  :p

Now it's tomorrow!  I'm sitting in the kitchen drinking a Radler (super great...wish they had them in the US), enjoying a few hours off before we go to the continuation of the festival I'll describe below.

I woke up often during the night (mosquitoes have a bad habit of buzzing my ear at night) but I ended up sleeping until my alarm, which is a first since I've been in Europe.  These 12 hours shifts and 6am mornings have begun to get me to drink my coffee black.  Now I only just use 1 "zucker."

My two new colleagues in the Granny care apparently have lots of faith in me, as they left to go on a smoke break shortly after I showed up, and quickly told me several German phrases to use for when people arrive.  I started by asking if they wanted things in simple German: coffee with sugar milk, bread with butter or jelly.  I've improved a ton since I've been here, considering I knew *nothing* of German when I got here.

Three ladies showed up by 7:30 and were all very talkative and happy when I tried to speak to them in German, especially when they found out I'm an "English."  They would prattle off to me about something and I'd just have to laugh and agree with a few words in German.  Hope it was something to agree to.  ;)  Today everyone is SO talkative compared to yesterday.  Eventually there were six ladies here and one man...poor guy can't get a word in edgewise.  Our activities for today included playing ball again (except this time we had to think of a German word that begins with the same letter that the last word ended with...I was at a disadvantage...), and we sang traditional songs together.  Well, I kinda hummed the melody when I caught it, but that pleased the socks off a few of them.

I got to help Markus cook lunch again today, and after we ate, all the lads did first aid review, and I went too as I wasn't needed in the Granny Care.  After that we all got so bored that we played Fuseball in the ambulance garage...And I learned several great new words from Marco (my surprise roommate I wrote about in Day 16), like Schlechter spieler - which means "bad player," and is now Sasha's name.  ;)

I went to a festival tonight with Susan, the secretary, and her family, in celebration of 350 years of the Austrians defeating the Turkish in battle.  There was a reading from Rilke, who is my favorite poet of all time, (they read "Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke"), and playing of traditional Turkish music.  It was amazing for me to hear Rilke's poetry as he intended it to sound in the original German, especially since I couldn't understand the meaning.  I could focus only on the sound of the words.

Finally get to sleep tomorrow!  Then Chris and I are going rock climbing up the cliff face that leads to Riegersborg Castle.  I'm super excited.

Austrian Internship: Day 19

Today was a super relaxed day for me.  I worked at the "Granny Care" or the Senior citizen care, where we cook, go on walks, go shopping, play games, with the local senior citizens.  It was a ton of fun: everyone tried to learn learn a little English, and teach me a little German.  We had breakfast together, and shortly after went on a walk down to the local shop where we talked and had a snack.  When we got back, the workers got out a foam ball and we all sat in a circle and tossed the ball to each other.  It was hilarious to see the older people get competitive with each other, throwing the ball with great "ferocity" and cackling when the other person missed a "fast pitch."  The day continued much like this, and I enjoyed it, although I'll admit that while we were taking them all home tonight I was falling asleep in the passenger chair, especially with the help of the pouring rain on the windshield.  Makes me want to take a nap at 6pm...

I don't usually have nicknames (Mom hates it when I'm called anything but Jonathan...I don't care much), but there's something great sounding about an Austrian or German calling me "Johnny."  I don't usually like Americans calling me that - there are a very few exceptions - but I love it here.  It ends up sounding like "Chohnnie" and has a nice ring to it.

Other than the things I've mentioned, the only other thing I really did today, other than drink coffee, was to cook chili with Markus for the station.  It turned out super amazing.  I'm beginning to think Markus should just quit his job, and he and I can open a unique restaurant here in Jennersdorf - good traditional dinners with Southern style breakfasts.  Now there's an odd combination...

Anyway, tonight I shall spend snacking, snoozing, and talking to my family.  And maybe trying to make the internet work long enough to watch an American cartoon or show.  But that's an entirely different battle.

Goodnight from Jennersdorf!

Austrian Internship: Day 18

Well, as I've said previously, today my first task was to cook the station an American breakfast consisting of chocolate gravy, made-from-scratch biscuits (both of which no one here had heard of...and if you know my family it's tradition to cook for new friends), scrambled eggs, and bacon.  Markus and I began cooking right around 7:15, and planned on cooking for 10-12ish people.  Right away, I was hit with some...unforeseen...difficulties.  First off, I realized that the cocoa that we had is meant for chocolate milk (being about 18% cocoa instead of the much higher baking cocoa), meaning I had to just dump it into the pan until it looked right.  Second, my recipe was, naturally, in American measurements: cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, etc.  Well, in Europe, they use liters, grams, kilos, etc.  So...I pretty much had to guesstimate all the measurements for all our material.  Also, it turns out that in Jennersdorf, stores only sale cooking vanilla around Christmas time.  Luckily Markus had some.  ;)  The bacon here is also about 3 times thinner than bacon back home, so it cooked about 3 times faster too.  Anyway, despite all these differences, things ended up coming together perfectly.  It was my first time making either the gravy or the biscuits, and I ended up getting an emergency call 2 minutes before everything was finished - meaning I didn't see the reactions of the people who ended up eating!  I think it's a huge hit however...it's 9pm now and Markus, Stefan, Chris, and I just had the leftovers for dinner.  I told them all tonight that it's highly possible they are the first people in Austria to actually have Southern style biscuits and chocolate gravy.  A neat thought, for sure.

Today I was on call in an ambulance with Chris and Michael (we make a fantastic team), and our first mission of the day was an 80ish year old man who had fallen in his wood shed some time before (last night, yesterday, this morning, we don't know), and injured his spine - we treated it as if it was fractured as we were unable to know.  The call and trip to the hospital took about 2 hours, and just as we were going back to the station to join everyone for breakfast, we got another call.  As Chris says, "Ah well...the life of a hero."  ;)

I've noticed that Michael Jackson is huge here.  He plays on the radio all the time, and I can't say I don't enjoy it.  I'm often caught singing or air drumming along, and usually get some laughs.  But I don't mind...it's in my head constantly; it has to get out somehow.  Chris and I are going castle-climbing on Friday and we drove by the castle today.  There is a sheer rock face on the left side of the castle that we intend to climb up, and afterwards, plant the flag of Jennersdorf and claim the region for ours.  So Chris says, at least.  ;)

Our next call was supposed to be a simple transport - a patient just needed to get home from the hospital - but we got an emergency call shortly before we could pick them up.  I won't bother with details for this call.  Just know it's a pity we had just eaten lunch.   It was a super busy day!

After that call (where I nearly broke my leg falling on a loose stone on the patient's front porch...but I'm okay...) we transported two ladies back to their house.  One of them liked me enough to give me a box of "After Eight" mint chocolates that she had recently bought.  I already tried one of them and Mmmm...are they good.

The mayor of Jennersdorf (who happens to also be the VP of the Red Cross here) personally welcomed me to his town and told me all about Jennersdorf (the history, economy, influence by the Iron Curtain, etc.) and gave me an extremely nice hardcover book and a voucher to a local natural spa, and then took us to coffee at a very old and well-known hotel.  I'm beginning to comprehend German more now, due mostly to Markus constantly translating for me (his English has gotten much better too since I've been here).  I can pick up the jist of a conversation without being told its meaning, which is great for just sitting around and listening to the guys talk about their day.  I really enjoy it.

Tomorrow I am doing "Granny Care" for most of the day - senior citizen care here at the Red Cross.  I am told there is one particular gentleman who likes to tell about his WW2 experiences that I am looking forward to meeting.

For now, I'm going to go get ready for bed.  I had a great day, but I am wiped out.  Honestly, it feels good.  I told Chris I'd much rather be working than sitting in the station waiting for a call.  At least it keeps me busy.

For now: Gute Nacht!

Austrian Internship: Day 17

Started today off early, getting up and having breakfast and coffee around 6am.  I read Psalm 33 and Romans 8, a favorite passage of mine, before helping Stefan check our ambulance for supplies, having one more cup of coffee with everyone, and then climbing on board with Rudy and Stefan to begin making rounds around the city.  All we're waiting on now is a call.  It feels odd to me to be working in an ambulance, especially considering my majors.  Rudy is a quieter type, but he told me he wants to teach me some German.  Let's hope I pick it up quickly.

Our first mission was a simple one: as a part of its service, the Red Cross transfers patients to the hospital for free if they are unable to drive themselves.  We brought an elderly lady in for her check up and then brought her home.  She was very friendly, and it was a simple task.  Day one on the job is officially started!  Looks like I'll be helping transport for most of the day, which is fine with me.  I wasn't exactly hoping to help with CPR on day one.  ;)

My team went out to eat together at a local restaurant (super good), and we didn't have to pay because Rudy had to leave on a mission in the middle of his meal a few weeks ago.  I thought that was neat.  Shortly thereafter we headed out on another mission that was exactly like the first.  Picked up the patient, transferred them to their doctor, drove them back, and came home.  The rest of the day was totally uneventful...unless you call watching How I Met Your Mother in German and reading school books eventful.  ;)  But really, I had a fantastic day.  I got to know Markus and Chris and Michael a bit better (I have now listened to the song Auf Uns about 30 times thanks to Michael), made new friends (Rudy and Stefan make a great team, and I learned a few new German words and greetings), and went shopping for groceries...you see, I am to cook the team here breakfast in the morning, Southern style.  Chocolate gravy, biscuits, eggs, bacon...I'm a smidgen nervous, but I think it's going to come together fantastically.  I've missed Southern cooking, and so now Southern Austrians are going to see how Southern Americans eat.

A cool thing about working in a completely different culture is that there is always something to discuss with friends.  Why does your culture work this way?  Does everyone carry a gun in America?  What does "bast" mean in German?  How does this system work?

I am so glad I came to Jennersdorf.  It is a city whose landscape and people (specifically here at the Rotes Kreuz) are very dear to my heart, and I am thankful.

I have just finished a pizza I made for myself, and I'm waiting on my Dad to call me on Skype.  Haven't talked to him in quite a while.  Also!  For those of you who are interested, I'm stewing on a new Scarlequain blog post that I think will be of interest to a few of my readers: all about Realistic Romantics - a continuation of "romantic, Romantic, Romanticist."

Anyway, I'll write to you tomorrow and let you know how the breakfast and being on call again goes.  I'm sure it'll be great!

Tschüss!

Austrian Internship: Day 16

This morning saw me getting up at 6:45, surprisingly to a new roommate (I knew I was going to have one for the night, but when I woke up, it was a different fellow than the guy who had asked to sleep with me), and heading out to attending a mass and a celebration for another Red Cross in a neighboring district with Markus and Chris and two other gentlemen in an ambulance.  The mass itself was amazing - in an old church and in traditional style, the organ accompanied a large wind band that played from the balcony.  My Germany isn't amazing, but I'm getting to the point where I can understand at least a little of what the priest was saying this morning.

After the mass was over, the entire congregation went outside to bless the new ambulance car of the region, and then we all paraded down the street (yes, we marched to actual marching music and walked in time behind the new car) to the Red Cross building, where there was a celebration much like the one Hawkins and I attended in Neuseidl am See our first day here.

I have decided Austrians are some of the most generous people I have ever met.  I swear I'm going to gain 15 pounds just from the amount of food people want to buy me to "try their culture."  I'm loving all this culture so much!  The food is spectacular.

Tomorrow begins the "real" ambulance work - I'll be on call from 7am-7pm, meaning I'll be at the station in uniform waiting for an emergency to attend to.  For now, I'm just relaxing, and probably going to try and nap away some of the weight I gained at the mass celebration.  It works that way...right?

I'll let you all know tomorrow how my first day on call goes!

-J

Austrian Internship: Day 15

Greetings, friends, family, and travel lovers!  Today sees me sleeping late for the last time in quite a while, I think, reading, writing, making silly Flipgram videos, and just generally enjoying my last day off before work starts!

Last night was fantastic for me.  Markus, the chief here in Jennersdorf, made me some amazing lasagna for dinner, and afterwards, two new friends, Claus and Phillip, took me out to see the town, and showed me the best spot for ice cream.  I had vanilla chocolate chip mixed with cookies and cream - talk about some great ice cream!  After we made the rounds of the city for the evening (the sunset was beautiful), we came back and just chatted for an hour or so.  Claus knows a good bit about the Austrian economy, and so we discussed American vs Austria economics!  Right up my alley.

It's funny, one of the main questions I get here is "Is America just like the films we see here?  Does everyone own a gun and are all the buildings super large and is everyone always busy?"  It's a good question, I suppose, because all they see are images Hollywood portrays.  I have to explain to them that my hometown looks much like Jennersdorf - a bit of town mixed with a lot of country, fields, and woods, and that most of America doesn't go around bustling in a city with a gun on their hip.  It's been extremely enlightening for me - I have a better grasp of the way things work in Austria compared to the US, and I can see why both cultures, American and Austrian, sometimes misunderstand one another - we just don't know everything about each other, and thereby make assumptions.  I have been so happy to learn about my Austrian colleagues.

Tonight at the bbq I had so very much fun.  I made new great friends (swapping music makes good friends too, I've found), and tried SO many delicious new foods.  Markus translated his welcoming speech into English just for me, and I walls extremely impressed. I think he is trying to get me fat, though, with all this great food.  ;)

The team is super nice to me.  I feel very at home, but I wish I spoke German so I could interact more (and be more polite) with those around me.  It's hard to make friends when there is a language barrier!  But I am still making friends.

Tomorrow I leave to serve in an ambulence around 7:30am. Real work starts, and I'm excited!

Austrian Internship: TWO WEEKS!

Servus!

It has been two weeks since I first wrote in this blog about flying over to Europe.  A part of me can't believe it, and another part of me wonders that it's only been such a short time, as I feel as if I've been here forever.

I am so glad I am in Jennersdorf.  I enjoyed my short visit to Eisenstadt, but I've been in so many cities while I'm here that it's really nice to be back in the country.  My quip about the South being friendly has proven to  be true, and even though everyone here is a little nervous about speaking English, they've made me feel extremely welcome.

Today we had a lunch of Schnitzel and cordon bleu with fries (pommes), at it was super satisfying.  Apparently too, the Red Cross here in Austria has a partnership with Red Bull (it is actually made here in Austria...which I didn't know), and they gave me three cans of it this morning.  I have plenty of caffeine between that and the coffee.  Whew.  So if I seem a bit wired in the next few posts...you know why.  ;)

Today has been really laid back.  I've gone grocery shopping and, done some laundry (necessity once you get to a certain amount of socks), and I've worked on compiling all my best short stories, narratives, and poetry into one document.  I had the great idea to see how much I'd have, and as of right now I'm at 55 pages.  I still have yet to pick out some of my favorite Scarlequain blog posts to include too.

My volunteer service technically starts on Sunday.  I'll be on call in an ambulance - sounds really crazy to say that!  The rest of the day I'll keep writing and reading, and hopefully talk to some people back home.  I've found some good internet spots!

Can't wait to get working.  After my training I'm eager to see what being on call is actually like.  From what I gather it probably won't be very busy, but still - it's a brand new experience!

Until tomorrow,

-J

Austrian Internship: Days 12-13

There is SO much to tell you between today and yesterday that I can hardly think or remember to tell it all.  It is such a flurry of extremely kind people showing us around and providing things for us, and driving us places...

Yesterday: We finished our first aid training and we finished a small crash-course in paramedics (as we will be helping in the ambulances), guided in everything by our great friend, Mario.  He role-played for us, quizzing us on what we knew from breath-less-ness to strokes, to heart attacks...you name it, we had to treat it.
Mario also taught us our way around the Austrian super-markets: where to get the best and cheapest food, and he even taught us the German to order it.  I'm still a little shaky, but his help was fantastic.  And ALWAYS there are great coffee breaks where we just sit and talk like good friends.  Mario I will dearly miss when I have to leave.

After being picked up this morning by Sandra today and driven to Eisenstadt,  we went to the Esterhazy Palace into the concert hall Haydn himself performed in regularly - it was still in wonderful condition (you should HEAR those acoustics...) - and we got to see the Josef Haydn Brass Quintet perform his own work in his own concert hall.  I can't even begin to describe to you how ecstatic I was.

We heard the second movement of the Trumpet Concerto in Eb,  which I am currently studying to perform later this year, a piece from Don Giovanni (which I found fitting, as we have studied it in music history for a year), Der Rosenkavelier,  a favorite of Josey and mine, and even some Duke Ellington (It Don't Mean a Thing...).  They were absolutely spectacular musicians.  Technique, tone, interpretation...everything was fantastic, and overshadowed by the fact that I was sitting where the Esterhazy family would have sat to listen to Haydn's original work.  I feel musically complete: a pilgrim to my musical origins.
Completing the pilgrimage, we visited Haydn's mausoleum in the church in which he played regularly (thanks to Sandra, the admission was free).  I have trouble fathoming being so near such a great composer.  It was...awe-some.  I wish I could describe it in better words.

Shortly thereafter, wte at a local pizzaria, and Hawkins and I split a pizza that had bacon, ham, corn, and several different types of peppers.  I think Mom would have really liked it - it was very good!  Then, we visited Mario at the LSZ, which is the dispatching headquarters for all of Burgenland.  There, they take care of all fires, ambulances, disasters, and even rescue helicopters.  It was extremely interesting, and I was glad to see the side of the work which we will not be participating in.

Later in the afternoon, Hawkins and I went our separate ways, and Sandra drove me to Jennersdorf.  The Red Cross here is very modern looking (it is one of the newest buildings), and I met whole team upon my arrival.  Everyone is super friendly, and even though most people are nervous to speak English to me, I am already getting along so well with everyone.  I feel right at home - there are hills and cornfields and winding roads just like at home in TN.

After I got settled in, Michael (a volunteer here), Markus (the chief of the Jennersdorf Red Cross), and Joe, Marcus' friend who speaks very good English, as he has been in America several times, all took me to a nearby town, where there is "late night shopping."  I didn't know what they meant at first, but all it means is that the shops are open later than 6pm...they remain open until 9 or 10pm.  Being used to this, I didn't think it was anything special, but it is nearly like a fair.  There are some rides, lots of music, and traditional food all over the streets.  We had a great time, and Joe and I got to swap lots of stories about places we have mutually visited.

I am SO glad I am in Jennersdorf.  The town reminds me of home, and the people go so far out of their way to make me feel welcome.  I know my time here will be extremely enjoyable.

Tomorrow, I plan to sleep in and get to know the Red Cross here better.  I don't have ambulance duty for another few days, and before that, there is a station-wide cookout that Markus has invited me to.  Joe suggested I teach the guys here how to throw American football, and I just might do that.  I think that will be a lot of fun.

I wish I could convey to you how great the last few days have been here.  I have seen and heard music from composers' actual performance areas I never thought I'd hear.  I've met such gracious people that barely speak my language, but make me feel like a part of the team already.  And I've experienced so much culture!

At any rate.  I'll be heading to bed soon.  I'll write you again soon!

-Jonathan

Austrian Internship: Day 11

We started our training in first aid this morning with Mario, a fantastically friendly Austrian who speaks fantastic English.  We spent our time today learning how to deal with all sorts of first-aid issues, from heart-attacks to fainting and everything in between.  We'll be a "third wheel" so to speak on the ambulance services helping with anything from CPR to carrying patients to the ambulance, etc.

Today was actually cooler than it has been our entire stay - it was around 65F the entire day and raining, which I greatly enjoyed.  Mario speaks excellent English, but a lot of the medical vocabulary neither of us know in English, and so we spent a lot of time comparing words in English and German.  It was highly educational not only in first-aid but also in languages.  We got to have several coffee breaks (as he just left around 7:30 and we began this morning at 10) where we just discussed our hometowns, and the differences between cultures in America and Austria.  Everyone here is extremely friendly and hospitable, and let me tell you, it was great to put my mind to some form of work again.

We finish our training and CPR work tomorrow, and then after that we get shipped off to our respective places.  I'm looking forward to seeing the smaller town of Jennersdorf (I think I've been misspelling it for a while...my apologies to my Austrian friends), as I have experiences a lot of the cities in Germany and Austria.  I am told that people there are very friendly, and are eager to meet me.

Not much else to report from today, but I am very happy with the way things are working out.  Hopefully Bruno will be able to come visit us in TN as he is currently planning.  I'd like him to see some of my hometown like I have seen his.

To all my wonderful Austrian friends - thank you so much.  You have been incredibly gracious and kind to me, and my stay here in Neusiedl wouldn't be nearly as educational or enjoyable without you.

Until tomorrow!

Tschüß!

Austrian Internship: Day 10

I an stuck in the paradox of feeling as if I have been here forever, and as if the days are zipping by.  At the same time, it feels as if they couldn't go any slower.

Today, I expected to start our first aid training, but apparently that begins tomorrow.  We have a dinner with the president of the red cross tomorrow (a wonderfully friendly older gentleman whom I liked instantly), but other than that there is nothing else on the schedule.  Just waiting for time to pass at the moment.

I am so glad I've been keeping up with this blog and sharing it on Facebook and things.  Without it, I wouldn't have made several of the encouraging connections the Lord has brought my way: people who have let me know they are close to me in Europe and just a phone call away.  It really helps ease the minds of friends and family at home too.  Where I am the internet is so limited I can't use Skype.  I guess even though it may sound silly, I am thankful for the social media the Lord has given me access to so as to stay connected with my family.

I read 1 John 4:18 today.  It was the Verse of the Day on the Bible app, and something I really needed to hear.  Being over here and feeling somewhat alone makes me fear and feel insecure.  But it was so nice to be reminded that my God loves me and will not leave me, especially when I'm 5,000 miles away from home.

I've discovered an easy way to get off caffeine: no access to it.  I think the last cup of coffee I had was our last day in Nuremberg.  The caffeine headaches haven't been too bad, and I spose it's good to get off for a while.  I'll be going back to school soon anyway where I can have it all the time.
It's little things like this that have led me to be more prayerfully thankful.  My family, my dear friends, access to water (or coffee), internet, air conditioning, and even decent food are all things that I regularly take for granted,  and it wasn't until I was forced to go without them that I realize how blessed I am: and I'm still in a first-world country!

I may go strolling around town or down to the lake later on after I do some more reading.  It's only 10am here and we won't be picked up for dinner for another 8 hours, but to be honest I'm getting tired of walking and sight seeing.  I've been seeing tons of new sights recently, and the down time is more than welcome.

We found out the best place to get wifi, believe it or not, is on the toilet.  That's the strongest place in the whole building.  And we don't know why.

I should have broght more books with me to read.  We had 8 hours of down time today and I finished Gatsby and am half way finished with my other book.  I don't know what I'm going to do later.

We have about 30 minutes before we leave for dinner...no, it's not like I'm counting...

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the perfection of the dinner that we had tonight.  Our host invited us out on to his ivy-covered porch which overlooks all the countryside (you can see all the way to Hungary), and began the evening with a cucumber based drink called Moscow Mule.  We talked and sipped our drinks as the sun began to set, and after a time Bruno himself got up to prepare dinner, which was a wonderful mushroom goulash with fresh bread and couscous.  As it got darker outside we lit a lantern and sat in on the middle of the table,  and we had tirimasu for dessert with Turkish coffee.  Our conversation ran from the UN to history to professions to cultural pracrices...All sorts of things we discussed.  I felt so welcomed and right at home by everyone; it was good to laugh and share and compare experiences, and I was fascinated with stories of Bruno experiences with communism and the Iron Curtain.

Tomorrow begins our first aid training with a friend we met tonight named Mario.  He speaks English very well (almost Southern at times as he learned from a North Carolinian), and he is very friendly to us.  I'm really looking forward to it.

I posted yesterday that I'm almost finished with the books I brough, and Sandra, our friend who has organized practically everything for us here, saw that and graciously brought me a bag full of great books for me to read when I am finished.  I am so very thankful that we are being so well taken care of.

Goodnight, from an extremely full, thankful, and satisfied Jonathan.  Until tomorrow!

P.S. I have been assured by Mario, Bruno, and Sandra all that I shouldn't be worried about people who can speak English in Jannesdorf.   Plenty of people are able to speak English there, and apparently people are friendlier down South too.  Wouldn't ya know it.  ;)

Austrian Internship: Day 9

Today isn't technically our first work day, but we're starting the morning with a ceremony and a small dinner to dedicate several new buildings for the Red Cross chapter here in Neusidl.  I'm not sure what else is on the agenda, but if it's not much that's fine with me.  I need a little time to recover from running all over creation.

I only stay here until Thursday,  and then I'm shipped off to Jannesdorf where I'll spend most of my time.  Hawkins will stay in Eisenstadt.  I'm hoping that someone will speak English there, as I know no German and since I'll be losing my travel companion, and once again, I'm unsure if I'll be able to keep my blog updated due to connectivity.  Here the wifi is so weak I am limited to my phone, which is slightly annoying ad I was hoping to Skype home.  Hopefully that will happen soon.

At the dinner we attended our first Austrian Mass and here we are practically famous.  We've been interviewed by two different newspaper reporters and had our picture taken.  There are tons of people here, and an authentic Austrian wind band playing.  It's a super big deal and all because the Red Cross here is opening a new room.  I was pulled aside by an older Austrian gentleman who said he swore I looked like an Irishman.  When I told him my ancestors are Irish, he laughed and shook my hand saying "Ah, Irishmen es good!"  That made me happy.

I don't think we have anything else lined up for the rest of the day, but that's fine by me.  I think we may take a nap and enjoy ourselves before we start work tomorrow.  The wind band is still playing in the background, and finally the wind is blowing.  It's a good day.

We found out that tomorrow all we have to do is have dinner with the Red Cross President, Bruno.  Everyone here is so nice to us, and we've spent the evening reading and listening to music.  I finished the Great Gatsby for the second time, and I've slept a bit.  Soon though, we're going to be on call for the ambulence for 12 hr shifts.  That promises to be fun.

I'm finishing my evening by starting one of my school books, believe it or not.  It's not like it seems though...I got the book at an AEI conference, and have been planning on reading it for pleasure, and it was only recently the book was added as the sole book for the course.  I'm happy to read a book I enjoy before class begins.  ;)

Goodnight from Neusidl! I can't wait to see you all again so I can share my wonderful stories with you in person.

Austrian Internship: Day 8

Finally, it's internship time.  I'm ready to be out of this blasted hotel.  We're right next to the church and the bells ring ever 15 min, but at 8:45 they ring for 5 minutes.  And someone has been knocking around in the room next to us for 3 hours before we got up.  Geez.  Praying we find our train and get out of here soon.

We found out our train is actually a rail jet train, which is pretty cool!  Right now we're going around 110 mph through the countryside.  Going to meet up with our "employer" soon.

It is nearly 2pm and we have ridden 2 trains and 2 subways so far, and we're still not there.  We're hoping this is the last train we have to take...traveling is exhausting.  But we'll be working soon!

We arrived 2 hours early at the location we're supposed to meet our ride to our work,  and wouldn't you know, the whole train platform is under construction.  No bathrooms and no AC, even near the ticket office.  It'll be a long wait.

We were picked up in an ambulance at 4:20 on the dot, and we're on our way to the Red Cross!  This is my first time riding in an ambulence, and as Hawkins said, I'm glad I'm not riding in the bed.  ;)

We're being treated extremely well here at the Red Cross.  They've provided us with some snacks, a decent room, good water,  and some vouchers for grocery shopping (hoping it's enough for the month).  The boots they gave me are enormous and the pants way too small...hoping those can be exchanged or something.  For some reason the wifi isn't agreeing with us (just our luck...I wasn't surprised), and as we're the only people here for the night, we will just have to wait, although it is sad to have such limited contact with my family.  We're still not sure exactly what to expect here.  I guess you'll find out as I do.

It's incredibly flat here...not quite Kansas flst, but close, and it's around 85-90°F here.  I thought I left this weather in TN, but apparently I was mistaken.

We have the evening free and are probably going to bed early.  Tomorrow we have a dinner to attend and work starts on Monday!  Hoping and praying all goes well.

Goodnight from Austria!

Austrian Internship: Day 7

We treated ourselves to sleeping in this (technically yesterday) morning (until about 9), and are now heading out to see what we can see before leaving for our internship tomorrow! We started our day off by visiting Mozart's wife's and father's gravesites in the St. Sebastian Cemetary, and then we toured Mozart's birthplace. I felt as if I was in musician Mecca. There were original manuscripts (I saw Rondo Alla Turca), his instruments, and original letters from him father. And all the while you could hear his work playing in the background (yes...including Don Giovanni). I found out while we were there that I have two pieces of stone from the foundation of the house in which he composed The Magic Flute. That gave me chills. I'm certainly keeping those for...inspirational...reasons. ;)

From there we visited the Cathedral at Salzburg and then walked through St.Peter's Church, where the flight scene from Sound of Music was filmed (which also has FIVE pipe organs). After a quick bite, and a nap we plan to go to the Maribell Gardens for a stroll.

While we were there, we saw the fountain at which Maria sang, sniffed roses, and listened to an English concert band play. It was a good evening, but I'm ready to hit the road for our internship. We're both exhausted and are going to bed early, and we're hoping that we find the correct train tomorrow morning. No wifi today, as you've found out by now. 

Goodnight!

P.S. what's better than playing Flappy Bird and watching Turkish game shows in bed at 9pm? I need a life.

Austrian Internship: Day 6

We finally signed out of the Hotel Probst this morning, having made drastic changes in our plans and staying their 3 nights.  We both loved that quaint hotel and I'm bait sad to leave it.

After a quick stop for Internet to verify our train, we headed up to board an ICE train toward Munich to transfer and head to Salzburg!  Hopefully we'll find everything with ease today and not have a repeat of Wurzburg/Day 1 of Nuremberg.
Huzzah!  We got on board the ICE train to Munich and actually found non reserved seats and luggage storage in one try.  The Lord blessed us: we didn't have to spend any money on a reservation and we got comfortable seats.  On to Salzburg!

Traveling today has been a piece of cake thank the Lord.  We're on board a Meridian train to Salzburg now, and should arrive by 14:00, assuming we aren't delayed.  I'm really enjoying this relaxed day so far.

We've been on the road for almost an hour now, and I think we can safely say: we're really in Europe. Rolling hills and scattered villages and farms surround the tracks, and off in the distance I got my first glimpse of the Alps.  This feels surreal.  It's like I stepped into one of my old history books.  Sure, the city is "europe" too...but it's much more heart warming out here.

Also, I'm listening to music for the first time since I've been over here, and I feel American again for a bit hearing Taylor Swift come on shuffle.  It felt good.  Judge away.  Who am I kidding though?!  I'm a musician...hearing orchestral music reminds me that I need music...I realize now that going without it almost depresses me, and I didn't notice before.

I've decided that bringing a hiking backpack would have been much better than a suitcase.  Especially for the type of travel we're doing.  Hawkins and I are considering writing down Travel in Europe for Broke College Students.  Yeah there's Rick Steves...but then there's also the perspective of a broke college student on his first time.  We have advice Mr. Steves doesn't.  ;)

We were told that Salzburg is hot this time of year.  That is correct.  We did arrive at 14:00 on the dot safe and sound and took a long walk to the cheapest hotel in the city that the Lord so graciously provided.  It is in a shopping alleyway, in a 700 year old building, and we had to limb four flights of stairs I can barely fit my shoulders through to get to our room.  Our hostess is an older woman who doesn't speak a lick of English, and that makes things very difficult.  There is hair on the pillows and blankets and we have a community toilet and shower, but hey.  It's a room.

We have so much we want to see around here...I'm not sure we'll get to half of it, and we don't have a ton of money.  We shall see what happens, and I'm sure you'll hear of it.  If not tomorrow, sometime this week.

Tonight we hiked the mountain that overlooks the entire city of Salzburg, and we are currently just relaxing, leaning against the wall of a castle, taking in the view.  In the distance I can see a HUGE fortress, 8 steeples, and only around a quarter of the town.  The city may be busy and loud...but here, where it is quiet and calm, the world is beautiful.

As we spent most of our day in travel and finding our hotel, even with getting up early, all we had time for was finding a grocery store and our hiking.  Tomorrow we plan to tour Mozart's house, maybe see a few churches and gardens, and perhaps the fortress.  Then, finally, we get to start our internship!  I'm very excited to have the upcoming structure and work.

We shall see when I am able to post next: most likely it will be from Eisenstadt!  Until then.

-J

Austrian Internship: Day 5

We started our morning early today, having a wonderful hand made breakfast at our Hotel (The Probst is a great place), and we are on board our first ICE train to Munich.  We found out the hard way that you need to make reservations for your seats (we were told we may need to, but didn't know for sure), but thankfully there are places with tables and standing space for people like us.  There are 4 tables in our area and about 14 people in one room.

We plan to transfer in Munich (I keep wanting to use German spelling...Munchen...) and get on a train and then a bus to Dachau to go see the concentration camp.  If we have time later this evening, we're going to see some things in Munich itself.  We'll see how things turn out.

Our ICE train ended up being 10 min late to Munich...(amd 20 min late om the way back to Nuremberg) which was the transfer time to get to Dachau.  So we saw our train pulling out just as we stepped off onto the platform.  The wait isn't long though, and we'll be on our way in less than a half hour.

The lower platforms of the Hauptbahnhof in Munich look SUPER sketchy.  It actually reminds me of an episode from Person of Interest.  There is a heavy fog/haze hanging in the air, everything is under construction, and there are beggars everywhere.  Thankfully we're still alive.  ;)

On the short train ride to Dachau we sat across from some girls who spoke Spanish and English interchangeably in their normal conversation.  I've said it's always a huge relief to hear English...but I never thought I'd be relieved to hear Spanish.  It was actually nice to hear and understand a little bit.  Dr. Page would be proud.

Dachau.  This placed moved me more than anywhere I've ever been, I think, and yet I cannot find adequate words to describe it.  I cannot come close to doing it justice.  We toured the prison cells (including torture areas), the sleeping and bath quarters, a *massive* museum that took us nearly 2 hours to complete, and several memorials/chapels. At the very end, a huge group of people circled the memorial near the front of the compound and hummed Amazing Grace together while holding hands.  It was...indescribably deep.  I kept thinking to myself: what is the solution to so much pain?  How could they possibly see past their suffering?  And hearing that hymn...I was soberly reminded that there is a Solution.

We ate at the Hopbrauhaus tonight for dinner.  It's the oldest restaurant in Germany,  dating all the way back to 1516.  As the story goes, when Mozart came to Munich to give a performance to the  royal court, he stopped by the Hopbrauhaus for a drink afterwards, as it was then owned by the royal family.  Also, if you would have told me that a pretzel dipped in sweet mustard and veal sausage tastes amazing together before I came to Germany, I wouldn't have believed you.  Turns out, it does taste amazing.

Munich is enormous.  SO many people are bustling about.  We saw a live polka band in the Hopbrauhaus (there ya go, Dad), a string ensemble playing classical in the streets, and a man in lederhosen playing guitar on a street corner.  After looking through the Munich Fuseball (soccer) shop and touring the Rathaus (a municipal building larger than St. Peter's Cathedral), we're heading back to Nuremberg to crash one more night before we head to Salzburg.  Today was another great day, and our adventuring skills are getting much better!

I'll write to you next from Austria!

Austria Internship: Day 4

Well, compared to yesterday, today was absolutely spectacular.  I could eat, sleep, and we had plenty of access to water!  Things I have been extremely thankful for today: water, people who wave back and smile, and cheap groceries (we ate for under 5E tonight, thanks to Aldi's).

 As I said yesterday (I think...I don't remember much of yesterday to be honest), we're in Nuremberg.  After sleeping off my sickness somewhat, we headed to the info center to ask for directions.  The info center is our new favorite place.  We found a hotel there last night, and we got plenty of directions and things to see.  This morning, it was filled with Amish women.  Last place I expected to see Amish women...made me grin.

First, we headed to the Documentation Center, or the Reichsparteitagsgelände as the Germans like to call it (I dare you to say all that...it's really hard), and we went through a massive museum that was guided by audio tour (and it was super cheap for students!).  Interestingly enough, nowhere in the Documentation Center are they called Nazis.  They're always referred to as the National Socialist Party.  I took a picture of the Rail Memorial (you can find Nuremberg pics here) that is filled with cards to the dead of the German railway.  Each card represents 100 people.  The gravity of the place we were in still hasn't sunk in.  We found it hard to do such a massive portion of history justice.
We walked all around the 11sq km Nazi Parade Grounds after touring the Documentation Center, finishing up at the Zeplin Field.  If you've ever seen a video of a huge Nazi parade with Hitler overseeing,  we were there.  We stood right where Hitler did 70ish years ago.  There is SO much history here, but the city doesn't maintain it.  The grounds are crumbling and there is anti-Nazi graffiti everywhere.  It's as if they've chosen to ignore their embarrassing past, which I don't necessarily blame them for.  Hawkins pointed out that we didn't have museums to slavery in the 1930s, and I thought that was a good point.

After extensively touring the grounds, we headed back to the city and toured the German National History museum.  It was HUGE.  We didn't have time to see all of it like we wanted to, but we saw armour, art, weapons, instruments (DW would have LOVED that section...SCADS of pianos/harpsichords...), clothes, chests...you name it, it was there.  We saw a hat that was made out of pure gold that apparently a sun priest used to wear...I took a picture for my little brother, Jacob...cause I could see him wearing that.

We stopped by St. Jakob's church, and stumbled upon Jakobstraße, and Hawkins was pleased with both.  We've seen so many relics and cathedrals that I am immensely satisfied.  Even if they aren't the particular ones I want to see.

I'm currently sitting in a Dunkin Donuts (Josh Rowe would be happy) a short walk from our hotel right now, because the internet here actually stays connected.  Had a European mocha...it's quite different from home.  They put it in a tall glass, and it's actually pretty good!  Anyway, we're planning on going to Munich and Dachau tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll be able to write to you then.

Miss hearing English and hugging my family.

Until tomorrow!

Austrian Internship: Day 2

There is no possible way I can tell you everything we did today, as tired as I am, and how early I have to get up in the morning. So, I'll shoot you some rapid-fire facts, and since a picture is 1,000 words, you can finish the story on your own here.

Smoking here is like the US in the 90s. Everyone does it. There are even vending machines for cigarettes (something I've never seen).

Garden plots: you can by a 50x50 ft plot of land with a shack to garden on outside the city, due to lack of space in the city. Tons of people do this, and they actually produce a lot of food.

Even though we've ridden the train and bus at least 10 times so far, we've only had two people check our ticket. They are very lax about ensuring you actually have one, but if you are caught without one, they'll fine you 10x the actual ticket price.

I know no German, but just being here 24ish hours, I've already picked up on some small words and phrases such as the polite way to say please or thank you, hello/goodbye, where is the toilet, excuse me, etc. For some reason I've had to be reminded several times what "excuse me" is...for some reason, "entschuldigen" is difficult to remember.

My 1st and only redhead sighting was today. I know now I'm not completely alone.

Our trip down the Rhine was absolutely spectacular. You'll see by my photos that there are *gazillions* of castles on the Rhine, and we actually got to take a self-guided tour of the castle at St. Goar. The man who takes the tickets there thought I was French, presumably because the gentleman in front of me was of that particular nationality. He gave me a French map, told me the cost in French, and since I know "please" and "thank you" in French, I guess he still thinks that. Weird.

After looking at Beer Steins in St. Goar (they're hand made out of crystal...and rang anywhere from $98-600ish. I thought about getting a particular friend of mine a Brazil Stein, but it was $200...), Hawkins and I found an outdoor pavillion where tons of people were gathered to watch the World Cup. The local news showed up to film our reaction as Germany won! We're probably celebrities by now. Anyway, fireworks are being set off everywhere, cars are (still, at 1am) honking, hundreds of people are yelling and dancing and kissing in the streets. Amazing.

That is a highly terrible and undetailed account of my day, but I am fighting a losing battle against jet lag, and I still have my family and my wonderful lady friend to talk to tonight. As I upload pictures. The busy life of a traveler!

Tomorrow I plan to write to you from a hostel in Nuremberg, assuming I have WiFi. If I don't get a post up...I don't have WiFi.

OH! WiFi saved Hawkins and me tonight. I mooched of some random German's signal, because we got off our tram 3 stops early and got a bit...turned around. Not lost. Mom.

Anyway, we're alive and getting ready for bed. Until tomorrow!

-J

Austrian Internship: Day 1

It feels surreal to be sitting here in the Charlotte International Airport with my good friend Jacob Hawkins (who will hereafter be affectionately referred to as Hawkins), waiting on our flight to Frankfurt, Germany.  I woke up this morning still not believing this trip is actually happening, and here we are.  This airport is enormous; I would venture a guess it's even larger than Reagan National that I flew into in Washington DC: past security is so large it looks like a mall from back home.

The drive to Charlotte was a simple one.  All of my family came with us to see us off at the airport, and the trip through security was short and uneventful, thank goodness.  For the first time in my life I saw an attendant in a bathroom...He was casually counting his tips with a towel draped over one arm and a bowl of mints at his elbow.  For some reason all I could think of was the Looney Tunes Show.

We have about thirty minutes until we take off, and the next time I'm writing to you will technically be Day 2 of our trip...but for me it won't feel like it (YAY JET LAG!), so I'll just stick to one post.  I'm starting to get excited.  We'll be in Germany soon!

...As I checked in, the man who looked at my passport said "huh, I know a Creasy."  I asked him what his name was, and he responded "Steve."  Apparently, however, this Steve Creasy is from West Virginia,  and works for US Airways.  It's a small world.

As it turns out, every movie you've ever seen with the screaming child in the plane turned out accurate.  I took a melatonin mom gave me to supposedly help me sleep, and I have white noise playing in my ear buds, but wouldn't you know it I can still hear that kid.  This feels strangely similar to the 32 hour bus trip I took to Canada...still about five hours of our trip left.

Another update for you whitest we're on the plane: we have about 1.5 hours left, it's about 11 pm eastern time, and the sun is rising on the opposite side of the plane.  Hawkins and I both have "slept" an hour-ish, and were just now awoken by the stewardesses offering coffee and muffins before we land.  Currently it's -72°F outside, and we're just at 39k ft. We should touch down an hour early.

4,512 miles and 7 hours and 39 minutes later, at 6:40am local time, Hawkins and I landed in Frankfurt, Germany.  Our adventure has begun!

We made it safely to our good friend Mr. Butch Smith's house in Frankfurt a few hours later.  Both being exhausted,  we are collapsing, surrendering for a few hours to jet lag.  Oh, a bed has never felt so wonderful.

The rest of the day has been an absolute whirlwind.  Here are a few things I have noticed, for your entertainment:

1) the average car in Frankfurt is an Audi.  It's like seeing Hondas in the US.

2) I have yet to see a single natural red-head.  I truly feel alone.

3) I am not tall compared to most people here.  Some people make me feel short.

4) Interestingly enough, beverages in order of cost here are: wine, beer, and then water.  The exact opposite of what they are in the States.

We started our touring by visiting a museum of Frankfurtian history, that dated all the way back to 1200ish.  There, we saw lots of armour, swords, hand-paintings, and we even saw original polemics by Martin Luther.  That was super cool.  The architecture here is astounding, and everything is so much more quiet and relaxed compared to the constant bustle of America, even somewhere as small as my hometown.  (Oh, if you'd like to keep up with photos for the trip, check here.  I don't have time to creatively put them in posts.  Jet lag, you know.)

As we walked through the town square just past the municipal building, we suddenly came upon a throng of angry, shouting people.  As it turns out, it was a Palestinian protest, dealing with recent tensions between them and Israel.  The German riot squad (looked similar to our SWAT team), a large police perimeter, and everything.

Escaping the protest (which was quickly overseen by a police helicopter and a news helicopter), we stopped by the remains of an old city guard tower turned into a restaurant (the bathroom was in the very top of the tower, so you could relieve yourself while you look over Frankfurt), and ritzy hotel that Mrs. Smith wanted us to see that featured a constant elevator.  This particular elevator was different because it had sets of boxes that travel in a large oval shape from the lobby of the building all the way to the rooftop, and it never stops moving.  Sound dangerous?  It probably is.  I nearly fell down the elevator shaft my first time getting in.  Not really.  But I wasn't graceful.

We finished our day at the Kanonesteppel, as authentic as German food gets.  I ate Farmer's Style Bratwurst with sour kraut (yes Dad...I did in fact eat sour kraut), along with home-made mashed potatoes.  I am now stuffed, sleepy, and quite content.  If the food remains this good, I might gain 15 pounds (sorry, Virginia... ;) ).

The only sounds I can hear are an occasional car below, the whir of my own computer, and Mr. Smith's stone age old, "YOU'VE GOT MAIL."  Not only are the Germans relaxed, but their builders are quiet and quaint: there is no air conditioning, and right now we don't need it.  The temperature is perfect.

I could write to you for hours about all the new things I'm seeing here in Europe.  It still hasn't dawned on me that I'm half way across the world.  Getting used to the travel system here will be a challenge (as all directions are in German...go figure...), but I'm already greatly enjoying myself.  Tonight, I go to bed satisfied, and expecting a wonderful internship ahead of me.  Hawkins is succombing to jet lag beside me.  A Skype call is all that is between me and the same fate.

Until next time, my dear reader!  I can't wait to tell you more about our adventures.

Auf Wiedersehen!