These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things...

As many (if not all) of you know, Austria is famous for a number of things. There are all these wonderful stereotypes - many created by the American musical The Sound Of Music. Things like all the scenery, apple strudel, dirndls and lederhosen, little alpine huts, schnapps, skiing, the glorious music and culture, and this quaint little idea that, stuck in the middle of Europe, is this tiny country holding proudly and strongly onto it's traditions and "old-fashioned" life. The best part about all of this is that a lot of the stereotypes are true! I was honestly gobsmacked and thought it was hilarious every time I discovered a little stereotype that was true. They're simply so proud of them, which I think they really ought to be!

Then I had this idea - taking the lyrics of the song These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things from The Sound Of Music, I would gradually explore the stereotypes and give my take on each of these aspects. This is mostly for my entertainment, but also for everyone's education and enjoyment! Here are the lyrics:

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens,

Brown paper packages tied up with strings,

These are a few of my favourite things.

Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels,

Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.

These are a few of my favourite things.

Girls in a white dresses with a blue satin sashes,

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,

Silver white winters that melt into springs,

These are a few of my favourite things.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings,

When I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favourite things,

And then I don't feel so bad.

I've always loved The Sound Of Music - as ridiculous as it sometimes is, and I've shared that love with a lot of my friends. During my exchange, it's sometimes been difficult to get through the hard times, and remember that things aren't always as bad as I might think they are. A lot of my favourite things are still here, and I have so many opportunities to do so many things here, and it's just awesome!! So I simply need to remember my favourite things, and then not feel so bad :)

So over the next however-long, I will intermittently post updates on my exchange, but also takes on each thing in this song, and maybe even a few of my own favourite things. This will be fun!

love :)

(P.S. YES I'm that lame, and proud of it!)