Marathon Man

Thursday is my long day.
I wake up at 05:05 and I prepare a hasty breakfast, fill a flask of much needed caffeinated buffer (i.e. tea) and make my way to the tram for the first part of my long journey into the depths of Austria (or a little picturesque town outside of Vienna).

I take the tram for about 15 minutes before changing to the U6 at Alserstraße, I take the U6 to Handelskai and then, I climb aboard a train to Stockerau for the penultimate part of my trip.  After riding on the train out to Stockerau I arrive at the last stop on the line (well, for the S3) and exit the station.  I see my bus across the way.  I often find the bus driver slouched over the steering wheel snaring a few zzzz before he begins his school run.

I often find the bus driver asleep and slumped across the steering wheel.  I dance around the stop for a bit in the icy morning air waiting for the beastly bus to stir so that I might buy my ticket and complete the final stretch of my journey.
The driver has the radio on.
Most mornings the driver listens to some kind of upbeat but ancient Austrian music.
I am first to board the bus.
Soon, the bus is packed with little kiddies on their way to school.  Screaming and shouting every morning.  On the first day they stared at me oddly.  Nowadays, there is always a chorus or chant of 'Stephen!'  Some even yell my name before diving behind the seats at the back of the bus.

On this busy one little boy once told me that Thursdays were his favourite day because the class had English.  My ickle heart wept with joy (almost)!

In this part of Austria there are two primary schools or Volkschulen; VS Leitzersdorf for the first and second grade and VS Niederfellabrunn for the third and fourth grades.  You can clearly and easily identify siblings in the 2 schools.

So, I come in and sing my songs and dance as I always do.  These kids are wonderful, so polite and energetic- they lap up every word of English with relish.

There is always a warm welcome. Children that talk of tractors and the many, many dishes you can make from pumpkins.  There is always a plate of pumpkin seeds in the staff room.  I much on these as I sip my coffee.

When in VS Niederfellabrunn I wait for the bus and return to Stockerau with the kids.  Usually I am back in Vienna around 1345.  My next class in VS Pastinakweg starts at 1530.  I stop in Praterstern and buy a coffee and some lunch before making my way to Stadlau and taking the busy to class.

However, on the weeks where I am in VS Leitzersdorf a taxi man collects me and takes me to Stockerau bahnhof.  We converse about a variety of things.

I love that he makes a special effort to speak slow enunciated Hochdeutsch with me.  He often jokes about the Austrian's need to shorten and abbreviate everything.
'Kurzer.'
He smiles as he glances in my direction  and back at the road pinching the air between his thumb and index finger.
I nod.
'Ich verstehe.'
He is a gentleman.
I genuinely look forward to our chats.  He has told me already he had no interest in learning English which suits my German just fine.

I offer some tutelage in the evening after my last class.

There are days where I suffer from chronic yawning, I dose off on the bus momentarily but so far I've managed to make it back to my apartment in one piece before turning the key and diving straight for the kettle for a revitalising cup of tea.