Krampustag

On the 2nd of December all across Austria a festival known as Krampustag takes place.  It is an alpine tradition where beastly, ram-horned creatures run through the streets scaring little children and adults alike.  You could think of him as the reverse of Santa Claus, something for children to fear.  The picture below says "Greetings from Krampus."  Notice how he's teasing the child with threatening chains and switches!

Horrifying, right?

Before December 2nd, I had no idea any of this existed.  After leading what was a fairly normal Sunday I received a call from Iris, a friend from Holland, about coming out to watch a "parade."  It's been my philosophy thus far not to decline any opportunities so naturally I put on a few layers and scampered out into the -4 C weather.  As I neared the the center of town I noticed a gentle stream people, all headed to the same place.  Their faces and nervous chatter seemed unusual for a people who generally aren't very loud or full of emotion in public.  I slipped into the crowd, rounded the corner leading to the main square and stood awestruck.  Thousands of people crammed into a space the size of a baseball field.  For every cobblestone laid in the square, two feet stood to occupy it.  Not only were there loads of people but food stalls, a stage, blaring speakers, police, and an enormous Christmas Tree.  I found my friends (Iris from Holland, Patrick from Ireland, Karin from Tyrol, and John from Arkansas) after a 40 minute wade through the sea of loud, boisterous bodies.  We huddled together along the cleared "parade" route in the cold, waning sunlight.  Soon, the main event began.

People in elaborately horrifying costumes wandered through the street.  Their masks were a combination of ram horns, bloody flesh, raged fur, and piercing red eyes.  Many of them had rusted, noisy cowbells strapped to their backs and clanking chains swinging from their arms.  It was a noisy affair that gave the crowd quite a heightened sense of awareness.  Startling scream-prone girls, creating a lot of racket, and showing off their elaborate costumes was the order of the day.  There were hundreds and it took 2 hours for all of them to pass by.  To make the experience more interesting, my friends and I decided to force eachother into the paths of oncoming Krampuses.  It's great fun watching the terrified expression of your friends as you hold them in place while a Krampus snarls at them an inch from their nose.  That is, until it was my turn as I screamed like a little girl when a female Krampus tried to give me what I think was a kiss.  These things were hideous!

Luckily in Graz they aren't aloud to physically interact with people.  However, in most smaller towns the Krampuses run through the streets, beating and terrorizing anyone who looks like they'll scream.  The video below shows what the Krampustag means for many other Austrians.

Brutal stuff.  I've included the few pictures from our experience that turned out anything recognizable.  Maybe we should do something like this in the States?

Hamburgers and Iranians

I have been singing in the opera choir for Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortileges for a little over a month now, slowly getting to know the other choir members.  Surprisingly, the majority of us are not from Austria which is also the case for most of the students at the music university.  Among my fellow tenors there are guys from Thailand, Pakistan, and Mississippi.  Because we don't rehearse as often with the women (sopranos and altos), making acquaintance with them has taken a little longer.
Just this past week I struck up a conversation with an alto pertaining to something in the sheet music.  She was struggling only a little with her German but resorted to an English word while explaining something.  I believe the word was "awkward."  Anyway, I replied in English. She realized that I was a native speaker and excitedly jumped to English.*  I asked her where she was from and she cautiously said Iran.  Of course, my  reaction was instant intrigue and excitement as I'd never met an Iranian before.  On top of this, there are the lingering tensions between the United States and Iran over their supposed nuclear program.  Naturally, this only makes me more excited and eager to speak with her.  The geopolitical nerd came out of me as I blurted out the reply "Waohh, that's awesome!"  Her smile dropped.  "Why do you think that is awesome.  Wait, are you from America?"  I nodded.  Her look of "what the hell do we say now" was priceless.  Apparently avoiding any sensitive topics, she turned around and stared out of the window.  Because we formed 2/3 of the people in the room at the time the silence could only be described as... what's the word? awkward?

Last week my stomach was feeling a little homesick so I decided to make hamburgers and macaroni and cheese.  I know what you're thinking, eating this by myself would make me a fatty so I invited some Austrian friends along to share in my gluttony.  It was all delicious which was surprising because, I must admit, I've never made mac and cheese from scratch before.  I found this recipe online which turns out was the original one Thomas Jefferson invented.  Check out the photos...

Looks good doesn't it...

Also, my daily commute has become much healthier.  I bought a bike!  It is awesome!  I ride all over town now and save hours from my week (not to mention money I would have spent on the tram).  I'm still trying to think of what name to give it.  I'm thinking of calling it Arnold (after the governator who is believe it or not from Graz) but am open to suggestions.

...and just to round off the title a little more.  I met a guy the other day whose name is Daniel.  Daniel is from Hamburg.  There's nothing particularly interesting about him except for the fact that I can understand his German (at least when compared to Austrians).


*Whenever two foreign people meet in a foreign country there is usually a brief period of spirited back and forth questioning that goes something like this...

What's your name?
Where are you are you from?
What are you doing here?

...from there it can be unpredictable.

Unterricht

Beat Furrer, with whom I am currently studying, is a fairly renowned composer with works performed all of the world.  His style is abrasive to some, hectic to others, and expressive to the few who follow modern art music.  I've had two lessons with him so far and can safely say that he enjoys discussing things in terms of vagueries.  It's fun in a way to listen to him go on for 15 minutes about how to formulate a piece of music with aural "tools," using the metaphor of a tree to describe organic complexity in music.  He is honestly a very nice guy and patiently listens when I attempt to describe (in broken German) what I'm thinking and how I intend to accomplish my goals.  In addition, I have the feeling that in our brief lessons, he understands fairly well my musical intentions (perhaps a little better than I do myself).
The only problem with taking lessons from Beat  (pronounced bay-aht for my american friends) is that he's a little too renowned.  I cannot tell you have many times during my lesson that he took phone calls from some other performer or renowned musician.  It seems like he gets call from conductors, opera singers, professional instrumentalists around the clock.  And, he's knows them all on a first name basis.................  Additionally, everyone wants his ear so the lessons tend to be interrupted by students fawning and bowing before him in the hopes of making an impression.  You add all that up and what should be an hour long lesson becomes a 20 minute dash to get input from the "master."  (Also, he's a name dropper. LOL) Has his input made a difference in my music?  In a word, no.  I'll give it time and see what happens.  Third lesson is the charm...right?

Anfang und Wohlfühlen

I have now lived Graz for exactly 20 days.  I apologize for not keeping vigilant update during that time.  Yes,  a lot has happened in this time however it tends to add up to a lot of nothing.  What I mean is that I've filled out a lot of paperwork, walked (sometimes dragged myself) all over town, visited a dozen or so offices, made embarrassing language mistakes, met a lot of new people, and eaten a lot of food.  What this all amounts to is a better understanding of the city, slightly more honed language skills, registration at the university, simple amenities such as health insurance, people to talk to, and maybe a little more fat on the waist.  These are all things that one seems to take for granted back home.  We know exactly where to go and who to talk to get all of these things. But, when you're in a foreign country the difficulty skyrockets and it almost seems as if the country's amount of procedural red tape is somehow outrageous in comparison to your own.  That's been my biggest complaint of late anyway.
It has to be said however, Austrians seem to love their paperwork.  I'm almost certain that you have to submit paperwork in order to make friends.
For those who are curious and/or worried, here's what you should know.
-I love my apartment.  It's "klein aber fein" and has everything I could hope for (plus my new bed sheets which I bought at IKEA).
-Classes started a week and a half ago and I am in the groove of things finally.  I haven't met with Professor Furrer, that will happen next Tuesday (post to follow).
-I'm singing in an opera choir for Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortileges.  It's great fun so far and the performances are scheduled for December.

Other than that I'm happy and healthy.  Feel free to write me with any questions or if you just get bored and feel like talking to someone. :-)

Glück und Pech

9/22: As I write this, Jetlag has still not settled and I’m exhausted.  Naturally, I left Vienna too late and arrived in Graz at 1:30.  My landlady placed the key to my prearranged apartment in a nearby pharmacy for me to pick up BEFORE 1 p.m.  This was very thoughtful of her considering that she was out of town on a business trip.  Those in the states will not understand this, but shops on Saturday usually close by midday (12:30 in this case).  So, It's two more nights in a Hostel for me.  Cha-Ching!

9/28: Naturally, I was under some strain so I decided to walk around town which could only cheer me up.  I stowed all of my 4 bags in a train station locker (thank you Austrian rail system) and followed the map in my head to the center of town.  Those of you who know me well understand that I pride myself in my ability to navigate. I have to admit, when I got the center of town (Hauptplatz) on my own, it felt extremely good.
I had been looking at pictures and maps of Graz for the entire summer but nothing truly compares to actually beholding something with your own eyes.  For me, it was almost emotional when the classical Rathaus materialized around the corner with its pale stone facade. The old town is gorgeous and charming in a way that asks the modern spectator to imagine what a 17th century world must have been like.  Any disappointment at my lack of lodging melted away and I was compelled to walk around staring, wondering.

After meandering around for and hour, I eventually came back to reality with a need for a bed and food.  First, I needed money and I happened rather fortuitously upon an ATM, or Bankomat.  I stuck my card in, punched in my numbers and kind of looked around while the machine took its time to do whatever it does.  There, lying on the ground, was 50 euros.  Just sitting there in front of my left foot.  I looked around again.  Nobody was watching me and nobody seemed to be looking for their lost money.  I looked through the windows of the bank to see if someone was inside.  Empty, no signs of life.  I looked around again.  So, remember those little morality questions we have all been asked at some point where they ask if you'd take the money, leave the money, or give it to the authorities?  I took the money and that has made all the difference.

Orientierung Teil 2

The Austrian Fulbright Commission was kind enough to host a trip through the Wachau region of Austria on our final day of orientation.  We left Vienna around 8 amidst the finest weather one could have asked for.  Sun, blue skies, and a welcoming breeze heralded what would be a perfect day in practically every way (2:52).

Our first destination was the "Stift Melk" or rather the Melk abbey which has a long and interesting history.  It was originally a fortress during the time of the house of Babenberg, Austria's first royal family.  The center of power was later donated to the catholic church and converted into an Abbey which it remains today.  The current baroque facade was constructed in the 18th century and is, might I add, a particularly beautiful example of that style.  As you can see in the photos, no expense was spared on ornamentation and grandeur.  A piece of heaven on earth, so zu sagen.  Our tour through the imperial quarters featured many interesting artifacts and relics from the history of the Abbey including the jawbone of some saint (I forgot the name) and an extensive collection of illuminated manuscripts.  Among the manuscripts were examples of early musical notation which looks something like 4 horizontal lines filled with black squares and scribbled gestures to show the direction of the voice part.
The tour ended in the church which is huge and ornately decorated.  The focus so much detail from the intricacies of the painted ceiling down the the little angels carved into the wooden pews.  One is washed in florid hues of pink, yellow, and white with enough gold leaf to make Solomon blush.  By far the most intriguing aspect of the church was the presence of mummified bodies on display.  Not only was this poor guy placed in a glass coffin in a church for everyone to see, but he was laid in this awkward pose with his elbow bent back to support his head on this hand, looking out at everyone on his side.  You know, that tempting way people lay when they're saying "how you doin."  Only in this case he's saying, "can someone please move my arm down, I've got a 600 year old cramp."  It's amazing the poor guy doesn't fall apart.

The tour of the abbey ended just in time for lunch to begin at an inn in the town below.  What was on the menu?  Pistachio soup, boiled beef, some regional form of sauerkraut, and this vanilla cream sauce that I only describe as heavenly for desert.  In addition to this I had a beer which set me in an excellent mood along with my table mates, who also had beer.  It's good to be around people of a similar sense of humor, we tend to get carried away.  If I told everyone the things we were laughing about, most people would squinch their eyes and just not find it funny.  Maybe it's because we're a little nerdy...ok, a lot.

After lunch we hopped aboard a riverboat and made our way down the Danube toward the picturesque wine producing village of Dürnstein.  The journey along the vineyard speckled river was gorgeous.   The Carolina blue tower of the Dürnstein abbey, which sits on the edge of the Danube, came into view.  The town itself is very small catering primarily to a small wining industry and tourists.  I think the two go hand in hand.  We were scheduled for a private wine tasting.  It was all very pretentious.  We were herded into an old wine cellar with modern "scene" lighting and given 7 different kinds of wine to "taste."  Needless to say, we were having a great time.  While in good spirits :-), we decided to march to the castle lying on the hill above Dürnstein. Breathlessly reaching the top, we gladly laid about the ruins while starring down at the Wachau and the Danube.  By this point the sun was on its way down and we were all reminiscing about what we had seen throughout the day.

The final event of the day was unplanned.  We should have said goodbye to each other upon arrival in Vienna however, philadelphia was in air and we decided to grab dinner together.  A restaurant serving Austrian food was suggested and everyone agreed.  The specially at this restaurant? Pig knuckles!  Yes, we ordered it and I ate it.  It was good.  If you like fat back you'd love this particular dish.  In addition to the seared fat there was a healthy layer of meat underneath for everyone to naw at.  I left the restaurant fattened and fulfilled.

As anyone who has ever traveled can tell you, no trip is perfect.  However, I might argue that this was one of the more perfect excursions I've ever had.  Sure, I didn't have to stress about the money.  Yes, wine makes anything better.  But take all of that away and I'm left with a great experience among some of the smartest and most humble group of students that I had known in quite some time.  In addition, the staff of the Austrian Fulbright Commission should heartily be thanked for meticulously planning our days events.

Catholic regalia that is still used on occasion to this day.

Beautiful Hall in Melk Monastery

The Church at the Melk Monastery

Curvy staircase in Melk.

Inside the church.

On the Danube river cruise through Wachau region.

Dürnstein Castle

Dürnstein Monastery

Wine tasting in a Dürnstein cellar.

From atop the Dürnstein Castle.

Fellow grantee Robert in the same prison where  Richard the Lion-heart was once held captive.

Walls of Dürnstein.

Vineyards of Dürnstein.

Vineyards of Dürnstein.

                                                    

                                                  Pig knuckle we ate later that night                                                        

Me grabbing a manly chunk of pig knuckle.

Us on the way up to Dürnstein Castle.

A few more grantees.

Melk monastery facade.

Orientierung Teil 1

The four days of orientation provided by the Austrian-American Educational Commission were an excellent introduction to the institutions and culture of Austria.  It was basically three days of lectures and meetings with the Fulbright Commission coordinators.  These people are ausgezeichnet (look it up), providing enough assistance but not too much which is the point.  During the first day of orientation the program director, Dr. Lonnie Johnson, best summed up their job by saying, "If we were to insulate your experience so as to dilute all hardships and mistakes, we wouldn't be doing our job."
The first day's lecture was a PowerPoint slide reading, big fun.  Because the office is situated next to a busy street, a little traffic noise in the background was fairly consistent.  However, on Tuesday a vibraphone wielding street musician decided to set up shop directly underneath our window.   So, the we were listening to a dry reading of a PowerPoint slide when all of a sudden metallic versions of Mozart start careening through the window.  First there was Mozart's queen of the night aria, then there was Pavarotti's Ne Sun Dorma, and then there was Khachaturian's Sabre Dance, the list goes on.  Words cannot express how thankful I was for this character.  His renditions weren’t too bad and the opportunity to focus the mind elsewhere was welcome by all.  The lecturers realized what was happening but did not do anything about it, much less comment on it.  I could barely hold in my laughter.  Ohhh contrasts.

I bought a little cell phone on Wednesday. Now, I just need to make some Austrian friends.  Things are slowly getting checked off my list.
On Thursday evening I and couple of other music dorks, i mean, Fulbrighters went to see R. Strauss's Elektra with stehplatz or standing room tickets.  They were only 4 euros!!!  This one act opera was excellent.  It got off to a slow start but then really opened up towards the act.  What a dramatic opera.  Suicide, murder, and betrayal.

Ankommen

The Vienna airport is nice, modern even.  I would like to complain about my customs experience upon entering Vienna.  There wasn't any.  Why wasn't I asked pointless questions about my whereabouts and subjected to a random baggage search?  Really.  Where were the sniffing dogs lead by underpaid security workers?  What about the part where I get really frustrated for having to wait in line...again.  Boy, these people need to get their act together.

Anyway, I got out and into a taxi with my four bags.  It was surprisingly cheap and saved me the trouble of hauling my belongings around Vienna in search of a hotel that I couldn't have found on my own.

Fun fact, the name of my hotel is "Hotel Zipser."  Great name.

Der Abschied

Der Abschied

After a filling breakfast and extra-long shower, the car ride to the Raleigh airport began.  I consider myself among the most fortunate of people to have such a great family.  My mother, step-father, and step-sister all rode with me to the airport, helping me with my luggage all the way into the terminal.  Naturally, my mother was a little emotional and insisted on reminding me to be safe and “don’t do anything stupid or crazy.”  I’ll do my best but my friends know just how crazy I can get...right guys?

(This is the part where my mother is suddenly stricken with severe heart palpitations.)

No, nothing I can control will be crazy or stupid.  But, let’s face it, there are people in every culture on the planet that can and will be both.  Which leads to the first problem of my journey...

Air Berlin flight 7249 from JFK to Berlin should have departed at 5:30 p.m.  Instead, an unruly passenger aboard that very same plane coming into JFK raised such a raucous that the flight crew decided to kick him/her off in mid-flight, in Iceland (they left him there).  Apparently, the whole fiasco took three hours which translated into a three hour delay for my journey to Berlin.  I don’t know who the person is or exactly what they did but there are sure to be updates as more details emerge.

The flight was otherwise smooth.  The pre-selected movie was Trout Fishing in Yemen, or something like that.  It stars Ewin Mcgreggor (and a few others but who cares) and the title pretty much sums up the film.  It was good, quaint even, but no American Beauty or Lord of the Rings.  I made small talk with the German guy sitting next to me who just graduated with his PhD from Yale and was on his way to begin a new teaching position at a university in Berlin.  Smart.  Alas, like most airline acquaintances, you’re nice and then you go your separate ways.

As I write this, I’m sitting in concourse C of Berlin, Tegal airport waiting for my 12:40 flight to Vienna.  I am now five hours behind schedule.  Oh, how did the airline compensate?  With a 5 euro voucher good in the entire airport.  Awesome!  I definitely feel redeemed.  The concourse has a very industrial feel with cold, concrete floors and steel girders lining the ceiling.  A trio of trapped birds flit among the girders and rowed seating.  They chirp sporadically begging the question, do they live in here?  It’s clear this is not meant to be a permanent structure. 

I’m tired, have cappuccino breath, and growing impatient but am still excited and grateful to be here.

Einleitung

Warning! You are about to enter the blog of one Jonathan Dennis James Carter.  DO NOT read it quickly lest you miss a single detail.  DO NOT use your imagination to extrapolate beyond that which I write.  DO NOT allow yourself to think that I am a good writer because we all know the truth.  YOU MUST excuse my flagrant and pretentious use of German.  I WILL NOW thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Thank You.

It is my intention to chronicle as much of my 9-month long Fulbright adventure in Graz, Austria.  There are bound to be exciting tales, interesting people, cultural clashes, and awkward moments.  More is sure to come, check back soon!  Also, I welcome any and all comments.