Almost a year ago, in January 2010, we received notification that my husband, Bill, had been selected as a Fulbright Scholar for 2011. Destination: Graz, Austria. Almost everyone has heard of Vienna and Salzburg, but Graz? Well, we’re going to become intimately acquainted with that city of almost 300,000. Actually the second-biggest of Austria’s many cities, Graz is located on the south-easterly side of the country and close to the borders of Croatia, Hungary and also Slovenia.
Now it’s a year later and preparations for our sojourn have swung into high gear. Not the least of which was obtaining VISAs so we could spend the ‘summer’ semester (summer = March – June) between the Technical University of Graz and the Karl Franz University about a kilometer away.
Living in the rural inter-mountain west has some advantages but proximity to the edifices of foreign diplomacy is not one of them. We were first told by the ‘contact on behalf of the Austrian Embassy’ that we would have to appear at the Consulate in Los Angeles to meet with someone there on a Monday – Friday between the hours of 10 AM and 1 PM, but that no appointments are scheduled. Fortunately, a phone call to that Consulate steered us to an Honorary Consul, who happens to live in Salt Lake City! And fortunately, we just happened to be going to Salt Lake to visit family over the Christmas holidays. We were able to arrange a meeting with him, so he could certify our signatures on the Visa applications.
Herr Kolb could not have been more gracious or helpful! He showed us the flag (and explained the significance of the coat of arms) of the state of Steiermark, where Graz is located, gave us names of people to contact, tips on things to say and not say, checked over our applications to make sure we had dotted all the i‘s and crossed the t‘s, and verified our signatures. He even knew all about Missoula, having run the Missoula Marathon this past summer! He agreed it was superbly organized! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him again. If he is typical of Austrians, we are in for a delightful stay!
Our visa applications were sent that very day to Los Angeles and returned to us, approved, within a week! Do you suppose the US government works as quickly for visitors coming here?
Now it’s time to get back to the German studies. There’s more to say about that, but it’ll have to wait until another post!
Thanks for reading!
Looking good mom. Looks like you’ve figured out most of the things you were asking about. Keep playing around to figure out what all you can do on here.
Wow, that is going to be an amazing experience! So what will he be doing there as a fulbright scholar? did you guys get any say in where you were assigned to go?? What will you be doing there while Bill does his Fulbright thing?? I’m so excited for you! it’s truly amazing when you get the opportunity to spend an extended period of time in a place you aren’t familiar with because you get to experience it in a much for intimate way and meet people and actually establish relationships with people there! SO COOL
Hi Jean .
Just getting into your orbit here and looking forward to following your excitement! I really appreciate the map as I like to know exactly where in the world you are!
Love and safe travels to you both,
Sue
Thank you Sue! Sometimes I need the map too….most days, in fact, I wonder where in the world I am!
am going to enjoy your blog site so much…..I love maps!
Great blog!!
On the all-in-one laundry beast front it is very similar to our machine at the cabin. When we set the dry (somewhat oxmoronish) cycle we try to get the clothes out when it seems to be done and spread them out on a line, which you seem to have figured out. They are really steaming when they come out and should be fairly dry after a half hour or so on the rack or clothesline. Also very little detergent is needed. One thing to keep in mind is the length of the drying cycle is probably not using any more energy than a conventional clothes dryer but the cycle is longer due to using 110 volts rather than 220, plus the condensing drying as opposed to air drying. One other thing to check into is a filter that should be on the lower part of the machine, behind a small trap door. On ours you twist it out and wash it in the sink. Just make sure it is seated and twisted back in or you will have the beginning of Greater Lake Graz on your hands (personal experience with this but pumping out of the lake and returning to same did not increase the lake level).
Chris,
You always crack me up! We haven’t found the just finished laundry to be steaming, but things sure don’t take long to dry. Fortunately we have delightful radiant heat (i.e. radiators but modern ones that make kein noise and are well regulated) I am eyeing a clothesline on the grass below us. I hope our downstairs neighbors will share. We found the old clothesline poles–made of cement and covered with moss and blackberry brambles, and minus line–hence the other one, I guess. thanks for the reminder about the filter! I noticed that function early on and now we are washing sheets and towels, it will be a good time to change it. Lake Graz indeed! Thanks, Chris!