Asia Day

David's institute celebrates its international makeup and honors its diverse community by hosting several cultural events throughout the year.  Each spring an international dinner is organized and everyone (including staff, researchers, and family members) bring a dish from their own country to share.  In June there is a Midsummer party hosted by the Europeans (particularly the Scandinavians) to commemorate the summer solstice.  In early July, a ginormous pancake breakfast is prepared by the Canadian members for the entire institute to celebrate the nation's birthday.  Following this, comes the American sponsored 4th of July party with hotdogs, hamburgers, water balloon fights, a pickup baseball game, and some good old Rock 'n' Roll tunes.

Last week there was a massive Asia Day party to honor all of the Asian nations represented at the institute.  This particular party is usually the biggest and most well attended of all the international events throughout the year.  The food served is delish and diverse and I found myself returning for thirds and forths as if I wouldn't be fed again for a week.  My favorite dish?  Hm, maybe the coconut dessert drink.  But the Malaysian spring rolls were a close second favorite.  David dug the kimchi, but that's not too surprising.  Spicy, fermented cabbage is his kryptonite.  Aside from the impressive amount of the tasty homemade Asian dishes, the fashion show, Chinese dancing, and karaoke really set this event over the top.  No wonder it's an institute favorite.  It's mine too.

Fashion Show

Kinder

 

Asian Feast

Chinese dancing and Filipino singing 

The captivated audience

The event took place on the lawn behind the institute's restaurant

A little origami to boot

 

I'm not totally certain about the other events being held in the fall.  However I do know that there's talk of an Africa Day coming up.  Come November there's certain to be a Thanksgiving dinner and in December, either a Winter Ball or Christmas dinner (these events alternate each year).

Austrian Anthem Alteration

I like Austria very much.  For loads of reasons: it's coffee, its cleanliness, its reliable and efficient public transportation systems, its coffee, its Apfeltascherl, its parks, its hiking trails, its museums, its dog culture, its mountains, and its coffee.

Just yesterday I learned of another reason to be proud of where we now live. Apparently, the  Bundeshymne (national anthem) is being altered to include a reference to women.  The original 1947 version of the anthem currently acknowledges only the nation's "great sons," but the new version will include a reference to "daughters" as well.  While the exact text has yet to be decided, it's a fair and important step that the main parties in parliament have agreed that women should be acknowledged and part of the anthem's text will be changed.  Well done, Austria.  Well done.

National Anthem of Austria (first verse, current version)

Land der Berge, Land am Strome,

Land der Äcker, Land der Dome,

Land der Hämmer, zukunftsreich.

Heimat bist du großer Söhne, (to be altered as "Heimat großer Töchter, Söhne")
 
Volk begnadet für das Schöne,

Vielgerühmtes Österreich,

Vielgerühmtes Österreich!

 
{English Translation}

Land of mountains, land on the River,

Land of fields, land of spires,

Land of hammers, with a rich future,

You are the home of great sons, (to be altered as "You are the home of great daughters, sons")
 
A nation blessed by its sense of beauty,

Highly praised Austria, highly praised Austria.

A Coffeehouse Legend

While there's a drought in Somalia, a heatwave in the US, and suffocating humidity in Japan, the temps have been quite mild here in Austria (with the exception of a few super hot days sprinkled in here and there).  This past weekend the highs barely reached 18'C (65'F).  We've had thick cloud coverage since Friday.  Therefore it's been quite dark and dreary the past couple of days.  In fact, I've been feeling a bit gloomy.  (I imagine this is how Eeyore feels.)  Not sad, or depressed really.  Just lazy and, well, gloomy.

Gloomy can be good sometimes, though.  Dreary days are sort of like forced holidays, aren't they?  The weather this weekend certainly enticed me and David to take a rest from our usual weekend bike ride or hike to do some museum and cafe hopping.  We took advantage of the Free Saturdays at the MAK and roamed around the top floor for a bit (we saved the other 2 floors for our next visits).  After visiting the MAK, we refueled ourselves with another first -- a visit to the legendary Cafe Hawelka.

I've read about this cafe in various Vienna guide books and on other blogs about the city.  I put off the visit because I figured the famous establishment would be packed with tourists and the cafe experience would be more frustrating than enjoyable.  Boy was I wrong.  Yes, the place was packed.  But we easily found a cozy table for two.  Yes, there were tourists.  But not the frustrating, obnoxious type.  The respectful type.  The kind of tourists that use their broken German to order a Wiener Melange and then chat quietly with their friends in their common language.  Good people.  And to top it all off, the Hawelka family roasts some pretty fantastic coffee.

So, actually, now I'm a massive fan of Cafe Hawelka.  It was inspiring to sit in a place where for decades writers and artists like Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Arthur Miller, and Andy Warhol discussed their ideas, wrote their stories, and sketched their masterpieces.  Next time, I'm going back in the evening so to enjoy Frau Hawelka's famous Buchteln.  Maybe tomorrow?  And, I'll take my book.  Catching Fire's getting real good folks.

Here's to gloomy days!

"A picture means I know where I was every minute. That's why I take pictures. It's a visual diary." ~Andy Warhol

"A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself." ~Arthur Miller

"When we dream alone it is only a dream, but when many dream together it is the beginning of a new reality." ~Friedensreich Hundertwasser

 

"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less."  ~Arthur Miller

Our Hearts Go Out to You

To our brothers and sisters in Norway, our hearts go out to you.  What happened in Oslo and Utoya is an irremediable tragedy of a massive scale.  The international community stands united with you in condemning what's happened.  Terrorism is just so awful, no matter who is behind it. 

Sending love and strength to our Norwegian neighbors.

A Night at the Muesum

Awesome Thing About Living in Vienna #3,074: Gourmet dinners at the museums!  Last night, David and I joined a buddy for the Gourmetabend am Donnerstag (Gourmet dinner on Thursday) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.  

From 6:30 to 10:00pm we indulged in a delicious feast of cheeses, meats, smoked and grilled fish, salad greens, several potato dishes, a Chanterelle mushroom sauce, multiple veggie purees, various mousses, and a smorgasbord of desserts.  But the highlight of the night was when we took a break from gorging ourselves and sauntered through the Picture Gallery.  Unfortunately, time passed too quickly and we ended up only experiencing about a quarter of the entire museum before it closed.  Not to worry though.  We'll be returning soon -- maybe not for the dinner (while delicious, it was a bit pricey), but the museum is beckoning me back.

Vienna's freaking awesome.

Lyd takes Vienna (Part 2)

More apologies for neglecting our blog readers. Lydia's visit has been so precious to us that we've not wanted to spend one mental moment away from her.  I'm sure you understand.  Alas, here's what we've been up to since Friday. . .

Saturday - The Prater Day

Sunday - A Wienerwald Day (Stadtwanderweg 6)

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day (lunching at the Gloriette Cafe)

Monday - A Heurige Evening

Tuesday - A Laxenburg Day

Wasn't Lyd a trooper?  We drug her all over the place, but she went along skipping and smiling.  Her enthusiasm made us even more enthusiastic and so we were just one big ball of fun - nonstop for 9 days straight!  It was fascinating for us to experience the city again through her eyes.  But more than that, just being with Lydia -- anywhere in the world -- is soul soothing, yet electrifying at the same time.  Our precious time together in the same city was truly a meaningful and memorable one.

Vielen, vielen Dank Lyd.  We love and appreciate you more than you can know. 

(ear <-----> ear)
Daveed & Fred-a-sisi

Lyd takes Vienna (Part 1)

So sorry.  After a day of biking through the Wachau region, we're too exhausted to concentrate on writing a descriptive post.  Hopefully these 4 photo collages will suffice for now. . .

Wednesday - An Innerstadt Day

Thursday - A Hundertwasser Day

Friday - A Stift Melk Day

Friday - A Donauradweg Day

We're headed to bed now to get some shuteye.  Hope to share more with you lovely readers again soon!  

Gute Nacht!

She's Here!

She's here!  She's here!  She's here!  My big sister, Lydia, is here!  She arrived yesterday evening and while exhausted and jet-lagged was a serious trouper last night and let us take her to our local brewery for some drinks.  We're so happy that she's here.  Vienna already feels more like home now that someone from "home" is here.

Today's going to be another hot one, so I think we'll escape the heat by wandering through some museums.  Maybe Sisi's?

 

Wish you were here Andrew-san.

See Beautiful Feature & Giveaway!

We're so excited that the See Beautiful movement is taking off so quickly!  The blog is less than 2 months old (and the website is less than 2 weeks old!), but already it's reaching and inspiring people all over the world. 

Here are two beautiful things happening with See Beautiful today:

1. The Fill Your Well blog is featuring See Beautiful as this week's "Good Deed."

 

2. See Beautiful is giving away it's first Start the Week Seeing Beautiful Treat!

 Don't forget to enter yourself into the contest!  Here's how to do it:

Contestants are encouraged to be a "Follower" of the blog

Leave a comment about today's post or the giveaway prize (1st Entry)

Follow SB on Twitter or "Like" SB on Facebook and comment on today's post (additional entry)

Share See Beautiful's giveaway contest on your own blog and comment on today's post (additional entry)

Purchase a See Beautiful product today and comment on today's post (additional entry)

*Proceeds from the product sales will be donated to The Breakthrough Corporation 

Viel Glück!

Short Lines

I've found that the challenges of being a foreigner can, at times, seem so overwhelming that they outweigh the benefits.  Of course, I'm referring to literal, tangible, palpable benefits.  Obviously, I'm not referring to the intangible benefits of personal growth which result from spreading one's wings, being flexible, thinking with an open mind, trying new things, and appreciating new cultures, languages, and people.

I did discover a handy benefit to being a foreigner today, tough.  And I'm feeling pretty awesome about it.

When I first walked into the Verkehrsamt (Department of Motor Vehicles) this morning and saw the other hundred people waiting to be helped, I thought, "Doggonit! It'll be an hour before I can talk to someone and transfer my US drivers license for an Austrian license.  Thank goodness I brought a book."  But then, I asked the friendly lady at the info desk which line I should queue for transferring my foreigner drivers license (David did this a few weeks ago and said that we had a special line).  She said, "Schalter sieben" (Desk 7).  I looked around for number 7 and didn't see it, but I did see a sign with numbers 1 through 6 directing folks through a set of double doors into a larger room with more people.  Figuring that 7 should be near 1-6 since, after all, 7 does come after 6, I headed through the doors.  My killer instincts were right because the desk opposite the crowd gathered around 1 through 6 was labeled 7 and had NO QUEUE!  I only had to wait for the one gentleman to wrap up his session and I was next.  I couldn't believe it at first.  This kind of luck never happens at any DMV, right?  Unless you're a foreigner.

And this my friends is "Benefit of Being a Foreigner" Nummer eins!  At the DMV, we enjoy a shorter wait time than the Austrian citizens do.  I feel no guilt at all.

 

Verkehrsamt Wien
[image from Bundespolizeidirektion Wien] 

Schwimmen am Schwimmbad

It is HOT in Vienna!  While yesterday we found an air-conditioned cafe to crash so as to escape the heat, today we decided to hit up a public pool.  Actually, we figured that Vienna's city pools would be too crowded, so we thought we were being clever by venturing south and trying a public pool in the adorable village of Mödling.  Well, we weren't clever enough since we certainly were not the only ones with that idea.  There were a kajillion people at the pool!  No sweat though, since we quickly found a shading spot under a tree and directly behind the diving zone.  Great shade and excellent people watching were very much enjoyed.

How awesome do the public swimming pools in Austria look?  The pictures barely do them justice.  Yes, they can be really crowded, especially on weekends.  But they are also squeaky clean, well organized, and full of all the amenities one desires (so typically Austrian, right?).  Check out the beer garden in the top right of the picture or the langos David's devouring in the center.  Really?  Really?

It was a clever idea to head to the pool after all.         

Cappaccino Cartography

Sometimes, I enjoy one of these. . .

Afterwards, I like to examine what's left over. . . 

To me, what remains looks sort of like the inside of a globe from the inside out.  Today, David and I found North America and Italy.  What continents/countries do you see?

If you're curious, we enjoyed these delicious cappuccinos from the über hipster bakery/cafe, Orlando di Castello.

Gift of Acceptance

I came across this India Arie song today on the Amazing Women Rock website.  As soon as I heard it, I immediately thought about the very exciting Marriage Equality Act that will become a New York Sate law this month!  We're so excited for New York, and proud of all of its lawmakers!  



The song was sung at the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Stockholm.  Can you imagine what it would have been like to be there?  I would have had goosebumps all over my body!

Here are the lyrics:


Some believe it's right to say Jesus when you pray,
Some believe Mohammed, Allah, or Budha are the way.
Instead of a God or pantheon of gods up in the sky,
I'll honour your choices and you can honour mine.

Whether you are red, black, yellow, brown or white,
A man with a husband or a woman with a wife,
We can debate till the end of time who's wrong and who is right,
Or I can honour your choices and you can honour mine.

--Chorus--
We all want the same things from life,
We want peace, love and prosperity.
But can we give up our need to be right?
Give the world a present, give the gift of your acceptance.
Give the world a present, give the gift of your acceptance.

Some believe that God's a him and some say he's a her.
Does God live here in our hearts or out in the universe?
Gandhi was a Hindu, Martin Luther King a Christian,
Regardless of religion they knew love was the mission.

--Chorus--
We all want the same things from life,
We want peace, love and prosperity.
But can we give up our need to be right?
Give the world a present, give the gift of your acceptance.
Give the world a present, give the gift of your acceptance.

We can debate to the end of time who's wrong and who is right,
Or I can honour your choices and you can honour mine.
They call you Israeli and they call me an American,
I look at you and I don't see a country, I just see my friend,
I pray we're in each other's lives for a long, long time
Because I honour your choices and you honour mine

Making Friends

Despite all that is wonderfully mysterious and enchanting about moving abroad and starting a new life in a breathtakingly beautiful European city, making friends here is not as easy peasy as it may have been had we moved to say, Seattle, London, Sydney, Johannesburg, or some other English speaking city.  The language barrier -- it's quite a barrier.  Fortunately, I'm studying German and eventually I'll know enough to actually have meaningful conversations with Austrians.  And in my experience, conversations often lead to getting to know a person and eventually a friendship develops.  So, in time, this will happen for me (fingers crossed - or as they say in Austria, Daumen drücken (thumbs pressed)).

In the meantime, however, I owe a giant thanks to my German classes for being instrumental in my social life.  As I mentioned before, I've met some fantastically interesting people -- the inspirational Krishana and warm and lovely Yomara included!

These two ladies came over yesterday and we (well, really Yomara) prepared a delicious salad and sipped on some sweet lemonade while giggling and chatting together.  I'm lucky to have these women in my life!

 

Fancy Lemonade

Is there one thing that best represents summer?  Could it be the smell of chlorine?  Slipping into flip-flops? Sandy beach towels?  Mindless reading?  Tandem bicycles?  Climbing into a car where the inside temperature has reached 120'F?

For me, it's fruit.  When I taste blueberries I'm reminded of my childhood summers in Stone Harbor, NJ.  When I bite into juicy peaches, I revisit my summer days on our back porch in Knoxville, TN (especially, when I eat my sister's Peach Pie!).  When I taste Rhubarb, I'm taken back to the summer I arrived in Sweden to study for a semester in Stockholm.  When I even see an Avocado, I'm transported back to grad school and the famous Farmers' Market in Davis, CA.  But. . . when I taste lemons, I don't know where I go.  I go somewhere special, though.  Somewhere I want to be all the time.  A place where lemons grow on trees and it's summer everyday of the year.  Oh, wait, there are such places!  California included!  You lucky devils you.  If I had a lemon tree, I'd be making homemade lemonade as often as lemons came available to me.

Alas, summer is but only a season in Vienna.  It's a nice season, though.  Not too hot, not too humid.  Just about manageable without A/C.  But definitely manageable if one has a cold glass of lemonade in their hand.  And that's just what I've got.  Except, my lemonade's a bit fancy for today.  

Strawberry Basil Lemonade

 

 
And what represents summer to you?  David says that to him, it's the smell of freshly cut grass.

       

Doctor of Philosophy

While we haven't seen it in person, David's PhD diploma has arrived!  It was mailed to my parents' house and my mom sent us this picture.

I can't speak for David, the man who actually earned the degree, (maybe he'll share his thoughts on here later) but this moment is seriously special!  I liken the PhD experience to tackling the Mt. Everest Expedition (which I've never done, but this is a metaphor so roll with me people).  Completing the PhD is a long and hard trek with obstacles that at times seem overwhelming and impassable. But when you reach each camp, you can take a rest, refuel, and reflect on the small but significant climb you've just conquered.  Perhaps here you may even rethink the route ahead of you and you might decide to explore another path to the top.  But, if the goal is important enough to you, then the forks in the road and obstacles you will inevitably encounter will not prevent you from completing your journey.  And completed the journey, he did!   

I'm so honored that I could a part - albeit small - of David's 6-year expedition at UC Davis.  It was meaningful for me to supply the water, food, oxygen, and encouragement along the way.  My heart swells with pride over his tremendous accomplishment.  Congratulations Doctor!

By the way, if you're interested, David's dissertation is titled, Achieving Long-term Energy, Transport and Climate Objectives: Multi-dimensional Scenario Analysis and Modeling within a Systems Level Framework.  Trying to achieve all of this sounds a bit like trying to hike Mt. Everest doesn't it?

*image taken from http://www.sciencedaily.com

Having written about the journey though, it is important to note that the PhD is the beginning, not the culmination, of a career. So here's to your career, David!  One that I hope you will find challenging, satisfying, and rewarding.  You're going to do great things with that brilliant mind of yours!

"A" Deutschkurse sind fertig!

I (Lindsay) am finished with the first 4 months of my intensive German language courses!  I've been studying at the Internationales Kulturinstitut Wien (IKI) since March and have just this week completed the "A" or "Basic Speaker" level.  Here's a breakdown of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language or CEFR:    

A Basic Speaker

A1 Breakthrough or beginner

A2 Waystage or elementary

B Independent Speaker

B1 Threshold or intermediate

B2 Vantage or upper intermediate

C Proficient Speaker

C1 Effective Operational Proficiency or advanced

C2 Mastery or proficiency

At IKI the intensive course schedule is as follows: the A Level is 4 months long, B Level is 6 months long, and the C Level is 4 months long.  So, in theory, one could become a mastery or proficient speaker within 14 months if they had the money and time to stick with the intensive language program.  What a thought!

David's been taking evening classes at the Deutsch Institut.  He just completed the B+ level.  This means that he's finished the Threshold or intermediate level.  He's quite impressive -- which surprises none of you, I know.

I've had the pleasure of learning German from some fantastic teachers at IKI.  I've also really enjoyed learning along side of some really amazing people (i.e., African priests, South American musical prodigies, a Russian Oil executive, an Italian Opera singer, a Filipino nurse, a Greek doctor, a Spanish fisherman, an Australian Olympian and on and on. . . Over these past 4 months we've become each others cheerleaders, teammates, and friends.  Here are the faces of meine Kollegen:

March - A1.1 Kurs

April - A1.2 Kurs 

(Here's the view from our classroom window.  I missed the last week of class so I didn't get a photo of our group.)

 

 May - A2.1 Kurs

 

June - A2.2 Kurs