The rain here is so slow, it could be snow. But its not. Its icy. Its cold. Its not sleet though, its rain. Or so I have been told.
Overnight, the rain freezes and forms a slippery, rock hard sheet of annoying.
There are so many kids here on crutches or with broken bones of some sort, it has become a bit of a game. Count the new injuries. Not a very fun game, especially for the ones being counted.
Talking of counting games, in my religion class, the teacher has a favorite word. It's 'praktiche'. Normally, it would mean practical (zips are more practical than buttons) but in his sense of the word, he uses it like an annoying young girl would say like.
Whenever he walks into the class, everybody gets out their books, sets up a chart and starts counting. Yesterday, the final tally after a 40 minute lesson was 86. The highest he has got in a 40 minute lesson was 212. Or so they all tell me. Its hard to keep a straight face as he uses the word four times in a sentence.
Last night, I went to see a movie with my host sister called Vorstadkrokodile 2. Last week I saw the start of the first one, so it was easy for me to understand what was happening.... or not. Luckily, everything was shown well, and so I followed the movie like a deaf person without subtitles, just watching the movements and colour on the screen. It seemed to work, as I was able to talk to her about the plot afterwards. It was actually an OK movie.
The teachers have finally started giving me homework. I never thought I'd say this, but I was so relieved to have someting to do! I hate sitting around doing nothing. So far, Ive read four pages of a german novel (it'll take me a while, but I will finish it!), written three letters in English, and studied German at triple speed, trying to cram as much in as I can - before people become frustrated that they have to speak English with me.
Today is carnival dress up day. I dont really understand what 'carnival' is, so far all I've worked out that its like a week long halloween, where you dress up whenever and no-one thinks that you are strange. I didnt dress up for school, I'm leaving that one 'till saturday when we are going to a masken-ball. But my host sister did.
Imagine this.
1 thirteen year old girl.
1 highlighter pink skin tight top
1 highlighter pink pair of tights
1 highlighter pink wig
1 baby pink tiny skirt
1 pair of long black socks
1 pair of white converse shoes
too much pink make-up
just too much pink.
oh, and I cant forget the pink fairy wings and mathcing butterfly feelers.
oh wow.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Pavlova, old men and small children
Pavlova.
Yesterday, I got the urge to bake. Now, this doesnt happen very often, so when it does, I usually take up that urge. I am actually a terrible baker. I was never born to be a cook/chef of any sort. The reason is, I cannot follow a recipe. I like to add my own touches, a little extra flavour etc. If i like the way something tastes, I dont read the recipe, and try to feel my way through the steps, tasting most things as I go.
But anyway, crazy little me decided she wanted to bake a Pavlova.
I emailed Mum for the recipe, and got baking.
After hours in the kitchen (finding, tasting, mixing, tasting, adding, adding, spreading, tasting, baking, cleaning, cutting, eating, mixing, cooling, topping, tasting, serving, eating, sharing) I had successfully baked a Pavlova. And it was good! Not chewy, like Mums, which is the way I like it, but still, a worthy Pavlova. I am proud to call myself an Australian Pav-lover.
For those of you daring enough, here is the recipe as I made it. Yum.
Basic pavlova with fruit salad topping
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar (Here in austria, I couldnt find any, so I cheated and just used white sugar. It worked well enough)
3 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white vineger
2 cups whipped cream (with 1 table spoon icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence)
2x 250g punnets of strawberries (you can add other fruit, but because it was soooo cold, I was lucky to even get the strawberries)
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to a slow 150 degrees (C). Line an oven tray with baking paper. Mark a 20cm circle in centre of tray. Place room temperature egg whites in large mixing bowl. Using electric beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly with each addition.
Beat for a further 5-10 minutes, until sugar has completely dissolved. I didnt read this, and just tasted it after a minute, and decided that it was dissolved enough. Fold in cornflour and vinegar.
2. Spread the lovely meringue mixture onto the 20cm marked circle. Shape evenly, running a flat bladed knife around the edge. Do this so that the sides are higher than the middle, and make pretty little peaks around the edge. This helps to keep the cream on!
3. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until pale and crisp. Turn off the oven and allow to cool inside. Leave the door ajar.
4. Top with cream and strawberries!
Eat.
Apparently, there was a huge family gathering at Magdas when we got there, it was her brothers birthday. How awkward.
Everyone tried some pav, and generally, they thought it was great. The Birthday boy had two huge servings, and now he wants to come back to Australia, where the koalas, kangaroos and pavlovas can be found!
Old men.
Sitting at Magdas dinner table, I was placed next to her Grandpa, a 70 year old typical Austrian man. By the time I got there, he was well and truly tipsy, and seemed quite taken by me!
I didnt understand any of this at the time, he spoke with heavy slur and heavy dialect, but thankfully, Magda translated what was appropriate to me.
Apparently, all night, he had been interested in me. Every time he turned to me, he looked with a smile and a laugh and said such things as... "are you free on tuesday, i want to meet up with you", "im glad you arent too skinny, a curvy girl is nice" and "will you write your phone number down for me? i like you". If he spoke english, I would have had to find so many ways to say no... or I would have left the room. Now, all of this was in a joking manner, I think he was just testing what he could say that I wouldnt understand! I have never had a stranger night in all my life.
Small children
I started my German with younger classes today. It was horrible. As I walked in awkwardly, the entire class (a room full of 10 year old kids) turned to stare at me. When the teacher, Mrs Hruby explained who I was and what I was doing in the class, the staring only got worse. Today I spent the day in a number of classes with children staring at me, wide eyed as owls!
Yesterday, I got the urge to bake. Now, this doesnt happen very often, so when it does, I usually take up that urge. I am actually a terrible baker. I was never born to be a cook/chef of any sort. The reason is, I cannot follow a recipe. I like to add my own touches, a little extra flavour etc. If i like the way something tastes, I dont read the recipe, and try to feel my way through the steps, tasting most things as I go.
But anyway, crazy little me decided she wanted to bake a Pavlova.
I emailed Mum for the recipe, and got baking.
After hours in the kitchen (finding, tasting, mixing, tasting, adding, adding, spreading, tasting, baking, cleaning, cutting, eating, mixing, cooling, topping, tasting, serving, eating, sharing) I had successfully baked a Pavlova. And it was good! Not chewy, like Mums, which is the way I like it, but still, a worthy Pavlova. I am proud to call myself an Australian Pav-lover.
For those of you daring enough, here is the recipe as I made it. Yum.
Basic pavlova with fruit salad topping
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
6 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar (Here in austria, I couldnt find any, so I cheated and just used white sugar. It worked well enough)
3 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white vineger
2 cups whipped cream (with 1 table spoon icing sugar and a few drops of vanilla essence)
2x 250g punnets of strawberries (you can add other fruit, but because it was soooo cold, I was lucky to even get the strawberries)
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to a slow 150 degrees (C). Line an oven tray with baking paper. Mark a 20cm circle in centre of tray. Place room temperature egg whites in large mixing bowl. Using electric beaters, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly with each addition.
Beat for a further 5-10 minutes, until sugar has completely dissolved. I didnt read this, and just tasted it after a minute, and decided that it was dissolved enough. Fold in cornflour and vinegar.
2. Spread the lovely meringue mixture onto the 20cm marked circle. Shape evenly, running a flat bladed knife around the edge. Do this so that the sides are higher than the middle, and make pretty little peaks around the edge. This helps to keep the cream on!
3. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until pale and crisp. Turn off the oven and allow to cool inside. Leave the door ajar.
4. Top with cream and strawberries!
Eat.
(I might have tasted it, again)
Well, the family loved it, but it was too much for us. So, along with some presents for a girl in America, we took it to my classmates house, Magda. Apparently, there was a huge family gathering at Magdas when we got there, it was her brothers birthday. How awkward.
Everyone tried some pav, and generally, they thought it was great. The Birthday boy had two huge servings, and now he wants to come back to Australia, where the koalas, kangaroos and pavlovas can be found!
Old men.
Sitting at Magdas dinner table, I was placed next to her Grandpa, a 70 year old typical Austrian man. By the time I got there, he was well and truly tipsy, and seemed quite taken by me!
I didnt understand any of this at the time, he spoke with heavy slur and heavy dialect, but thankfully, Magda translated what was appropriate to me.
Apparently, all night, he had been interested in me. Every time he turned to me, he looked with a smile and a laugh and said such things as... "are you free on tuesday, i want to meet up with you", "im glad you arent too skinny, a curvy girl is nice" and "will you write your phone number down for me? i like you". If he spoke english, I would have had to find so many ways to say no... or I would have left the room. Now, all of this was in a joking manner, I think he was just testing what he could say that I wouldnt understand! I have never had a stranger night in all my life.
Small children
I started my German with younger classes today. It was horrible. As I walked in awkwardly, the entire class (a room full of 10 year old kids) turned to stare at me. When the teacher, Mrs Hruby explained who I was and what I was doing in the class, the staring only got worse. Today I spent the day in a number of classes with children staring at me, wide eyed as owls!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
lazy blogger
Sorry this one is late guys, Ive been feeling lazy over the past few days (and maybe have been just a little busy)
Friday night was vorni-omas birthday party (the Grandma that had the birthday on tuesday). Basically, we just ate, the 'adults' drank, and laughed. It was a really great night for us all!
Ive been caught though! Little Lia (a young cousin) brought her life size barbie doll head with her, one that you can paint the face on. As she asked, I made her look like tinker-bell, painting it like I do the fairies at theatre. Now I have to paint the whole families faces for carnival... a festival a bit like a week long halloween.
Yesterday (saturday) I went shopping. Something I noticed here, there is a severe lack of shoe shops. Now, usually, I dont care that much for shoe shops, they bore me. But strangely, when they werent there, I missed them.
Here is a complete list of what I bought.
1. Jumper thingo, that looks like it should be a cardigan, but isnt
2. Scarf. Important for where I am.
3. Earrings. I think mine got lost in transit, on a thai airways plane somewhere
4. Dakine school bag. Camilla, the brand is your fault.
5. Warm jacket. I was freezing in my aussie winter jacket
oh, i think thats all!
Not as exciting as I thought. But what is exciting, the shops I went to were in Salzburg! Like I said before, everything is one hour away here, and so is Salzburg. I still cant get over that.
Last night we went clubbing again. To the same clubs, danced to the same music, but really, it was ok. Everything stinks of cigarettes though.
Today, I plan to make a pavlova. I'm not very good at it, but I'll tell you how it went tomorrow
A fairly short and boring post, sorry guys. Maybe you can understand how tired I am.
Ciao for now
Friday night was vorni-omas birthday party (the Grandma that had the birthday on tuesday). Basically, we just ate, the 'adults' drank, and laughed. It was a really great night for us all!
Ive been caught though! Little Lia (a young cousin) brought her life size barbie doll head with her, one that you can paint the face on. As she asked, I made her look like tinker-bell, painting it like I do the fairies at theatre. Now I have to paint the whole families faces for carnival... a festival a bit like a week long halloween.
Yesterday (saturday) I went shopping. Something I noticed here, there is a severe lack of shoe shops. Now, usually, I dont care that much for shoe shops, they bore me. But strangely, when they werent there, I missed them.
Here is a complete list of what I bought.
1. Jumper thingo, that looks like it should be a cardigan, but isnt
2. Scarf. Important for where I am.
3. Earrings. I think mine got lost in transit, on a thai airways plane somewhere
4. Dakine school bag. Camilla, the brand is your fault.
5. Warm jacket. I was freezing in my aussie winter jacket
oh, i think thats all!
Not as exciting as I thought. But what is exciting, the shops I went to were in Salzburg! Like I said before, everything is one hour away here, and so is Salzburg. I still cant get over that.
Last night we went clubbing again. To the same clubs, danced to the same music, but really, it was ok. Everything stinks of cigarettes though.
Today, I plan to make a pavlova. I'm not very good at it, but I'll tell you how it went tomorrow
A fairly short and boring post, sorry guys. Maybe you can understand how tired I am.
Ciao for now
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