May, 2005 - Nr. 5
Vienna Connection
April showers bring May flowers...that’s what they say, and
that’s what I’m hoping because over the last couple of weeks, there’s
definitely been lots of showering going on...don’t worry, I won’t give you
all the details of my morning shower routine, that’s not what I mean...I
mean rain! It’s definitely been a pretty wet April here, but hopefully that
means that the flowers in the parks here will be really beautiful, really
soon! I can’t say that I’ve had much of a chance to sit and enjoy any of the
park-life lately (so in a sense, good thing it was raining, because at least
I feel like there was less to miss!) I’ve been almost locked inside various
buildings rehearsing for 5 projects...it’s a wonder I’ve been seeing the
sun! What sun?
No crazy stories or anything like that to report, but hopefully those will come, as I will soon be going to Germany and to Italy (no, not for fun, I’ve got to work...perks of some of the projects I’m doing! Hopefully I can sneak in a little bit of fun in there as well though...definitely in Italy, it will be my first time in Bologna, and I want to sample some of their great food, because as I’ve heard, Bologna is only like the culinary capital of Italy...big big smile!)
The past month, and the next few months to come will definitely be all about work for me, because there’s lots to be done, and so little time to squeeze it all into. And if all this rehearsing isn’t enough, I just started helping out at the Vienna International School in their Music and Drama departments, so I now wake up at 6:30 in the morning a few days per week (shudder...I am NOT a morning person!), but it’s been really fun there so far, and some of the kids I taught were really lively and enthusiastic. It’s been a great experience for me too, and a few of them were so sweet and hugged me and made me promise to never leave them and to please sit with them at lunchtime! (Unfortunately I couldn’t do so because I had to leave to go to my own classes in the afternoon.) I suddenly felt like Maria in the Sound of Music! Then they said they would go on strike if I weren’t their teacher next year! I thought that was pretty adorable. I really never thought I would have such a good time teaching the kids, and the kids never thought they would have such a good time singing...by the end of one of the classes the kids even thought their song about a donkey was really cool and were going down the hall singing the song and dancing away. (And these are 12 year olds, so it’s not exactly like it’s the "donkeys are cool" age!)
Anyhow, I am also learning the flute at the moment, as a favour to a friend of mine who had to teach someone the flute for her University program. I can now almost play a whole scale, which is kind of neat, so I can play some songs! I just found out that I get to play in a little concert at the end of June! It will be fun. I’m glad I can finally make some notes come out of the instrument; a few weeks ago, when I had my first lesson, my friend and her flute teacher were marvelling that my lips were so big that they kept covering the hole! We fixed the problem...no worries, I didn’t have to get part of my lips surgically removed, we just had to place the flute mouthpiece abnormally high on my lips so that the hole would be uncovered! Note to all of you with big lips out there...the flute may not be for you! It’s been a hoot though.
Well, hope May’s flowers are growing well back home for all of you. We’ll see if all of that April rain had any success over here! If not, o well, good thing all the ice cream parlours are open...that the rain will never stop!
Bye, Caroline :)
Comments to: ckuehn@echoworld.com
