Austrian-American Adventures: September 2014

This week, the teaching assistants of the US and UK had orientation in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, a heavenly ski town tucked away from the world in a valley of an Alpine mountain range. Most of the trees and brush were still green, while others have turned bright red or gold as autumn nears. The mountains were snowcapped at the top, and the air felt refreshingly ice cold at night, while during the day it was a comfortable 70 degrees in the sun.

About 80 new TA's were there for orientation from four states (Bundeslaender) in Austria: Voralberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, and Upper Austria. We attended workshops and classes to learn fun ways and approaches to teaching English which were useful. There were teachers from each state who taught the classes, all of whom were very friendly and knowledgeable. Since all of the TA's are in different schools, the orientation was a great chance to get to know other people and make friends.

One of the best things that I'm looking forward to is the fact that teachers get to wear slippers to class (Hausschuhe 'house shoes')! During orientation, everyone was required to bring slippers to wear in the conference center hotel where we stayed. The Austrians like to keep things clean so what better way to clean the floors less than to encourage everyone to bring in slippers to wear indoors? This includes students and teachers at schools, etc. Everyone in Austria also always takes off their shoes when entering a person's home.

We had an afternoon off on one of the days to take a hike to Reiterkogel - one of the surrounding mountains which gave 360 degree views for miles and miles at the very top. Because of the Air France strike, my luggage was lost, which had all my shoes and clothes inside. So I had no choice but to wear my slip-on Toms for the hike while everyone else had proper sneakers and hiking boots.

We were told by one of the Austrian teachers who led the way that the hike would be about 1-1.5 hours up. It definitely took a good two hours to make it to one of the restaurants towards the top of the mountain, and then another 45 minutes or so to the very tip top. Some people dropped out along the way but the majority of the group made it. The hike and views were amazing and it all was well worth it as I knew it would be. I toughed it out with Rachel from the UK, one of the good friends I've made here who will also be living in Linz. Our breath was not only taken away from the hike but from the unbelievable views along the ridge to the very top. Rachel skis and I snowboard so we will definitely be returning to Saalbach in the winter. I made the hike in my shoes without blisters or a sprained ankle, so thanks, Toms!

From the top of the mountain:

Hiking to the top with Rachel and other TA's:

There is a small pool towards the top with ice cold water for hikers to walk through with bare feet. The cold water takes down the heat and swelling and feels so refreshing:

Those who had Liederhosen and dirndls wore them on the hike. The leader of the hike and teaching representative from Upper Austria is on the left side, he was such a nice guy:

On the last night of orientation, we had traditional Austrian dancers come and perform for us. Many people were chosen out of the crowd to come and dance in front of everyone, one of them including me. It was so much fun and I want to take a class! Here are some friends dancing with some of the girls, who were wearing traditional dirndls:

We entered and left Saalbach-Hinterglemm through the Zell am See city train station- a city about a half hour bus ride away. It's a relatively well-known city in the state of Salzburg, and we had two hours there to spend there on the last day until our train came:

Great beginning to my time here in Austria!

Thanks to the Air France strike, my flight to Vienna was canceled and my luggage was lost, but I unexpectedly got to spend 36 hours in Paris. Despite all the good things I've heard about the beauty of the country, I never acquired too much interest in visiting but am so glad I had the chance.

While entering the city, I noticed how crazy busy the train station was and how many different ethnicities there were in the people rushing around in comparison to Vienna. As I stepped out onto the street, I felt like I was sort of in a movie setting: all the quaint restaurants, diners and cafés, the rush of people going to work, the French-African taxi drivers aggressively driving and yelling at each other. Although there were lovely sites to the eye, I also took notice of the lovely stench of urine and sounds of dirty men cat-calling during my walk. All in all, the city reminded me a lot of New York, but much prettier.

Surrounded by excited young travelers and party-hardy Aussies, I checked into my first hostel, not knowing what to expect. I'd never stayed in a hostel and I just imagined it as being loud, uncomfortable and not too clean. But after my stay, I can't believe I'd never had the "experience" of one before. This hostel was an A+ in comfort, privacy and cleanliness and I met some really nice people. My three room mates were from Japan, China/Australia, and America. I also met another American who I explored the city with later that day.

I arrived very early in the morning, around 8 a.m. so I had about a day and a half to explore Paris until my flight the next evening to Vienna. Totally jet lagged and tired, I promised myself I'd make the most of my time there and see everything I possibly could, so I dropped off my stuff in my room, took a quick shower and got a ticket to one of those Hop On, Hop Off buses to see the main attractions around Paris: The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Orsay museum, Champs-Élysées Avenue, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, among a other sites.

The city far surpassed my expectations and clichés I had in my head. It was romantic and gorgeous in the most absolute non-cheesy way. Every corner and avenue was picture perfect. I really felt that I was in the city of Paris compared to other monumental cities that I've visited, some of which didn't give me wow factor or make me feel like I was actually there in that city, in that moment. I'd definitely go back there again.