March 2009

Greetings dear family and friends,

I am sitting in my lovely apartment, listening to gorgeous classical piano music and feeling the sun, yes SUN, on my back through the window for the first time in about 6 weeks. I can't even begin to tell you what a thrill that is. Vienna is kind of the Seattle of Austria... not much sun, lots of rain and gallons of coffee. Oh yeah, don't forget the wine and beer too.

It is March 8, Sunday, and all is quiet in Vienna. You see, because it is a Catholic country and the church is such a vital part of life here, EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays. You can go to church, ride public transportation and have coffee but that's about it. The government charges an extra fee to businesses that want to be open on Sundays. I have grown to love this about Vienna. The belief is that Sunday is for quiet contemplation, time for family and rest. Those are not bad things in my book.

The month of January was pretty quiet around here and there wasn't much to tell. I knew that February would be full of news so I waited to write until now. And... indeed, I was right. Lots to tell so I'll get started.

It's hard to believe that two thirds of the school year is already gone and that I've been in Vienna for over a year and a half. Where does the time go?

My first big event of February was a trip during our school's Ski Week break to Egypt. I had planned to go to Iceland but at the last minute my travel buddy couldn't make the trip and I opted to go with friends to Marsa Alam, Egypt on the Red Sea instead. I am glad that I did. There were five of us on the trip. They are amazing and delightful friends and going to Egypt with them was a real treat. We spent a great deal of time at our resort which was right on the beach and beautiful. Since we had the all inclusive plan we ate and drank whatever we wanted whenever we wanted and just layed by the pool and beach reading, resting and recupterating from the long chilly Austrian winter. We took a one day trip to Luxor by private car and had an amazing day seeing the Valley of the Kings where the tombs of Ramses and Tuthankamen (King Tut) were found. There are about 18 tombs buried in the mountains in this area and still more are uncovered all the time. It was incredible to enter the tombs and see carvings and paintings that were done with natural dyes and stains and preserved with a coat of egg white that had lasted and still looked wonderful 4,000 years later. Unbelievably beautiful. It was interesting to see Egyptian men in native dress hauling sand and rock by bucketfulls on their heads away from the excavation sites and working in groups of 20-30 to uncover yet unknown tombs.

We then went to Hatshepsut, an amazingly well preserved temple that still has many of the giant statues and arches, wall and columns that it was built with 4,000 years ago. It was fascinating standing in a place where you knew that thousands of years ago, others had stood. What a feeling of awe. The size of each feature of the temple is unbelievable. The statues of the gods and goddesses were sometimes 60-70 feet tall with unvelievable detail. The columns were even taller than that and had stood in the same place, on the side of a mountain for centuries. The even more amazing thing to think about when I was standing there was that at the time these temples were built, there was none of the technology, power or equipment that we use today to shape, move and erect these huge pieces of rock. No cranes, bull dozers or hydrolic lifts. Only human slave labor and an unforgiving landscape. You can't even begin to comprehend how it was done and who would ever have such an idea in the first place. One of the interesting things of note is that all of these temples and tombs were built as monuments and tributes to the kings, queens and gods and goddesses of that time. They had a firm belief that it was what you did to present yourself in heaven that sealed your fate for the afterlife. Nothing was too great, too expensive, too elaborate for pleasing the gods and assuring ones place in the next world.

We then went for a bit of shopping, some lunch and then on to the temple of Karnak. It is the largest standing temple in the world. It is amazingly well preserved and contains some of the key elements of Egyptian history and culture. One interesting feature, you will see in the pictures on the left, is a giant scarob, or beetle, that is said to bring luck and long life to those who possess it. Everything in their art, jewelry, carving, etc. depicts the beetle. At the temple, there is a pedestal with a giant stone beetle on top. Legend has it that if you circle the scarob 4 times you will have good luck. If you circle it 5 times you will find true love. I, not wanting to get short changed on anything, went around 6 times. For that, I now know, you just get blisters.

On our last day in Egypt, we dressed ourselves in long pants, long sleeved shirts and sunglasses and took a 3 hour tour of the Sahara Desert on four wheel motor bikes (quads). It was incredible. The terrain was solid rock and sand, not the sand dunes one usually thinks of when imagining the Sahara. That is in another part of Africa. We rode and rode and saw the unbelievably breathtaking landscape of the desert. The only tree or vegetation we saw the whole time was an occasional Acacia tree or scrub brush. I think we saw, perhaps, 6 trees all afternoon. Where they came from and how they survive is beyond me. There has probably not been a drop of water on that ground in years. So that we didn't get overcome with the dust being thrown back by the quad in front of us we had to be wrapped in scarves with the turban and face mask style. It was amazing how much it helped. We laughed about looking like terrorists but understood later now un-funny that really was. To the people who live in this part of the world, that headgear is a necessity of life, not an optional accessory that identifies them with a group of political belief. It was amazing to spend time in a Muslim country and have the chance to talk with people willing to share their lives and their cultures and help us understand their ways. It's too bad that doesn't happen more often for all of us. Think of what it could mean if, rather than shooting at people, we could talk to them and understand.

As we walked from the end of our quad ride to the hotel lobby in our turbans, dusty clothes and filthy, filthy faces, we laughed. You see, this same group of friends that had just shared a desert adventure with me on this Saturday evening, was the group that the next Saturday night would be dressed in all our finest and attending the United Nations IAEA Ball at the Hofburg Royal Palace in Vienna. Oh, the difference a shower and a week can make.

The ball season in Vienna lasts from right after Christmas until Ash Wednesday. The idea is to cheer up the dreary cold Vienna winter and have fun before Lent arrives and the season of sacrifice begins. There are probably 100 balls in Vienna during that time. Every group has their ball and it's quite fun to see pictures and hear reports of the fun. The brewmasters have theirs, the opera hosts a huge one, the florists deck out and hold a ball. The chocolatiers even put on a ball. The tickets for the ball range greatly in price and are often times available for purchase by the general public. The trick is to get them early IF they are available.

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Ball is the same one I went to last year. I have a good friend who works for the agency and this year got up at 3am to be at the UN at 5am to be in line to get tickets for a table in the main ball room. The royal palace has about 12 ballrooms, all set up with tables and space for dancing that night. The thrill of the main ballroom is that this is where the philharmonic plays so that the Vienna debutantes can make their entrance all in white and dance with the black tailed escorts to the Viennese Waltz. It's a sight to behold. There were probably 200 young ladies in their white dresses that night, joining Vienna society. It was incredible. We had a table right at the edge of the dance floor and could see the whole thing. It was beautiful.

I must tell you, that night, that ball was, without a doubt, the most amazing night of my life!!! I had a dress that was what every little girl dreams of when she sees herself someday as a princess. I was with amazingly good friends and danced till dawn to every type of music you can imagine. We had a dinner party at John and Gregg's house beforehand and shared an evening that we won't ever forget. At about 3:30am we left the palace and walked through old downtown Vienna, hearing the clippity clop of horses hooves on the cobblestones and ended up stopping for a snack at McDonalds. Yes, Chadwick in his tuxedo and I in my ball gown joined the passed out drunks in McDonalds and had a burger before heading home. It felt just like something from a Billy Crystal comedy. Who else but Jodie and Chadwick would do such a thing. I must say, it made an already perfect evening even better. I would love to say that I got home in time to watch the sun rise, but as I said at the beginning, today is the first day we've seen the sun in a long long time.

This morning, I woke up to the sunshine, showered, put on my Broncos sweatshirt and some jeans and headed outside for a walk in the sun. There is no shortage of amazing places to walk here. Everywhere I go there is beauty, amazement and joy. Today, I headed for the city hall. Each winter, after the Christmas markets are over, the city creates an ice skating wonderland called Eis Traum Wien , Vienna Ice Dream. They flood the grounds in front of the huge city hall building and create an ice rink. There are two main rinks and then a series of pathways through the trees, statues and park on which you can skate and explore and enjoy the fresh air. I haven't skated for 40 years and wasn't about to try again and ruin the moment. So instead, I got a cup of coffee, parked on a bench and watched young and old alike skate and smile and laugh. It was another one of those moments that just makes you glad to be alive. Some of those quiet, peaceful and simple moments in life are often my very favorites.

The big news in my life is that on Friday, March 27 I am going into the hospital to have my long awaited tummy tuck surgery. I have been fortunate to have found the very best plastic surgeon in Vienna and, as many of you know, this is something that I have dreamed of for a long long time. My mom is flying over to be with me and take care of me after I get out of the hospital. I am so fortunate to have her. She's the best. I know I'll be in good hands. The health care system here is set up so that if a doctor says you have to have surgery, the insurance company has to approve it. The doctor and I are submitting the necessary paperwork and have high hopes that there will be no glitches. Regardless, I am moving forward and can't wait to see the results. I am supposed to only be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then be home and up and around. I will be taking 2 weeks off of work for the surgery and then have a week of Spring Break so a three week recovery time all together. The doctor assures me I will be in great shape when it's time to return to work. I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am with this happening. It has been something that have wanted and can hardly believe it is really happening.

After my mom goes back home I am thrilled to say that my sister, Delene, and her husband Dale are coming to Vienna for a visit for about 2 weeks. I can't wait to show them my world and enjoy their company and their fun at seeing Vienna. Shortly after they leave, my dear friends Joan and Zoe are leaving London after their year living there and coming to visit me before returning to the US. We have a little trip to Salzburg planned and, of course, Zoe and I have our traditional "Dump the Mom" day planned. We are going shopping, a movie and to the top chocolate shop in Vienna to have hot chocolate and pastry. Zoe turns 14 in April so I am also going to have a little birthday celebration for her. Not sure yet what that will look like but can't wait to have them here.

Well, my friends, I have a date to meet a friend at the museum cafe down the street for lunch and coffee so I must say Auf Wiedersehen. Thank you for you continued interest and support in my life here. I, as you can surely see, very happy, healthy and enjoying life. Oh yeah, work is good too. Almost forgot that!!! I have a new saying..."Life is too short to work". I'm sure somebody else already said it but I'm claiming it for now.

May the luck of the Irish, the coming of spring and the joy of the season bring you health, happiness and good memories.

Love,
Jodie