Our Life in Austria

29 November 2010

Advent

Wishing you all a blessed season of Advent! We had our first real snowfall last night, and the kids couldn't be more excited. Maria refused to go to Kindergarten today in order to maximize her playing in the snow time. Thomas is very cute, because he doesn't pronounce the first two letters of the word, so he points out the window yelling, NO! NO! NO! What Thomas?, 'snow'? JAH! NO!

16 November 2010

Die Kuche ist da!

It seems that while I was on the computer yesterday complaining about the lack of a kitchen in our new apartment, Lisa was trying to cut some meat with a dull knife. She went upstairs to borrow a sharp one from a neighbor, saw a man installing a kitchen in an empty apartment (i.e. where there is nobody yet living), and basically burst into tears. By mid-afternoon our kitchen was entirely installed, minus a few tiny details that we don't hinder our use of it in the least. A woman / mother under great stress is a force to be reckoned with.

Thanks for the prayers!

15 November 2010

News and Notes

Our move to the new campus has temporarily cut us off from the internet, which means not only are postings here even more irregular, but talking via Skype has also become rather difficult. We've had great news, though. We've received a grant/gift type thing specifically to cover the cost of installing wireless internet in all the new student housing apartment buildings. And the rumor is that this may even happen sometime within the next couple of weeks, although our experience of the kitchen installation process makes us inclined to doubt such swift efficiency. Speaking of which, however, there has been some minimal activity from the kitchen installation folks, but we're trying not to get our hopes up.

Day 19 without a kitchen, and counting...

06 November 2010

Update

Here are some pictures of our new home on the School Campus:

This is the grassy area between our flat and the road. There are stables across the street, and the kids love watching the horses walk by. Next are a few shots of the Living / Dining Room.

Below is the kitchenless kitchen (we're still waiting). That electric griddle is sure earning its keep, but I hope I never have to see another sausage.

This is the entryway:

Maria is very excited about having a bunk bed now. And Thomas likes making his lower bunk into a fort with blankets.

Here's the only shot of the master bedroom that hides the mountain of laundry which has amassed since we moved:

Bathroom:

And, very exciting, a WC with a sink in the same room!

That's it for our place. The new campus is great and even includes little guest apartments, so should any of you care to take an Austrian vacation, we're well equipped to take care of you while you're here!

31 October 2010

Feast of Christ the King

Our new apartments are wonderful, but we are lacking a few things...like a kitchen, and the internet. To be honest, the kitchen is more of a priority (for me, we'll see if it is for the workers), but having no internet will mean that posting may be a little scarce. But we'll do our best, we can get online at the Schloss, which is now very close.

Yesterday we heard Mass in Vienna, and had a simple but very nice lunch in a Heuriger dating the 1100s. We then took the kids to the courtyard of the Schloss to play in the huge piles of leaves, while John and I watched some baseball.

27 October 2010

Moving Again

Today saw the ceremonial handing over of the keys and the official opening of the new and permanent campus buildings of the I.T.I., complete with long speeches and plenty of food and drink. So now we have a set of keys to one of the new flats on the other side of town (much closer to the Institute). About half of our furniture and some of our belongings are already moved across, with the rest to follow tomorrow. If all goes well, this may be our last night in our current place, although I suppose we'll be returning for a couple of days yet for a thorough cleaning. Third time's the charm, right? So perhaps this one will remain our home for the remainder of our time in Austria.

25 October 2010

Pumpkins

Canned pumpkin is impossible to buy in Austria. However, John really, really likes pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving (and/or Martinmas). For the past three years, he's had to make do with apple pie, but this year, we decided to pay a visit to the "pumpkin lady," who we pass sitting at the edge of the driveway leading to her farm each time we go to the Schloss. Maria picked out a good one, and we took it home and baked it, pureed the flesh, and froze it for Thanksgiving. It was so easy that we asked Katie to pick up two more, and now we are eating very tasty autumn desserts.