Mass update
So a couple of days ago Graz had itself a big ole festival called Aufsteirern, basically filling most of the space between Jakominiplatz and Hauptplatz with little green tents offering info on hunting in the region, lederhosen (for Gents) and Dirndls (for the ladies), various toast sandwiches, wursts, pretzels, and a local favorite, Sturm (a naturally carbonated early-grape young wine that tastes like raspberry lemonade and has a pretty decent kick to it as well). The whole thing was a bit much, so we didn’t stay long, though long enough to get ripped off on an overpriced gyro and a schnitzel sandwich. Things are settling in pretty well here, though I’m still waiting for roommates to come in. I bought some warm weather clothes a few days ago and, as it turns out, this was a good thing; it’s gotten really rather cold and wet around here in the last 12 hours and I’m very thankful for my new, warm hoodies. The storm has been quite impressive though, and on a number of occasions the thunder has literally rattled me in my seat. The hills here are beautiful, with the mist pouring down from all sides into the valley that is Graz, and the lightning seems to have some strange ability to last for a couple of seconds in the sky before fading. Magic.
The german intensive class is progressing well enough, though the test we had on Friday was a bit rough (got a 2-3, where 1 is best and 5 is worst) and I think my Deutschskillz (TM) are really starting to come together. I’ve finally got enough groceries that I’m no longer just buying more every few days, and it’s nice to be able to prepare FOOD food, not just meat+cheese+bread. In fact, we’ve got avocados, onions, tomatoes, apples, bananas, jams, bread, meat, cheese, vinegar, oil, pasta, sauces, herbs, salt, pepper, and (contrary to the warnings of many abroad-studiers before me) PEANUT BUTTER. Two weeks here, and I managed to find the stuff at a Turkish grocery store; not only that, but the Turkish stores are open on Sundays and there’s a fair few in the area, as well as a Thai market (which also offers some other homesick pleasures like okra and black-eyed peas, though I don’t yet know how exactly one cooks these up delicously). As you can tell, I’m really quite proud of myself.
Yesterday Leslie, Paul, and I went to the Ikea here, and by here I mean far, far away from where we actually live, but technically I suppose still in Graz. As it turns out, Ikea is Swedish for “incredibly cheap, awesome shit that you didn’t think you needed until you walked through our crazy doors.” It’s a very specific word, created as you can tell by a very specific people. Leslie got a whole boatload of crapola, including some crazy set of various items that all have in common only two clear things: they are made out of plastic and can probably (hypothetically) be used in a bathroom. I got a towel.
So we’re all on track to get our residence permits, in approximately ten days, and I’m covered in terms of health insurance. I now have an Austrian bank account, into which the school will very kindly deposit my monthly food stipend (can’t wait for that; I’m gonna use it to buy fancy clothes and cheap beer!). We’re close to the end of the Deutsch-Intensive course and the Humanities faculty at the Uni-Graz has as of today opened registration for classes, so I need to get on that whole “registering for classes” thing. I figure I’ll just wing it. What’s the worst that could happen?
As far as I can tell, that’s all the happenings here right now. I’ve met a few people, tried a few new beers, seen some lovely parks and a couple of castles, climbed a (small) mountain, and eaten (and even made!) some terrific food. I’m happy, all told, and I’m incredibly comfortable here. I’m even starting to understand people through the relatively thick and occasionally bizarre Styrian accent, though an encounter with some folk from Salzburg a few days ago was a nice reminder that Hochdeutsch isn’t dead, just far from the norm here. Hope you’re all doing well (that is, all three of the people reading: hi mom!) and I should have some interesting new pictures sooner or later. As soon as I can make them smaller.
