school | Talk to me about Austria

My daughters first day of school in Nebraska will be not only the day when she went to school the first time in her life. She went to school in Nebraska. It always will be the day we officially started our journey in Nebraska. Good Bye Austria.

Welcome USA!

It was the fear to bring my kids into a situation like this one. Being in a country they´ve never been before. A country their language they didn’t speak or understand. Observing for many weeks she started little by little to speak, read and write in English. She was enrolled in the ELL Program. Today she is able to follow any conversations and has little problems to find the right words. School was not only a challenge for her, but also for me. Elementary schooldays in Austria start at 8am and usually don´t go any longer then lunchtime. Kids don´t eat at school in Austria, unless they are signed up for an after school program, which usually is another building, or within walking distance of school or it´s one of the newer full-time elementary schools.

Her first day started at 9 am and lasted until 3.38 pm. I still don´t know why schools out at that time in Lincoln, Nebraska. This was a long day. But – and this was the biggest surprise for me – the teachers convinced me to look after her in between and come by for lunch. Unless you are volunteering at the classroom (depending on the teacher) parents are usually not seen at elementary schools in Austria.

I loved the experience to help teachers, to join my daughter for lunch anytime! or to stop by and drop of her lunchbox. Lunch-boxes are something that we have never used before. Kids either have lunch at home or at the after-school program here in Austria. This includes a full 3 course meal. Soup, main dish and often a dessert. The menus have a bright variety and there´s never a meal served twice a month!

I decided to let my kids eat 2 – 3 times a week the school lunch, because I wanted them to have the total experience and to get to know the culture. Of course my daughter quickly found her favorite new dish. Corn dogs.

We were lucky. More than lucky. She was surrounded by wonderful, amazing, and caring teachers and students. One thing that was given to my daughter during those 2 years in Nebraska was a lot of love and joy throughout her journey. It made her grow beautifully. It made her open for others. It made her see things from another perspective. It made her what she is today. My wonderful 8 year old daughter.

See my blog for more thoughts about Nebraska and Austria.

http://theaustrianwalnutproject.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/u-bahn-in-vienna-vs-john-deere-in-nebraska/

Do you miss the days when you were anticipating the next Harry Potter book in the series or waiting feverishly for the next movie to finally come out! Well, look no further than Austria’s International School for Witches and Wizards. They may not have flying broomsticks or dragons, but they have a headmaster named Grand Wizard Dakaneth and a garden full of special herbs.

Your enrollment in the International School for Witches and Wizards program begins in Klagenfurt, Austria. The course consists of seven semesters, with tests and thesis papers at the end of each. The school costs roughly 115 dollars per semester. Subjects include astronomy, potions, magical history, botany, fortune telling, etc.

More than one semester will take place on top of the scenic Magdalen Mountain, in a region of Austria known as Carinthia or Kaernten in German.

During their time spent on the mountain, students look for herbs to make potions, learn about runes and other sources of magical power and are given their witch and wizard names.

The co-founder of this school, Sonja Kulmitzer, leads one of many mountain rituals. She has been with the school since 1998.

What is even weirder than the school itself is the fact that zero clear pictures of the headmaster, Grand Wizard Dakaneth exist. No kidding, we searched for hours ;). He used to be an IT guy, but decided that magic is more his calling. He states:

“I’ve learned that everything is explainable, and magic is magic only until it is explained. If you understand the psychological aspects behind it, the magic disappears. A little obvious, but I’ll take it.”