Munich

I have been so lazy lately and haven't updated my blog in a very very long time... SORRY GUYS! :S

Two weeks ago, I went to Munich, the capital city of Bavaria and industry in Germany, to visit my good friend Lara. I arrived on Friday night and went straight to the Hofbräuhaus for food and a Maß (litre of beer!). This building has been standing for over 400 years and was where Hitler held Nazi meetings and functions. It was also where the 'Beer Hall Putsch' of 1923 took place. So it had a special atmosphere! We met up with 4 of Lara's friends, who were all really nice but it was difficult to talk to them because there was an Oompah band playing in the hall so it meant we had to shout to have a conversation!



After we had eaten our food and drunk our beer, Lara and I went to a little grunge-y bar to meet some of her other friends. It was very alternative and was jam-packed with people! We had another couple of beers here, perched on one chair because there weren't enough for everyone and sharing a table with some intense-looking Germans. Again, it was a bit hard to have a conversation because it was so loud but I enjoyed it!

Next, we visited a bigger club. No idea what it was called but I remember getting student entry so it wasn't too expensive! :D They played Waka Waka, at which point I HAD to text whoever I could think of who was in Barcelona last summer, and I had a good dance/sing along! We left around 2/3ish and stopped off at McDonalds for a late night snack. I had a burger meal which was pretty nice but got steadily colder and more greasy-tasting on the walk home... YUM.



The next day, we went on a walk around the Olympiapark and went up the Olympiaturm.
We walked through the athlete's village and saw the memorial for the Israeli athletes



then got a kebab. I EVEN asked for onions and lettuce in mine, and garlic sauce! :O What a change for me!



We eventually reached the actual Olympic stadium bit with the Olympiaturm. There was some kind of Crufts show going on coz there were millions of dogs there but we didn't see any tricks or skills as they were happening inside the buildings :(




We went up the tower and got a pretty good view of the city.


After the Olympiapark, we walked round the corner to the BMW World. This is any car or bike fanatics paradise. There's loads of fancy cars and bikes to see and sit in as well as interactive areas where you can learn about new technologies used in the cars and generally play around with things. It was ACE! Me and Lara both had to have a photo with a bike...





and this was my favourite car:



We headed into the main square, Marienplatz and had a walk through the Englischer Garten on Sunday. I took loadsa tourist-y photos but here's a couple:
This is the new Rathaus:


and this is the old one:


I don't really know why they felt the need to replace it, other than to show off Gothic architecture! Oh well!

All in all, I had a great time. It was fun socialising and I really liked the city in general. I'm looking forward to going back there soon! :)

♪ Bite my lip and close my eyes, take me away to paradise! ♪

Nothing really exciting been happening in Saalfelden lately...

Last weekend, I made the well-delayed voyage to Kik. It was further away than I expected but well worth the visit coz I bought a jigsaw, headphones, a cheese grater and some sponges for the washing up! Pretty good for about 6 euros altogether! BARGAIN! I don't have too much faith in the headphones, but they only cost a euro so they're very disposable!



While I was over the far side of town, I also had a look round Kika (an Ikea style shop) and Intersport XXXXL! Was considering buying a football coz it's such nice weather at the moment and really miss playing football but the cheapest they had was 10 euros! Where's the cheapo £3 ball eh?!

This weekend I managed to find some rollerblades in the shoe cupboard so did a bit of rollerblading! I say 'did a bit of' rollerblading; I literally mean that! I just did a few laps round the big empty table tennis room then gave up before I could damage myself (or any of the equipment!). I enjoyed it and will try and go again when I next have time!



I have been helping my teachers go through some of their classes' 'Schularbeit' and it's so much harder to think of the proper English than I thought it would be! I have to think really hard whether some of the sentences make sense, as I feel like I 'translate' their sentences into proper English as I read them. Hopefully I've been a good English person and have corrected their answers correctly!



On another note Arsenal have had a terrible fortnight being knocked out of the FA Cup against Man United and the Champions League against Barcelona. The matches were completely different - against Barca, we were the underdogs and from the start could barely string 2 passes together. We miraculously had Fabregas and Van Persie back from injury but Fab was at fault for their first goal and Van Persie got a controversial 2nd yellow card for attempting a shot one second after the whistle went for offside. Our two 'key' players out and we cracked, letting them score 2 more goals for the score to be 3-1 on the night (3-2 on agg.). The stats after the match showed how utterly pathetic we were - for the first time in Champions League history, a team registered no shots (our goal was an own goal). Terrible! Perhaps we could've held onto 1-1 if Van Persie stayed on and gone through on aggregate but Barca were just too strong and it was almost inevitable that we would lose.

The Man United match was a different story. A case of bad luck rather than losing to the better team. For most of the match we dominated, creating shooting chances and keeping possession much better than against Barcelona. Edwin Van Der Sar won man of the match for his performance, so we must have been doing something right. But as always, luck was against us and a couple of counter attacks either side of the half time break meant we lost 2-0 and were dumped out of the FA Cup. Man Utd are a good team (they were playing seven defenders, O'Shea, Fabio and Rafael all playing in midfield, leaving Scholes, Giggs and Valencia as reliable back-up on the bench) but we played better generally and if only we could find that finishing touch we would've won. Our team just isn't strong enough - in depth or in quality. We have good up-and-coming players but they need more good role-models, players who have tasted success and are hungry for more. Otherwise, we aren't going to win anything for a long time. Fingers crossed for the Premier League....

♫ How do you solve a problem like the Arsenal? ♪

After a shocking Carling Cup Final defeat by Birmingham, there are now three opportunities for Arsenal to finally win a trophy for that ever-bare looking cabinet: the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League. As a fan, I would love Arsenal to win them all but I severely doubt it’s possible, as we have just reached that inevitable point in our season where our key players have gotten themselves injured (Fabregas and Van Persie are prime examples) and there’s a lot of blame to be shouldered by Wenger’s transfer policy (why hasn’t he bought a solid, world-class defender or goalkeeper in the last three seasons?).

The FA Cup: I would say this is our best chance because we ‘only’ have to beat Leyton Orient, but as we have already seen, they are true fighters and Arsenal LOVE to throw away a lead (nobody mention Newcastle). I believe beating Orient is possible, especially as we’re at home for the replay, but we have to be at our best and this may not be possible with Van Persie currently ruled out for three weeks after damaging his knee in the Carling Cup Final and Cesc on the sidelines after pulling a hamstring. Jack Wilshere has really stepped up to the level of Premier League football and he was our best player against Birmingham so I believe he will play a key role in the Orient match, thereby lessening the effect of Fabregas’ withdrawal. However, Bendtner and Chamakh have not been up to scratch lately and I worry where we will get goals from.

A further disadvantage of our FA Cup run is that we potentially face Man Utd in the next round which will be played next Saturday. Firstly, Man Utd are always going to be tough to beat and secondly, this will form part of ‘KILLER WEEK!’, as I have affectionately decided to call it, which includes the 2nd leg of the Champions League match against Barcelona.

Although I am fairly confident we will beat Orient, the prospect of Man Utd in the next round is daunting and I’m sure the players feel it too.

The Champions League: As I mentioned above, if Arsenal progress in the FA Cup, they will face Man Utd and a so-called ‘KILLER WEEK!’ will take place. Two big matches in the space of 5 days could mean players lose focus, not to mention the increased risk of injury through fatigue, for either or both of the matches. On the positive side, Arsenal won the 1st leg 2-1 at home which boosted confidence in this young team, as Barcelona are widely regarded as the best club football team on the planet. However, this leads to the fact that the away leg is at Camp Nou, an awe-inspiring stadium, and as commentators say ‘It’s a game of two halves’ i.e. anything could happen in the 2nd leg; Arsenal haven’t won the tie yet.

This is perhaps the competition I feel least confident about. Like I said, Barca are in my opinion the best team in the world, playing at their home ground in front of thousands of their fans against an Arsenal team missing key players. Worrying!

And finally, the Premier League: This is perhaps the most do-able for Arsenal as it isn’t a knock-out competition and if we get knocked out of the other competitions, we can focus all our attention on winning the most coveted title in England: Premier League Champions. Admittedly, we face at least three big clubs in our last dozen matches, Man Utd, Tottenham and Liverpool, but we should have our key players back to fitness by then and we often play better against our main rivals. At the time of writing, Man Utd have just had a 6 point lead ahead of Arsenal reduced to 3, thanks to Chelsea. If Man Utd lose just one more of their matches, I truly believe we have what it takes to overcome this 3-point deficit.

So, if I had to make a decision on which one I’d like Arsenal to win most, I’d say the Champions League. It’s a truly spectacular occasion when you beat Barcelona and if we managed to beat them outright, the other teams will seem easy in comparison.

However, if I am being realistic, I’d say the Premier League. Man Utd have slipped up now, giving Arsenal a glimpse of hope at overtaking them and becoming League champions for the first time since the 2003/4 season. I don’t think Arsenal always perform well in cup situations (Wenger for the first time in many years didn’t use the Carling Cup as a platform to ‘blood’ youth players into the first team and despite getting to the final with our regular starting line up, we still didn’t win) but when we have 12-15 league games left, even if we only win 90% of them it’s possible to win the league. We just need a little bit of luck for the results of our competitors to go our way. And this year, I feel LUCKY!!!

Yo-Yo-ing in Saalfelden

Despite the playful title, this is going to be a slightly annoyed post! Today, I was meant to have two lessons in my school (normally I have three but that teacher had already told me I wasn't needed) but both got called off.

Both of these classes are split into two and have two teachers, so if one teacher's off, I can usually arrange to go with the other teacher for that week. My first teacher told me late last night that he wasn't going to be here so I should be in the other half of the class, so a.s.a.p I emailed the other teacher asking what the class were studying and whether I should prepare something for tomorrow. Now this was at 9.30 and I kept patiently clicking on my inbox, getting more and more frustrated as it neared 10.30, the dreaded time when the internet goes off. (Despite my cries of 'No-one tells me when to go to bed!', 'GO TO BED SPOTTY!' is the message I hear)




So the internet went off and I've still not heard from the other teacher. Or the teacher of my 2nd class... So far, so 'bad-looking'!

But I decided I should be more responsible so I set my alarm for 7.40 and when it went off, I got up and ready for work (somewhat tired and not really fancying a day of work where I have no real idea what I should be doing!). I went across to the school a few mins before the first class and talked to my teacher. She had no idea I'd been told to work with her today; she expected me to take the other class on my own! So after a couple of suggestions of what I could do, I suggested I do her lesson next week, seeing as she seemed slightly disappointed about the idea of the kids missing out on the amount of work she'd prepared for their lesson. So: First lesson - OFF!

I went back to my room as I had nothing better to do in school. GUITAR PRACTICE!


I headed off again about 40 mins later. I talked to the teacher I was meant to be with today, but he said he wanted me in his class last week and he'd prepared lots about a new topic for his class today therefore, again, there was no point in me going! So: Second lesson - OFF!

The alternative teacher for the second lesson had already left the staff room when I found out I wasn't needed in the original class and this guy never really seems to want me in his class (even when it's a scheduled week) so I thought it was futile trying to find him and trying to persuade him that I, totally unprepared, deserved to be in his lesson.

As I was leaving the school for the second time of the day, my teacher for tomorrow came up to me and said 'Are you free after this lesson? Lets talk about tomorrow!' so reluctantly I agree. This meant another return to school after another 40 mins... But during this unexpected period of free-time I managed to watch an episode of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES!!!



A productive day so far...

So for the third time today, I went back to school, spent about 5 mins waiting for this teacher then spent less than 30 seconds discussing tomorrow's class. Awesome. Having nothing else to do in school, I returned home feeling like a really valuable asset. A Yo-Yo in fact.



On the plus side, I managed to spot a book about the Austrian economy on my way out, which I thought might come in useful for any statistics I use in my Year Abroad Essay. One statistic: 5 teachers in 3 hours = no work for Amy.

♪ The sun is in the sky, oh why, oh why, would I wanna be anywhere else ?♫

The weather in Saalfelden has been amazing for the last 2 weeks. Every day it has been sunny with a clear blue sky and a nice chill. It's amazing that there's still snow here! I thought it would have had all melted by now!



The good weather has definitely put me in a good mood. I am enjoying my tutoring at the moment and now have three people to tutor! Although some lessons take a lot of preparation, it is satisfying to see my students learning a little bit more English each lesson. Their levels of English are quite different - one being Matura age, one lower school level and one basically knowing nothing so I've had to do different things for each person. But I'm enjoying it!

I have also been busy practising the guitar (going to be Jack Johnson very soon I feel :D). After being lent the guitar by Markus, who demonstrated his traditional folk guitar skills, I have been trying to use my fingers more and not just strumming chords. So far, it's going well! No Doubt's 'Trapped In A Box' riff is almost sorted!

As you have probably noticed, I haven't mentioned anything about my normal lessons. The reason for this is simple: I HAVEN'T HAD THE MAJORITY OF THEM! This week, I've had 4 lessons cancelled (for numerous reasons) and 1 where I wasn't needed. I now have 4 left! This has been both a blessing and a curse - blessing as it means I don't have to prepare any lessons but a curse because I now have virtually nothing to do in the day! Thank God for Veetle.

The Blue Danube Waltz

I attended the HTL's Maturaball last night. HOW AWESOME WAS IT!?!? Answer: VERY!

As I arrived, the school leavers were doing a waltz-type dance. All the guys looked smart in their red ties and suits and the girls looked pretty with their hair up and elegant white dresses.



I sat with one of my teachers, her 2 nieces and their friend and they were all really nice and spoke English when I didn't understand!



We all agreed that the band playing in the main room was dodgy



so went down to the disco room to dance for a while. I didn't really like it though 'cause it was really hot and smoky and I didn't know any of the songs.

When we returned, there was 'Tool Time's Got Talent'! There were some singers:



Some traditional male dancers:



Some cowboys:



and of course:



yep, you guessed it, THRILLER!

Really enjoyed watching them all perform - everyone was really talented! I wanted to go congratulate them all on their performances but I didn't know who exactly was in the performances.... There were pupils from the HTL who I recognised but they didn't take part in anything and I saw lots of pupils from the HBLA and HIB, a couple of which were definitely in a performance! I was SO CONFUSED! But despite this confusion, I managed to have a nice chat with a few of the pupils I recognised.

As a note: Maturaballs rule!

♫ She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes... ♪

The first Friday since coming back after Christmas, I was invited to go to Saalbach to see the annual 'Mountain Attack' race, where hundreds of skiers take part in a 6-mountain uphill hike and downhill ski. Anstrengend! The skiers start in the centre of Saalbach, run to the bottom of the first mountain (Schattberg), put on their skis and begin the exhausting climb up.





As mere spectators, we took the cable car to the top of Schattberg where we later would meet the skiers at the end of their first climb. Being slightly scared of heights, getting into a little glass box with 5 other people and dangling from a rather thin looking piece of string, wasn't exactly comfortable but there was a good view of the village and of the skiers. Looking straight down was a mistake though!





After around 35/40 minutes, the first skiers reached the top of the mountain. They all looked like it was a stroll in the park! I would've been on my hands and knees at this point! At around the 50 minute mark, my teacher's husband appeared so we cheered and encouraged him.




We went back down to village in order to get food and went to THE poshest hotel restaurant I've ever been in. The chairs were so posh, my teacher's sister insisted I had a photo in one. What a princess!



Since we'd been up the mountain and in the restaurant, the centre of Saalbach had been transformed. Instead of a cobbled highstreet, there was now a piste! And the skiers ended the race by coming down this piste and turning the corner to meet the TV reporters.



So, after seeing this and the excitement it created, I have decided skiing doesn't seem that uninteresting any more! I want to give it a go. Even though it looks scary (the cable car went over a black piste, which was basically vertical...) and I'll fall over lots, I feel less apprehensive about shelling out for skiing gear and more inclined to learn.

Oh, and I also spoke more German than I've spoken in a long time. SUPER!