Things that make me happy (of the week)

Fun fact of the day:  When drinking a Weissbier, you clink glasses from the bottom to make a toast. This is so the beer doesn't foam up at the top if you're being a little too raucous.  

It's always nice to look on the bright side of life, so here are some things that made me smile this week.

• The US Will Have "Smart" Credit Cards by October 2015-  woo!  This is very exciting for someone who lives in Europe and can't use their credit card (despite having zero foreign transaction fees).  Basically, all European cards have a little chip in them that American cards don't.  This means, in short, a lot of Americans have a huge hassle when they want to pay for something by credit card in Europe, the machines simply can't read them.  Ever had the stress of buying a train ticket with hundreds of euros in cash because the machine won't accept your card? Yeah.  It sucks.
  
  EVEN BETTER:  This will make American cards way more secure.  "Half of the fraud occurs in the United States but only a quarter of the credit card use," Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.  We're clearly doing something wrong.  France has had this system since '92, and their fraud incidents went down 50% in '93, says the article.  Rad.
• The US beat the Soviets Russians in Olympic Ice Hockey 3-2 on Saturday.  Enough said.
• This gif is so good. 
  

LOOK AT MY ADORABLE NEPHEW I SKYPED WITH

THE END, have a great week :)

On Travel Tattoos

Warning:  Potentially offensive towards people I actually know in real life.  Sorry.

I'm pro-tattoos.  I'm pro-travel.  So why am I against travel themed-tattoos?  Well, to be fair, I'm only against a specific type.  The world map tattoo, colored in or otherwise marked, to indicate where the bearer has traveled.  At first, I thought this was a fantastic idea and I wanted it for myself, but now it has become a cliché (also, finally this awful French keyboard is coming in handy).

Recently I read an article on Laughing Squid about the above man, and the story is pretty self evident.  It's a great idea for a world traveller, but just as the article mentions he got the idea from someone else.  It isn't the first time I've heard of this particular tattoo idea either, nor will it be the last.  I'm sure if I wandered into almost any hostel in the world, I could find someone with dreams (or real ink) of this, or a similar, idea.  This tattoo has unfortunately become the infinity symbol, dreamcatcher, or anchor of the travel world, by which I mean it's overly done, and the most common thing you'll find on someone's body, if tattooed.  And yes, I do realiwe this incriminates me as unoriginal as well, I have an anchor tattoo on my ankle.

I'm interested to see how this trend plays out in my world travels.  I think it's very cool to show off where you've been and your life experiences through ink, but I also can't imagine how sad I would be if I started this tatto and then didn't get to fill it in as much as I would hope.  You'd have to be seriously committed to have the map you want, and I've only visited 8 countries.  The guy above has visited 40.

I like other travel tattoos, but I prefer them to be uniquely tailored to the wearer's experience.  For example, I know someone who has the coordinates of a spot that changed her life, along with the constellation that often guided her wilderness experience group.  That I find to be remarkable.  It's something maybe only a few people in the whole world can relate to, and has special meaning.

What are your views on travel tattoos? 

Bratislava for a Day

NOTE:  This post was supposed to be posted about a month ago.  I tried to upload pictures, it didn't work, and I gave up on the post.  Sorry that it's late!

Here's something you might not know about Vienna.  It's SUPER close to another European capital, Bratislava.  Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, (hey, not everyone knows this stuff!) and has a population of 460,000 according to Wikipedia.  Seriously, look how close these cities are:

Literally, they are about an hour away from one another by train.  For just 15 euros you can travel from Vienna to Bratislava and back with included use of the Slovakian capital's public transportation system.  It's a great deal, especially because things in Bratislava can be so much cheaper than in Vienna.  An example:

Ice skating in a public rink in Vienna (on a Saturday afternoon): 6 euros to skate, 6 euros to rent ice skates

In Bratislava (any time of day, on an admittedly smaller rink but less crowded day): 1 euro to skate for an hour and a half, 3 euros to rent skates.

I traveled with my good Au Pair friend Lucia, who is from East Slovakia.  Our ride was uneventful and the train was fairly empty in both directions.  I was lucky to have a native speaker, I don't know how I was going to get around the city otherwise!

Soon after getting off the bus that brought us more or less to the town center, we climbed to the top of the city to the Bratislava Castle (pictured below).  From there we could see the whole town- admittedly small.  Bratislava is cute in that the streets are narrow and seemingly very old, the architecture is interesting, and most of all, quiet.  I was surprised to arrive in a city that purportedly has a "gypsy problem" to only see one crazy homeless-looking guy at the train station.  My interest in gypsies is quite extensive, but I'll write about that another time.

We also saw St. Martin's Cathedral, which was nowhere near as impressive as those in Vienna.  I'm so spoiled by living here.

What I was most excited for in Bratislava was to try Halušky (Ha-loosh-key).  It's a traditional Slovakian Dish, similar to Gnocci (Wikipedia calls them potato dough lumps, mmm), with a soft sheep's cheese.  My friend thought I would hate it and I was out of my mind to want to try it.  But I liked it!  It tasted like cream cheese that had been left out on the counter a little too long, but warm like the sun had been beating down on it.  I could've probably eaten quite a bit, but I don't think my stomach would've liked it.  It also has bacon cubes to top it off.  What could be better?

Another typical Slovakian tradition, I'm told, is to drink tea with rum at lunch, or a shot of very strong liquor.  I don't necessarily believe that, as the waiter seem perplexed by our order, and I think we ended up having Jasmine tea with rum.  Mmm.  Not.

Written February 3rd:  Well...that's what I've got for Bratislava.  Not a bad place to go and get out of Vienna for a day, especially since the shops are 1. cheaper and 2. open on Sundays.  I'd like to see the city in the spring because it would certainly be more beautiful and fun to explore.

Happy New Year! 2013 in Review and a look ahead at 2014...

Happy New Year everyone!  Bonne Annee!  Froehliches Silvester! et cetera!

Clearly, the first thing I intend to do in 2014 is update my blog more often.  Good thing I have lots of content to write about!  I'm back in Vienna for those who knew I was away, and for those who didn't, a two week vacation in France for Christmas and New Year's with the love of my life was just what I needed.  I woke in Paris this morning at 5:45 and went by plane, train and automobile to be in my room in Vienna by 1pm.  Woo!

So, seeing as I love lists, you know what's about to happen
2013 IN REVIEW!!  YAY!


In 2013 I...

• Graduated James Madison University with a BA in International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in economics
• Studied Arabic, French, and German
• Celebrated my one year anniversary with Loic at the place where we had our first real date (ok that was in December but shh)
• Saw a ton of movies
• Traveled a little in Europe...Paris, Vienna, Munich, Budapest, Salzburg, French Alps, Bretagne (also France)

This is how the year went..

January - April:  USA

May and June: Munich

July: Paris

August: USA

September - December: Vienna

If you're keeping track, I spent five months in the US, approximately two months in Paris, six weeks in Munich (don't remind me...) and almost four months in Vienna.  I spent all major holidays in Europe.

This year will shape up to be quite similar I think.  Major news for those who skip the rest of this post:  I am extending my Vienna contract until late June.  Originally I was supposed to stay until March 1st, but it just makes more sense to stay.  

My personal goals for this year:

• Improve my French, German, and Arabic (I really hope the last one will work out- I miss Arabic so much and wasn't half bad at it)
• Continue my education...a European master's program seems to be in my future...more later
• Travel more
• Save more (yes, I realize this and the last point are conflicting)
• Cook more
• Spend more time outside
• Read more.  This one is super easy since Loic bought me a Kindle for Christmas!
• Meet more people and communicate better with old friends
• BLOG MORE, DAMMIT

Big decisions are in the future regarding me, Loic, education, and where I'll be living.  I don't know what will happen in 6ish months, but I'll try to keep my blog updated better.

Liebe Gruessen!

Bekka (or as the kids now call me...Becky)

When people ask me where I live...

I'm going to show them this map.  Or make my hands into a diamond shape and tell them there's a cut out part.  I think I can be forgiven for saying "I'm from DC" when you look at such a map.

Personal Finance Friday

Hey everyone, happy Friday!

Recently I entered the new world of student loan debt, a place that I, nor anyone in their right mind, actually wants to be.  I borrowed 18k from the government, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I chose an in-state school and got in and out within four years, nothing too expensive.  Around the internet this week I've seen some ridiculous things.  First I saw an image on reddit that shows the ridiculous debt of the person the poster was marrying.  Almost 100k with some loans over 10% interest?  UGH, HOW AWFUL.  I'm sorry for showing you this.

THEN I found out that a person can be even MORE in debt.  Consider a four year private college and then four years of 70k per year medical school.  Jesus Christ.  Can you imagine such a thing?  Again, I am SO LUCKY that I got in and out of James Madison before they doubled the interest rates on student loans.  I just barely made it out alive.


So how am I handling my new "debt crisis?"  Well, I paid my first bill off okay.  I'm not earning much every month here being an Au Pair in Austria, but I don't spend much either.  I intend on paying off my loans as smartly as possible, "snowballing" (as the pros say) is my main goal.  That means paying off the smallest loans with the biggest interest rates as fast as possible.  I've got my eye on one of those loans right now, and it's going down in less than two years if I have anything to say about it.

In addition, I'm using this website called Tuition.io, reviewed here by one of my favorite websites, Lifehacker.  It doesn't really DO much, but it provides clear visuals to explain the reduction of my debt.  I had another option ready, Student Loan Hero, but that dumb thing costs $5 per month.  Who the hell do they think their market IS?  We're poor!

Not my loan

I hope you like it, if you're into that kind of thing.  I'm also looking at some other miscellaneous websites about personal finance...Here's a bunch 'o' links!

• Credit Card Churning - People apply for a ton of credit cards and use all their perks and then cancel them right before the annual fee kicks in.  I don't recommend this for the lighthearted, I don't even think I could do it myself unless I had real grown-up money.
• Wall Street Survivor - This is a game to help you learn how to invest and learn about finance... I really want to play it, but I think I'd need a free weekend to spare.  Seems cool, regardless.
• Mr. Money Mustache - Ok I know nothing about this website, I just saw it linked on the personal finance subreddit and bookmarked it immediately.  Apparently it has sound advice and good podcasts.  We'll see!
• The Motley Fool - I had weird deja vu when I followed the link to this site for the first time.  Oh right, the headquarters are located in my hometown!  How cool!  This is another learning website that has a good podcast...rest assured I'll be looking into this one as well. 

That's all I've got for you today, FINANCE LOVERS.  I hope this has has been educational or mildly entertaining!  

Cultural Observations: Vienna

I've been living in Vienna for seven weeks.  I feel like this is a good time to point out some of my observations of the lovely Viennese culture.

1.  Ketchup ain't free
I don't know why this is so strange to me.  Every time I go to McDonald's (which has been like, twice, don't judge me), I forget that important fact when I get my meal.  This means pulling out my wallet again and looking like a dummy while holding up the line.  Aggravating stuff.

2.  Bewegung
Bewegung is German for "movement," and it's something the family I live with likes to do after a big meal.  I don't understand this one either.  We've just eaten a gigantic meal, the last thing I want to do is go outside and hike around in the fresh air.  However, I am coming around to the idea of this one.

3.  Jack Wolfskin = North Face
Jack Wolfskin is the Austrian equivalent of the American North Face jacket brand.  You see them EVERYWHERE.  Just about ever traveller on the metro has one and they come in just about every color.  It's pretty interesting.

4.  "Wurscht"
Wurst, the proper pronunciation of the word above, as you may know means "sausage."  However, the Viennese dialect has integrated this word into their daily conversation to mean "I don't care/It doesn't matter to me."  Do you want to have chicken or steak for dinner?  It's sausage to me.  I love using this phrase but it certainly took a few weeks to remember how to say it properly.

5.  Vienna is clean
So clean that I have to italicize the word.  Loic visited from Paris, a well known "dirty" city and was astounded by the cleanliness of the streets.  Seriously, in the metro and on the ground, there is no trash.  It's amazing.  Also, it doesn't smell like pee everywhere like some cities *coughparis*.

More observations will come as I notice them,
bis dann!