Update: December

Just an update on a few things.

Ballroom dancing class is over. There is a second portion that will go on for another 8-10 weeks, but I won’t be participating because my schedule would be too busy, and it costs a lot. It was a highlight of my year so far! We had an ending dance to finish out the class. It was really fun and I hope I get to go to another one before the year is over!

Clarinet lessons are awesome! I have never had private lessons before, and I am really enjoying working one on one with a teacher. I have one practice a week for 50 minutes and on Wednesday my teacher gave me a big packet of sheet music for a spring concert my town is having. I have the chance to be a part of it; the music is not easy and there is a lot of it (close to an hour and half), but I think I’m going to give it a shot!

This weekend my host family and I drove to Steyr in Oberösterreich to visit some family of theirs and shop in the Christmas markets throughout the city. Steyr is one of the oldest cities in Austria (over 1000 years old) and has a population of 37,000 people. These Christmas markets are really neat; alleys and streets dedicated purely to stands, vendors, and kiosks of bakery items, coffee, chocolate, alcoholic beverages, and gift items. We spent most of the day here outside (well below freezing) and in the late afternoon returned to the family of my host parents. From there I played video games with their two sons, ate dinner together, and then I journaled and read some Harry Potter in German. This morning I got up early and read some more, we ate breakfast, and in the late morning we left to look at one other Christmas attraction, the Kristkindel church. That was our last stop and then the Knauseders and I drove the 2 hours back to Knittelfeld. Good weekend and I am glad I got to meet some family of my host parents and see such a beautiful city in a different region of Austria.