downside of a traveller's life

I do move quite a lot. And as wonderful as it is, as rewarding with all the new experiences and skills which it brings me, there is a downside to non-holiday travelling. It's called packing.

Packing stresses me out. Trying to put all you need(on the way there)/all you posses(on the way back) in a suitcase is a task that terrifies me every single time. Not to mention getting anywhere afterwards... with all that you decide you need to take? A nightmare.

And now yet another time, this moment came and I have to pack again. And I'm swearing out loud when noone can hear me... Can anybody hear me?! I HATE PACKING!

~as of tomorrow I'm on the road again: Słupsk-Gdańsk-Warsaw-Vienna~

what is your comfort zone?

Christmas.
It's this time of the year we celebrate tradition. And whether for you it's a spiritual time, or the only time when you get to see all the members of your family gather, or you're actually religious (pardon my actually, but nowadays the tendence is dropping, isn't it?), or maybe you're just insane and like christmas shopping... whatever the reason, for most of us Christmas is a somehow special time of the year.
It's something we've learnt for years and we're being constantly reminded about as soon as Halloween decorations are put in the sale.

And this Christmas I asked myself.
Why do I like Christmas?

And the answers that I came up with could be summarized in just one sentence:
Because I know Christmas.

And it better be the Christmas I know! ...because otherwise it makes me feel like it doesn't count.

So there has to be a barszcz, and pierogi, and łamańce and we have to make it all by ourselves, and we also bake the famous gingerbread cookies (whoever sees me around Christmas knows from experience;]). We make hundreds of them (not that we can eat all of it) and it's a lot of work, but we do it together. And we talk and take pictures and just have fun while making them.
But it would definitely not be as much fun, had we done it more than once a year for Christmas.
This year my mum experimented a little bit and there were also new dishes on the table. And you know what? I didn't even feel like trying. Faced with the choice of what is known to me and what I have been waiting for the whole year and merely "something new", I didn't even feel like trying.

This got me thinking.
Why is it?
I'm assuming that on a normal day (and by that I mean any other day but Christmas) I wouldn't mind trying a fish made in a, what is believed to be, Japanese style (whether or not it really is, I would have to ask Yoko;]).

We like being comfortable, don't we?
And whether it's traditional Christmas Eve food, way of living or even relationships, it's nice to know what to expect. It's nice to have an image of what can happen, at the very least.

Do I fear unknown?, I ask myself. And I'm afraid the answer is, as for a lot of people, yes.
And although to some it may seem like I don't, mostly because I follow my dreams no matter where I am geographically (and I counted it: I've lived in 8 cities in 5 countries over the last 4 years.)... there's a method in this madness. I know how to start things all over in a new place. I've learnt it and this is my comfort zone.

...
I read somewhere that "thinking outside of the box" is one of the most over- and mis-used expressions of the busy(professional) Western life, because we no longer take our time to define what that box really is. And it's defining what's stopping you that can help you overcome the barrier you've came across.

And isn't just sitting in our comfort zones stopping us from developing? From learning? And eventually - from making progress? Isn't there something better waiting for us outside of what we know to be comfortable?

What is your comfort zone?

With many post-Christmas hugs,
Kat

I would like to share: bits and pieces of my Christmas tradiotions! From upper left: making gingerbread cookies,  pierogi, Christmas tree, decorated cookies... well - like half of them ;)

And hello from my cat too ;) He seems to be comfortable ALL the time ... ;)

Weihnachtsmärkte in Vienna

Heute war ein Tag voll von Weihnachtsmärkte... oh wait. English mode on.

I have my brother and a friend here and today we went to three different Christmas fairs, so popular here in Vienna. And apart from drinking some mulled wine (did you know/notice that the word Vienna and wine in German are very similar? Vienna is Wien and wine is Wein. Suggestive, huh? ;] ) we enjoyed the atmosphere and here are some pretty details of what we saw:

Belvedere with one of the Christmas fairs right in front of it :)

the complexity of our beloved German language.

a girl with a kaki fruit

I’ve only moved into the area two months ago, but by now I already recognize certain people working in certain places like a supermarket or a post office, since I send a lot of postcards;) and get a lot of packages too. And every time I go to the post office, on my way back, I go in to a grocery store which otherwise never is 'on my way'. And I always go in and buy one kaki fruit there. The only shop assistant working in this little grocery store recognizes me by now and, somehow, it makes me happy that I have this little new habit of buying a kaki fruit on the way back from the post office. It's trivial and might sound funny, but (SOMEHOW) this little thing gives me a feeling of belonging here and - by and large - also in Vienna.


Funny how little things like that can make you smile, isn't it? Or was it maybe Frank Sinatra singing 'the lady is a tramp' that made me smile then?
I'll never know...  -  a girl with a kaki fruit  =) 

: )

Vienna's sky today. Am I seeing the world through rose-coloured spectacles? :)

recessive traits & black metal

Yet another time I would like to complain about the lovely educational system in Austria.

I don't know if I should feel offended or not, but although it SOUNDS as the lectures here are trying to educate us in a variety of fields, the boring way in which they are trying to pass on to us their precious knowledge of things we already know (ok, it's an assumption. I do, I'm not sure about the others... arghhh ....

You know what? I'm just angry by now.
Angry with helplessness.

Because about the heredity and recessive traits, genes and chromosomes I know since biology classes in college(BE)/high school(AE) [I always get confused when it comes to naming this school...nvm]
And that the subculture of people listening to black metal , although appears to be (I cite) "obsessed" with death, won't necessairly attact and kill you, I know from experience already. People going to University weren't just born yesterday, were they?

Because this is how I could summarize my last two days at Uni: chromosomes & metal.
And I thought I'd be learning about... or analysing... I don't know... literature?... culture?...

I guess those who say it's best  not to have any expectations are right.
Starting from tomorrow.
No more Uni-related expectations.
Let us be bored to death...

P.S. It is of the heighest importance for me to add: this post was written while our professor was explainig the way in which cats inherit their fur colour from their parents. 
Course title: Austrian Culture.
(As, obviously, you could've guessed from the topic we've dealt with on our today's lecture.)

P.P.S. Otherwise life in Vienna is great! I just hate Uni. Some posts on a more optimistic note may follow soon ;)

What's your postcard story?

Today is 10th November, the 23rd day. Or... the 365th day.

For about a month now I'm taking part in a project which must've been created with freaks like myself in mind. ;)

It's very simple. You log in and click "send a postcard". Then you get an e-mail with address of a random person somewhere in the world and you have to send this person a postcard. You put a special ID number on it and when that person gets your card s/he will register it by this number, so that then also you can be sent a postcard by another random user from some place, sometimes far far away.

I like the idea of this project. You get what you give. Apart from the exchange aspect, it's also nice that someone puts some effort into sending me something I might like (you have a user profile where you write about what you'd like to see or/and read about on your postcards). But the best part is that it's hand-written.
I looove writing e-mails, they're so quick. Writing letters, on the other hand, might be seem as a waste of time, because it takes just too much of our most valued asset. But when we're short of time postcard seems like a great solution. It's simple. It has a limited space. (Although you would be surprised how much writing I can squeeze into my cards!;]) Since it's hand written, it can sometimes take me some time to read it. Maybe sometimes I can't read everything because simply it's just not legible, but I always try and it always makes me smile to hold something that travelled its whole way just to reach ME.

And it works both ways. It's great getting the registration message with people telling you how they liked what you've done for them too. :)

So for over a month now I've been telling random people all over the world about how it is to be me! = ) Sounds crazy... I know. But get this. You're supposed to receive as many postcards as you've sent. There are statistics on each profile. But there seems to be some kind of mistake in the system... because I'm the only one getting more postcards that I sent! Well... crazy people attract craziness I guess. ;)

Have a nice evening everyone and for those of you who, like me, take pleasure in sending cards, here's the link:
http://www.postcrossing.com/

Problemchen

Google translates Problemchen as a hiccup.

This setback in German means literally 'a little problem'.

Well I admit that recently I've had quite a few Problemchen... but currently there is just one... my little-problem-of-the-moment:

TOO MANY IDEAS.
(Not enough time.)

And so priorities will have to be made again.
But there's a good news to it too.

Things are looking up!


Frank Sinatra would say: That's life.
And I'm adding: ooooh yes! I'm back in the race.

Frank Sinatra - That's Life

it's been seven hours and fifteen days...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUiTQvT0W_0

Debate about education (the Austrian point of view)

Every time when I move to a new country (and Austria is my 5^th one, actually), I pay attention to the new things around me and certain aspects of life suddenly become redefined.

This time my appreciation for education which I’m getting in the UK has risen dramatically... Some of you may laugh, but those who've seen both sides might understand what I'm talking about. 

Here in Austria I’m studying at Universität Wien and I couldn’t be more happy that my torture will end after one term… Most of my professors, the well-educated people that they are, prepare their lectures at home (I’m not complaining about that!), but then they come to the actual lecture with sheets of printed paper and they read out loud whatever they’ve written at home. What is the point of this, I'm asking?! Not to mention that it's a lot harder for me to understand when I'm listening to someone reading out loud the academic text (and in German of course) which I don't have in front of me... 

But I’m even more amazed when I see some students typing every word on their laptops... What are they learning really? How to be a secretary?!

There are no essays, no room for critical thinking, no initiative, nothing. Teachers around the world are complaining that students can't write and, instead, they "copy and paste". But what is it that we're doing here? Listening to somebody's lecture, "copying" the content in the form of notes or even word-for-word report and then, on the day of exam, "pasting" all the info we were able to remember by heart. Isn't that what it is?

One Austrian girl told me I must've been unlucky, because not all lectures are like this. And I admit, I have one professor who TRIES TO explain and talk, rather than read about books that we're "analysing" (or, to be more precise, HE IS), but nevertheless I must say - I do feel sorry for Austrian students, for they spend a few years of their lives "copying and pasting", instead of learning how to think.

A little experiment...

I always plan everything. My diary is FULL and there’s never enough time for spontaneity on my to-do lists if I want to do everything I LOVE. A few days ago my friend sent me a link to Billy Joel’s song “Vienna”. Inspired by lyrics I decided to go out for a photo-walk, and then for about 36h I took whatever life was giving me. Without planning. Without overthinking. Like a little experiment…:

And so I am taking pictures in a park and I hear some guys speaking British English. It feels so pleasantly familiar here… but I keep walking. Vienna’s waiting for me, sings Billy Joel to me. I’m passing a Mexican restaurant and I see a note on the window – they’re looking for a waitress! I walk in. When can I have a try-out day? Tomorrow? Ok! I go to meet a friend. We eat delicious cake before going to a theater. It turns out following the play there’s a gala there – best actors, actresses… and a red carpet! What a funny coincidence that we happened to go to there on that day...

 The next day I’m nervous. Working in German? What if I don’t understand something? I go to work anyway and there I just KNOW what to do and I understand enough. Ufff... I get the job. :) Those guys from the park walk in to the restaurant. We talk by the bar. After working till 2am I meet them again and we go for a party. At 5am I have a feeling it’s time to stop this freestyle and go back to doing what I want to do. Or, in this case, not doing what I don’t want to do… 

I didn’t really like this party and so I decided to leave… exactly a minute before a huge fight broke out! I could still hear it while going home…

It certainly was an interesting time, but I’ve never been much of a freestyle/accidental-life fan. I've always preferred to tango. With passion.

But hey, as a result of my experiment I got a job! That can't be too bad, can it? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZdiXvDU4P0

October

The surprises are just getting better and better... :)

You never really know what the day might bring you until it's over...

A few days ago we left to go to a theater and we ended up in the Opera, watching and listening to La Traviata. And all of that joy just for 3 euro!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8zE-WNA6os

Yesterday, however, we finally managed to get to that play and it turned out that following the play there was a gala and they were awarding best actors and actresses.
Obviously I didn't even recognize any of those people who are famous in Austria, but I can say I've been there ;)

Vienna is a fascinating place, where once you know your way around it is easy to live a very cultural life for a price equivalent to just a coffee and cake. ;)


It's autumn here, and very beautiful. Did you know?

Universität Wien

So here is a little tour around University of Vienna. The main building (which is where I have almost all my lectures) is very old and bigger than I thought. I realised this when I first had to find my lecture hall and I got lost at least three times on the way.... ;)

Corridors are very spatious and ceilings remind us that it has never actually been finished! There are spaces for ceiling paintings, but since University run out of money when they were building it, the original plans have never been introduced.

The library is my favourite place. Very stylish! ;) And it has surprisingly strick rules as to how much you can actually bring in. No handbags allowed!

View from the courtyard. That's where I was spending first couple of days stealing Uni's Internet before I organised myself ;)

When I first came it was always full of students. But I took a picture quite late in the afternoon. Plus it's much colder now....

And this is one of the only two rooms which were actually finished according to the original plan. Unfortunately we don't have classes there, but if anyone is interested in graduating from University of Vienna then this is where your graduation ceremony would take place. ;)

unexpected surprises

I’ve lived in this city for a week now and as every newcomer I keep being amazed at things that a true Viennese finds normal. The other day I went to the office where I was supposed to register my stay in Vienna. I was truly surprised to see that behind the desk where people deal with all that bureaucratic issues on the wall hung posters with half-naked Johnny Depp and Justin Timberlake. I found this clash of serious paperwork and frivolous room decoration amusing.

The role of an observer is sometimes unexpectedly surprising. =)

Vienna. Ready Steady GO!

I'm in Vienna! It's time to begin this adventure. :) Scared and stressed I arrived on Saturday, but I'm already feeling very good about all of it. But tell me, who wouldn't? if the sun is shining and you can cycle through the greenest capital city in the world!?
I've just registered as a student and I'm proud to say that when they asked me in the office if I want to do it in English or German, I said German and did not use one english word! Ha! :D
This is going to be a good day! :] (although I still don't know what exactly will I study here;p I'll find out soon enough though)

Lots of love and hugs and sunshine to all of you!
K.

Why are we nervous when we know something great is about to happen?

You look forward to something, you're counting the days, you want it to be "now". And when finally it's almost "now" and the joy and happiness is about to start, you find yourself worrying. Will it really be great? How will this particular greatness feel?

I have butterflies. And I know: I'm going to find a happy place... ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCdRA0lQq38

P.S. I found this on one website and for some reason I really liked it ;) 

Without you it's just not... (but it will have to do.)

September 2011

It's time to begin the YEAR ABROAD experience. (Yaaaay!)

But before I go and start writing all about Vienna and Buenos Aires, let me say just one thing sort of off-topic: 

Red <3s Green. 

=)

more on http://withoutyouitsjustnot.us/