Across The Water – Page 16 – From Canada to Austria to…?

March 1, 2009

A Beautiful Day

I’ve always been pretty lucky with the places I have lived. Winnipeg never had my heart, but our cottage at West Hawk Lake only 1 1/2 hours outside the city sure did. It was paradise spending summers there. London, Ont was somewhat boring, but still pretty with stately houses, a beautiful university and plentiful trees. And of course, Victoria really felt like home after only a few months. I find walking or sitting by the ocean the most healing thing for my soul.

I seem to have struck gold again, as Innsbruck truly must be one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. If you like mountains that is, which I certainly do. Markus and Annie went tobogganing yesterday morning, but I passed as my back has been sore this week. Instead I went for a walk by the river, admiring the architecture of the houses on the sloped landscape and the snowy peaks towering above. The temperature was probably about 12 degrees (C) and I think the whole city was out enjoying the sunshine. This winter has been amazing, but the last couple of weeks have brought a ton of snow and quite a bit of slush, so the sun was welcome. Even though there is still snow all around, the restaurants and cafes had their outdoor patios set up and every spot seemed to be filled with locals and tourists enjoying their lunch and coffee in the warmth.

I strolled through the old town on my way home, yet again appreciating the 800 year old buildings and cobble-stoned streets. I just felt so lucky to be here. To be living here.

In the afternoon, Markus drove Rebecca and a couple of teammates to an out-of-town basketball game, and he took Annie along as she usually likes that kind of thing. So I really had a day off all to myself. It is indescribable what a difference it makes to this family’s life when Markus is here instead of in Canada. I’ve always had reverence for single parents or those with disengaged spouses, but I think I can appreciate their struggles even more now after my small taste of being alone with children.

So I spent the afternoon making a card for my good friend’s Lori and Shawna’s baby. (My crafting addiction is ever growing.) Their beautiful little girl Matheson was born on Valentine’s Day. It was a long road for this couple to get pregnant, so I’m feeling like this little baby is a real miracle in their lives. I spoke with Lori on about day 6, and she had yet to change a diaper. I’m starting to think there are going to be some incredible advantages with having two mothers to raise this baby!

Today is supposed to be even warmer. Markus is taking Rebecca and cousin Lili to spend a day on the slopes, so Annie and I are going to have a morning at the playground, share a slice of delicious pizza for lunch and then stroll along the Inn until Annie falls asleep. Another lovely day in the making.

February 28, 2009March 1, 2009

Now I’m Really Starting to Feel Like an Underachiever

Here are a couple of very interesting people that I’ve met in German class this month:

Maria, Joachin and Me — Maria, Joachim and Me

Maria is an incredibly nice 23-year old from Russia. She worked in the travel industry the last few years and speaks Croatian, English, Russian, German and I think also Serbian. Her language skills are excellent (O.K, so I can only judge German and English, but I’m pretty sure that holds for the rest.) Interestingly she has more of a British accent than Russian when she speaks English. She is here for 3 months visiting her Austrian boyfriend, who lives about an hour outside of Innsbruck near a snowboarding mecca called Ischgl. Unfortunately, her snowboarding adventures were cut short by a bad fall that broke her arm in three places. (It is accidents like these that make my skin crawl when I think of Annie up on those mountains.) She has to go back to Russian next month to renew her visa (I’m so lucky none of that is required for Canadians) but would like to come back to go to school in Innsbruck next year. I’m really enjoying getting to know her, so hope that happens.

The first week of the new class we were talking about our work and dreams. When it was Joachim’s turn, he declared that he hoped to be the President of The Democratic Republic of the Congo. OK then. Joachim was a political prisoner for a year and had to flee the Congo, leaving his wife and seven children in a neighbouring country. He also speaks several languages, and is hoping the next elections (I think in 2010) changes the political climate so that he can return home.

Since I know exactly nothing about this country (including that there are 2 countries with The Congo in the name), I read a bit about it on wikipedia. Apparently is was the center of what many describe as the “African World War” in 1998, which I had never heard of, and continues to be one of the worst places in the world for military violence towards civilians (rape, murders, torture, etc.) Joachim tells me that one of the main exported resources is uranium, of course a central ingredient in nuclear weapons. Not sure that is the best place to start, but I’m sure he has plans.

After this experience in Europe, I have to say one of my wishes for Annie is that she doesn’t grow up as ignorant about this planet as I did (and still am for that matter). I’m not sure what happened there, as I know we studied world history and geography in my expensive high-school. I just didn’t seem to take any interest in it. Probably I couldn’t discern the relevance it had to me. Hopefully Annie will feel more of a connection to the world around her and learn about this increasingly interdependent world.

I think I’ve said it here before, but even though this last year has not been all fun and games, one of the best parts has been meeting incredibly diverse and interesting people who I would never had come across in my prescribed life back in Canada. If nothing else, it sure makes me appreciate how incredibly lucky I was to grow up in one of the safest and most beautiful countries in the world.

February 25, 2009

Fasching Fun

Today was a half day holiday for schoolchildren and most businesses, as the country celebrates Fasching or Karnival. This is the festival the day before Lent starts, an interesting crash between pagan and Christian mythologies, where people can get their drinking, eating and partying in before the 40-day deprivation begins. The other main focus of Fasching is driving away winter. Some wear scary masks or bear costumes to represent winter, while others play instruments, wear bells and noisemakers, or have mirrors on their heads to scare winter away. Kids get dressed up in costumes similar to those seen in NA for Halloween, with princesses, pirates and clowns being the obvious favourites.

We went over to Aunt Susi’s and Lili’s last night and borrowed a very cute ballerina costume. Mostly I really don’t like organizing costumes, either for myself or for others; but the upside today was that Annie was so excited to put on the costume that she was easily dressed, including letting me put up her hair. Annie has been so difficult to get dressed the last few weeks, that when Markus returned from Canada last time I told him that it was his responsibility to see to that duty in the morning for, like, the next 10 years.

Here are the sweet pictures of the little ballerina.

Starting a fun filled morning at daycare

Students Rebecca’s age don’t really get dressed up anymore, but she and I went to watch the parade for an hour or so while Markus worked in the Cafe. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t very good, lots of snow, very slushy and chilly, but that didn’t seem to stop the crowds. The legal open alcohol for anyone over 16 certainly helps with the festive atmosphere, I’d say. There was a real range of traditional and modern floats and bands. There were scary masks, children riding unicycles, and beautiful costumes. I think my favourite had to be the Austrian drag queens, but I’ve always had a soft spot for that sort of thing.

I grabbed my regular camera instead of the video camera, so unfortunately the quality of the following could be better and I can’t edit it to make it shorter (only 1 minutes, but still.) But it does give you a sense of one of the main themes of the festivities, driving winter away and ushering in spring.

Fasching Umzug from Hillary Samson on Vimeo.

February 18, 2009February 18, 2009

Mondrodeln and a Cute Homecoming

Twice since Markus has returned home, we have gone tobogganing at night. Yes, at night. The walk up was beautiful both times, but especially the second time, with everything dusky and quite with new snow. We had a tasty dinner at a little lodge at the top, where the woman serving us vaguely remembered Markus from his younger days, as they used to live in the neighbourhood and went up that hill a few times a week. Then the crazy part began.

Markus had thought there would be a full or near full moon, but both times it was too cloudy to the let the moonlight through at all. Although brother Andy informs me that if there is snow it isn’t pitch black (and that I just need more alcohol), it seemed pretty dark to me.

As you can imagine, this isn’t my favourite activity. I pretty much avoid/hate anything that has even a hint of physical danger. Those of you pooling your money to buy me that skydiving course for my upcoming 40th will just have to think of something else.

The first time was the worst, as the track was quite slippery, and there were times I just couldn’t go slow enough for my comfort. I had scouted out the drops off the side of the mountain on my way up, and although I couldn’t see them, they loomed large in my imagination. I stuck to the inside of the track, thinking that I was probably better off smacking into a tree than hurtling into the unknown.

Obviously, this really isn’t as dangerous as I am making it out to be, as the second time we were there several families with children were coming down as well. However, they all seemed to have flashlights. A good idea I’d say.

The second time there was more snow and so I could just go slow. Very slow. It really isn’t that much fun, but better than the alternative (fast and crapping my pants.) But of course Annie, Rebecca and Markus had a good time, so I have a feeling we’ll be going again.

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Homecoming

This is a bit out of order, but I’m just figuring out my video camera. Here is Markus’ first night home after his last 2-week trip to Victoria. Both of the girls were just a wee bit excited. Cracks me up. Hopefully Markus will be staying in Europe for at least the next few months. Or else the family might be visiting me in the looney bin. (Oh, and please ignore the familial violence…all in good fun I assure you.)

Dad’s Home January 2009 from Hillary Samson on Vimeo.

February 8, 2009February 8, 2009

My Euro Girl

This morning Annie was playing with Grandma Susan and Grandpa Ken’s Teddy Bear Picnic set that they sent for Christmas, setting the bears in their place and pouring tea. Except it wasn’t tea. She informed usÂ definitively that the bears were having Kaffee, said with a distinct accent. Too hilarious.

And those of you following Facebook already know that the other day Annie corrected my pronunciation. When she likes something she is eating she says “lecker!”, which probably translates best as tasty or yummy. I said it back to her and she got a little Samson scowl in her eyes and repeated the word in her perfect, guttural Tirolean accent, trying to teach me the correct pronunciation. Rebecca and I had tears running down our cheeks we were laughing so hard.

And of course, nothing is more Austrian than skiing. Annie had her first crack at it yesterday at Seegrube. It is a beautiful mountain less than 30 minutes by bus and gondola from the Develo door to the top of the slopes. Honestly, it was a pretty much a flop ending it tears after only a couple of minutes. However, I was very quick with the camera and so was able to make it look like she was having a great time and a successful experience. Better luck next year. Rebecca and Markus had a good couple of runs though, and I’m going to try to hit the slopes on Wednesday if the weather is good.

Annie’s Very First Ski Run from Hillary Samson on Vimeo.

February 1, 2009February 1, 2009

Going to the Ball

Last week Rebecca attended her first ball. Balls are a very big deal here, with students usually taking several weeks of traditional ballroom dancing. Rebecca hadn’t signed up for these, but she was in the orchestra playing the music for the dancers with her viola.

The weekend before I was going to go with Rebecca to dress shop, but my wicked flu kept me down. So Dad and the two girls went out and found Rebecca a pretty dress for a reasonable price. Rebecca managed to find cute flats to go with the dress for only â‚¬ 10, and was able to wear the jewelery I made her for her Grade 8 prom, so she did very well in the spending department.

I helped with hair and makeup and we had lots of fun getting her ready. Once Annie saw Rebecca, she very shyly and cutely whispered, “I want a dress too.” So we went to her summer collection and picked out a sweet one for her to put on. Of course, pictures ensued. Here is one of the girls and one of Rebecca once she was all ready to go.

Rebecca had a great time. There were about 1000 people there, and the Congress was set up with several rooms for various types of music. Rebecca danced for a couple of hours after her orchestra duties were finished. I think she arrived home around 2 a.m., so obviously it was a spectacular evening. I’m glad she had this Austrian experience here with her friends, as there really isn’t anything like it in N.A. Something I hope she always remembers.

January 23, 2009January 23, 2009

Sweet, Sweet Guilty Pleasures

We all have them…or at least I hope that everyone does. It is just a too much fun part of life. Those things that we would have once been hideously embarrassed to admit about ourselves, but now that we are (way, way) over 30 are just fodder for funny stories. Like the time I was patched into a co-worker’s music play list through the Intranet (how I love technology!) and was listening, again, to a current Britney Spears tune. I pretty much would never, ever, ever, admit to listening toÂ Britney Spears, and was always thankful that my little bud earphones didn’t let any sound leak out. Except that one morning, when the sound seemed to be so low I could barley hear anything. So I kept turning up the volume on my computer, louder and louder. And louder. Until I realized that the buds were in my ears but the cord wasn’t plugged into the computer so the boppy song was now blaring from my computer speakers. And AbeBooks has an open concept office, sort of like your old science class with everyone sitting at tables together,Â not even a grey partition to separate you from 15 other people. Ah, that was a good one.

The last couple of years my guilty pleasure has definitely been the Twilight series which Rebecca got me on to. Once someone observed how much I was enjoying the books and asked if they were really also appropriate for Rebecca. They aren’t appropriate for me I explained, as they were written by a 20-something year old author intended clearly for 16-year old girl audience. No 40-year olds anywhere in this equation. And I’m an English Lit major for crying out loud! Ah, but I love them…obsessed might be too strong of a word. Or might not.

Well, the movie came out in North America a couple of months ago, but was only breaking into theatres mid-January here in Austria. This has been quite a mini-crisis for me, as only some of the blockbusters here come out in English with subtitles, and then only for a couple of showings. I started scouring the theatre listings daily, imagining myself hopping the train to Vienna, or even catching a cheap flight to the UK to make sure I didn’t miss it.

And then last week something caught my eye in the listings for the theatre that showed the most English films. A Sneak Preview that was classified as Fantasy, playing one day before Twilight was starting. I looked into it further, and Sneak Previews are always in original version. Could it be?! Markus called, but the whole point of these showings are that the title is kept a secret. Well, nothing ventured and all that. I skipped to the theatre with great anticipation in the afternoon, and bought tickets for Rebecca and I.

We went early, bought some popcorn and waited impatiently. I was pumped, but of course trying to set myself up to not be disappointed. Well, when the first line played, that was it. Rebecca, who had watched the first few minutes online, knew that it was Twilight. I gave her a high five (which she only somewhat embarrassedly returned) and we settled in to enjoy. I can’t comment if it was, by any objective standard, a good movie. I’m suspecting it was only in the middling range, but I really couldn’t say as I had just so much fun.

And so that sums up one of the realities of living in another country. Most things, if not everything, is harder. But even the most simple outings can become an adventure if you are open to it. Even when they are just a little bit inappropriate.

January 21, 2009February 28, 2009

Sometimes 4 Rooms Just Isn’t Enough

Last Friday: My head is laid with defeat on my forearm stretched across the toilet, waiting for the next violent release. I’m thinking ‘I can’t wait until at least lunch is gone’, (5 hours later the hideous dry heaves make me reconsider), but I’m also coherent enough to be aware of the world around me, and I laugh just a little bit. My retching has been, I’m aware, very loud in our little clou outside the kitchen. Markus is just outside in the hall on the phone to Canada trying to piece together a million plus deal. Annie is crying out loudly for Mommy or Daddy. And Rebecca is practicing her viola, which she hasn’t played in, well, too many months. Oh my goodness, sometimes what I wouldn’t give for our almost 3000 sq. feet of space that we had back in Canada. A pain to clean but at least there was somewhere to hide. Sigh.

Annie was sick last Wednesday and pretty much was throwing up on me all night, so it really isn’t that surprising I came down with it a few days later. I’m feeling fine now, but it took all weekend to get my strength back. And now Rebecca has a bad cold.

But what does all of this really mean? You guessed it, oh faithful Reader…Markus has headed back to Canada. Luckily the worst was over before he got on the plane, which I was thoroughly grateful for. I’m not sure what disturbing kind of Karma I’ve managed to stir up here, but our health seems to immediately and drastically deteriorate as soon as Markus decides to leave. I guess Freud would have something to say about that.

The first day I was just in the foulest mood; after I snapped at my friend, Ana, in class for the 5th time she graciously offered to take me for lunch to talk. That helped a lot. And today I am free from school and plan on spending most of it in bed re-reading an easy fantasy novel, so that is also good.

And of course, I watched the Obama Inauguration last night. All that talk of picking yourself up and dusting yourself off and getting to work is seeping in a bit. He really is a powerful speaker. I was a big Hillary Clinton fan, not against Obama but just so excited about the possibility of a strong female leader. But now I think that, for these times, someone completely new and ready to at least try to solve the big problems in a different way is the right choice.

And so I’ll try to take those words to heart and do what I can to help this little family move forward. Hopefully Markus will only be gone 2 weeks, and hopefully none of us will come down with anything else in that time. My astrology chart said I would have one of the hardest times of my life at the end of 2008, but then things would pick up in 2009. Anytime those planets want to get on with that change is just fine with me.

January 12, 2009July 7, 2009

My Guitar Gently Weeps

Life has been quite a bit quieter since all of our guests have returned home. I had all kinds of plans last week, as Annie was in daycare for 4 of the days but I hadn’t started school yet. Mostly tasks were left undone in favour of sleeping, reading and trying to walk off come of the ridiculous amount of chocolate eaten.

We have had several very, very stressful days around money, as our current source of income is quickly drying up. But after much discussion we have decided to dive into running The Hotel here in Innsbruck and see if that can support us. The owner still won’t give us the green light to develop or renovate, so we are going to just try to fill the hotel and slowly update the rooms as we have the cash. Currently the hotel isn’t marketed at all…no website, no brochures, no association affiliation, no hotel network…so lots of room for improvement. If something bigger works out, that will be a bonus at this point.

I have also contacted some of my Canadian colleagues to see if I can scrounge up some contract writing work that I could do remotely. I wouldn’t mind having a bit more on my plate right now.

Annie, of course, is blissfully unaware of any of this, which is such an excellent reminder of perspective and what is important in the world. It is a bit of music mania here, as Annie doesn’t often let go of her new guitar, and Rebecca has decided to join the orchestra so we just rented her a viola to play. So when I get too stressed I just look at these pictures and they really make me smile. Life is still very good.

January 7, 2009June 11, 2009

Our Italian Adventure

Only a couple of days, and I already am missing Ryan and Renata like a limb. I can’t properly describe how great it was to be able to chat with friends who I have known for so many years (Ren and I met about 20 years ago) and can have easy, free flowing conversations in English. And yet, interestingly, their visit made me feel like Innsbruck was really my home, at least right now. I enjoyed showing them the city and area, and felt proud I could get by in the language, at least in shops and restaurants.

Markus and I are also going to miss the laughs. With all of our incredible life stresses these days, we are experiencing a real dearth of humour here. And Ryan and Ren are just hilarious, with Renata’s filterless tales and Ryan’s dry, quite comments…or unexpected poses, as seen here. Ah, I’ll miss those laughs.

But now that they have returned to Canada, I have a few moments to post about one of our last adventures together, a trip to Trento in Italy. Our original plan was to visit SchloÃŸ Tirol again, but it was closed over the holidays. Markus suggested Trento, as we have gone to Sudtirol a few times, which is very much like Austria (having been part of Austria until relatively recently). He thought we would like a taste of a more traditional Italian province and we certainly did.

The architecture of Trento has a very different feel. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years, and many of the buildings were clearly several hundred years old. Here is a shot of the city square, where you can see the buildings with the ubiquitous shutters as well as a part of the old cathedral.

After a tasty pasta lunch and a stroll through the city to get our bearings, we decided to tour the Castellodel Buonconsiglio , which is a 13th Century castle erected next to the city walls. It was an interesting tour including a temporary exhibit of Rembrandt’s sketches (not our cup of tea in terms of art, but still an experience to see).

My favourite part was a multiple room exhibit of the maps through the centuries, particularly those related to routes to the Orient. The progress of how civilization viewed the world is fascinating. The exhibit displayed the sailors’ tools (compasses, ship logs) as well as a sample of the treasures that were brought back from China.

We also slipped into the wine cellar, and looked at the beautiful barrels among the ancient arches.

After a quick slice of pizza (tasty, but a bit doughier than anticipated), we made our way home. This sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, we had decided to take the car again, so this was officially my second driving trip in Europe. Unfortunately, the GPS wasn’t available, so we were on our own with a map and a prayer. We made it to the city following Markus’ directions with only a few missteps, but getting home was another story. The chaotic Italian bureaucracy is legendary, and this was proved in point by the incredibly unclear or simply missing signage for how to get back on the highway. It took us about an hour to find our way out, including several stops at gas stations and stores to ask directions. The worst part was trying to merge onto a 2-lane thoroughfare at night, with the lights coming at me very fast and the cars behind me very impatient. Or maybe the worst was the speedy Italian drivers, who completely ignore the 130 km speed limit, so between the trucks and the sports cars there was at least a 100 km difference in speed which needed to be accounted for when passing another vehicle. Or maybe the worst is that the drivers weave between lanes for no apparent reason. (This was later confirmed by Markus as a common driving practice in that part of the world. Super.) I got a few more grey hairs but we did, finally, arrive home unscathed.

It was a great day overall, and an amazing holiday season. I think that Ryan and Renata were sent away with lots of European stories to tell. Now I just need you (yes you!) to come visit me here so we can have more adventures together.