A Long Weekend Trip Down Memory Lane October 9th-14th

I have a feeling I will me pretty “meh” about blogging, and even worse about adding photos, so bear with me. The catch-up posts might be long and rambly too. Many of the photos here are actually from my exchange year....

This past weekend I had a very long weekend which lasted essentially from Wednesday afternoon to Monday evening. Thursday, October 10^th was a holiday in my state to celebrate the Volksabstimmung. On this day in 1920, a mostly ethnically Slovene part of Carinthia decided to formally join Austria instead of Slovenia. Carinthia also designated Slovene as a minority language, which is kind of cool (though it seems very few people, except more recent immigrants actually speak the language)

Friday my school STILL had classes but I don't teach on Fridays

The students had off Monday. Why they didn't attach this to Friday I don't know, but not complaining about an extra day off for me

SALZBURG

I spent most of my time in/around Salzburg. Many of you know I spent January 2009-July 2009 of my exchange year outside of Salzburg and LOVED it. It was the first place I really went out on the evenings and the first time I felt like and independent and confident adult (never mind at 19 I was still on my parents dime).

Now I live about 2.5 hours away by train, which means it's definitely somewhere I can only visit on weekends. At about half an hour outside of the city, I started passing other places I frequented and felt emotionally overwhelmed. I could not believe that after 4 long years I was coming back! (Those feelings of disbelief waxed and waned the whole weekend).

I stayed with the lovely Maddy and Amy in the city for two nights, and went out to one of my old hangouts, an Irish pub in the middle of the city.

The next day was great just for wandering around the city. I swear I spent a solid 6 hours walking my old paths, letting the memories come back. In my exchange year I also spent a lot of time hanging out at a youth hostel. Thursday afternoon I was able to make up with the guy running the place for the first time in YEARS. He was one of the first people I saw again from my exchange year again and who knew some people I did. Surreal.

HALLEIN

The actual town I lived in was a small village called Oberalm, right outside of a town called Hallein. Hallein is one town where I attended school. It turns out that one of the TAs this year is the assistant there! So I got on the 8:15 train to the Hallein Bahnhof to relive the walk I took so many dozens of times before.

Two old pics from my walk to the train station to school.

Something exciting about the walk this time, though, parts of Austria got their FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON! So there was snow. The entire walk there. It was pretty surreal. Wish I had my camera on me.

The school time was a little awkward, though. I remembered about 4 teachers, and only 1 was still there. Not to mention that all of my classmates graduated and were elsewhere. I still found a school photo of all of them, though, so I spent way too much time staring at that.

A few days before I left for my long weekend, I emailed my host mom but she wasn't able to write back. She was such a wonderful, welcoming host mom. It helped that she trusted me enough to allow me to go out and make my exchange the best experience it could be.

So even if she didn't answer, I was going to make a meet up happen. I knew where she worked and decided just to... show up... after visiting my school and see what would happen.

Sure enough she was there! Like most of the trip, it was unbelievable seeing her again. We went out to lunch, and I spent Saturday night/ Sunday morning at her house catching up. This is where I learned

-Her flat looks almost exactly as I remember it

-Except for one of the only new things was a Christmas card I sent them a few years ago

-My host brother is so grown up!! How is he 18?!

-My host nieces and nephews aren't toddlers anymore!

-My exchange wasn't a long dream after all

-She was on a years-long quest for the spice mix, Tony Chachere, and I helped her find it

Kitchen from my last night of exchange, July 2009. Not too many changes =)

So yeah, pretty much the best vacation down memory lane. I'm definitely visiting several times before I leave Austria

Me leaving "my" train station after a wonderful visit

GMUNDEN: Sunday-Monday

I lived in a different part of Austria from August 2008-January 2009. This is what I'm calling my “bootcamp” part of exchange. It's where I learned a LOT of German, life lessons, and confronting extreme shelteredness and social awkwardness head-on. It wasn't exactly fun most of the time, but possibly one of the most valuable and emotional places/times of my life. In fairness, too, the region is BEAUTIFUL.

I was back again to meet up with someone very near and dear to me, Maggi. She was the woman I stayed with in December '08 when things went horribly wrong with my host family. Her presence always seemed so full of life, joy, and love. She, more than almost anyone I know, gave me an appreciation of the beauty of the everyday, of the home.

Maggi!

Me, at Maggi's house--just like old times

It was such a relaxing, quality visit. We visited her daughter's gallery, went to the swan-filled lake, got ice cream, and had visits and conversations in her house that I've been needing to have with her for months.

just the view from Maggi's balcony; no big deal.

SO MANY FEELS!!!

After our visit, it was time for a 4 hour train ride back to Villach for another week at school. But, I will be back. And this time, I won't wait 4+ more years.