Christmas here is a little different. Last week in Austria on December 6th, kleine Austrians were visited by the partners St. Niklaus and Krampus. St. Niklaus, who looks like the pope with a long white beard, gives out chocolate candy to good little Mädchen and Bube. Krampus, (say, 'Grahmpoose') on the other hand, looks exactly like Satan and bears a whip and a bag of coal. They help each other mete out exactly what is deserved. It's a good excuse for people to dress up, and you see Popes and Satans roaming the streets looking for little children to scare. Last weekend was the annunciation of Mary, which is celebrated as a national holiday. This is the day that Mary was conceived. Not when she conceived (Jesus), but when she was conceived. I was marvelling that a national holiday celebrated the conception of a woman until I was informed it wasn't the conception itself that was important, but the fact she was somehow conceived without original sin. Ahhhh. After all, conception itself goes on every day. Then on the 24th there is a celebration called Weinachts. This is the night all the good children are visited by the Christkind, (Christ Child), and everyone gets presents, and then goes to mass (yup). All over Vienna in the public squares Christkindlmarkt have been set up, they are markets filled with glittering decorations, big sugary pastries and Brezerln (pretzels) and steaming vats of Gluhwein and Punsch. (spiced wine and Whoooee Alkee-Hollic punch.) Most people in Vienna are really
bored of them but I like them. There is none of the USA-type hoopla here around the holidays, they are celebrated much more low-key. (There's no Toys 'r' Us here.)The most evidence you see is a proliferation of large wreaths with four candles on top (the wreath is laid flat and hung from the ceiling with ribbons) One candle is lit for each week before Weihnachts. Also on the 24th the Tannenbaum (yes, everyone here does have a Christmas tree) is lit, I mean they actually put candles all over it and light them. I wouldn't be surprised if the 24th is also the busiest day of the year for the Wienerfeuerwehrwache Rathaus (Vienna Fire Dept). I can just imagine the panicked mother calling on the phone -- 'Give me the-- the-- wehrwachefeuerhausrat-- no-- wienerwache--I mean the wechfienerwehrrat... ACHHH FEUER FEUER!!' The 25th as such is not really a big deal here. Finally there is the New Year - on the 31st of December is something called Silvester. I'm not sure what it is but I'm almost certain it involves vast quantities of booze and almost no black and white cats.

So much for the holidays. It is freezing cold here, (-10 deg. Celsius a few days ago) one nice thing is that all the dogshit that dots the sidewalks of Vienna is frozen too. Everyone here has small, fluffy dogs, the kind with hair over their eyes that always look like they need a bath. Even though they're small they still think they can terrorize the universe-- meaning kill every single squirrel-- and they seek to do so. But, they are prevented from accomplishing the total annihilation of their deadliest enemies by the Evil Lord Leash, so they just poop everywhere in frustration. You would think, little dog, little poops. Do not be ridiculous. These are weeeeeeell fed Viennese Hund-Babys. (Hund-Babys is a real name I saw on a pet store.)When they want to let the world know what they think, they only have one way to express it and what they lack in eloquence, they make up for in quantity. (kind of like a certain friend of yours...)

Examples of interesting word choice for that fashionable 'American-sounding' touch:
A pair of boots labelled 'SNOW FUN'
A man's jacket with the inscription 'NASTY SNOW BITCH
XXX' on the back
both sighted in Austria

OK so what about me? I have been... OK. Terribly homesick for a long time but slowly recovering. I've met a NICE boy named Laurenz and he's trying to convince me that this cold, dark dogpoop city is really nice. It isn't working but I approve of his methods :) What? I mean taking me out to the art museum! What else! Sheesh! We're going together to Germany next week (I have never been there) and I will get to see if I can hear a difference in the accent. Mein Deutsch ist besser und besser. I have classes every day monday through friday and even though it feels slow, I actually had a conversation with a man at the national health insurance bureau this morning and managed to make myself understood. Now that's got to be a kind of achievement, even for an Austrian.

Of course there have been many other adventures along the way, but I shall have to report them another time
so,

auf Wiedersehen, dear Freunden,

love, renee.