USA - I'll see you again!

This is gonna be my last entry from the States - today is my last day at work, I'm having my last lunch with my workmates and afterwards I'm going to Maryland to celebrate Brandon's birthday with his friends. I cannot believe that today in a week I am already working in Munich - I could stay here forever ;o) So this entry is also a promise - to myself and my friends here: I'm not saying goodbye on Saturday, but "see you again" - no one gets rid of Laura that easily :o)
And to my folks at home: THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my blog, posting entries and not forgetting me - I haven't forgotten about you too - that is why my suitcases (3!!!) are sooo heavy... cu soon, lots of love, die diplomaten-lauri

The "Saints" were marching in...

Yesterday the first football game in the Superdome - New Orleans' Football Stadium - took place after hurricane Katrina hit the area about a year ago. And luckily the New Orleans Saints won against the Atlanta Falcons. 70.003 people cheered in the stadium as the Saints won - me too, but just in front of the TV :o) Before the game several bands gave concerts in front of the stadium - including U2 and Green Day. Read the Washingtonpost article and see the slide show: Click

Eggenberger beer

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Aaaaaaaand I surprised my American friends with proper Austrian beer - you may not see the label very well but I found some Eggenberger beer in a liquor store close to my Embassy. It tasted soooo good...

beer pong

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Friday night I cooked for 10 Americans traditional Austrian food - and of course they loved it :o) Afterwards I played a real funny American drinking game called "beer pong": The goal is to throw a ping pong ball into 6 cups full of beer of the other team. Whenever you score a goal they have to chugg the cup. Although you know me and my "ball game anxiety" I won two out of three times *wohoo* and you can also imagine how drunk I got...

College football game

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Saturday we went to a huge American College football game: Maryland versus Florida (I couldn't see the guys well because of their helmets ;o). Great fun!!! What I did not know - before the game nearly everyone gathers in the parking lots about three hours earlier and has a barbeque or just a couple of beers. It was CROWDED! And because drinking alcohol is prohibited during College games everyone gets wasted before - so the first two quarters I was really drunk :o)

The first goodbye has already been said...

to my internship supervisor Joey who went on vacation to Austria yesterday. Slowly, but finally I realise that my time in Washington is nearly over - and I sooooo do not want to leave the States. Free refills in the restaurants as often as you want to, shopping 24/7 if you want to, sooo much good food (wohoo, two days ago I baked my first American Cherry pie, @ miri: I LOVE the oreo cookies as well) and an awesome multicultural society which I totally love!!! to cut it short: what is Austria compared to the exciting rest of the world? Tonight I am gonna cook with an American friend of mine AUSTRIAN FOOD (wiener schnitzel mit kartoffelsalat und danach kaiserschmarrn) for a bunch of his people. I am sooo looking forward to that - wish me luck in the kitchen!

news conference on capitol hill

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

A couple of days ago I attended a news conference on Capitol Hill (you can see the top of the Capitol behind the standing crowd :o): The topic: A private public partnership project, developed by the American Tourist Associations all over the country, to promote America as tourist destination. Among the speakers was Jay Rasulo, chairman of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts ;o) and many many others. Nevertheless the news conference was badly organised: Too many people (who would have guessed while looking at the picture *g*) AND it was outside although it was cold and raining...

election rumours

The general election on October 1st is even highly debated in far, far, far away Washington. Today me and my colleagues were VERY amused by the Peter Westenthaler song (at first I thought that I was listening to Radio Steiermark *g*). And - as far as rumours say - our Ambassador is among the candidates for a ministry in case the SPÖ gets the cultural or foreign ministry. In an APA-interview in March this year she stated that she would be "delighted to take new challenges after a change of government". I guess she has a really good attitude towards work - considering the fact that she is already in her 60ies.

works outing to baltimore

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Recently our Ambassador Eva Nowotny invited the Embassy staff to a works outing to Baltimore. The schedule: Visit in the museum and then sea food dining at the Baltimore harbour. I have never eaten such delicious crab meat cake before *mmmmh* By the way, the woman on the right is our Ambassador...

on capitol hill...

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

where all the senate staff works you can even find street signs like this one *g* damn it that I am not (yet) a diplomat :o)

the nicest boss ever!!!

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

yesterday my office was invited to a dinner at my bosses house - gulasch and sachertorte :o) after seven years as press director Mr. Meran is heading back to Vienna - really the nicest boss I have had so far. From left to right: his newborn daughter Anna, himself, the jack russell-dog Roo and his wife Marie-Charlotte.

slang dictionary II

Just two new expressions this time, folks, I am sorry!
gate crasher: someone who attends a party although he is not invited (also: to crash a party)
hickey: those ugly marks someone the other sex leaves on your neck (Knutschfleck)

a dream of every journalist...

comes true on Thursday: I will have the opportunity to do an interview with Nobel Prize winner Erich Kandel for the embassy's bimonthly newsletter "Austrian Information". Born in Vienna in 1929, Kandel emigrated to the States at the age of 9. In 2000 the professor for neurobiology received the Nobel Prize for medicine for his studies about long- and short term memory. I AM THRILLED, excited, nervous and anything else you can imagine. Drückt mir die Daumen :o)

land of freedom ???

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Look at what we came across on "The Mall", a big square in the city center where all the Smithsonian museums are around. it is a funny sign, regarding the fact that outdoor drinking of alcohol is generally prohibited in the States. So what is this sign for?

big apple: NBC studio tour

Another post on New York because you can never talk too much about the Big Apple :o) I also took a tour through the NBC-headquarter, located in the Rockefeller Center. Unfortunately you were not allowed to take any pictures, but they had a lot of stories to tell...
Hightlight of the tour was definitely the visit of several studios, among them the studio where they present America's number 1 newscast in the evening: "Nightly News" with Brian Williams. The studio is a so-called "hot studio", meaning it can be set up for a breaking news-story within 2 minutes. NBC broke its own records during the bombing of the London subway last years - from the time the TV-network received the news of the bombing until they went live on TV it took them just 29 seconds!!!

We also catched a glimpse of the studio where they record the show >"Saturday Night live" (although the show isn't live at all). Funny detail: The chairs for the audience are original seats from the New York's Yankee Football Stadium in bright yellow. And every time Donald Trump shows up he gets the seat 1A - of course I had to touch this chair :o)

hard rock cafe washington D.C.

Today we had our after work cocktails at the Hardrock Cafe in D.C. nice place indeed: two guitar strings frame the big bar and there are lots and lots of famous signed guitars and saxophones hanging around, among them: the guitar of radiohead and the fugees as well as the saxophone of bill clinton (I don't know if monica lewinsky blew in that one too *g*). and the best of all: they even have a special D.C. marketing gag - drinks and t-shirts saying "ambassadors of rock" - of course we drink a couple of them ;o)and on the way to the toilet John Lennon greets you...

big apple: MOMA

Welcome at the Museum of Modern Art - and you can take them by their word: Among their newest exhibition items in the design section are a SMART-car, an Apple-I-Pod and a Canon Ixus-camera. Of course they have "old" modern stuff too - like the shown Picasso-painting below. What's really cool is their outdoor garden - you can sit in the middle of high sky scrapers and enjoy the sun...

big apple: south east harbour

I incidentally took the wrong turn and LUCKILY landed at the South East harbour of NYC. There you can take the "Hop on, hop off"-watertaxi to Brooklyn, eat delicious crab meat or just have a look at the Brooklyn bridge. I decided to do the last thing...

big apple: window shopping

On my second trip to New York I took the China Town bus (cheap, cheaper, cheapest!!!) from China town D.C. to China town new york. the first thing I saw when I got off the bus was - exactly - this beautiful shopping window. I decided to go to another restaurant: There they tried to sell me "deep fried frog with salt, pepper and garlic"... Did I eat it? Who knows....

Welcome to the huuuuuuge Disney World Store at 5th avenue - never ever take your kids with you when you intend to go inside - I have hardly ever seen so many screaming kids' faces (I want a soft toy.... *heul*)Here you can get everything: From super-huge Winnie the Poo to key rings, Goofy stickers and Cinderella dresses...

What would New York be without really expensive stores (and huge, frightening security personell in front of the doors) - so I did not dare to walk inside of most stores. But even the windows of Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultiers look great....

Last but not least - NIKE town. tons of sneakers, running shoes, sandals and stylish staff members (damn, maybe I should start running again *g*)...

Big Apple II

For all of you who have noticed my lack of updating my weblog - right now there is not much noteworthy - or "blogworthy" - going on in the city of diplomats. BUT this weekend I am going to New York a second time - and lots of stories and pictures will follow after my return on Tuesday. take care, I am out of D.C., laura

weeeeeekend barbeque

Last saturday I was invited to a real American barbeque. A paradise of burgers, bratwursts (yes, they use the German name *g*) and lots of budweisers and heinekens.
It's all about perspective, right :o) ? The girl on the right is Sandra by the way, a new German intern at Lufthansa who just arrived a week ago (and yes, she is a little taller than the guy on the right). A nice screen in a nice flat. Funny detail: The flat is located in a district called "vienna" - so the States have their own vienna too. An Ösi (me) surrounded by two German girls on the metro. Another funny detail: The park and ride parkinglots in the States are actually called "KISS and ride" parkinglots. why? I don't know - at least I haven't seen mass-kissing on these parkinglots yet... Group-picture: They guy on my right is Dustin - the host of the barbeque and a satellite technician at the Dulles International airport.

that's what I call a sound system

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Originally uploaded by laura_rossi_graz.

Yesterday I came across a HUMMER near Chinatown and that's what I saw when I looked inside - must be a really really nice sound :o)

slang dictionary

It took me nearly two months to get to know just a couple of cool slang expressions (although I tried really hard to learn more!), so I wanna share them with you :o)
Double-fisting:When you have two alcoholic drinks in your hands at the same time (does happen quite often during our after work happy hours *g*).
to schmooze: To chat/talk with somebody informally. Funny detail: When I told my American workmate at a bar that I liked a guy there and she suggested to go to him and "schmooze" with him, I first thought that she recommended to KISS him...
to go on the "beer-run": Leaving a party and buying beer when there is no more beer left.
Chug it(or you are an ass....): Something like "Ex (the drink)oder nie mehr sex" :o)

the cause of evil is eliminated

The tooth-pain is history and so is my wisdom tooth (the picture is my evidence). I have never seen such a strange dentist office in my entire LIFE. The "Dental Group" welcomes you with a HUGE birdcage in its waiting room and once you are allowed to see your dentist, you walk along a loooong ally with small open dentist's offices (my guess is that there are at least 10 dentists working there). If you wanna take an online-tour of the office, there you go: Tour

hard time making decisions

In the States there are sooo many choices that it is sometimes hard to make a decision. Examples needed?
The metro entrance near my workplace in the district Van Ness (no, not Loch Ness!!!) - from the daily Washington Post to the weekly Vegan Newspaper (those people who eat nothing that comes from or has been touched by an animal) you can get every imaginable newspaper.

In early September D.C. is electing a new city mayor. Apparently D.C. does not provide any big "Außenwerbeflächen", so the contestants are fighting for every singly space, even on traffic lights.

startling similarities

Yesterday I saw a picture of the FPÖ-election-campaign-office on derstandard.at. And that's a picture of my office shot recently - I wanna point out that the similarities are just superficial!

the media-world is a village

Austrians may have heard of this "soft-news"-story already, but I was a little surprised to find the following story in today's free-of-charge Washington metro newspaper express:
For trying to get into jail, you'll go to jail
An ex-con in Vienna was caught last week committing a break-in - at the same prison where he had just spent two years, the Australian reported. Detlef Federsohn had been released from Josefstadt prison after doing time there for theft when police responded to the jail after reports of someone on the roof. Officials thought there may have been a prison break in process, but it turned out to be Federsohn, trying to sneak back in. "Life is so much easier on the inside. They feed you, do your washing and let you watch TV, which I can tell you is a lot more than my mum does," Federsohn said.
So the story went (almost) around the globe - Austria - Australia - USA :o)

ladies at the zoo

Who would have guessed when looking at the pictures that we were at the zoo (cool: even the zoo in D.C. is free of charge).

Which soft toy would YOU choose?

Maybe the animals smelled I was Austrian - all they had to show me was their backside (but how is the saying: Auch ein schöner Rücken kann entzücken ;o)

sick of being sick

I'm ill because my wisdom tooth goes crazy - so I can hardly speak, swallow or eat something. Annoying and presumably pretty expensive - if it doesn't get better by antibiotics I must see the dentist here...

How Laura met the police

Guess what happened on our day off from work - Laura was stopped by the police. Christoph and I rented a car to drive to Rehoboth Bay in Delaware and on our way back we saw two police cars in the rearview mirror. Reason: Christoph passed the speed limit of 25 miles/hour (which is veeeeeery slow indeed). Luckily they let us go as we told them we were Austrians ;o) (it may have helped that we have had our diplomatic visa with us as well).

never let boys take pictures...

Here is what happens when you tell a guy to take a picture of you (in front of the Washington Monument) without detailed instructions:

And that's the picture after I tortured him ;o) :

Sittin' on the dock of a bay

... or at least of the Potomac River! Today we went kayaking on the Potomac, the 21st biggest river in the whole country. After just one "boat over" (meaning: somebody falling out of the boat) and a stunning view on the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial at sunset, we had a picnic at the boat house. Clearly one thing I might consider doing for a second time...