Another week...

Hi Everyone!

Today is a bit of a dreary day, after so many consecutive days of beautiful Fall sunshine, colour full mountainsides and crisp, blue skies. The weather has turned foggy and seems to blanket everything, including my mood. I am the kind of person who is very affected by the weather, which can be both a negative and a positive thing. Today I think it's a negative thing, because I am tired and just prefer to be inside all day. Really, I didn't have class today or yesterday (except my German course which goes from 6:00pm-8:00pm), so I have been pretty much hanging out in my dorm room. I did get stuff done today, like all of the paperwork and computer work I've been putting off, but it doesn't leave me feeling energized, that's for sure. Oh yeah, I also did homework, maybe that is constructive?
Anyways, all of this time in my room has left me thinking a lot. And right now I am stuck on the thought, "Why am I here?" Of course I came to study, but now I only had one real class this week, and next week looks the same. So, if I don't have much class, what else should I do here?
I could exercise every day (like I did last week) but the current weather doesn't inspire me.
I could travel everyday, but I don't think my bank account will let me do that.
So I have been looking online at potential jobs. We'll see if something comes up through that!

It seems like I am complaining a lot in this post, so I need to say something else.
I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to come here to Austria for a semester. I strongly believe that I am here for a reason because some pretty cool stuff happened that made it possible to even be here right now. I have already made many friends that have challenged me, and I hope that in turn I can challenge them. Also, the schooling that I have done so far has been really great- I really enjoy the few Social Work classes that I do have!
So if nothing else comes from the rest of my time here, at least I have these things! (Though I doubt that 'nothing else' will come from my time here).

In conclusion, today I am feeling a little under the weather (literally- I've been under a huge cloud of fog all day) but I did have a good week, since I've last posted, and I do have confidence that there is much more in store for me.

Here are some pictures of this last week (Animals edition):

                                      SHEEP, from a lovely 10 min. bike ride by my house.

                                 HORSE, from a 1/2 hike+ 10 min. bike ride away from my place.

                                BIRDS, from a 5 hour hike+ 20 min. bus ride away from my dorm.

                                              US! Making cookies, well, 5 sec. from my room.

Griaß Euch!

Griaß di' alle!

The second week of my school semester here in Austria is officially underway, and it's looking good!
I guess I've been here long enough now that I should be getting a feel for what the semester is going to look like, but it is very different at this particular university than any other here or in Canada. At this school, the course schedule changes every single week. For example, I have had a class called "Self Development" this past week on Thursday and Friday, from 9:00-4:00, and I had it again on Monday and today (Tuesday), and now I am done for the whole semester with this one course! In a similar pattern, I will work through the 11 courses that I am taking here at MCI (Management Centre Innsbruck). Through out the semester my courses will also include:

- Working with Groups
- Conversational German
- The Significance of Social Work according to Victor Frankl
- English (...yeah... I know.)
- Working with People with HIV/AIDS
- Mediation (in German! Makes up for the English course I'm taking)
- Social Perspective Strategies
- Intercultural Communication
- Vienna During the 1900's (which includes a trip to Vienna!)

I am really excited that I have the opportunity to be studying Social Work here! I am not yet in the Social Work program at TRU, but I am able to study the subject here, which gives me a head start and is also a good 'test' before I actually enter the program at home. As well, I am learning a lot about culture differences and different world views! I have a neat opportunity as well with my classmates who are mostly Austrian. I am being taught completely in English with my Austrian classmates, who are required by MCI to do one 'international semester' being taught in English. So I have jumped into the middle of a program with Austrian students who have been together for 2 years already! So we learn in English, but speak German to each other. It's great practice for me!
Which brings me to talk about the two other places where I get to practice my german. ÖSM and church.
ÖSM (the Österreiches Studenten Mission- Austrian Students Mission) is a group that gathers on Monday nights to meet as Christian students from Innsbruck and come together to encourage, pray, sing and hang out together. I went for the 2nd time already, and I am starting to solidify some friendships. There are mostly Austrian students here. So... lots of german practice!
As well for practicing my German, the church that I am attending does their services in German (of course, but they do have English translation, which I choose not to take).
But honestly, though these are two great places to develop my language skills, I believe that God has given them to me as a place of comfort and growing. God is working in this city, and you can see it by how many Christians are gathering, whether it's families at church or young people coming together and leading themselves. In a country that is officially Catholic (and has been for centuries) breaking out of tradition is hard. I have met several people who have a strong faith, coming from a Catholic background, but I have also met many who either rebuke the church or just go along with it because it's 'easy, 'accesible' and 'normal'. So to break out of the mold and proclaim yourself as a Protestant is very uncommon here. Where in Canada it is the faith the many see as 'normal' here one has to stand up for their faith, when it's often looked down on. So many of the people that I have met at church and ÖSM are such an inspiration to me and I admire how real their faith is to them.
I am so thankful that God has provided me with friends have the same belief as me, and through that encourage me in my own walk with Jesus.

Thank you for all your prayers everyone and to all those are sending me emails and keeping in contact with me. I always love hearing from home!
Christi

P.S.
Time for pictures!

                                                                 My city,  Innsbruck!

                                           

                                               This is where I went hiking on Saturday...

                            ... And these are the mountains how I woke up to them this morning!

Hallo!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
It is very weird for me to be here today in Austria, instead of at home... in fact, I think it's one of the first Thanksgivings that I haven't been home for!
In other news, I have been in Austria for an official full week now! And a lot has really happened in the past week. The day after arriving I started orientation at the university. I thought that I wouldn't need orientation, but I sure was prideful, and quickly realized that I really did need it! Also, the best part of a three day orientation was that I met so many international students and have made some very strong friendships!
My classes officially started today, so the whole week I didn't have school for, I spent a lot of time finding entertainment. We (the international students) often went out at night. For example we've gone out for coffee, to an Irish Pub Night, enjoyed a night in the town with all the shops being open late for the "Lange Nacht Der Museen" and went on a trip to see a beautiful Renaissance castle and the Swarofski Kristallwelten, which is a display of millions of crystals incorporated into art somehow. And, we went to Oktoberfest!
Let me tell you about Oktoberfest. It was crazy! Never have I seen a fairground so crowded! It took nearly 1/2 a hour to walk 1/2 a kilometre because of the slow drag of the crowd down the street! There were people EVERYWHERE in the city! And everyone was dressed in traditional Austrian/Bavarian clothing, like "Lederhosen" (men's leather shorts) and dirndls (female dresses). I enjoyed experiencing a whole new event, but I probably wouldn't go again... I don't even like beer! :) Whoops, did I just say that out loud? That is a blow to both my Canadian and Austrian citizenships!
Yesterday, on Sunday, I went to church here in Innsbruck! I tried a new church, and it was so good! It is called the Baptiste Gemeinde Innsbruck, so it is a Baptist Church, but more importantly than the denomination, it has a very loving and friendly church family! The music was good, and what I got of the sermon was also very good. Next time I'll try even harder to get some main points out of what they're preaching. I met many people, and even got invited to lunch after church. I do think that I'll make some connections here at this church, and God will provide.

Now that school is in full swing, I unfortunately won't have as many opportunities to do fun things, but then, I AM here for school. I am also looking forward to my Social Work courses and the learning that I can do in a field I am truly interested in!

I hope that everyone has a good Thanksgiving, and is taking the time to really thank God for what he has provided in our lives.
Love and miss you all!
Christi

                     

                                                     Innsbruck, from the river 'Inn'~

                                                                  Downtown Innsbruck

                                             

                                             Rafal and Zosia, my two dear Polish friends! :)

                     Oktoberfest, the only place people wait 3 hours to get into the beer gardens!

Dear Blog Readers,

I am currently sitting in my new dorm room, in Innsbruck, Austria! This morning I made the journey from Reichenau, in the very east, to Innsbruck, which is on the very west side of the country. The train ride was a total of six hours, and I crossed the entire country!

       Since leaving Cape Breton, I have spent a week going between both sets of grandparents, visiting, eat- which seems to happen a lot while visiting- and catching up. I also got to spend a lot of time with my cousins and aunts and uncles, which is something I really enjoy because I so rarely get to see all of my family, so building relationships is done very deliberately. I also got to go on some nice mountain walks, and I helped my whole one side of the family make apple juice!

They found an old apple pressing machine in the barn, fixed it up, collected all the apples from the trees and made fresh apple juice by the litre! It is delicious!

I had a good week with my family, so it was hard to leave that comfort and familiarity and venture out of my own.

I got quite nervous on the train about making the right stops, and then as I was getting settled in my dorm, I again got nervous about meeting so many people. I usually don't get nervous about travelling, but I do sometimes get anxious when meeting new people because I am prone to talking myself down- so instead of encouraging myself, I start to doubt everything. So while I was settling into my room today, I felt very alone.

But then my room mate- a Korean student- arrived! I laughed to myself when I saw her, because of the way God works. I felt like I was at home in Kamloops working with FOCUS club! :)

Her English skills are really good, but her German is less than basic. So we are able to communicate really well, and we have talked quite a bit... and I'll probably help her with her german!

The dorm has all the basics, and thats it. But it'll do it's job, I'm sure of it. It will also become cozier and more lived in as time passes, I'm sure as well. 

Tomorrow I start orientation as an International Student! It seems like the roles have switched for me! I am so used to befriending international students, and now it's the other way around!

Things are starting a little bit rough, but I'm sure that as I see the city, and get to know more people, I'll become more comfortable here.

God has a plan, as he does in all things. I know he does.

Have a good night everyone!

Christi

                                                      Just wandering through the Alps...

 My very bare dorm room. They said we weren't allowed to stick things on the wall using         tape, so I used reinforcements.

           

                                     The view of Innsbruck from my top-floor dorm window!