Who am I?

As most of you know, I am somehow obsessed with sports and train at least two hours on an average day, six days a week. So people who visit me at home are not really surprised to see a whole shelf stuffed with sports equipment when they enter my living room. If they have a look through it, they can see dumbbells of different sizes, colourful thera-  and deuserbands, all kind of running shoes, skipping ropes made from different materials and a ... hm ... yea, what is that strange thing?

I have had people asking me if it was a kind of a knight's helmet or the protection cloth that beekeepers wear ...but I can tell you I'm definitely not breeding bees, it is actually a fencing mask! Believe it or not, but I used to be a competitive épée fencer until the age of fourteen. But let me tell you the whole story. It all started in primary school, when Lissy, former Olympic épée fencer and trainer of the UWK fencing club, was searching for young talents. Therefore she visited several schools, bringing equipment with her and giving brief instructions before the children were allowed to just try it out. The ones who she thought were talented received an invitation for a free lesson at the club ... and I was one of those who got selected. So I went there - and immediately knew I loved it! I used to be a shy, quiet and self-conscious child, but training at the club, as well as fencing itself made me gain more and more self confidence.

I spent four great years there and found some true friends, with whom I shared numerous amazing moments, e.g. winning a bronze and a silver medal as a team at the Austrian Championship, taking part in a World Cup tournament and of course endless hours of hard training. One of my personal highlights was the Styrian Championship in 2009, where I fought really well and even managed to win the title.

Now you may ask "Why the hell did you quit if you had such a great time?" ... Yep, that is a good question, and to be honest, I still regret it a little bit. The reason why I quit was that I simply lost the motivation. The problem was, that while I was a fast, confident, and technically strong athlete at the club, I suddenly was full of doubt when entering the competition hall and lost against opponents, who I actually should have beaten easily. Nowadays I sometimes feel like I just should have been more patient but on the other hand, to quit fencing enabled me to try out so many other things and to make a whole lot of new experiences.

So that is it - the story behind the mysterious blue helmet hanging in my living room.

Who am I?

Hey guys!

Who am I? This is actually a really good question and I think that it is impossible to answer it with just one text, but I am going to do my best.

So, let’s start.

First of all, my name is Tabitha and, although my name is unusual and sounds foreign, I am 100% Austrian. (If someone is interested in the meaning of my name click HERE) I was born and grew up in Leoben, which is a small city, not far from Graz. I am 19 years old and currently studying English and Russian in Graz. (Surprise, surprise…^^)

I used to be pretty shy, but now I am much more open, active and also curious, which is probably because of my stay in Moldova. Yet, although I was calm and quiet, I’ve always enjoyed learning new languages and getting to know other cultures.
 

After high school I decided  to spend some time abroad and went to Moldova. I’ve spent 5 months living there, doing volunteer work at a missions organization. I did stuff like distributing food packages, working with teenagers or helping at day camps for children, and I seriously can’t stop talking about those 5 months. It was the hardest, yet most exciting time in my life. I’ve seen things I had never imagined seeing. Good and bad things. Those 5 months are also the reason why I chose to study Russian, as it is the second official language in Moldova. 

Bad thing: The toilet

Good thing: The landscape

                                                                                                                         

Besides loving to travel and to get to know people, like almost everyone here at the ITAT, I am also very animal-loving. I am especially fond of cats. People joke about me that I’d be able to spot every cat in the vicinity of 10 meters and, considering the way I sometimes behave, they might even be right. :)

 
I also really like doing sports that are uncommon… at least for girls. When I was a child my dad, who was a kickboxing coach once, prompted me to start kickboxing and ever since I seem to have taken a liking in “rough” sports. I played rugby and I also tried out Taekwondo at the USI. Although I liked it, it just didn’t feel like the right sport for me, so I think about going back to kickboxing.

Oh, and I also really love to mime. Not like you might think, but like a real mime. I am not really good at it, but I like doing it, because I feel like a completely different person, when I wear the white "mask". 

 Well, I hope you got to know me at least a little bit. If you want to know more about me, feel free to approach me and just ask. :)

I am neither poisonous, nor do I bite people :D

Who am I?



Hello everybody!

 

Today I want to tell you all a little bit more about myself. Some of you know me already but for those who don’t, keep reading. ;)

 

My name is Sandra and I am 21 years old. I am from a small town called Saalfelden in Salzburg. The area around this town is known for its skiing resorts and tourism. It’s such a beautiful place and I’m glad that I had the privilege to grow up there.  The all so famous Sound of Music was even filmed near where I live!

 

 

 

I used to be really athletic and did all kinds of sports such gymnastics, volleyball and football when I was younger. For four years I went to a winter sports school, where we trained about 13 hours a week and participated in cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions. I still enjoy cross-country skiing, but I am only doing it for fun now.

 

One of my passions is travelling. I love being in new places and discovering what they have to offer. This is why I chose to go abroad for a year after high school. I worked as an au pair in Bristol, England and I have to say that being away from my friends and family for that long was really hard sometimes, but it makes you appreciate the people you love so much more. I travelled a lot during that time and made friends with people from all over the world. It was a great experience!

Me and my best friends from Bristol

 

A random door in Bristol I really liked :P

Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

 

I enjoy getting to know different cultures and learning languages, but I guess pretty much everyone studying at the ITAT does. In my spare time I mostly hang out with my friends and family or I spend the day with my head buried in a good book. At the moment I’m on the lookout for a new exciting hobby, so if you have any suggestions, leave a comment! J

I hope you all know me a little better now and I am looking forward to reading your posts!

Who am I?

Good morning friends!

It's a pleasure to introduce myself to all of you :-) 

My name is Mathea and I was born in Kaprun which is a small town in Salzburg. Growing up in a rural area I early developed a strong appreciation for the environment and our beautiful earth in general. When I was a child I started skiing as well as snowboarding and being surrounded by astonishing mountains and crystal clear lakes made me care a lot about the environment. At the age of seven I started dancing and I enjoyed it but stopped when I moved to Graz. I’m still into sports though; currently I am attending a yoga course and two other fitness trainings. Whenever I am at home I try to hike as much as possible. Besides trying to stay in shape a little bit I am utterly interested in music. I have to admit that probably three quarters of my money run into music festivals, concerts and CDs. Actually I just went to a mind-blowing concert in Graz yesterday. I learned to play the guitar when I was a child but unfortunately I wasn't very talented and I didn't have enough time to practise so I forgot how to play. Music offers us a great escape and I guess that's why it is so important to the people.

Another thing I am extremely passionate about it – surprise – travelling! After my a-levels I travelled around the globe for five months. I went to Thailand, Australia, Hawaii and I visited lots of states in America, for instance Arizona, Nevada, California, New York, Washington DC and so on. It was the most eye opening experience I ever had but weirdly I realized that later when I was back home. You learn so much about other people, you get to know different traditions and new cultures but most importantly you learn a lot about yourself.

I automatically became more sociable and I learned to make friends out of strangers. 

I would describe myself as an optimistic and open-minded person as I always try look on the bright side. 

My goal is to go on as many adventures as I can and create a life that I don't need a vacation from.

If you would like to get to know more about me, here’s the link to my blog: 

http://justaroundthedeepriver.blogspot.co.at/

Thanks :-)