Avoiding Procrastination and Embracing Culture

From the busy trap to procrastination… I had the tendency of associating procrastination with life as a student because it is probably the most overused word you hear (or read on Facebook), especially during those dreary thesis-writing days. But there’s nothing like the pressure of time running out to give you that kick up the ass that you need. I was hoping those days were gone but procrastination has a strange gift of creeping up on you while you waste endless hours on the Internet that you simply don’t notice, until you realize that it’s probably time you should go to bed. 

 

Despite being a person who instinctively makes plans all the time while trying to adapt to a spontaneous kind of lifestyle, I still find that I put off the planning that I should be doing. Sometimes it seems to make more sense to just wing it when there is a lack of stability surrounding you. This completely defies my original goal when I started down this career path. I thought I had it all figured out. I would do my A-levels; get into the “best” teaching college I know; spend four years training; et voilà, I would have a permanent, stable job as a teacher. It didn’t quite work out that way and I’m glad it didn’t.

However, nowadays I can’t seem to fathom the possibility of thinking more than a few months ahead because permanency no longer seems to exist. The temporary nature of life these days breeds short attentions spans and hence, procrastination. If I’m honest, I believe working as a primary school teacher (this may apply to all kinds of teaching but I can only share my experience of one) shouldn’t be a permanent job. Teaching always requires regular evaluation, improvement, creativity and energy, and permanency poses a serious danger of becoming stuck in one’s ways and lacking all of these ingredients.

Not forgetting that teaching seems more like 80% acting, and sometimes it really feels that way. There are many mornings when I’m walking into school and I feel like I’m not quite awake yet. That immediately changes, as soon as a sprightly, young schoolchild delightfully beams at me and says, “Good morning, Andrea!” This is of course in the public school; in the private school I will be called Miss Magee by the children. When I receive such an enthusiastic greeting, I can’t help but return the smile and force myself to be as energetic as possible to encourage these kids to learn. It doesn’t come so easily every day though and many lessons are like putting on a show, but it’s worth it when you reap the rewards from that unique sense of fulfilment when a student makes progress. 

 

Another increasingly important aspect of teaching is discipline. While a teacher may hope that this a shared responsibility with parents, the reality of it is evident enough to show that different parents have very different ideas of how to discipline their children. Needless-to-say, I must admit that I’m a fan of positive reinforcement as I personally like to spare my throat from the strain of shouting all day, every day. It helps a lot if the school has a unified policy in place and I’m very happy to learn that the private school, where I will start officially working in March, runs a whole-school discipline system involving star reward charts and house points. They also have a procedure for bad behaviour that involves removing privileges from the children, such as 5-minutes off their break time and after three of these, they then miss the next class field trip. The school is very active in terms of organising many extra activities, such as field trips, culture days and talent shows. They are now in the process of organising a Russian culture day whereby every class will perform or produce something from Russia.

Speaking of culture, today I celebrated with my Comenius school the tradition of Fasching. This can only be described as a kind of carnival that allows the normal rules and routines to be subverted. Everybody dressed up in a costume of their choice (I was a witch, spot me in the picture!) and instead of regular lessons, we played party games and ate party food. This was followed by a whole-school parade through the surrounding streets, making as much noise as possible. It really is a lot of fun and some of the kids were impressively creative with their outfits! 

Last weekend I returned to Paris for Thomas’s final weekend there. We had an amazing time exploring the Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes – a zoo with exotic, endangered species, such as the snow leopard and the red panda. We were lucky enough to see the super cute, fluffy red

pandas wake up from their slumber and clumsily find some bamboo to munch on. This was Thomas’s favourite part as he crooned that he wished to take one home with him. I, however, was more fascinated by the dining etiquette of a huge tortoise. I felt so sorry for them trying to eat because it seemed they lacked vision and coordination. It probably takes them just as long to eat a healthy meal as it does for them to dander over to the other side of their enclosure. Another highlight was the sleeping sloth (see picture). Though of course it didn’t do much at all and never really does, I was just fascinated to see one for real and watch it live the dream in its little hammock between the trees.

As well as that, we also enjoyed a lovely double date in a Chilean restaurant recommended by a local, where we tried tapas and then chose our favourite as a main, before relishing in a yummy dessert. Afterwards, we took a romantic stroll across one of the bridges on the edge of the city to enjoy a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower sparkling. It sparkles every hour, on the hour and we caught it just on time at 11pm. The next day, Thomas and I decided to spend the rainy day at a photography exhibition, with the main display from David Lynch. I wasn’t that impressed by his ‘Short Stories’ art collection, but rather the Spanish artist Joan Fontcuberta with an exhibition entitled, ‘Camouflages’ really captured my imagination and challenged the deceiving nature of reality vs unreality in photography. We do quite often accept photographs as evidence of something factual and Joan Fontcuberta succeeds in exploiting this phenomenon. I was also interested to learn about Arno Rafael Minkkinen, a Finnish photographer who uses his naked body in a tasteful, sophisticated way to create photographic art. Credit where credit is due, he possesses a fair amount of ‘sisu’. 

I returned to Vienna on Monday, just to prepare myself to leave again on Friday. This time, to Finland. I’m really looking forward to catching up with my good friends there and embracing some proper winter weather. I did have a little prequel yesterday though when I went ice skating with my tandems. The Vienna Ice Dream 2014 is a temporary, outdoor ice skating world in front of the beautiful Vienna Town Hall, with weaving, uphill and downhill lanes leading to two magnificent ice rinks. It can be quite a workout I have to say and once I got over my fear of falling (luckily I didn’t at all!) I managed to relax a bit and find my pace on the ice.

So now I’m ready for Finland!!

Addiction to the ‘Busy Trap’

If I don’t have travel plans, I make travel plans. Or any plans really. Maybe it’s just the feeling of being busy that is addictive but the moment you sit down you realize you’re actually exhausted. Yet you get right back up again, after barely any rest, to continue life in the ‘busy trap’. 

I have recently been advised by those close to me to settle down and take some time for myself. Time to rest. Time to relax. I seem to be unaware of how to do that. Maybe I need people or things to keep me busy to prevent some kind of blues or loneliness from brimming. Maybe I just take heed of the advice, ‘travel while you’re young’ or ‘do these things while you still can,’ a bit too seriously. Nevertheless, I try just to take each day as it comes and these days I try to rest when I feel my body telling me to, usually when I start to feel a bit under the weather. 

The way I see it, life happens, regardless – and it’s best to just go with it!

I have learned a lot about adapting to new places, new people and new environments. I have learned to become a more flexible individual and embrace the curveballs that life offers when things don’t go to plan. I try to find a balance when it comes to planning. It is in my nature to think ahead, to make plans; it’s a big part of my job. But teaching on Comenius, and living abroad in general, has woken me up to the fact that sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you plan, it just doesn’t work out how you had anticipated. And that’s ok. The main thing is to remain flexible and be able to adapt.

I had a meeting today regarding my new job that starts in March – I will teach a fourth grade class (9-10 year olds) as part of a job share, meaning I will work 4 days a week in my Comenius school and one day a week in this new school. In the meeting, the word ‘flexible’ came up so frequently that it has become the latest buzzword. We have to be flexible and in order to do that, we must communicate. I now have to coordinate between two schools, eight classes, seven teachers and around 170 children. The only way to do that is to work together with my colleagues and communicate as much as possible with each other – verbally, via e-mail or text, by phone, with post-it notes or whatever way is necessary! Thank goodness the staff at the new school are amazingly organised and incredibly helpful; after my first meeting with them I already feel like part of the team.

In my new job, I will take on the responsibility of teaching English grammar and science to the fourth graders during their last four months in primary school. I found out today that the main science topic I have to teach is the human body. Those who know of my ‘soldier theory’ will immediately wonder how on earth I’m going to manage to teach this topic! The Principal of the school even showed me the stunning, model skeleton she displays in her office which I may have the privilege of using in my lessons. I’ve never been great at biology myself, mainly because I’m a fainter. However, I’m certain that I will find a way to stay in control and teach this topic as well as I possibly can. The human body is a fascinating subject after all. 

On that note, with every job comes what you’re supposed to do, and what is actually, practically feasible. I know I’m supposed to teach a class the topic of ‘family’ in English but they are 2^nd grade (7 years old) and speak German, not English; there are several crazy, disruptive kids in the class; and that’s not to mention those with learning difficulties that have to be taken into consideration. This is the job of a teacher. At the end of the day, there is always a way to connect with every child, to motivate them, to find their interest, what they’re passionate about and use that to tap into their potential to learn anything. As I’ve mentioned, though, that’s easier said than done.

It’s interesting to see the difference in the children now that they are aware that I know much more German than I did at the beginning. At first, they thought they could say whatever they wanted and I wouldn’t understand. However, they also realized that they couldn’t talk to me in German and would have to find another form of communication (et voilà: step in, English!) Now, though, it’s a bit too easy for them to rely on German when they know I can understand most of what they say. It was almost better when they could use it as their own ‘secret’ language. Nevertheless, I’m planning to continue learning their language and encouraging them to use mine!

In fact, I just started my new German course this week in the University of Vienna, Universität Wien. It already seems to differ in many ways to my previous course in terms of the greater quantity of homework to do, as well as tests and a more serious approach to language learning. After all the fun I had in my last course that helped build my confidence and fondness of German, I think I’m ready to take on the challenge of a more serious course. My favourite new word in German is 'Freizeitstress' which literally means 'free time stress' or leisure stress. Organising your free time can be stressful, according to German-speakers. Perhaps this is something I'm beginning to identify with as I try to divide my time appropriately between the people involved in my life... but I would like to use this term just jokingly and not let it turn into real stress!

With all of these productive, professional things going on, I will also somehow squeeze in a weekend in Paris next week and ten days in Finland at the beginning of February, followed shortly afterwards by a weekend trip to Salzburg. I told you, it's the 'busy trap' - and it's addictive!

Am I becoming a city zombie?

Become impatient when people don’t stand on the right side of the escalator to let others pass them by. Check. 

Spend an entire day surrounded by hundreds of people but talk to no one. Check. 

Ignore beggars and leaflet givers while swiftly passing by in a rush somewhere. Check.

Ride the underground with headphones in, head down, no smile, while browsing Facebook. Check. 

Spend what feels like half the week commuting. Check.

Accidently steal a bunch of bananas by simply forgetting to pay for them. OK, that’s probably not typical to city life but yes, check. 

There are clearly advantages and disadvantages to big city life but, luckily for us, human beings have the incredible ability to adapt. I feel I’m adapting to life in the city more and more, but I’m not sure if that means I’m becoming a city zombie, or if the touch of tourist inside me, who still appreciates the surroundings more so than the average resident, has just been somewhat suppressed. Sometimes it seems that I’m a bit of both. 

Picture: The Alps surrounding the city of Innsbruck.

Nevertheless, I’ve recently had a kind of small tour of a few cities and it has opened my eyes to the great differences there can be between them. I started preparing this blog post a while ago, but after travelling over Christmas and the New Year I’ve decided to expand it to include reflections upon the cities I spent some time in. First, my current place of residence, Vienna; then, a weekend trip to Innsbruck; followed by holidays at home in Belfast; and lastly, the first city visit of 2014, Paris.

Vienna

I have the impression that Vienna is a rather unique city. It has all the features and commodities of a big city but the charm and atmosphere of a smaller place. If you’re a fan of people-watching you can avail of the tourist crowds around Stephansplatz. If you’d rather mingle among the locals, there are also many places to choose from. There are of course student crowds, places buzzing of nightlife or culture, daily commuters and Viennese café-goers as well. 

However, there are quiet, secluded areas of the city for those who cannot handle crowds and the inevitable noise that comes with them. The district where I live, for example, is a very peaceful one and the longer I live here the more I appreciate it. It’s easy to live in this district as if it is a little town of its own, rather than a part of a bigger city. Nevertheless, the option is always there to commute or travel around the city as you please, with great public transport connections both day and night. The more I use the network of transport, the more accustomed I have become. I have found myself specifically choosing which section of the tram, underground or train to board based on where I will get out, mainly with the purpose to speed up the journey. 

Of course, there are several faces to Vienna too. The district where I had my first German course is directly on the opposite side of the city from where I live and there are evident differences between the two. It is apparent that people have money in the 18^th district, where I live; the district is well-kept, there are expensive private schools nearby, and there are more Spar-Gourmet shops than the cheaper Billa, Lidl or Hofer alternatives. In contrast, the 10^th district, where I had my German course, displays a more rugged feel from the grubby streets, the groups of drunkards in the local park, the many dishevelled bars and kebab shops, and the much higher proportion of immigrants. These are only my observations, but as a foreigner myself, I’m not sure in which district I would feel more at home. Nevertheless, I’m rather content with my current living situation and its close proximity to the school where I work means it easily wins as my personal preference.

It’s interesting also to compare Vienna to other parts of Austria, and as we recently experienced, it differs quite dramatically. In a way, it seems rather foreseeable for the capital city of a country to stand alone with its own atmosphere, culture and people, in contrast to other smaller cities. This is probably true of most capital cities but in Austria, at least so far, it has taken a 4-5 hour train journey across the country to Innsbruck to find something distinctly different, but still Austrian.  

Innsbruck

This beautiful, compact, skiing city amidst the Austrian Alps will question whether you are a city person or a mountain person. Personally, I’m a water person, preferring lakes, the sea or the ocean to capture my amazement, but I can understand how mountains, especially those such as the Alpine mountains, would entice people from all over the world. It’s impossible not to be charmed by the stunning backdrop of the Alps in Innsbruck, along with its Tyrolean cuisine and Swarovski shine. 

We had the whole weekend to explore Innsbruck so we decided to invest in an ‘Innsbruck Card’ to

avail of all the possible attractions, including the Nordkettenbahnen cable car to the highest point, as well as the Alpine zoo on the way down, and Swarovski crystal world, a 30-minute bus ride from the centre of Innsbruck. It was worth investing in the Innsbruck Card to also take advantage of the free transportation, in and around the city.

There was also plenty to do even within the city centre, with interesting museums to visit (free with the Innsbruck Card) and festive Christmas markets that are too adorable to ignore. Don’t be fooled by the picturesque buildings – they can be deceivingly alike in their scenic charm but some of them offer more than others, such as the building with the Golden Roof, and the ‘Stadtturm’, the city tower, that offers a wonderful view over Innsbruck. 

As enchanting as the city itself is, it was really the surrounding Alps that made it, especially the chance to experience real snow again after what feels like a long time without it. The winter in Austria has been surprisingly easy to cope with from how I expected it to be. I think that’s mainly because I had come to associate winter with endless hours of darkness that only the snow could improve (thank you, Finland.) However, the winter days here have more hours of daylight, meaning that it’s not necessarily dark when I’m walking to the school for 8 o’clock in the morning. It’s amazing how much of a difference that can make.

Belfast 

It’s always wonderful to experience the capital of your home country through the eyes of a tourist, or even better, through your own eyes as an indigenous individual with a new perspective of appreciation for what your country has to offer. At the same time, it’s lovely just to revisit some familiar places while also discovering new ones with old friends. 

I had to make a point of visiting the annual Continental Christmas Market in Belfast, inspired by (mostly) “continental” German, French, Austrian and Polish festive markets. Representatives from continental countries such as these, and even some further afield, travel to the capital of Northern Ireland to set up their market stalls in the gardens of the impressive city hall. It has to be said that this year was a huge improvement upon last year in terms of the overall atmosphere and ambiance. Unfortunately, last year the market felt like a ghost town due to riots repelling crowds of visitors. Nevertheless, even rioters take a Christmas holiday and we took advantage of the opportunity to chat directly with the traders and spot a bargain (since trade was low, many stalls were selling things even cheaper than normal.) However, this year the buzz was back and clearly visible – and great to see!

By playing host to Thomas and his parents, I spent much of my Christmas holiday exploring Northern Ireland again by driving up the beautiful Antrim coast (through the crazy, unpredictable, ever-changing, stormy weather); indulging in Afternoon Tea in Maryville Tearooms; climbing on and off old buses and trains at the Transport Museum; enjoying a leisurely stroll while throwing sticks into the lake for Sandy to swim for at Hillsborough Park; and, finally, attempting to understand our complicated, local politics and history during a unique tour of Crumlin Road Gaol*. This tiny country has a lot more to offer but that has not been my first time playing the tourist at home and will hopefully not be the last. 

                *The irony being that two former inmates are now the current First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive (part of the NI Assembly with legislative power over issues not reserved to the British Parliament – confusing? That’s Northern Irish politics!) Our two leading politicians who both spent time locked up there, officially reopened Crumlin Road Gaol as a visitor attraction in 2012, as the only remaining Victorian era prison in NI.

It closed its doors as a working prison in 1996, with the last executions (by hanging – they go into great detail about that during the guided tour of the gaol) held in 1961. I would highly recommend the tour, especially for anyone interested in how they handled the overcrowded prison during the Troubles. Paranormal tours are also available. I didn't have the nerve to try one myself though.

Paris 

My first impression of Paris after spending a couple of days there during an interrailing trip in summer 2009 was that it’s expensive, dirty, overrated and the people are rude and snobby. However, after spending six nights there in the first week of 2014, I can say that it’s certainly not wise to base your entire judgement upon a first impression. Mine was proven wrong.

Pic: A gift from Paris: free transport saving us 20€!

 

While it’s easy to find parts of Paris that are expensive, dirty, overrated and full of unfriendly people, it is also just as easy to find the more affordable, clean, alluring and friendly Paris. Thomas and I found many ways to explore Paris on the cheap. We took a free, unconventional walking tour with a local Parisian through the Latin Quarter where we discovered quirks of the local architecture, as well as insights into the development of education and tips on how to survive the city. For example, one lady asked how it’s possible to cross the street safely without attempting to dodge through the crazy traffic. Alexander, our guide (we were a group of less than 10), answered with his survival tip, “Find someone who looks like a Parisian and follow them!” I wish now that I had have asked about something I only noticed later – the many self-service laundrettes, indicating that some apartment buildings come without any laundry facilities. Perhaps there's a more interesting, historical answer to my wonderment. 

Thomas and I even managed to thoroughly enjoy the premiere of ‘Lost Illusions’ by the Russian ballet and orchestra from the Bolshoi Theatre, by queuing two hours before the performance and bagging tickets at just 10€ each for this magnificent, sell-out event in the grand Palais Garnier opera house in central Paris. 

Furthermore, we took advantage of having free entrance to the Louvre, probably the most famous museum in the world. It’s free on the first Sunday of every month and considering it was the first of the year 2014, the queue was not that long and it was not at all overcrowded inside (perhaps with the slight exception of the room housing the infamous Mona Lisa, though it was still easily visible and approachable, despite being smaller than I originally thought it was.) It was an amazing experience and was aided surprisingly well by an impressive Nintendo 3DS audio guide with interactive map – you can easily get lost without one! We easily spent almost 5 hours there and my recommendation is to wear comfortable shoes – the place is huge but it’s worth all the walking! 

To continue the stingy way to explore Paris, as well as a way to avoid the subway stench, we had so much fun cycling the streets of the city, and it wasn’t even as scary as it sounds! The cycle lanes are surprisingly well structured with signs in places for cyclists that are probably more

useful than the signs for motorists. The city bikes are cheap (or even free for 30 mins at a time) and you see much more of the city weaving through the streets. The sights look even more spectacular at night – the sparkling Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge, etc. and the bonus is there are fewer tourists around (therefore also fewer pesky scam artists trying to sell tacky, useless souvenirs) and a better view.

It seems like we did some real, hard-core sightseeing of Paris but actually it didn’t feel like it at all. We basically didn’t plan anything and just went with the flow depending on our mood and the weather (which was sunny and dry the majority of the time and great cycling weather!) The only idea I had in mind came from a recommendation from an Aer Lingus in-flight magazine (yes, sometimes those are worth reading) which was a great choice – a cool, quirky, chemistry-themed café with superb carrot cake that I ordered based on the recommendation. We also treated ourselves of course to some renowned French cuisine, some very popular Basque food and wine, and, just for a change, some delicious Vietnamese food found in the ‘Chinatown’ of Paris.

In conclusion, in every month of 2013 I have travelled somewhere, most of the time to a different country. I didn’t know at the beginning of the year that I would travel so much and take in more of Finland, Lapland, Switzerland, Ireland, Estonia, Åland, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. This year, 2014 has already kicked off in Paris, now I’m back in Vienna with plans to return to Paris and Finland later this month. What lies ahead is beyond me, but I hope it involves more travelling and less of the city zombie!