The thing about the banks

Banks are bad. Banks are evil. Banks are financing the toothy something lurking under your bed at night. A lot of disquieting things are being said about banks these days, many of them true, some blatantly false, some hilariously absurd, but what's certain is that many people, both the well- and the ill-informed, are fairly discontented with the keepers of our treasures.

When I went to my local bank recently, I noticed – or thought I did – a kind of uneasiness in the employeesʼ smiles. It was like they weren't sure whether the next customer in line was going to hand them a deposit or a letter bomb. And the customers themselves looked like they weren't sure about that either. This limbo about not knowing whether to be angry or not and if so, at whom, simply can't go on. As a worried citizen of the world who also despises those suit-wearing, tie-loving, briefcase-carrying, well-coiffed, uh ... men and women, I believe that proper information is the key to everything, which is why I want to clear up some of the most irritating misconceptions about banks. 

Learning with the OeBB. Lesson One: Beware of the ‘digital oldies’.

Have you ever been sitting in the train and been annoyed because somebody was either listening to music or talking on the phone way too loud? I have – more than once. Since I commute from Upper Austria to Salzburg five days a week, I spend lots of time on public transportation. All in all, I am on the road three hours a day (20 min. on bike, 50 min. on the train, 20. min on the bus to university and the same amount of time back), which makes 15 hours a week. At first it was annoying, but any lingering boredom was dispelled when I found out that the Austrian railway travel providers OeBB and Westbahn aren’t just there for getting people from one place to another. No. The OeBB or Westbahn and the people on the train actually teach you about life, the universe and everything. Allow me to explain:  

crazy cat ladies and pop culture

Image: catversushuman

Do you ever brood over things society thinks are crazy? Or maybe you are even part of the craziness?

Why you shouldn't walk through the Getreidegasse in a hurry

Photo by Yoshio Sato – © 2003 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/

Ever wanted to be like Bill Murray? A walk through Salzburg's main pedestrian zone, the Getreidegasse, will make you feel a little Lost in Translation, too. 
 

The strangely shaped human-like musical instrument!

I recall the first words of my guitar teacher explaining to me the parts of guitar: “Child, there are three main parts of every guitar: the head, the neck and the body-as if it were a human being. It will become your friend through your life’s journey, maybe even your best friend.” I was just a nine-year-old girl when that strangely shaped human-like musical instrument joined my life forever. 

Jesus...I'm really sorry.

Don’t get me wrong, I love God and His prophets as much as the next guy- and you’d think the dozens of churches around Salzburg would cover the whole “eternal damnation is your final destination” subject, but apparently not.  Is a lifelike Jesus-on-a-cross on every corner really necessary? Maybe Austrians are religious freaks, maybe I’m too quick to judge, maybe I’m exaggerating —What do I know, I grew up with a Starbucks on every other corner.

Alarmingly authentic

Still of Alberto Sordi from "Un Americano a Roma"
(on www.italylogue.com)

The summer holidays are fast approaching, and you've probably already started to think about your next getaway. A trip to a Tibetan monastery, maybe? A boat tour down the Amazon? Everything goes as long as it's not a package tour.

We are travelers, not tourists. Frankly, do we not look down on the latter with derision, on those sheepish sightseers in socks and sandals, cameras dangling from their sweaty, sun-burnt necks? Do we not despise them for pilgrimaging to their precious sights like Muslims to Mecca, for buying all the inexplicable kitsch hawked in gift shops and souvenir booths, for crowding into hotels and restaurants that make them feel like at home, instead of pursuing an authentic cultural experience and getting fully immersed in the culture of their holiday destination? Yes, we do. But after all, they may have a point.  

Superstitious Ireland

'Fairies can be willful and capricious creatures, easily offended and quick to anger. They are often spiteful and jealous of mankind, which enjoys a special relationship with God which they cannot. Nevertheless, they can also be good-hearted and merry and many accounts assert the beauty of their music and their love of sport and revelry.’ (from A Field Guide to Irish Fairies by Bob Curran)

Everybody has heard of Leprechauns and fairies, but what about the Sheerie, the Pooka or the horrifying Grey Man? There’s more to these stories than just finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. The real tales and legends are often frightening, and overshadowing the cheerful picture of little winged fairies and Leprechauns with green coats and wide-brimmed hats in kids’ movies.

When I spent seven months in Ireland in 2010 as an au pair, I noticed that Irish people are still very much connected with the ancient legends and superstitions of their country.

How to Find Edelweiss in Wintertime

It was an evening at home alone, when I first started thinking about creativity. I sat there staring at the desk in front of me and just felt a desire, an urge, to be creative. And I wanted to make something artsy of some kind: a drawing, a song, a poem. I wanted to be an artist, even if just for a few hours in my house alone. No pressure to show anyone or tell anyone what I did. I relaxed into my chair, closed my eyes for a few seconds and started drawing. When I finished, I had produced a pencil rendering of an old Chinese guy. Nothing special, but I felt completely at peace with myself. It was almost like I had been meditating for an hour. Except better.

The Land of Ice and Darkness?

© MissReads

After last year’s blog brought a host of impressions from Ireland, this year we’ll venture to another European country. Some of you might have an inkling as to which country it will be after reading the headline. It’s not Sweden or Norway.

So, what else is up there in the North? – Right, Finland (which was named the best country in the world by Newsweek in 2010); or Suomi, as the Finns call it.

Monty Python has the right of it when singing: “Finland, Finland, Finland, the country where I want to be […] You’re so sadly neglected / And often ignored […].” 

The Decline of the Novel in the Unipark Library

Having worked in the university library for almost two years now, – first only for the English Department, now for the whole of the Unipark – I’ve noticed that I’m getting strange. I start remembering and paying attention to weird things. Things like the exact shelf marks for nice or even not-so-nice books. Things like the general inability of art history students to find shelf marks A-D in their section of the library. Things like the belief inherent in library users that merely because there are currently no baskets available they can just walk in with their bags.

The most recent trend is much more shocking, though. It’s a notion that’s been steadily creeping into my consciousness for a few months, a notion that I’d been fiercely rejecting because of its absurdness.

Tolerant, clog-wearing bicyclists

Have you ever heard the saying “God created the world but the Dutch created the Netherlands”? Take one look at all the dykes, pumping stations and cities below sea level and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. The water is everywhere and we have been battling and taming the North Sea for centuries. The Netherlands resembles a huge bath tub waiting to be filled with water; twenty-six percent of the country lies less than one meter above sea level and twenty-four percent lies below sea level. We could actually equalize this difference and even out the country at sea level by simply breaking the dikes. Even the highest mountain in the Netherlands would then be easily reachable on a pool float.

But there is more to this country than water: It’s flat, and green, and there are windmills, tulips, lots of bicycles and happy cows. And lots of Dutch people.      

Back in business

After a blogging hiatus of nearly a year, Polyphonic Blogout is back with a new, expanded crew of intrepid student bloggers from the University of Salzburg. Read our upcoming posts and join the discussion on a broad array of cultural issues and topics of personal interest.