Lesson Plan Tangents

I haven't really been homesick yet, but certain things do remind me of home. I was preparing a lesson on San Francisco tonight for a class of thirteen-year-olds. In the process of creating a photo collage, I found images online of the Victorian houses on Haight-Ashbury, a Ben & Jerry's cafe, Chinatown, a Mexican taqueria in the Mission District, Tandem bikes, the Pacific Ocean, and who knows what else I am forgetting. Not all of these things remind me necessarily of Pennsylvania, but they do remind me of the US and of times spent outside of Austria. Each one of these references highlights certain differences, and occasional similarities, between the two countries.

1. Victorian homes: There are no Victorian buildings in Vienna. Buildings either date back to the 16th, 17th, 18th centuries--if not earlier--or were built post-WWII. Architecture exists on a completely different timeline here and incorporates completely different styles.

2. Ben & Jerry's: I'm not complaining about the Italian gelato that is served all over the city --it's absolutely delicious, cheap, and generally isn't sold in the States--but I can just imagine the confused look on the waiter's face if I were to ask for a flavor as exotic as Phish Food or Chunky Monkey here ... I might as well ask for water ice, too.

3. Chinatown: I actually did manage to find a decent Chinese restaurant in the university district, but I still miss the flair of Chinatown. I was once told that Austria didn't segregate its ethnic minorities into communities, like Chinatown or Little Italy. I guess they forgot about the Turks. By the way, the Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine is amazing here. I will definitely miss the Döner and falafel stands on every corner.

4. Mexican food: I still haven't found real Mexican food in Austria. I found a restaurant that has an excellent reputation, but in my opinion, serves mediocre Mexican food. The dishes are generally too sweet. I'm not sure why Austrians feel the need to add sugar and butter to everything they make.

5. Tandem bikes: Okay, you only really see these on the boardwalk in the US, but you don't see them anywhere in Austria. That said, you do see a lot of unicycles and Razr scooters here, probably due to their compactness and portability.

6. Ocean: There is no ocean here; Austria is a landlocked country. The Donauinsel is the closest thing Austria has to a beach, and it's really just a park on an island, surrounded by a river that is much too polluted for swimming.

After preparing my lesson on San Francisco, I finished the night by going to see a modern dance performance by the Nature Theater of Oklahoma. True to its name, the group originates from Oklahoma and is currently touring performing arts festivals around the world. I nearly jumped in my seat when I heard one of the female members speak; I knew that the performance would be in English, but I forgot that the performers would have midwestern accents -- that was a bonus!

From midwestern accents to memories of summers on the beach, this day of reminiscing must be viewed in perspective. While I may miss some things from the US, I know I will miss other Austrian things when I am back home. On my way back from all of my travels today, I passed an oompapa band from the Steiermark (southeastern Austria). The band consisted of five men playing the flugelhorn, trumpet, clarinet, accordion, and a drum set. They pleased the crowd with a repertoire of polka and waltz tunes and were of course dressed in their best Lederhosen and traditional Tracht outfits. I barely even blink when I see someone in Lederhosen or a Dirndl anymore; Tracht has actually enjoyed a mild revival in the last few years. If I were in the US and saw people dressed like this somewhere other than a German/Austrian club, I might check to make sure I was in the right country! Then I would reminisce about that time I was in Austria.