Skiing the Alps in Austria

February 3, 2013 / Maria / 1 Comment

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I had the opportunity in December to ski the Alps. This has been on my bucket list for a while and I wanted to take the chance to do it before moving back home. My Dad came over for a week before Christmas and we decided to hit up Austria for a little snow adventure!

In the interest of time, we decided to skip Vienna and flew into Salzburg instead. Salzburg is located right on the Austrian-German border and is surrounded by mountains. It was made famous by The Sound of Music, which was set and filmed there. It’s also the birthplace of Mozart and has some of the most delicious chocolates, which are called Mozartkrugel. In the spirit of Christmas, we spent most of our time exploring the Christmas Markets. I liked London’s Christmas Markets, but Austria’s Christmas Markets were just incredible! Everywhere I looked, I was surrounded by tasty treats, homemade ornaments, candles, chocolates, and jewelry. We tried out a few traditional foods and stocked up on chocolates.

Salzburg Christmas Market

From Salzburg, we took the train to Ischgl, which is the ski resort where we spent the majority of the trip. Ischgl is unlike any ski resort I have ever been to (which really isn’t that many actually). In order to get there, you have to drive right into the Alps for about an hour. The ski town lies in the valley and in order to get to the slopes, you have to take a gondola up into the mountains. From there, there’s 43 lifts and 240km worth of ski trails going up and down the surrounding peaks. We discovered that the peaks of the mountain range actually form the Austrian-Swiss border and that when we were skiing down one side it was the Austrian Alps, while the other side was the Swiss Alps. It was amazing!

Skiing Ischgl

The first day we skied, it was pretty overcast and snowed a lot, but the second day was sunny with blue skies and unveiled a completely new world to us. On cloudless days, you can see the peaks of the Alps for miles around! It is an incredible view and completely took our breath away when we reached the top of the lift. I felt that no matter where we skied we were guaranteed to have an amazing view. We skied for three full days; even though my legs were really sore at the end, I loved every minute of it and I’m so glad I had the opportunity. Surprisingly, I also found the skiing really affordable, the daily lift pass is actually cheaper than a lift pass at White Hills back home.

View of the Alps

We finished off the trip by stopping into Innsbruck. I visited Innsbruck briefly when I was in high school, but it’s quite a different scene in the winter. Innsbruck is very scenic with the mountains surrounding it, but I found it really cold and didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Salzburg. It’s definitely a colourful city though and there’s always lots of history to learn about! I think I would love to go back to Austria in the summer sometime to do some hiking and to experience the beautiful mountains and lakes in a different way.

Maria

Exploring Innsbruck

Reflections

January 2, 2013 / Maria / Leave a comment

I’ve been home in St. John’s for two weeks now, but I want to write a few more entries about the last few weeks I spent in Europe. I worked up to the first week in December and then I spent a week skiing in Austria with my Dad before coming home. I was definitely anxious to come home towards the end of the trip, but it was hard saying goodbye to London since I’m not sure when I’ll be back again.

I met so many wonderful people this semester and had so many incredible experiences; I’m so glad I took the opportunity to go back and spend another semester living in London. I really felt at home in the city and it’s hard to leave a place once you’ve starting creating your own life there. The city is so vibrant and so diverse, there’s always something exciting going on, it’s impossible not to love it!

Christmas Party at Koko in Camden

I spent the last few weeks enjoying Christmas activities. There were several Christmas markets set up around the city and there was a huge winter carnival in Hyde Park. I spent a few afternoons visiting the markets and I went to a Christmas party in Camden with my housemates and to a Christmas party at the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich with Lisa and Philippa!

I crammed in a bunch of musicals my last few weeks and went to see both Jersey Boys (which was fantastic!) and the new Spice Girls musical, Viva Forever (which was not). On my last weekend, I took the train out to Birmingham to see Mumford and Sons perform. That was definitely my favourite concert this year as I had floor tickets and they were incredible live!

Christmas Party at the Royal Maritime Museum

I spent my last week saying goodbye to the wonderful friends I’ve made over the past year. I was so lucky with my housemates; we spent lots of nights talking and cooking and often went out together. We all came from different countries, but could all relate to each other and had lots of wonderful stories to share. I’m so thankful as well for all the students I met at Regent Hall and everyone that I met at Hillsong. Meeting people can be tough in a new city and I’m so glad that I found a church family on Oxford Street. Finally, I learned so much and had such a great time working at LMC. I felt like a part of the company and I gained so much from the experience.

Saying goodbye to my housemates at The Duke

I’m very happy to be home now, especially since I got to come back just in time for Christmas, but I wanted to take the time to reflect on the last part of my experience in London. I can’t believe I spent 8 months of 2012 there and I’m glad that I can look back on the experience positively and be happy at what I accomplished and experienced there. I’m entering into the final semester of my engineering degree and soon moving on to the next chapter of my life. I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I’m so thankful for all the wonderful people that have helped me grow over the past year.

Thanks for following along, I really enjoyed sharing with you and I’ll probably continue to blog about my experiences, both travel related and otherwise in 2013.

Happy New Year!
Maria

A World of Creative Thinkers

December 6, 2012April 16, 2015 / Maria / Leave a comment

Hello,

As most of you know, I’ve been involved with Engineers Without Borders for more than 4 years now. I worked overseas with EWB in 2010 and I was the President of the MUN chapter in 2011 and 2012. I originally created this blog to chronicle my experiences in Malawi. I’ve learned so much through my work with EWB and have been given so many wonderful opportunities. I’ve been inspired by the people I’ve worked with in Canada and in Malawi and by the movement that EWB has been creating. Every year, EWB does a holiday campaign to promote its overseas programs and raise money to support them. I’ve decided to dedicate this blog entry to EWB and to share with you why I’ve given more than 4 years of my life to this organization! I hope you’ll take the time to read this and consider making a donation. I’ve posted the link to my campaign below.

Thanks, Maria

https://imagine.ewb.ca/mariaadey

2036: the year a baby born in 2012 will graduate with a university degree. This is the theme of EWB’s campaign this holiday season. What do you imagine the world will look like in 2036? What’s your dream for the future? My dream is that the babies born this year, whether in Canada, England, or Malawi, all have the opportunity to be who they want to be and believe in the power they have to influence the people and the world around them. I want to see a world of socially aware individuals and thoughtful, responsible leaders. I have been so privileged in my education and in all the support I’ve had in my own personal development. I believe the children I met and lived with in Malawi deserve the same opportunities and support as children growing up in Canada. I believe in engaging students in global issues and fostering their personal and leadership development. This isn’t just my dream – It’s EWB’s dream too.

I joined EWB as MUN’s “School Outreach Director”. I went to schools and community groups and spoke with young students about global issues and their potential to do something about them. In Malawi, I worked with local leaders on developing their skills and increasing the effectiveness of the work they were doing. As Chapter President, I tried to build leaders by helping people realize their potential. Engineers Without Borders believes in building incredible, critical thinking, innovative, inspiring leaders – both in Canada and in Africa. They believe in questioning the status quo, in challenging our Canadian leaders about the effectiveness and transparency of our foreign aid, and in building strong African leaders, capable of striving day after day to improve the country in which they live.

EWB has had a profound impact on my life and the lens through which I view the world. They’ve inspired me to dream big and then to work hard to accomplish those dreams. They’ve invested in me as an individual and as a leader, supporting my personal development and enabling me to grow. As I soon put my undergrad behind me, I believe it’s now my turn to invest in EWB. This has been my passion for the last four years and inspires me as I move on to the next chapter of my life.

YOU have also inspired me. Thank you to my friends, family, colleagues, mentors, and all who have supported me throughout my degree. I greatly appreciate all that you’ve given me; the advice, prayers, words of support, and words that were sometimes harder to take. It has all helped me to grow as a person. I hope you’ll consider making a donation to EWB in support of both my dream and theirs. Funding is what enables our programs, so please donate, and donate generously. Then, after you’ve donated, please go out and realize your own dream; I believe we’re all capable of creating positive change and I would love to support your dream!

With love, Maria

https://imagine.ewb.ca/mariaadey