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😻amazing, pt.1

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Hiking weekend

Last week around 70 excited exchange students including myself all met on the train after our first week of being back at school and headed to Planner Alm in the Steyr Region of Austria. The train was buzzing and a whole train carriage was taken up with just exchange students so you can imagine the noise. Once we had all arrived at the Bahnhoff (train station) in Stainarch-Irdning we got on a bus and were taken up to an Alm in the mountains where we would be staying for the next two nights. The next day we woke up early and headed off in the freezing cold up to the top of a massive mountain.  It took about three hours climbing over rocks, walking through mud and trying not to slip down the hill but eventually we made it, with many stops to catch our breath and have some food along the way. At the top we all got the option to go in a group that will continue walking uphill for three hours to another lookout point or to head back to the Alm. Roni and I were the only oldies that opted for the hard walk upwards and it turned out to be well worth it, ending up at a beautiful lake in the mountains and being treated to bacon sandwiches and brilliant photo opportunities. We were hiking on a really foggy day so we couldn’t see much of the view but the hike was still well worth it. I also discovered it was a great skiing location I will definitely be paying a visit back too in the Winter. 

The weather here in Austria is already quickly dropping and the first snow has arrived on the top of the mountains so it wont be long before I am back out skiing again which I am super excited for. Although I will really miss swimming in the lake. 

Next week i am going to Czech Republic and NeiderOsterreich with my Rotary club and the weekend after I am going to Vienna with all the other exchange students for an Operetta which i am looking forward too!

I will be sure to write about those trips and hopefully it wont take me three months again like last time :) 

Also if anyone has any questions or wants any information about doing an exchange feel free to message me on facebook or Whatsapp (067762358069) and I will be happy to help! 

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Sommer Ferian

It has been such a long time since my last blog update in May and many things have happened since then so I thought it was about time I wrote a bit about my recent exchange life here in Austria!

At the end of June our school finished and the holidays started just in time for summer and the beautiful weather. On the last day of school I was put on the boys football team and we played in a tournament against other classes in front of the school. I am really bad at football but it was a lot of fun and we ended up winning all the games so that was a bonus! Also at the start of the holidays I changed host families and I absolutely love them, they have become like my real family! I am now living in a town called Gmunden - the next town over from where I used to live.

The highlight of my holidays was completing a ‘segelwoche’ (sailing week) with my friend Teisha from Australia, my two young host sisters and around 40 other kids. We were all split up into groups based on our ages and everyday we completed about 8 hours sailing on the lake. I think as I am from New Zealand everyone expected me to be a natural at sailing which proved to be far from the truth as my boat capsized many times and I fell into the middle of the lake a lot but that was all apart of the fun! Throughout the week we all learned how to tie proper sailing knots, how to drive the boat and change the sails and how to adjust the boat to the gradient of the wind. Not only did I learn a lot about sailing but throughout the week I also improved my German a lot as nobody spoke English. On the last day of the week we got taken out in the morning on a really big sail boat which we drove to the base of the mountain Traunstein. Me and two others jumped off the boat and were able to swim into caves underneath the mountain which was incredible. The water was absolutely freezing but the experience was well worth it.

Besides the sailing week I have also gone on many excursions and trips around Austria including visiting Mathausen concentration camp situated about an hour away from where I live. This experience was absolutely surreal and although it was a very sad emotional place, it is definitely a life changing experience and a place I would recommend to anyone to visit. 

I also went on a few day trips to Vienna just to explore the city a bit more. I visited Schonbrunn - a famous and (arguably) the most beautiful palace in Austria - and also went inside all of the museums and art galleries and I even got treated to a tour around the famous Spanish riding school which was incredible!! I am now also able to successfully navigate the underground trains around Vienna which is a rather big accomplishment for me as I have no sense of direction or map reading skills whatsoever. 

My host families and I have been on many adventures together including going up Dachstein - the tallest mountain in the region of Upper Austria, going snorkelling, visiting the Franz Josef house where the document that declared the 1st World War was signed, going on the Sound of music tour around the Salzburg region, going to an amusement park and on ALL of the rides (twice) and many many more amazing adventures. Even going to the grocery store with my host mum was always made a good time. I am so thankful to my amazing host family and it is incredible how quickly strangers can become like a real family to you. I think this is something only exchange students truly understand as one year ago the people that are the most important to me now were strangers to me, and now they are my family and will remain the most significant people in my life.

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Euro tour and more

So this is going to be a long blog update - probably my longest of the year as I have so so much to write! So recently i went on the long awaited Euro tour which I have been counting down the days for ever since I left ski camp! Everyday I wrote a journal entry of what I had been up too, which has come in very handy when writing this blog update as the last three weeks have been so full on and busy that its hard to keep track of what happened when! Sooo without much more, heres the account of Euro tour - the best month of my life.

So at the start of May I woke up suuper early with my bags already packed and headed to the bus stop where I caught the bus to the train station in my town. It was on the train I met up with some of my friends Pedro, Ale and Ivana, then later on Olivia, Gui, Manuela and Sequoia. We took two trains together to Linz haupt bahnhoff  and it was there we met up with everyone else! It was so good too see everyone again and meet all the oldies I hadn’t already met yet plus the Bosnian and Croatian exchange students who would be joining us for the trip! It was cool to everybody again after being apart for so long and the train station was absolutely buzzing with 100+ bags, blazers and suitcases and 80+ exchange students all gathering in a frenzy of hugs and happiness! After all the meets and greets, we then loaded the trailer with all our gear and boarded the huge double decker bus that would become our main home and transport for the next few weeks. We traveled through Germany before hitting France and I was super shocked to see how quickly the language and culture changed just from crossing one river (the border). It also made me  realise actually how much German I could understand and speak, going from a country where I could say and understand enough to get by in everyday life, to a country where I didn’t even know how to say thank you.

Strasbourg

Our first stop was Strasbourg! We arrived in our hotel in the afternoon, unpacked our rooms and had a few hours to explore the city before heading to the restaurant for dinner and then roaming the city under the streetlights in the dark for a few hours afterwards, trying not to get lost before curfew. The next day we had a great traditional french breakfast of croissants, apple sauce, french bread and pancakes before heading to the bus stop and then being taken on a tour in the bus through the city of Strasbourg. I could have sworn this city was something straight out of Harry Potter as every church, street or building we passed looked like Hogwarts or Diagon Alley. After the tour we had 7 hours free time to explore the city! This was spent going in the Notre Dame cathedral -  Strasbourgs oldest (and prettiest) cathedral, eating escargott (snails), playing frisbee in the town square and almost breaking a shop window, exploring the city and just being typical tourists. That night we went out to the restaurant for abend essen then were given some extra free time after dinner to explore the city even further at night. We got lost for about an hour that night trying to find the right hotel but nevertheless it was fun trying to navigate our way home, especially as we were all without internet and google maps which made it even more interesting. How we eventually found our way back I’ll never know.

Lyon

Stop two took us to Lyon, another beautiful city in France! Compared to Strasbourg, Lyon was more of a modern city with huge skyscrapers and buildings. Here we got the whole afternoon as free time to do whatever we wanted so I spent it with my friend Roni trying to figure out ways to get to the top of the skyscrapers for a view of the city, and exploring all the shops. We didn’t manage to get to the top of any of the buildings as we got kicked out before we even got to the second storey but it was fun trying. Lyon is a huge city though with so many people! Then with me being blonde, we walked back to the hotel as I thought dinner was at 6 (turns out it was at 7) so with an hour to spare we asked the hotel receptionist what she reccomended we do, which lead us to the trainstation in search of the zoo! French trains are super different to the Austrian system so we had to stop and ask a few locals where to go but eventually we ended up on the other side of the city and at a super beautiful park type place with lots of foreign plants, ponds, trees, greenhouses and a beautiful field full of deer! There was music playing and lots of young locals hanging out in hammocks, walking ropes they had tied between two trees, yodelling and all this other cool hippie stuff which created such an amazing atmosphere. We spent about 20 minutes there before realising we were going to be late for dinner so with 10 minutes to spare, we sprinted back to the trainstation (only having to stop and ask for directions like twice), working the subway system and then running back to the hotel - still managing to be about 15 minutes late (oops). We had free time to explore the city in the dark and there were lots of cute little outdoor marque restaurants and bar type things all lit up along the river bank with music playing which was super pretty!

Avignon

Next stop was Avignon! Its a really old city with a pretty famous bridge and lots of old castle ruins and walls which were made out of cobble and brick. It looked super ancient and had me in awe with its huge amount of history. We arrived in Avignon in the morning and it was pouring down with rain! But that didn’t stop us all from hiking up lots of steps and along a wall to a cute church ontop of a hill, and then walking to a lookout point which overlooked the whole city. On one side you could see the river, bridge and countryside and on the other side you could see the city and churches. We were all soaking wet by the time we got to this lookout point but that didn’t dampen our spirits and we proceeded to walk into the city and get some famous french crepes which are just as good as they say - if not better! The weather improved as the day did as next I went exploring with some friends around the ruins and through the town which is made up of lots of cute little alleyways and shops tucked away in random corners. There was a huge carrousel in the middle of the french markets which made the whole place feel like something out of a story book! That night after dinner we came back to the same market place for some late night ice cream which just completed my day!

Eze Village - Monaco - Cavi di Lavagna

This day was probably my favourite of Euro tour! In the morning we headed off to the first stop - Eze Village! To start the morning there we were taken on a tour around a local perfume making shop! It was super interesting being shown all the different ways they make perfume and all the different ingredients you can put in the perfume - all made from locally grown flowers and herbs as the climate and landscape of Eze village is perfect for growing flowers. All the girls were also shocked to find out that Leonardo DiCaprio buys his perfume from this shop which made it even more exciting. The whole place also smelt really good as you can imagine! After this we got about an hour of free time which I spent with Roni and Dylan walking up through the mountain shops and markets to an amazing view point and trust me it nearly brought me to tears it was so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before! So if you are reading this and you are thinking of taking a holiday in the future, trust me when I say that this is the place to go! It is worth every penny and is guaranteed not to disappoint!! It was truly what I imagined heaven looked like. Their ice creams taste like heaven as well. Many MANY photos later, we set back on the road to our next destination - Monaco! It was cool to find out that Monaco is actually its own little country and a very cool one indeed! It was clear as we arrived that you had to be extremely rich to live there, and was obvious who the tourists were and who the locals were. Monaco had a huge harbour, docked with fancy ships (it costs around $60,000 PER NIGHT to keep your ship there) and then lots of huge fancy buildings and houses. The highlight of my time in Monaco was hands down swimming in the sea for the first time since I left New Zealand. The water surprisingly wasn’t too cold and we all spent a few hours just soaking up the salt water. The crunchy beach hair was certainly welcomed! Although Monaco’s beach was a lot different from the familiar Ohope beach, and the sand was replaced with rocks and stones, I loved it! The water was so clear and there were also alot of scenic viewpoints where alot more photos were taken! The next stop after Monaco was the cute beach side city of Cavi di Lavagna where we could see the ocean from our hotel bedroom! We had dinner straight after we arrived then went out to the beach in the dark afterwards where we found a cool rock path that took us into the ocean. That night we all hung out in our hotel rooms and put facemasks on the boys which was really entertaining and funny for us but probably not so fun for them!

Cinque Terre

A 2 hour bus ride past Cavi di Lavagna lead us too the beautiful Cinque Terre! The weather was miserable in the morning with rain threats and high winds making the boat that was supposed to take us over to one of the islands unable to operate. So instead all 82 of us boarded the train which took us to a cute town with colourful houses, a pretty church and 360 degree views! It was from this town that we began a hike that lasted around 2 1/2 hours. This hike almost sent me into cardiac arrest with the majority of it being uphill and me not having done any proper exercise for about 5 months was not ready. But the struggle to breathe was worth it in the end as the views were to die for and the destination of the hike was something I’d only ever seen on the internet and was super incredible! The weather made a dramatic turn and the sun came out and the clouds all disappeared! The island we arrived on was called Vernazza and our first stop of course was the ice cream shop where we all went back for seconds - and then bought Pizza. Our excuse was that we were just trying to make the most of the Italian culture. After this we walked around the town before setting base on the rocks next to the ocean to relax. With too much excitement and a quick spontaneous decision, three of us decided to jump in the water fully clothed which gave us a few weird glances from the locals sitting on the rocks by us but it was definitely heaps of fun! The water was a lot colder than Monaco so we swam out to a buoy to keep warm and ended up just chilling there for a while before swimming back, drying off and meeting up with the others. This day was the most fun i’d had in a long time (actually thats a lie as everyday has been a lot of fun - but this day was still extremely good) and I have never laughed so much with a group of people in my life! Another Pizza and Ice cream later it was time to take the bus to our next stop - Jesolo.

Jesolo

The place we stayed in Jesolo was the best by far! Each hotel room was double storey and had an ocean view - and the ocean was absolutely incredible! Pure white sand, crystal clear waters and warm temperatures set everyone in a buzzing mood! We all rushed through dinner before running outside to the beach for a sunset swim! If I told myself this time last year that I would be swimming in the sea in Italy at sunset with people i only met 4 months ago who have now become my best friends, I would have never believed it! It was the most incredible feeling and a lot of memories were made! After the sun set and it began to get cold we all walked back to the hotel, taking half the sand on the beach with us. 

Pisa - Lucca - Rome

Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa was something I’ve always dreamed of, but actually standing before it and looking at it in real life and not just through a screen was so much better than I could have ever imagined! Of course - Pisa was a huge tourist spot with so many people taking the typical Pisa photo. And because there are so many people that come through this city every day - the ice cream was super expensive... but that didn’t stop me. We spent a while there just soaking it all in and gazing in awe at our surroundings as I don’t think anybody could quite believe we were actually there. After a sad goodbye and a few final photos- we headed to Lucca- Tuscany! Lucca is a rather old city with lots of history and pretty buildings. All the buildings are pretty close together with one main square in the middle containing a huge church. The weather was really good which made exploring the city so enjoyable. That evening we headed to Rome where we would be spending the next three nights.

 Okay so Rome. Holy moly where do i even begin. Rome is absolutely incredible! We arrived at night time and didn’t have any time to look around as it was super late so we went straight to the restaurant with all of our suitcases piled outside before heading back to the hotel and getting some much needed sleep. The first day we spent in Rome we all had a morning tour around the city. We took the train from the side of the city where our hotel was to the centre. I was blown away walking out of the train station and seeing the colosseum straight away! The tour lasted about two hours and was super interesting. It took us round the old colonies and view points overlooking the city. At one point me and a few friends spent a little too much time taking photos and staring at the views that we ended up loosing the tour group. Luckily about 10 minutes later we caught up with a few people and were told it was free time so we spent the rest of the day walking around the city. I spent the day with my friend Olivia where we decided not to look at our map for the whole day to “let the fun find us” - which it certainly did! At the start we thought it would be a recipe for disaster as one huge city and two little foreign girls without a map or skills to communicate with anybody could go really wrong but we took our chances and turns out we were actually pretty pro at guessing where to go! We ended up in a different country! Our adventure took us across the bridge and into Vatican city which turns out to be its own country and the smallest country in the world. So now i can say I have been to the top two smallest countries in the world - Vatican city and Monaco. This adventure was incredible and we found the best pizza restaurant (sorry if this blog post is just me talking about ice cream and pizza but if you’ve ever tried Italian pizza and ice cream then you’ll understand!) We also found a cute little square full of markets which was really cute and the very type of thing I love! And then... I found a friend from New Zealand on exchange in Germany at the moment who is on his euro tour as well. I spent four days in LA with him in January, so I was super excited about being re united! It was great catching up with him again and hearing the familiar kiwi accent! So three of us spent the rest of the day together roaming rome (haha) before saying goodbye then heading back to the hotel (i’m not gonna lie - we used the map for this). After dinner we were allowed out again to see rome in the dark. None of us really knew where we were going so a group of us stuck together and ended up in a pretty park where we saw fireflies! Us Australasians were tripping out as we had never seen them before and they looked super cool flying around in the dark, like little shooting stars. We headed back for late night ice cream before bed. 

The next day we started the morning with all of the exchange students heading into the Vatican church which was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. You literally could have fit about 7321940 football stadiums, 657 olympic swimming pools and 14 zoo’s inside this one church it was so huge. Everything inside from the ceiling to the floor was so intricate and detailed the whole time I was just wondering how the heck someone could have created something so magical. Its one of those places everyone just needs to go and see for themselves as no words can describe a place like that. Then Liv and I set out on part 2 of our adventure around Rome. This time we didn’t choose to disregard the map - we lost it instead so we had no choice but to just guess where we were going. But it turned out to be another successful day as we ended up finding Trevi Fountain, another primo pizza place, a 5D dinosaur movie, some funky sunglasses and a church with a free tour in English and a dead body inside it. I threw a few coins into Trevi fountain which legend says it means that you have to come back again one day - I obviously wouldn’t mind that! Overall this day was amazing and full of so many pretty sites, adventures and lots of laughs, good food and memories! If anyone ever goes to Rome and needs two pro tour guides and navigators then give us a call and we will be happy to help :) 

Montepulciano - Florence

After leaving Rome ( sad face ) we stopped off for about 5 hours in a place called Montepulciano which was super cool as it was where a few scenes in the movie Twilight were filmed (for those of you who have seen Twilight - New Moon - it was the scene where Edward went to the voultory ). This little town was so cute and did actually look like it was a village run by vampires. It has stunning views of the countryside which I sat and stared at for about an hour. Being from the country back home I do actually kind of miss green fields and paddocks. Then we got pizza for lunch (surprise?) and explored a bit more before heading off to Florence. We arrived in Florence quite late in the night so we had dinner straight away and spent a short time exploring in the city afterwards before realising we all had no clue where we were going and then calling it a night and going back to the hotel. We then packed the bus super early in the morning before walking to the edge of the city of Florence for a tour. Our tour guide was super lit. She was a 70ish year old woman who was super funny - calling us “her darlings” and swearing way too much. She was definitely the best tour guide of our trip. We saw the famous statue of David and the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my whole life with intricate details, patterns and colours all over the outside of the church as well as the inside. Florence is a city full of old statues and beautiful tall churches. Another place I would love to come back to again one day. The only thing I didn’t like about Florence was that one ice cream cost around $12. 

Florence - Jesolo 

Leaving Florence mid afternoon and heading to Jesolo - we stopped at a really pretty view point overlooking the whole city which was super stunning. Once arriving in Jesolo, much to our happiness we found out that our hotel was a five minute walk from the beach which meant that straight after dinner we were all running down to the water for a night swim. Music playing, people dancing and swimming and playing soccer, the night was filled with so many laughs and good times. 

Venice

We took a day trip to Venice which was a day I will remember for the rest of my life! In the morning we took a 45 minute boat ride to the town. If you have read a lot of books then nothing is ever as great as you imagine. But Venice is. Venice is better. Its one of those places where no words or photographs can truly do it justice. The atmosphere, the scenery, everything about it just something you cant capture through a screen or a book. Its a place that everybody really needs to see for themselves because nothing can ever portray how incredible it really is. I spent the day there with my good pals Santi, Roni and Olivia where we took a Gondola ride through the canals of Venice. I found it super funny that all the Gondoliers were dressed in black and white stripes (it almost looked comical) and one boat even had a dog on the front of it! We then wandered round and found a navy ship museum which was incredible! There were so many boats that were suuuuuper old and some used to belong to Kings and princes and carried them from one side of the river to the other. I really enjoyed looking around and reading all the history behind the boats it was very interesting. We then met up with a few other exchange students in the main square in Venice and had a further look around before buying ice cream and heading to the water front. All along the waters edge theres boats and market stalls and outdoor cafes and musicians. Its truly an incredible place and one that I can tick off the bucket list (as well as the twenty billion other things I managed to tick off while on Euro tour.) After heading back and having dinner and another night of swimming and hanging out at the beach we went to bed to get some rest before our next stop - Verona!

Verona

Verona is such a strange place and not at all what i had in mind! Its a super beautiful city with a huge mix of modern and ancient architecture. One minute you’re walking through an alley of old brick buildings dating back to Shakespeare period and the next you’re in the middle of a street of 21st century shops. We had a tour of Verona in the morning where we went and saw Romeo and Juliet’s house including Juliet’s balcony which was super fascinating. You have to walk through an arch bridge thing to get to the balcony which is re painted every 6 months as lots of people sign their names on the walls and write messages to Juliet which I think is beautiful but some people consider it vandalism. After our free time exploring the city it was late so we headed back to the hotel in Jesolo which was like a 2 hour bus ride. Our last night in Jesolo obviously called for more night time swims and time on the beach. 

Triest - Slovenia - Croatia (Zagreb)

After loading the bus again and leaving Jesolo, we headed to Triest! We stopped at this really pretty castle type place on the waters edge that used to once be a castle but now its a museum. We had a look around inside then all bought ice cream and sat outside admiring the view and soaking up the sunshine. Was a super stunning day and our last stop in Italy before we moved on. We had a beautiful drive, crossing the boarder into Slovenia where we had lunch and drove through heaps of stunning scenery. Then we crossed another boarder into Croatia where we would be spending the next 2 nights! Croatia was absolutely amazing! The first night we arrived, my room mates and I came up with the bright idea to do the Ouija board which wasn’t actually a bright idea as we all turned super paranoid after hearing creepy noises and all were to scared to go back into the room. 

The next day was amazing! In the morning we all walked to a beautiful church we looked around in for a while (it had another dead body in it!) before we were allowed to do what we wanted for the rest of the day. The weather was super boiling and so the first thing we did was went and bought drinks. Then we spend the morning walking through the city and being typical tourists. In the afternoon we came across this epic escape room place where my friends Hannah, Olivia. Lily, Carly and I all were eager to give it a go! It turned out to be a lot better than I imagined. It was pretty much a game that lasted for an hour and you are given a story line at the start that is related to the city and history of Zagreb but there is a mystery behind the story that you need to solve. You are then locked in a series of rooms and you need to search for clues and solve mysteries in order to escape before the time runs out. This was so much fun that when we came out the woman gave us a discount on the second escape room which we obviously couldn’t refuse and was worth being late to dinner for and so 2 hours of my time in Croatia was spent locked in a room - which was well worth it! :D That night after dinner was the Oldie awards which were super entertaining (thanks Jim and Amaris) but also super sad as it means that the oldies will soon be leaving! We then spent the time after that signing journals and flags. 

Slovenia - Vienna

The next morning was sad saying goodbye to our fellow Croatian exchange students we had all become so close with throughout the 2 1/2 weeks we were lucky enough to spend together. Then with 15 spare seats on the bus, we all headed off back home to Austria, stopping in Slovenia for a bit! Arriving in Vienna it was good being back in a German speaking country where we were actually able to speak and understand the language but it was also sad knowing that it was soon all coming to an end. We arrived in our hotel in Vienna and then had the whole afternoon free where a few friends and I caught the train to the other side of the city and ended up at a theme park! This was so so epic and Roni and I went on some insane rollercoasters and a ride that went 90meters up in the air over looking the whole city before plummeting back to earth. After running back to the hotel for dinner because we lost track of time, we were then let loose again afterwards so a whole group of us went back to the theme park at night time which was insane! Best night ever! All of us stayed out till late going on way too may rides and all feeling so dizzy by the time we had to take the train back home. It was worth it. 

The next day we spent practicing our performances and songs for the District Conference. It was actually pretty fun all singing and dancing together but after a while it got tiring and I think all anybody wanted to do was sleep. 

District conference was a blast! It was held in Baden - about an hour and a bit drive from Vienna. Everyone got dressed up into nice clothes and their blazers and we all hopped on the bus ready to represent our countries in front of the Rotary of Baden. The conference started out as a kind of procession with us all walking in waving our countries flags! I was proud to be representing New Zealand. We then stood on the stage for a solid two hours singing and listening to people talk and at the end we got a huge applause and were taken on a tour around Baden before heading to a nice restaurant for dinner. After dinner the Oldies were presented with their completion certificates which was an emotional time for everyone as we have all become so close and its so sad knowing that they are going to leave soon. 

The next day was even worse, everyone filled with tears and sadness as we all said goodbye to each other - some of us for the last time - and headed to the train station together. My train was one of the last ones to leave so about a group of 12 of us were all there until mid afternoon chilling in the train station all crying and sleeping and listening to music and going for Mcdonalds runs. The train ride home was sad, each stop dropping off someone else until there were only about 5 of us left and it was my turn to get off the train and head home with Ale and Pedro. It was a sad time saying goodbye to euro tour and everyone else. 

I found that probably the hardest part of my exchange so far. And it will probably remain the hardest part of my exchange until the time comes when I have to leave this country myself and say goodbye to this year for good. Words cant describe the emotions I’ve gone through within the last few weeks, all the happiness and joy to all the bad things as well. I fully believe this has changed me as a person and taught me to appreciate every little tiny thing in life as every moment is like gold. Never in my life have I felt time going so fast, not just on Euro tour but my whole exchange. Its coming up 5 months since I left my home for this crazy adventure and yet it still feels like just yesterday I arrived. Its insane how close you can become with a group of people in such little time and how quickly strangers have become a family to me. I know this sounds really cheesy but its honestly such an insane thing to go through and if you’re an exchange student you’ll understand what I’m going on about. Saying goodbye is always going to be hard. Leaving my family and friends back home was hard but its even worse saying goodbye to a group of people you know you may never see again - especially all together in the same place. Ive shared such a huge and amazing part of my life with all the exchange students of Austria, Croatia and Bosnia 2017 and they will forever be in my heart and memories for the rest of my life! I’ve learned so much from this exchange so far, about the world and about myself, and I will continue on this adventure of a life time. I am so grateful for everything I have around me and I look forward to the future and all the great times ahead but I’ll never ever forget the past and all the incredible things I’ve been through. 

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3 months down, not enough to go

So this last month has been a whirlwind of events, from attending the ‘Lieblingstattsontag’ in my local town, visiting the art museums of Linz and Wells with my schoolclass, to staying in a hut in the mountains of Tauplitz for a weekend and going skiing with my Rotary coordinator.

At the end of March, Gmunden held their annual Lieblingstattsontag which is the only time of the year when you can buy these special gingerbread hearts with custom messages on them which I found really cute! I attended this event with my friend Jack from America and together we explored the stalls and bought ‘Bosna,’ - a really fancy traditional Austrian version of a bunnings snag which has now made it to my top 10 favourite foods list (which is very hard to make it onto!) The weather here is quickly bounding into Summer with everyday getting hotter and hotter! Its really starting to feel like a NZ summer, and makes such a difference to the snow and minus temperatures that I have become used to throughout the last few months. There is now no snow on the streets and instead there is green grass and flowers everywhere which is almost a beautiful as the snow was! 

On one of the last days of school before the Easter holidays, my art class took a trip to visit the museums of Linz and Wells which was super interesting! In every museum (we visited around 5) we got a guided tour and descriptions of the paintings and artists. It was all in german of course but I was really proud I was able to follow along and understand some of what was being said, especially since art terms aren't really in my german vocabulary yet. My favourite museum was a really old castle type building in Linz which contained old paintings and portraits I found super beautiful and fascinating. 

Recently I have just returned from a skiing weekend in Tauplitz which i attended with my Rotary coordinator and his two daughters! We stayed in a hotel/hut on the very top of the mountain with around 30 other skiers which was super cool. To get to this hut, we got pulled along in a sled by a huge (and fast!!) snowmobile. It was dark and snowing on the first ride up so the whole mountain was lit up by the other hotels and lamps which was really beautiful. Skiing the next day was a laugh, with the weather not being so good so we were unable to see more than 4 meters in front of us which proved to be very scary but fun when going down the slopes. We had lunch in a cute wooden restaurant half way down one of the ski slopes and at nighttime we returned to our hut where we were served traditional Austrian dinners before singing some funny german songs which is always very entertaining and a good time. The next day skiing the weather was a lot nicer and the views that we were unable to see the day before hand were so stunning! We went to the highest point of one of the mountains and saw the second highest mountain in upper Austria which is way  over 3000m above sea level. Despite my occasional face plant in the snow, the skiing was amazing and Tauplitz (and Schladming) are definitely places I would recommend to go if you want a good skiing trip!

Apart from all these events and trips, spring has found me spending most of my days with friends by the lake. I am lucky enough to be living by lake Traunsee (which happens to be one of the coldest lakes in Austria - (and now I can see why)). As soon as the weather got warm enough to wear a shirt without freezing to death, we all decided it was a great idea to jump in the lake. The locals must have thought we were insane as we were the only ones jumping in the water - although we don't stay in for long for the sake of not getting hypothermia! The water was like ice but I was really happy to be back swimming again as I hadn't been swimming since I left New Zealand. Apart from the moments of madness jumping in the lake, its also nice to sit under the trees next to the lake relaxing, visiting our friend Hussein who owns the local kebab shop and happens to make the best kebabs in the world (definitely the most prime and popular feature of our language camp) or walking to the castle which also happens to be my school and where my oldies had their language camp which brings back a lot of memories!

In 3 weeks time I set off on a trip around Europe with my exchange family which I am absolutely buzzing for!! I can't wait to see everybody again and embark on more epic journeys and create more memories! I am loving my time here in Austria so far and can't wait too see what the next 9 months have in store! 

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2 months gone too fast

Since my last blog update quite a lot has happened including Faschings and Ski camp! First i’ll write about Faschings which is a traditional Carnival celebration held throughout the end week of February in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and on the last day (a tuesday) everybody - and I mean EVERYBODY - dresses up in crazy costumes and outfits and celebrates. Being a foreigner I found it hilarious and very entertaining seeing everyone in town walking around in onezees and cool costumes - (I was a giraffe). In school we ate Krapfen (Traditional Faschings donut type of things which I am currently blaming for the exchange weight as they're so delicious) and listened to Faschings music in class which is also hilarious if you understand the lyrics. After school I went with some friends into Gmunden, - a town next to Altmunster which is where I live - and there was a big tent set up next to the lake with lights and loud music and the atmosphere and vibes were incredible and it was super entertaining watching people dancing dressed up as animals and mythical creatures. Overall Faschings was an experience and a half and I am so happy I got to take part in such an awesome event. 

Now for ski camp!! On the 11th March all of the inbound exchange students from all over Austria caught the train to Schladming to spend a week living there going skiing/snowboarding. Everyone was in such good spirits and it was an amazing feeling being reunited with my crazy fellow newbies at the trainstation and meeting all of the Oldies I hadn't had the chance to meet already. I also discovered that nutella and Bugles taste really good (thanks Hannah!) We all took a bus down to Seiterhof, our home for the next week situated half way up the mountain so we all got really good views of Schladming on the drive up. I was stoked to be rooming with Olivia (we had been roommates at language camp as well!) and Lily, which meant lots of late nights sharing a bed and watching movies, talking and laughing! Every morning we woke up at 7am to have breakfast before getting changed into our ski clothes and boots and catching the bus to the first ski field. For the first four days we had ski lessons in groups in the morning and free time all afternoon where we went off to explore the different mountains and ski tracks. Everyday the intermediate and advanced groups had lunch in a restaurant at the top of the mountain which was really nice. All of the food was so delicious and the “schiiwasser” was all anybody wanted after skiing all morning. On one of the afternoons the boys lead us to a black slope (the most difficult) and made us go down it much to my horror, but once i was at the bottom without no injuries or broken bones I felt pretty proud. On Monday night we had a Rotary meeting with Schladming Rotary Club where we listened to a talk about the special olympics that was to be taking place there the following week, and then we had a disco and danced for the rest of the night to German, Spanish/Latino and English music which was such a good time! The Rotary club invited us to the Special Olympics Opening ceremony which we attended on Wednesday night and met the teams competing. I was super happy to meet all of the New Zealand olympic team, and finally talk to people that understood what the word Kiaora meant! We danced with them all and listened to the live band that played there before going back to Seiterhof and getting some much needed sleep. On Thursday afternoon instead of skiing, we all rented out sleds and went down special sledding tracks through Schladming which were beautiful. I went on a Sled with my friend David from Canada who did a good job of steering and controlling the Sled (despite the 146189 times we crashed, fell off or went to fast and almost flew off the edge of the cliff). 

All in all I am having the most incredible time over here and have so many friends I feel like I’ve known for years. Its amazing how quickly strangers can become a family. I have seen and done so many surreal things I would have never imagined possible and can't wait for what the future has in store! 

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At home away from home

Its been almost 2 months since I left my home in New Zealand to start this new chapter of my life in Austria and I’ve got to say, so far it has exceeded my expectations entirely. I don't really know where to start or what words to use to describe how incredible these last 46 days have been but all I know is that I never want it to end. 

I guess I’ll start from the start and write about LA! It is really not exaggerated when they say American food is THE BEST THING EVER! Whilst we were there we had free time in the city and checked out Santa Monica Pier (featured in the Hannah Montana movie) which was incredible. LA beaches are a lot different to the beaches back home in New Zealand but I loved them nevertheless. Disneyland, California land and Universal studios speak for themselves and are always guaranteed to be the best time ever so I don't think I really need an explanation of how much fun I had there. All I can say is that I felt (and acted) 5 years old again and was super stoked to meet Mickey mouse and Shrek. The tour of Hollywood, Beverly hills and Sunset boulevard was phenomenal and walking down the walk of fame and seeing all of the stars paved on the sidewalk felt like something I had dreamt up, it was an incredible experience and definitely something off of my bucket list. The time I spent in America was definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life (including our near death experience on the sidewalk of LA which i won't go into to much detail about) but I was truly stoked with the start to my exchange I had in America and that I got to meet some incredible people from Westchester Rotary club whom I will always admire. Ps shout out to our driver Geoff for the night drives and detours round LA for frozen yoghurt and Donuts, you were the coolest chauffeur out. 

Now Austria. God, words can’t even describe how much I love this country already. Everywhere I’ve been has been so breathtaking and the scenery and architecture is like something off pinterest. The first week I spent here it was snowing so heavily, the drive from Salzburg airport to home I could hardly see out of the window because it was snowing so much. I’d never seen anything like it! Waking up the next morning and going outside was like walking into wonderland, everything was covered in a thick layer of snow and it was freezing but so beautiful. My house is based next to a huge and beautiful lake “Traunsee” and mountain “Traunstein” with a ‘seeschloss oart’ (castle) in the lake. Starting school here was a funny experience. I go to school in a huge and beautiful castle and although I didnt understand much for my first few weeks (apart from English class) everybody was so lovely and welcoming. Language camp took place two weeks later and that was where I met all of the other inbound students who I love so incredibly much already. The two weeks at I spent at Hochheck with everyone made me so much more excited for the upcoming events we have planned together. I learned how to ice skate (thanks Dylan for helping me and not laughing at me to much) which proved to be so much fun despite falling over a lot! Language classes were surprisingly so much fun and I feel like I learned a lot of German which is slowly improving day by day. Within the last month I have also learned how to navigate the trains which is a completely new experience in itself and has proved to be very useful when traveling to nearby cities! Salzburg for one, is the most amazing city I’ve been to so far. It was the home city of Mozart and on the weekend of language camp we got to go inside his house and look around which was incredibly interesting, and also eat at Salzburgs first chines buffet which dates back to the 12th century which was "Sehr lecker”. Austrian towns and cities are filled with old buildings and churches which are unlike anything I've ever seen before. I’m not a religious person but just being inside the churches and looking at the intricacy and devotion people put into making it such a sacred and beautiful place, I really admire and have gained a new found respect for. Linz is also another beautiful city. I visited there 4 days ago with a friend and despite getting lost for a while, the experience was equally exhilarating. I think out of all the places I have visited so far in Austria, Hallstatt is by far my favourite. Lemme try to explain it to you, although I really don't think I could put into words how surreal the experience was so everyone just needs to go and visit Hallstatt themselves to gain a true understanding of how magical it really is. We took a boat over to the other side of the lake where the main town is and every single building looked like something out of a story book. We climbed up a few flights of steps which took us to a lookout point which overlooked the whole town and the lake surrounded by mountains which still has snow on them. It literally looked photoshopped it was so beautiful. (Sorry if I've used the words beautiful, amazing an incredible too much, but I can't think of any stronger words to summarise how ‘amazing’ it really is). Although I've only lived here a meer (almost) 2 months, I can well and truly say its been the best experience of my life so far and has already so quickly become a home. 

So thats a brief summary of my time here so far. Ill try to keep this blog updated regularly and write a bit more of what i’ve been up too even though its normally too long, too complicated  or too hard to describe. Hopefully in the next 6 months I will be able to start writing some of my blog in German :) Tschuss. 

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A new beginning

The first of many blog updates Excuse my tendency to ramble on in sentences, overuse of commas and underuse full stops. I'm hoping my grammar will get better with my German language skills. For months and months I've been counting down the days until I set out on my big life adventure to Austria, yet this whole time it's just felt like a day I've dreamt up that will never actually arrive. I remember when I still had 6 months left to appreciate and make the most of my life I have come to know and love here in New Zealand before wandering off into the world by myself, and now I only have 3 days left and I find myself in this surreal situation feeling completely overwhelmed yet bursting with excitement and curiosity of what this year will bring me. With countless people asking me "where are you going?" "Are you excited?" "Why are you going?" and six months worth of countdowns and preparations for this moment, I still don't think I have fully come to terms with the idea of leaving my home, my beautiful friends, family and of course my wonderful horses, dogs and cats. Choosing to live in an unfamiliar country where I don't know anyone or anything, not even the language, over the comfort of my familiar life at home seems almost insane, yet I guess that's what makes it so exciting. The decision to go on an exchange was quite spontaneous and random. I didn't really think much about it or believe it was actually going to happen until I got a call asking to come to an interview and an orientation day after emailing showing a sign of interest. I then realised I could actually make this vague idea into a reality and knew I couldn't turn down such a huge and amazing life opportunity. I feel so exhilarated to be diving into this new season of my life and privileged to have the opportunity to see the world and be so adventurous at such a young age. I have always wanted to travel. I grew up in England living there for around 10 years. Having sisters living in London and Oxford and some other family in France, Dubai, Australia and other various places around the globe, I grew up always traveling, going on road trips and camping with family and friends so I never fell short on the whole outdoor sight seeing and adventurous experiences. It wasn't until we moved to New Zealand, settled down and fell into a daily routine (don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE my relaxed country life with the horses here) - that I started feeling an itch to go off and see the world some more. So that's what I'm going to do! (Here's the cheesy part) Thank you so much to the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme for this once in a lifetime opportunity, to my family for your incredible support and for raising me and getting me to this point in my life, to all of my amazing friends (I actually cry at the thought of not seeing your crazy souls everyday and having our long talks and escapades). You guys have all changed my life in so many ways without even realising it and for that I will be forever grateful. I love you all more than you can imagine xxxxxxxxxxxxx So on further note here I will be documenting my thoughts and adventures of my life in Austria for those of you that want to follow along and see what trouble I've been up too :)