Ghosts, Chairs, and Lots of Fog

I haven’t written in about a week, so here’s a little snapshot of what I’ve been up to lately!

Lessons: Now that I’m FINALLY done introducing myself to every class, I’ve been able to branch out to some more fun lessons. A few days before I’m scheduled to go to a given class, I always ask that teacher what he or she wants me to prepare. Sometimes it’s a lesson that’s related to what the class is studying (for example, one group is doing a unit on “extreme sports” so I did a lesson on Felix Baumgartner), other times it’s related to the season (I’ve done lots of Presidential election and Halloween lessons lately), and sometimes I’m just asked to discuss a text in the book (one day I had to lead a discussion on this song called “Who Killed Davey Moore?” which is about a boxer who dies and the argument about whose fault it is—not the cheeriest of topics, but we turned it into a debate so I think the kids had fun). I’ve had a lot of fun putting together the lessons where I’m given a little freedom. My Halloween lesson has been my favorite thus far. They do celebrate Halloween here, but it’s not as big a deal as it is in America. Generally their costumes are more traditional (witch, ghost, vampire) or classic (superman, princess). Because I always dress up in really bizarre costumes for Halloween, I showed the kids pictures of my costumes over the years. It was embarrassing, but funny. I also showed them this video called “Life and Death of a Pumpkin” but only the audio, so they didn’t know it was about a pumpkin, and they got really creeped out. Then I had them write their own scary stories in groups. The stories they came up with were really adorable and I can’t wait to do this lesson again in other classes. I think it was a hit!

Some of the pictures in my presentation--one of the less embarrassing ones

Sightseeing and other stuff: I had a free ticket to the “Vienna Furniture Museum,” so I decided to check it out yesterday. It was much cooler than I thought it would be! There were samples of Viennese or Austrian furniture from as far back as the early 1700s, all the way to modern designs, with a focus on the Hapsburgs of course (you can’t escape them here—I love it). One of my favorite parts of the museum was a series of exhibits that showed the pieces of furniture that were used in the Sissi movies. They had screens playing that showed movie clips in black and white, with the furniture pieces in color, so you could see where in the film the given chair or table was. And the clips were dubbed in various languages. The Chinese was hilarious.

The Hapsburgs: that's how they roll....badum chhhh

Visitors are allowed to test out the chairs and couches in this part of the museum!

On Saturday I was invited to go hiking with a group of other TAs. Unfortunately it was really misty and foggy so although we could tell that there should have been really gorgeous views from the places we were, we couldn’t actually see anything. It was kind of disappointing but we did end the day with a lovely picnic lunch in a playground on our way down the mountain. Plus, it was lovely spending time with nice people and seeing a new part of the area! Hopefully we’ll hike again soon, with more luck J

yay friends!

On Friday afternoon I visited the Prater, a very very old but quirky and fun amusement park in Vienna. It’s pretty reminiscent of a state fair or Coney Island, with really tacky rides and games, but a whole lot of character. Sadly we didn’t have time to actually take part in the attractions, but I made plans with the friends I was with to go back and experience it for real.

Vienna is so huge, so in order to see as much of it as possible, I’ve started this new thing where I get off the underground at a random stop I've never been to, and then walk around that area, searching for cool things. Usually I have no destination in mind; the goal is just to explore and see what I see. I’ll get to a street corner, look both ways, and whichever way looks cooler, I go down that street. Sometimes I stumble upon really pretty or exciting things! For example, on Saturday I found the house in which Franz Schubert died (that’s historical and cool, right?) and yesterday I found what is now my favorite church in Vienna. It was stunning. I’m excited to continue this method of exploring and see what else I discover!