Green

Wow, it's been a great week! Where to start. Well, first of all, the amazing summer weather here in Styria, das grüne Herz Österreichs, inspired me twice to go out the door, choose a direction, and follow it. Last Sunday, the last day of the easter vacations, I put on my jogging suit (if that's what you can call it) and followed the creek which practically springs from across the street, towards the suburbs of Ragnitz and the high-brow streets across the mansion-dotted Rückerlberg.

Yesterday, the hills were resuscitated when I followed the highway east of the centre and then abruptly swerved north to climb one of the region's many hills. In less than ten minutes, I felt like I was in the countryside: cosy middle-of-nowhere cottages were all the rage here, and not before long I heard cows mooing in the distance - but checking my map I saw I was still very much in Graz indeed. From up there, I could see far over Graz, and just when I spotted the airport, the Austrian 18 o'clock flight from Vienna swerved over the nearest hilltop and I followed its nearly 90-degree turn and approach to the runway.

There's nothing like a touch of hedonism to make a good week, and so this week I also indulged in some shopping - some new summer clothes, some of which came in a sealed bag labelled INTIMISSIMI. And nightlife, of course! Thursday's chor pro musica rehearsal was followed by the traditional visit to the nearest pub. Yesterday's dinner at the Indian restaurant "Hathi" was a lot spicier than last time I ate there, and so our small group headed to the bars to cool off. Practically everywhere was packed, but we finally got a table on one of the terraces of Freiheitsplatz - only to be told it was closing. We got lucky in nearby Buddha-bar (continuing our Asian theme for the evening), which seemed to attract an interestingly mixed crowd and served great (and expensive) cocktails.

Well but after all, the vacations are over and so the studies have also kicked off again. Once again, one of the most fun things is being asked to conduct choir rehearsals for friends. Apart from the above-mentioned cpmg, with which I got to conduct show-stoppers such as Rachmaninoff's "Bogoroditse Devo" and Bruckner's "Christus factus est", Natasha and I made a guest appearance today at Chorforum Gleisdorf, where we got down to business with Duruflé's Requiem (I love the way she always ties her hair together before a rehearsal with a very no-nonsense attitude). Tomorrow, I'll make a 30-minute trip to Frohnleiten, to help out with the rehearsal of the church choir there. Have I mentioned I enjoy what I do?

Here at home, things have been going very smoothly. I must say our kitchen is always very neat and tidy, and this probably owes much to everybody - the other day I left my dirty dishes on the sink, went back ten minutes later to wash up and found them clean. If anyone should come for a visit soon, let me just warn about the slightly disturbing smell coming from our fridge - Jana has been trying out some new cheeses. While Thomas is in Argentina, I have been sharing my fridge-space with Petra, whose sofa is even more chaotic than before as she struggles to meet an assignment deadline. The freshest wave of panic came an hour ago when she realised it includes a presentation with Microsoft Powerpoint, a program she has no idea how to use - Anna promised to help out. I guess this means we're not going to dance at Kulturhauskeller tonight as planned.

All in all, a very satisfactory week - I'm hoping the next one will be just as nice. I've come to think of this town as my home. I hear the names of streets and know in which districts they are. I understand how this place works and know what to do to fit in. I know the people and they know me: I know that if suddenly our landlady decided to renovate this flat and threw us all into the street I'd have at least thirty people to call. I feel like I belong here - then again I felt that the very first time I visited the city's official website - and I know that when I leave, it will not be for good. Nothing ever is, is it?