Viva la Vida

The easiest thing to remember in a foreign country is Carpe Diem but it is also the quickest thing that you forget. The best thing to do is DO the thing you want as soon as you can - the next minute, hour, or day. Don't say 'next week' or 'next month'. Time doesn't exist like that. Sure, you might say: I'll do that the next time the sun's shining or the weather is nice. You know what? Screw the weather. Unless it's a typhoon, blizzard, or some such other DANGEROUS weather anomaly. Then the weather will probably screw you.

BUT.

If it's just raining, run out and do it. The experience will be all the more original. I got caught in that trap over here too much and too often. Now I've run out of 'next week's and 'next month's. All I have is today (well, and a few more days).

I spent Saturday with my teachers grading the last little bit of Matura. My teach picked me up at 9:30am and I stayed with her till about 2pm. We lunched on Hendelsbacken, which reminds me of fried chicken. My teacher drove me from her beautiful house, situated deep out in the countryside, back to school in town. I then spent about 2 final hours with another teacher before finishing up the day with an hour of tutoring.

I've been tutoring a 16-17 year old Soccer Boy for the past few months and we've been working hard but he never manages to improve his grade. Tomorrow is his big test and I PRAY that he gets a decent score. Otherwise, I will feel pretty crappy as a teacher and a little guilty for taking his money.

On Sunday, I went to a different teacher's house by bike - after some minor detours and unnecessary turns. We ate a huge lunch of Bratel'in'di'rein, which translates to: Meat in the Round. Nice, right? Did I mention that vegetarians can have a hard time of it over here? Meat, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and dumplings all sit in one pot in the center of the table and it's 'help yourself'. I was in heaven, picking out large slices of pork with a thick, delicious rind of fat. Mmmm... Afterwords, I was shanghaied into a 'little' bike ride, which turned into a spastic speedy jaunt through the Austrian countryside. Little equated to 35km at high speeds. We biked along the Inn, oh famous river of the area. An amazingly chill breeze blew off the water as we biked up a path towards a castle that NEVER got any closer. We were on that same track for 10 years before we hit that castle. I drank an apple juice with seltzer water (Apfelsaft g'spritz) the Austrians, beer. Lots of beer. Dehydration works backwards here.

Tomorrow my mom comes to visit! As you can imagine, my months without contact are about to end. I am terribly excited to show her around!

Now, if only I could remember how to sleep...