It has literally been a month since I last posted!!!
So since I got back from Genesis Sixteen, it's been a pretty emotional month. Something happened in my personal life which has changed my whole future and that wouldn't have happened (well not as quickly anyway) if I hadn't come on my year abroad. Doing this has given me so much independence and made me realise what I want. It gave me the courage to change things for the better and I'm so grateful for that...
It's been a very homesick month, I'm not going to lie. I'm SO excited to go home. I'm flying straight to Manchester on the 23rd as we're spending Christmas at my brother's house. I'll stay there till the 27th, and then spend a few days in London, then back to my parent's house for New Year. I literally don't want anything for Christmas, I just want to see my family and experience English things once again. I need my fix! But despite feeling homesick, I have actually done quite a lot this month...
Ice skating has become a regular occurrence in my life. The weekend after I got back from Manchester, my friends and I all went to Stadtpark to try it out. The last time I'd been ice skating was my 15th birthday and I ended up in A&E, so this time I wanted to try and stop associating it with injuries...but alas, it was not to be. I got way too cocky, speeding around the rink and fell on my knees twice. The first time was pretty funny. The second time however, my friend Hal said that he "never wanted to hear a woman make sounds like that ever again". It still hurts and I've learnt my lesson! We've been again since, and that time I had a lot of fun. Definitely getting the hang of it :)
I've been to see yet another opera since being back - La Bohème. It's definitely the best one I've seen yet. Next term my aim is to see the Wiener Philharmoniker and maybe the Vienna Boy's Choir too.
The great thing about Vienna at the moment is that it's Christmas! The Christmas lights and markets are just beautiful and the whole experience makes it magical. Going to Christmas markets and drinking Gluehwein is something I'm definitely going to miss. Not only are they amazing for Christmas shopping but also in a really social way. It's such a culture here to just go, drink, eat and be merry. I do miss mince pies though - I have such a craving for them at the moment but I don't even particularly like them that much...I just miss having the option! Christmas carols are another thing I miss :(
There have been nights out aplenty this month and as someone who used to be tee total for a while, it is definitely taking its toll on me, but I'm having a lot of fun :) We have now branched out to a different karaoke bar called "Beer and Songs" and on a night out there, I managed to find songs in my range and sang "Think of Me" from Phantom, being sure to include the top B flat in the cadenza...then my friend Phil and I sang a stunning rendition of All I Ask of You. It. Was. Beautiful. But I'm not sure it was worth me sitting on a bench, while waiting for the UBahn, with my head between my knees...
This month I have also ventured out of Austria and into Slovenia! A few friends and I visited Ljubljana (lubjubjub) for a long weekend (we had a Nationalfeiertag). It was great to spend some time outside of Vienna and be a tourist again!
Singing is going well too. The choir I'm in, Chorus Sine Nomine, is great and I'm having a lot of fun. I've only been to three rehearsals and yet I am already the joke of the choir - being the English one. Every rehearsal I get "Elizabeth, haben Sie verstanden???". The conductor has a very strong Austrian accent and has no hopes of me understanding anything he says. But at least now everyone in the choir knows my name...the last rehearsal went great, I spoke loads of german and have successfully got through the small talk barrier with everyone there :) I'm looking forward to next term when rehearsals get a bit more regular and intense. Next term I think I will join a church choir too, and I finally have a contact from the Vienna Conservatoire who is going to help me find a singing teacher which is exciting!
Teaching...(oh yeah, that thing I came here to do)...is also going well! Today I got a whole class sitting in a circle and singing Auld Lang Syne which was good fun. I'm getting to know my students pretty well now and really enjoying teaching them.
Other than that, I've been enjoying my Haribo advent calendar, a lovely Sunday lunch cooked by my husband Phil, my sister coming to visit (she is still here :)) and just making the most of being here until I leave for Christmas!
Bis Bald! x
No comments:
Post a Comment