Under My Umbrella

- or every cloud has a silver lining

After we have all talked and complained about it I think it ‘s time that someone addresses it openly. It’s disturbing, annoying and frustrating. Everyone chats about it, but still we can’t do anything about it. I don’t think that this post will change anything but at least it will contribute to the ongoing discussion. So yes, I can say it out loud: It’s still raining! … Sorry, I correct myself, it’s not just raining, it’s raining in every possible way: it’s drizzling, frizzling, muzzling, pouring heavily and teeming down. In five words it’s raining cats and dogs. And I am sure there are a thousand other sorts of rain that we are lucky to be experiencing right now in Salzburg.

Normally, I don’t talk about the weather and don’t care about the weather forecast at all. But this summer - yes, one should be able to call it summer at the beginning of June - not even I can avoid the topic. Austria has found its common enemy: the weather god.

The first thing I noticed today when I checked my Facebook account was a sudden flourishing of weather or rather rain related groups like “I wanted to take over the world but then it started raining”, “Shitty weather 2010 – I was there”, or “I want my summer back”. So true. However, complaining doesn’t really help it just makes your day worse (and no I am not addicted to Facebook if you’ve got the impression yet).

Sooner or later every one of us will realize that the weather god is an inveterate and superior enemy which we can neither defeat nor stop. So maybe instead of spoiling each other's days by talking about the bad weather non-stop, we should involve ourselves in something more rewarding. Set your head on ‘good mood’ and prepare yourself for the sunshine to come. If you want to start in an effective way try to create a new playlist for you mp3-player. Forget about all the rainy songs like Buckets of Rain, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head and Why Does it Always Rain on Me and Let the Sunshine In, Keep on the Sunny Side, enjoy an Island in the Sun or Seasons in the Sun. Either way, Here comes the Sun just start Walking on Sunshine.



Show the weather god that you don’t give a **** about his bad mood and that you are ready to show that openly. Also if you haven’t been shopping for a while because you weren’t in the mood for buying winter clothes again you could check out the latest rubber boots at your favorite shoe store – they are a definite trend this summer and help to bring some color into your life.



Another thing you probably haven’t thought about while complaining about the rain is to see the opportunities that this kind of weather offers you. Never before have you had so much time during June to finish your seminar papers and the books on your reading list. Now is also the time to sign up for all the exams you still have to take from the previous semesters. You could also return these overdue already dusty library books that I know you are hiding somewhere on your shelves. When you are finally done with all the university work, you should check out the latest movies at your movie theater or buy the book you haven’t had time to read yet. You could also start to get yourself in shape for the summer – start working out again, paint your toe nails and get a new haircut. Be prepared. Anyway, see the positive side of it all. And if you don’t feel like staying inside anymore then get outside. It’s just a little bit of water, right? (by the way, James Hetfield said that during a rather wet outdoor concert). Go outside, sing and dance in the rain. If it worked for Gene Kelly, why shouldn’t it work for you as well? Another idea would be to camp in your backyard. As long as your tent stays dry nothing can harm you, right?. Just don’t forget to bring a warm blanket and some steaming hot coffee. Some people also love to play sports in the rain like soccer, Frisbee and volleyball. If you are not afraid of slipping the wet ground can even add to the fun of it. However, for those of you who would prefer to stay dry I would recommend you to grab your camera and go for a walk to discover the beauty of rain. Because who said rainy pictures weren’t just as nice as sunny ones?






One last possibility that came to my mind when I was thinking about the things one could do when it rains is informing yourself about rain. No kidding, if we can’t get around these nonsense chats, why not spice them up with some smart details? For example, did you know that “rain-gods and thunder-gods are more prominent in many mythologies than sun-gods, and they have been propitiated in various ways in different cultures” (Yahoo Education) , or that there are three types of rain that can be distinguished according to their different ways they are formed. The UK Geography Site, for instance makes out convectional, frontal and relief rain, and although probably no one around will actually be interested in the type of rain we are having I was able to find out that most probably ours is relief rain. Or did you know that the most rainfall ever recorded was 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) per minute on November 26, 1970 in Barst, Guadeloupe located in the West Indies. Similar facts were compiled by the Info Barrel (h/t Twiggy): Rain drops do not fall in a tear drop shape; they originally fall in the shape of a flat oval. The umbrella was originally invented to protect people from the hot sun. Rain drops can fall at speed of 35km per hour (22 miles/h). I also found out that Rain is the name of a young South Korean singer, dancer and actor whose real name is Jung Hi Hoon. Further, a German town in the region of Swabia is also called Rain, although it’s pronounced a little bit differently. I can’t guarantee you that this information will be well received by your cfriends but at least you will be able to change the common conversational pattern.

I recently got the idea for this blog post when I was wandering about the city searching the numerous university libraries for books on the sociology of crime (to fully understand my wanderings you probably need to know that the Salzburg university library consists of twenty smaller libraries grouped according to their areas of study, which are scattered throughout the city). Anyway, I was wrapped up in my brand-new super trendy summer jacket which I soon realized wasn’t the best choice as I was freezing my butt off, when I walked by a group of tourists who didn’t seem to mind the bad weather at all. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves despite all the drizzling and muzzling around them. They were bundled up in disposable rain coats, rubber boots and hats; and most obviously better prepared than myself. They were laughing, joking and fooling around while they took pictures of the many sights of Salzburg. I am not saying that these tourists wouldn’t have preferred wandering about the Mozartplatz in brilliant sunshine with a coffee ice-cream cone in their hands but they still made the best of it. I guess it’s not just an Austrian stereotype that we love to grumble and complain about everything. So why not stop grumbling now? The Inuit’s don’t complain about the masses of snow they get either.

And remember: After rain comes fair weather.

The Urge to leave Salzburg

When people think of Salzburg, my primary residence of choice while I am completing my studies, they have these pictures in mind.

The winter version of this picture would be the following:

There are many reasons why students come to Salzburg. Some don’t find the educational options in their home country or province adequate or they just want to take the first tentative steps towards independence. Others just want to leave home for no particular reason at all. The reason why I left Luxemburg, my home country, is the first one I listed. The University of Luxemburg was founded in 2003 and isn’t well established yet. I have the feeling that the degree in Salzburg will be more useful for my future plans. The degree I will end up having fits my needs so coming to Salzburg seemed like an obvious choice to me.

Even though Salzburg is my adoptive home, that doesn’t mean that I love the city unconditionally. There are times when the temptation to pack my bags and leave is very hard to resist. I’m also pretty sure that many students feel this way every once in a while and the reasons are probably wide and varied.

I often feel the need to leave mid-semester, which is either around end of April or end of November. I like to call this my ‘mid-semester depression’ and lots of factors accumulate around this time. First, I tend to miss my friends from home. It’s easy to say that nowadays a person is only a phone call away, but sometimes a phone call isn’t enough. And since I’ve lived in Luxemburg for the last 12 years, homesickness not only for the people but also for the country isn’t far off either. On the surface Salzburg and Luxemburg City (the capital) seem very similar because both places have a fortress but I have the feeling that Luxemburg is more cosmopolitan.

Of course you cannot forget to mention the factor ’University’ when talking about wanting to leave. When my ‘mid-semester depression’ hits, I usually feel over-worked and frustrated because midterms need to be taken care of. There is only so much cramming you can do and around the second week of mid-terms, frustration takes over and everything seems pointless. I’m aware that this sounds very negative but this is one of the instances when the urge to leave is most prominent and I can only speak for myself of course.

Now that I listed the reasons why people might want to leave Salzburg in the first place, you also have to be aware of the fact that only very few can actually leave on a whim. It’s a matter of financial means, and time constraints often put a hold on spontaneous plans for escape.

If you are in the same position as I am, you cannot just pack up and leave. This is why I have compiled a three-step program to lessen the urge and make staying in Salzburg bearable again.

First: don’t brood! Brooding might seem like the best course of action because you don’t want to come across as whiny or because you don’t want to burden your friends. In my opinion, that’s silly. Brooding and sulking about your situation will not improve it in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, you will make yourself feel worse, because if you will be keeping everything bottled up and letting it fester. Of course, I sound like a pseudo-psychologist now but I actually am speaking from personal experience so please bear with me. This first step also includes talking to the new friends you made in Salzburg. No one will laugh at you if you feel well and truly miserable. They will gladly lend you a shoulder to cry on and once you’ve broken out of the brooding mindset, things will improve steadily. I’m quite lucky to live in a dorm where we are a tight-knit community and support each other. If you don’t feel well, you’re never on your own, and after all the ‘strong and silent’ type has been out for a while now

Second: reconnect with your friends from home, even though they are far away. Modern communication technologies make staying in touch so very easy. If you aren’t in the mood to write long-winded e-mails or can’t afford huge phone bills, just post a little something on their wall on Facebook. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have their definite advantages. It’s easy to simply comment on the status of a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. One more option would be MSN or Skype. If you throw a webcam into the mix you can actually have a face-to-face conversation of sorts and the feeling of loneliness and homesickness will slowly but surely dissipate.

Third, I recommend setting up a clear schedule. Even when you have midterms to prepare for and paper outlines to hand it, it’s important to still have time for social activities. This way you have’ll periods when you can relax a little and it’ll keep you from feeling swamped and overwhelmed.

If you follow these steps, you should be fine in the end, but most things are easier said than done. I know how easy it is to give into temptation and wallow in self-pity. After all, feeling sorry for yourself is definitely easier than taking matters into your own hands to change the situation for the better. Still, if you ever feel the urge to leave Salzburg again try to take into consideration what I mentioned. I sometimes have to resort to this three-step program myself, so these aren’t just empty words. Try to ride it out, let your friends help and things should improve in no time at all. And you’ll grow to appreciate Salzburg again for what it is: an interesting and sometimes even beautiful city.

Yours Truly,
Michelle

Insight # 1 Kids Rock. Duh.

Reader, I think it’s time to tell you some stories about my monster years. They say that once you've been an Au-Pair there are only two ways you can go: you are either traumatized and never ever want kids of your own or you simply loved it and are much more at ease about having some monsters of your own later in life. Three guesses ... which type am I?

Footprints
I think first a little (boring) history is in order. Bear with me. I have been a nanny or Au-Pair for a good five years and I’ve worked for five different families. I love “my” kids, all ten of them, to bits and I’m still in touch with them all. They are strewn across four countries on two continents.

My first family lived in Madrid, Spain. The dad was German and the mom Spanish so they wanted someone to speak German to their two children. The two chicos, Isabel and Javier, then one and three years old, were by far the most challenging as Isabel took over a month to accept me and to start speaking German to me. That time was also the most challenging culturally. I spoke no Spanish when I first got to Madrid and had to come to terms with the ways of an upper-class Spanish family. Not eating dinner in the dining room with the family, for instance, but in the kitchen with the maid was a first for me. This didn’t mean that the family didn’t like me or was snobbish. It was just the way things worked in their household.

Next I went to Scotland. Quite the change of scenery! I stayed with a young family on their organic farm near Edinburgh and looked after their two kids Wren (then ten months) and Casper (two years). You shouldn’t pick favorites. But the Cadells are pretty high up there. The parents were yet another mixed-nationality couple (come to think of it, four out of five sets of parents were international … interesting, I have to think about that some more), her from Georgia in the US and him from Scotland. There are always certain things you take on board when you work for a family, ideas on how you want to or really don’t want to raise your own children, techniques for surviving a Bob the Builder marathon on TV, recipes etc When I left Scotland I felt the urge to write everything those parents had taught me about raising sweet, happy, good kids down for future reference, but I figured I would never forget it anyway.


In the summer of 2007 I went to Australia where I looked after Danielle and Erin, then eight and six years old. They were the daughters of the only non-international couple I worked for. But they had their own interesting story. They were an American family who had moved down to Australia for three years because of the parents’ jobs. It was a pleasure to watch the girls settle in (they had just arrived when I started working for them) and make new friends in a country so far away. It was very cute to listen to their accents change.


When I decided to move to Salzburg for college, the first thing I did was reactivate my profile on the online Au-Pair site I had been using to find my families in the different countries. Soon I got a call from Hege, a Norwegian opera singer who was married to an Austrian actor. That’s how I started looking after little Albert, then three. I was Albert’s nanny for two years and I was with him so much that he started calling me “Mama” after a while, which was an intense experience.
When my little Albert moved to Vienna with his mom and dad, a family friend of theirs asked me if I wanted to start working for them. Even though I had planned for Albert to be my last nannying job, I eventually agreed. And that’s how I started looking after my current three monsters here in Salzburg!

End of history lesson. :)



Being a live-in Au-Pair vs being a nanny
Twice (in Spain and Scotland) I was a live-in Au-Pair, which means I had my own room in the family’s house, stayed with them permanently, ate with them, just lived the day-to-day family life with them. This had its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of this was my daily commute to work in the morning – or lack thereof. It involved walking down a hallway and opening a door. (But work usually commuted to me and jumped on my bed until I got up and/or threatened to strangle it.) The big disadvantage for live-ins is that they never really stop working. You can’t refuse to play a round of Candyland (or seven) just because it’s past 5 pm. That’s not how monsters roll.
As a live-in, you get attached to the little guys even quicker which is wonderful, but also heart-wrenching when you eventually have to leave. I recall a particularly hard good-bye. Leaving the farm and the kids in Scotland was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Having my little guy Casper crying and screaming my name in the farm yard as I tried to put my suitcases in the back of his dad’s truck really broke my heart.

With the monsters now I’m basically on call. I have certain days of the week when I’m always there, especially when there are a lot of extra-curricular activities going on that they have to be taken to or picked up from. The rest of the week I just have to be flexible and so do the parents. The monsters’ mom can call me whenever she needs me, but she usually has a back-up plan in case I’m not available.

monsters 1, 2 and 3 :)

I love being a nanny. Especially when …
… a monster smacks their lips at dinner and says “exquisite” with a French accent and a mouthful of pasta alla yours truly
… a monster, aged four, starts shaking her booty and singing to a German pop song playing on the radio in the kitchen, telling you to join in
… a monster asks you to cuddle with them because you “feel so soft”
… a monster yells “get off of my cloud” after you tried to reprimand it with a “hey, you”

But not so much when …
… a monster throws an I want a cookie/to watch TV/to mash all the play-doh into one big brown ball NOW tantrum
… a recently potty-trained monster suddenly sits very still and gets that look in their eyes and then says “… uh-oh”
… a monster tells you that they hate you and want their mommy NOW
… a monster finishes your sentence with a loud and hearty “HELL” when you were just able to stop yourself at “what the –“

So that's the story! Join me again soon for more ... also, I am collecting a few lip-smackingly scrumptious, monster/student approved recipes for you! Any requests? Drop me a line or two in the comment box.

Oh and this one is for you, Red Shoes:

me and Wren, 2006
:)

Blogging in Uni.son

We're a group of students of English at the University of Salzburg who have decided to blog about what it's like to live, work and study in Salzburg. Since this blog is a part-time affair, we won't be following a regular schedule with our posts: they may come in trickles or in waves.

We've chosen the title Uni.son with the Uni.versity in mind; the topics we will be covering will be as varied as the voices covering them.

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