Bad news, folks. Real bad news. Remember the other day when I was like, "The Office doesn't air over here, but have no fears -- we have iTunes." Well, today this happened! NBC and Apple are having a little spat. First, NBC refused to extend the contract that allows Apple to sell TV shows through iTunes because Apple wouldn't double the price of the shows. (Actually, it was more than double -- from $1.99 a show to $4.99.) The current contract ends in December of this year. So there's still time for negotiation, right? I guess Apple wants to push NBC's hand, so now they're refusing to sell the episodes of the new season because they don't want to show only half a season. The season that starts in just three weeks!
This wouldn't be so bad if I had some hopes of seeing the show elsewhere -- like on NBC's website. All the major networks stream full episodes on their websites. However, you can only watch them if you're in the U.S. At least that's the case with all of the videos I have tried to view. I can, however, watch some of the clips on The Office homepage. And I guess that will have to hold me over until it's released on DVD in the event that NBC and Apple can't work something out.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll find season three of The Office (available in U.S. stores on Tuesday) in my mailbox sometime soon.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
More questions and even more answers
I received several more questions in my inbox after the last post. Really, I'm not making this up. So here goes.
Is it everything you thought it would be? Did you expect something to be different than it actually is -- either with everyday tasks or the mission strategy that was planned?
Honestly, I can't remember what I expected as far as everyday tasks. But I don't think I've been shocked by anything.
As far as the mission strategy, one thing we've learned since being over here is that it's not normal for Austrians to invite people into their homes. Generally, an Austrian will prefer to invite you out somewhere -- a cafe or restaurant -- rather into their home for a meal. This is what we've read and have been told, but of course, we haven't been here long enough to experience it yet. (We have been here long enough to notice that some of the things we have read and been told do not seem to hold true, so I'm curious whether this social habit will fall into that category.) How, and whether, this will affect our plans for small groups is yet to be seen.
Have you had many opportunities to meet people or has the language barrier been a big hindrance?
Meeting people will probably be one of the hardest things for me and Brian since either of us are extroverts. We plan on joining an organization or finding some kind of activity in the neighborhood that will allow us to meet people with similar interests. Of course, this will be easier once we speak German. For now, I plan on using English to my advantage. Once I learn a little German I will find a language partner or two who wants to practice English and with whom I can practice German.
Is being over there (on the mission field) scarier than you thought it would be? Do you think being able to speak the language will change that?
Our arrival in Vienna is somewhat of a blur. It took a while for everyone to get their luggage. Then we went through customs (which was basically just getting our passports stamped -- no questions or anything). Then Brian and I found the driver who would take us to the apartment we were staying at for a few weeks and we left. None of that was scary and it was all a little exciting. But then as the we were on the way to the apartment, I distinctly remember thinking, "Oh no, we live here now." It was just a fleeting little moment of terror -- we had no home, no country and we knew hardly anyone. It only lasted about two seconds and I haven't worried about it since. (Of course, having a home now really helps.)
One of the scariest things is figuring out how to talk to people. I mean, that's what we're here for, right? But we can't just go up to people on the bus and tell them they should be going to church. Unless you're six. Because Carli did exactly that and she didn't seem to have any qualms. Sometimes I wish I had fewer inhibitions. I think learning the language will help some with that, but the biggest help will be meeting people and starting relationships. I think it will get easier over time and with practice.
And finally, the most important question: Can you watch The Office?
I was surprised to find that there are a lot of TV shows from the U.S. aired in Vienna. I've seen signs for House. And one of the electronics stores Brian and I checked out was playing Scrubs in the TV section. And I think I saw "Without a Trace" and one (or more) of the CSI shows when I was flipping channels one day in our temporary apartment. But The Office doesn't air over here. And the shows that do air are dubbed in German. Plus, we don't have a TV. Fortunately, none of that matters with The Office because we're planning on buying it on iTunes. :)
Is it everything you thought it would be? Did you expect something to be different than it actually is -- either with everyday tasks or the mission strategy that was planned?
Honestly, I can't remember what I expected as far as everyday tasks. But I don't think I've been shocked by anything.
As far as the mission strategy, one thing we've learned since being over here is that it's not normal for Austrians to invite people into their homes. Generally, an Austrian will prefer to invite you out somewhere -- a cafe or restaurant -- rather into their home for a meal. This is what we've read and have been told, but of course, we haven't been here long enough to experience it yet. (We have been here long enough to notice that some of the things we have read and been told do not seem to hold true, so I'm curious whether this social habit will fall into that category.) How, and whether, this will affect our plans for small groups is yet to be seen.
Have you had many opportunities to meet people or has the language barrier been a big hindrance?
Meeting people will probably be one of the hardest things for me and Brian since either of us are extroverts. We plan on joining an organization or finding some kind of activity in the neighborhood that will allow us to meet people with similar interests. Of course, this will be easier once we speak German. For now, I plan on using English to my advantage. Once I learn a little German I will find a language partner or two who wants to practice English and with whom I can practice German.
Is being over there (on the mission field) scarier than you thought it would be? Do you think being able to speak the language will change that?
Our arrival in Vienna is somewhat of a blur. It took a while for everyone to get their luggage. Then we went through customs (which was basically just getting our passports stamped -- no questions or anything). Then Brian and I found the driver who would take us to the apartment we were staying at for a few weeks and we left. None of that was scary and it was all a little exciting. But then as the we were on the way to the apartment, I distinctly remember thinking, "Oh no, we live here now." It was just a fleeting little moment of terror -- we had no home, no country and we knew hardly anyone. It only lasted about two seconds and I haven't worried about it since. (Of course, having a home now really helps.)
One of the scariest things is figuring out how to talk to people. I mean, that's what we're here for, right? But we can't just go up to people on the bus and tell them they should be going to church. Unless you're six. Because Carli did exactly that and she didn't seem to have any qualms. Sometimes I wish I had fewer inhibitions. I think learning the language will help some with that, but the biggest help will be meeting people and starting relationships. I think it will get easier over time and with practice.
And finally, the most important question: Can you watch The Office?
I was surprised to find that there are a lot of TV shows from the U.S. aired in Vienna. I've seen signs for House. And one of the electronics stores Brian and I checked out was playing Scrubs in the TV section. And I think I saw "Without a Trace" and one (or more) of the CSI shows when I was flipping channels one day in our temporary apartment. But The Office doesn't air over here. And the shows that do air are dubbed in German. Plus, we don't have a TV. Fortunately, none of that matters with The Office because we're planning on buying it on iTunes. :)
Monday, August 27, 2007
A day in the life
Woke up, fell out of bed,
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat...
Oh wait, that's not a day in my life. Sometimes I confuse myself with a young Paul McCartney.
Well, this is the last of the questions that I've received. I thought there might be more. But I guess you're really not that interested. Or maybe you think I just do better when I come up with stuff on my own. I seem to get more comments that way. But I digress. Here it is: "Describe a typical day." I know, it's not really in question form. But let's not judge.
Right now, there really is no such thing as a typical day. Once school starts, I imagine I will have typical days. But, I may not have so much time to post once I'm in school. So for now, I'll just tell you about some of the things I do -- although usually not all in the same day.
Grocery shopping
I've already mentioned some things about grocery shopping in previous blogs, so I won't go into detail. The actual shopping part is pretty much the same as in the U.S., but of course everything is in German. The hard part comes when you are finished shopping. Paying can be a bit intimidating. You place everything on a conveyor belt like in most stores in the U.S., but after the cashier rings up your items you have to place them back into your basket and then bag them yourself (with the bags you remembered to bring from home). It's like a race. Have you been through airport security recently? Did you feel rushed? Quick -- take off your shoes. And your belt. Empty your pockets. Take the laptop out of the case. Hurry, hurry, hurry. People are waiting. That's what I feel like every time I check out at the grocery store.
Another thing about grocery stores is the hours. They're open from some time in the morning (not sure when, but early enough) to 6:00 p.m. or maybe 7:00. They usually stay open a little later on Thursday and close a little earlier on Saturday and are closed all day on Sunday and holidays. We're lucky enough to have a 24 hour gas station nearby in the event that we need something really important -- like Diet Coke -- when the grocery store is closed.
Other shopping
Everything I wrote above applies to shopping for other things as well. We have to carry it home. Paying for things can be intimidating and stressful. Stores close early. The biggest problem with buying things is having to carry it all home. Fortunately (for me), Brian does most of the carrying.
Going into town
Brian and I head towards the inner city (i.e., the touristy side of town) at least once a week. This involves walking to a nearby u-bahn station (u-bahn = subway), then taking 20 minute trip to the city center. We may go to look around, shop or to get a bite to eat (usually pizza from Pizza Bizzi). I call it the touristy side of town, but there are a lot of locals there as well. A lot of our trips are for specific reasons -- to go to a store in search for a hard-to-find item, visit the doctor, go to church, etc. (We often stop in the inner city on our way home from church because it's the only part of town that has stuff open on Sunday because it's considered a tourist area.)
Going to church
We've visited all three of the churches of Christ in Vienna. The first one we visited is located in the far south part of the town. Getting there requires about a 25 minute u-bahn ride, 15 minute bus ride, and walking for 15 or 20 minutes. The second one we visited is more centrally-located. It takes about a 20 minute u-bahn ride, switch to a different u-bahn line for another short ride, then a short walk. The third congregation is an English-speaking group that meets at the same location as the second congregation. The u-bahn station is about a 10-minute walk from our apartment, so the first congregation takes us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there and the second and third congregations takes us about 40 minutes to get there.
Church services are pretty similar to what we're familiar with from the U.S. -- except of course, they're in German. Unless you're with the English-speaking congregation. :) The three congregations probably have less than 50 members between them.
----------------
Of course, my day is also filled with household chores like laundry, cooking, and cleaning -- most of which I've written about in previous posts. We don't have a television, so my free time is filled with reading and spending time on the computer -- mostly the latter. Starting next week, my free time will probably be spent studying German.
For Sharkdog, this is how he spends most of his day.... sleeping.
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup,
And looking up I noticed I was late.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat...
Oh wait, that's not a day in my life. Sometimes I confuse myself with a young Paul McCartney.
Well, this is the last of the questions that I've received. I thought there might be more. But I guess you're really not that interested. Or maybe you think I just do better when I come up with stuff on my own. I seem to get more comments that way. But I digress. Here it is: "Describe a typical day." I know, it's not really in question form. But let's not judge.
Right now, there really is no such thing as a typical day. Once school starts, I imagine I will have typical days. But, I may not have so much time to post once I'm in school. So for now, I'll just tell you about some of the things I do -- although usually not all in the same day.
Grocery shopping
I've already mentioned some things about grocery shopping in previous blogs, so I won't go into detail. The actual shopping part is pretty much the same as in the U.S., but of course everything is in German. The hard part comes when you are finished shopping. Paying can be a bit intimidating. You place everything on a conveyor belt like in most stores in the U.S., but after the cashier rings up your items you have to place them back into your basket and then bag them yourself (with the bags you remembered to bring from home). It's like a race. Have you been through airport security recently? Did you feel rushed? Quick -- take off your shoes. And your belt. Empty your pockets. Take the laptop out of the case. Hurry, hurry, hurry. People are waiting. That's what I feel like every time I check out at the grocery store.
Another thing about grocery stores is the hours. They're open from some time in the morning (not sure when, but early enough) to 6:00 p.m. or maybe 7:00. They usually stay open a little later on Thursday and close a little earlier on Saturday and are closed all day on Sunday and holidays. We're lucky enough to have a 24 hour gas station nearby in the event that we need something really important -- like Diet Coke -- when the grocery store is closed.
Other shopping
Everything I wrote above applies to shopping for other things as well. We have to carry it home. Paying for things can be intimidating and stressful. Stores close early. The biggest problem with buying things is having to carry it all home. Fortunately (for me), Brian does most of the carrying.
Going into town
Brian and I head towards the inner city (i.e., the touristy side of town) at least once a week. This involves walking to a nearby u-bahn station (u-bahn = subway), then taking 20 minute trip to the city center. We may go to look around, shop or to get a bite to eat (usually pizza from Pizza Bizzi). I call it the touristy side of town, but there are a lot of locals there as well. A lot of our trips are for specific reasons -- to go to a store in search for a hard-to-find item, visit the doctor, go to church, etc. (We often stop in the inner city on our way home from church because it's the only part of town that has stuff open on Sunday because it's considered a tourist area.)
Going to church
We've visited all three of the churches of Christ in Vienna. The first one we visited is located in the far south part of the town. Getting there requires about a 25 minute u-bahn ride, 15 minute bus ride, and walking for 15 or 20 minutes. The second one we visited is more centrally-located. It takes about a 20 minute u-bahn ride, switch to a different u-bahn line for another short ride, then a short walk. The third congregation is an English-speaking group that meets at the same location as the second congregation. The u-bahn station is about a 10-minute walk from our apartment, so the first congregation takes us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there and the second and third congregations takes us about 40 minutes to get there.
Church services are pretty similar to what we're familiar with from the U.S. -- except of course, they're in German. Unless you're with the English-speaking congregation. :) The three congregations probably have less than 50 members between them.
----------------
Of course, my day is also filled with household chores like laundry, cooking, and cleaning -- most of which I've written about in previous posts. We don't have a television, so my free time is filled with reading and spending time on the computer -- mostly the latter. Starting next week, my free time will probably be spent studying German.
For Sharkdog, this is how he spends most of his day.... sleeping.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Let's try this again
You may remember that I tried to bake chocolate chip cookies about a week ago. That was such a disappointment (and so disgusting) it has taken me a while to recover and try again. But after buying the molasses yesterday, I decided I needed to give the homemade brown sugar a try. And what better way than with chocolate chip cookies.
I was a little leery at first because the molasses and sugar where not mixing well. But once I threw the butter into the mix, things started shaping up. When I was finished with the dough, I could taste the molasses in it. However, after refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours the molasses taste was gone and it just tasted like good ol' chocolate chip cookie dough. This is the recipe I used, in case you want to give it a try.
Here's the finished product (on a lovely piece of Polish pottery). They turned out crisp around the edges and soft in the middle -- just like from the bakery.
And while we're in the kitchen, I'd like to show off these air-tight canisters I bought to store flour and sugar and such. Aren't they so cute!
And the colors go so well with the tiles in my kitchen! I may just have to leave them sitting on the counter.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Alisha goes to the market
Vienna has a lot of open-air markets, the most famous of which is called the Naschmarkt. Brian had plans today that didn't involve me, so I decided it would be a good time for a thorough exploration of the Naschmarkt. The Naschmarkt is open daily -- except Sundays when everything is closed -- but on Saturday a lot of local farmers bring in their crops so the options are more varied. And occasionally (maybe once a month), there is also a flea market where you can find anything and everything you can imagine. Today happened to be the flea market day.
I arrived at the Naschmarkt fairly late in the day -- around 3:30 -- but everything was still open. I decided to hit the food section first and then go back to the flea market if there was time. Here are a few photos of the produce stalls.
I was on a mission to find brown sugar, vanilla and coconut flakes (for Amanda). I've read that both brown sugar and vanilla can be found at some Asian shops and there are several shops located in or around Naschmarkt. In the end, the only thing I found from my list was the coconut flakes. However, I did find some Arm & Hammer baking soda and molasses. I mentioned in an earlier post that I couldn't find baking soda here, but later I found it at my usual grocery store. And later that day I found it again in my kitchen cabinet. I guess I did have baking soda when I wanted to make the cookies after all. I bought the A&H anyways because it was less expensive than what's in grocery store. I plan on using the molasses to make brown sugar, so maybe I was successful in my brown sugar mission after all.
By the time I was finished with all of the food stalls, everything was starting to close down. The vendors were calling out "Corn, 3 for 1 euro; radishes, 1 euro" -- except, of course, in German -- so I stopped and picked up some corn and pears. I would have loved to buy more fruit, but we already had apples and peaches at home and we just don't go through that much fruit. So here are my purchases.
I went ahead and walked through the flea market even though most of the people were starting to pack up their things. I don't think I can describe the flea market accurately. There were three rows with vendors on each side. They were selling everything: clothes, records, crystal (or glass), framed art, bike wheels, old pots and pans. Here are a few photos I snapped.
This was actually a nice looking stall, compared to most. The shoes are in decent condition and they all appear to have a match. Plus, they're on a table. A lot of the stalls were just a blanket spread on the ground with everything thrown out on it.
You can't really tell what is being sold here, but you get an idea of how much stuff is out there. And the quality, or lack of -- see the stack of old magazines in the bottom center of this photo?
I didn't take any close up photos at the flea market because 1) it was awkward taking photos and 2) I wanted to show the chaotic nature of the place.
The only thing I was really interested in was old photos and postcards. Preferably ones with writing (and a date) on the back. I found two great old black and white postcards from Vienna, but I ended up not getting them. One of the things the phrase books don't tell you -- when you learn how to ask "how much is this" in German, you should hold off on using it until you're able to understand the response. The guy was putting away stuff and wasn't interested in me and the price that I think he gave me was way more than I wanted to pay. Later, I was looking through some more cards and asked the price (in English, this time) and the guy gave the typical European street vendor answer: "For you, I give you a good price." Despite his answer, I continued to look. I only found one photo I wanted and when I asked the price he shrugged and said I could take it. That is a good price! I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but something crafty.
I arrived at the Naschmarkt fairly late in the day -- around 3:30 -- but everything was still open. I decided to hit the food section first and then go back to the flea market if there was time. Here are a few photos of the produce stalls.
I was on a mission to find brown sugar, vanilla and coconut flakes (for Amanda). I've read that both brown sugar and vanilla can be found at some Asian shops and there are several shops located in or around Naschmarkt. In the end, the only thing I found from my list was the coconut flakes. However, I did find some Arm & Hammer baking soda and molasses. I mentioned in an earlier post that I couldn't find baking soda here, but later I found it at my usual grocery store. And later that day I found it again in my kitchen cabinet. I guess I did have baking soda when I wanted to make the cookies after all. I bought the A&H anyways because it was less expensive than what's in grocery store. I plan on using the molasses to make brown sugar, so maybe I was successful in my brown sugar mission after all.
By the time I was finished with all of the food stalls, everything was starting to close down. The vendors were calling out "Corn, 3 for 1 euro; radishes, 1 euro" -- except, of course, in German -- so I stopped and picked up some corn and pears. I would have loved to buy more fruit, but we already had apples and peaches at home and we just don't go through that much fruit. So here are my purchases.
I went ahead and walked through the flea market even though most of the people were starting to pack up their things. I don't think I can describe the flea market accurately. There were three rows with vendors on each side. They were selling everything: clothes, records, crystal (or glass), framed art, bike wheels, old pots and pans. Here are a few photos I snapped.
This was actually a nice looking stall, compared to most. The shoes are in decent condition and they all appear to have a match. Plus, they're on a table. A lot of the stalls were just a blanket spread on the ground with everything thrown out on it.You can't really tell what is being sold here, but you get an idea of how much stuff is out there. And the quality, or lack of -- see the stack of old magazines in the bottom center of this photo?
I didn't take any close up photos at the flea market because 1) it was awkward taking photos and 2) I wanted to show the chaotic nature of the place.
The only thing I was really interested in was old photos and postcards. Preferably ones with writing (and a date) on the back. I found two great old black and white postcards from Vienna, but I ended up not getting them. One of the things the phrase books don't tell you -- when you learn how to ask "how much is this" in German, you should hold off on using it until you're able to understand the response. The guy was putting away stuff and wasn't interested in me and the price that I think he gave me was way more than I wanted to pay. Later, I was looking through some more cards and asked the price (in English, this time) and the guy gave the typical European street vendor answer: "For you, I give you a good price." Despite his answer, I continued to look. I only found one photo I wanted and when I asked the price he shrugged and said I could take it. That is a good price! I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but something crafty.
I love this man's short pants! And the mother fixing her daughter's hair. It's great.
P.S. Somehow I managed to publish this post when I was only half-way through. So if you started reading before everything was published, sorry about that.
P.P.S. Does anyone have any experience with molasses? When I got the bottle home, it was leaking. I cleaned it up and then later found it leaking again. I removed the lid and it was kind of foamy. I decided to look online to see if that was normal. About half an hour later (I got distracted while online), I returned to the kitchen to find this --
I found online that "some foam" is normal. But this is a lot of foam! When I bought it, I thought it seemed awfully thick, even for molasses. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have kept shaking the bottle in the store. I ended up pouring some of it into another jar and it looks like it has stopped growing now. But still, this doesn't seem normal.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Newsletter signup
If you are not currently receiving our newsletter in the mail and would like to have a copy emailed to you, please send me an email and I'll add you to the list.
If you usually receive a newsletter in the mail and are wondering if you're still on the list because you haven't received a newsletter in a while, don't worry. We haven't sent one out since June. But of course, you already knew that you wouldn't get one for July or maybe August because we mentioned that in the June newsletter. And you read it cover to cover. And then reread it. Just to make sure you didn't miss anything. You are so dedicated! (Actually, I'm not sure that I read it cover to cover, but I'm pretty sure the thing about it not coming for a while was in there.)
If you get the newsletter in the mail and also want to get it in your inbox, just send me an email.
The next newsletter -- both paper and electronic versions -- should go out sometime next week.
If you usually receive a newsletter in the mail and are wondering if you're still on the list because you haven't received a newsletter in a while, don't worry. We haven't sent one out since June. But of course, you already knew that you wouldn't get one for July or maybe August because we mentioned that in the June newsletter. And you read it cover to cover. And then reread it. Just to make sure you didn't miss anything. You are so dedicated! (Actually, I'm not sure that I read it cover to cover, but I'm pretty sure the thing about it not coming for a while was in there.)
If you get the newsletter in the mail and also want to get it in your inbox, just send me an email.
The next newsletter -- both paper and electronic versions -- should go out sometime next week.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wish list
9.13.07 - Important update: If we're not home, the mail carrier should leave a notice for us to pick up a package at the post office. But with our first three boxes, there was no notice! So, if you send us something please let us know. If you want it to be a surprise, you can wait up to two weeks -- that should be plenty of time for it to arrive. (We haven't had a problem with this since those first few packages.)
I was going to write this yesterday to follow the "what's not in Austria" post, but the deliveries of my niece and our stuff from the U.S. thwarted that plan. If you recall the previous post, you may be wondering whether there's anything you can send us. Or maybe I'm the only one thinking that. In any event, there's always something we can't get in Austria, so here are some things we would really enjoy from the U.S.
Don't feel any pressure to pop something in the mail today. I'm going to place a link to this post on the sidebar so you can refer to it when birthdays or Christmas roll around. This is mainly directed to those who generally buy us presents for such occasion. I'm not suddenly expecting a birthday gift from everyone just because I live overseas. :) Although... never mind.
I've separated the list into "one time" wants and "anytime" wants. If we receive something, I'll update the list. So whether you're going to be making a trip to Vienna and want to pack a little extra or you want to send something our way via post, here are some suggestions.
One-time Wants:
Any of the Nooma videos (You can buy these at Christian bookstores or online at http://www.nooma.com/) -- Except "Rain" (001), "Flame" (002), "You" (015), and "Today" (017)
Anytime Wants (i.e., foodstuff):
peanut butter -- creamy or crunchy (our favorite is the Great Value brand from Wal-Mart and Peter Pan, but anything works)
dark corn syrup (like Karo)
-------
P.S., I don't know why, but I don't like the idea of just posting our address out here. So if you don't have our address, you'll have to ask. There is a link to email me on my profile.
P.P.S., If you're going to send us one of the DVDs for a birthday or Christmas present, please let me know before you buy it or at least before you send it so hopefully we don't get duplicates. I know it ruins the element of surprise, but I can deal with that. If you're going to send a DVD some other time of year, feel free to keep a surprise. I don't expect DVDs to show up randomly all that often. Don't worry about this. If we get duplicates, we know other people who would be happy to take the extras off our hands.
I was going to write this yesterday to follow the "what's not in Austria" post, but the deliveries of my niece and our stuff from the U.S. thwarted that plan. If you recall the previous post, you may be wondering whether there's anything you can send us. Or maybe I'm the only one thinking that. In any event, there's always something we can't get in Austria, so here are some things we would really enjoy from the U.S.
Don't feel any pressure to pop something in the mail today. I'm going to place a link to this post on the sidebar so you can refer to it when birthdays or Christmas roll around. This is mainly directed to those who generally buy us presents for such occasion. I'm not suddenly expecting a birthday gift from everyone just because I live overseas. :) Although... never mind.
I've separated the list into "one time" wants and "anytime" wants. If we receive something, I'll update the list. So whether you're going to be making a trip to Vienna and want to pack a little extra or you want to send something our way via post, here are some suggestions.
One-time Wants:
Any of the Nooma videos (You can buy these at Christian bookstores or online at http://www.nooma.com/) -- Except "Rain" (001), "Flame" (002), "You" (015), and "Today" (017)
Anytime Wants (i.e., foodstuff):
peanut butter -- creamy or crunchy (our favorite is the Great Value brand from Wal-Mart and Peter Pan, but anything works)
dark corn syrup (like Karo)
-------
P.S., I don't know why, but I don't like the idea of just posting our address out here. So if you don't have our address, you'll have to ask. There is a link to email me on my profile.
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