• Was hat euch während eures Aufenthalts in Österreich überrascht bzw. was habt ihr Neues über Österreich gelernt?

Jess: I really didn’t know much about Austria before I came here so everything was new to me. In particular, I enjoyed learning the different German words for things like ‘Erdapfel’ and learning all about Austrian tradition.

Quentin: Je ne m’attendais pas à ce qu’il y ait tant de différences entre le Hochdeutsch et les dialectes parlés ici.

Giulia: Mi sono sentita molto a casa. Ho sempre trovato austriaci gentili e ospitali e molto interessati alla cultura italiana.

• Gibt es eine Gewohnheit oder Eigenschaft, die die Österreicher*innen von den Einwohnern eures Heimatlandes unterscheidet?

– I think that Austrians are very nice people and they are nowhere near as loud and rowdy as the Brits. However, I did find it weird when I was told to take my shoes off as soon as I entered my WG.

– La manière de se saluer est différente, il y a beaucoup de phrases possibles en allemand, mais on ne se fait pas la bise.

– Sicuramente, il cappuccino dopo, o meglio, durante il pranzo!

• Was vermisst ihr im Moment gerade aus eurem Heimatland und was gefällt euch hier in Österreich bzw. Linz besonders gut?

– Right now I really miss my dog… and my family too I guess. I love the mountainous landscapes in Austria, we really don’t have views like that in the UK.

– Outre ma famille et mes amis, le petit-déjeuner français. En Autriche j’aime la nature, on peut facilement partir se promener aux alentours depuis Linz.

– Mi mancano sicuramente i miei affetti, ma dell’Austria mi piace quello che offre il territorio: in una giornata libera, si trova sempre qualcosa da fare per tutti i gusti.

• Wie war für euch die Erfahrung, mit Schüler*innen (des Adalbert Stifter Gymnasiums) im Unterricht zu reden? Gab es Schwierigkeiten?

– Whenever I am in a different country I have to restrict my accent and use of slang because people in Wales speak crazy English! However, I had no troubles at all when talking to the students, and I’m really impressed by their standard of English.

– Ce fut difficile le temps d’apprendre à adapter mon français et de savoir utiliser l’allemand quand nécessaire.

– Usare l’italiano è stata una sfida sia per me che per gli studenti, ma la maggior parte ha accolto questa sfida con interesse e grinta, e penso che si possono vedere i risultati oggi, dopo otto mesi di costante italiano.

• Hattet ihr die Möglichkeit Deutsch zu lernen bzw. zu verbessern? Was ist euer Lieblingssatz auf Deutsch?

– I have definitely improved my German whilst working here, it’s still not great but I feel a lot more confident with it and I think I’ve said ‘Oachkatzlschwoaf’ about 1000 times at this point.

– Oui, je pense avoir bien progressé. Je n’ai pas d’idée de phrase, mais le mot « Wurst » pour dire « peu importe » m’amuse beaucoup !

– Ho avuto la possibilità di ascoltare tedesco tutti i giorni e parlarlo grazie alla pazienza dei colleghi a scuola. Sicuramente è migliorato tanto. „Wir sind nicht aus Zucker“ penso sarà il mio nuovo motto! Anche se piove, non bisogna restare chiusi a casa.

• Wenn morgen der letzte Tag für euch in Österreich wäre, was würdet ihr unbedingt noch besichtigen oder unternehmen wollen?

– I’ve heard that Hallstadt is a very nice place to visit, I’m going to try to go before I leave, and Graz too.

– Sans doute une randonnée, idéalement avec les gens que je verrais moins souvent en quittant l’Autriche.

– Vorrei poter passare una giornata al lago nella regione del Salzkammergut, i paesaggi sono spettacolari e vorrei vederli non solo in foto scattate da altri.

• Welche Vorteile seht ihr im österreichischen Schulsystem und welche im Schulsystem eurer Heimat? Welches bevorzugt ihr?

– I think the Austrian school system is 100 times better than the UK school system. Firstly, no uniform. Secondly, no detention or isolation. Thirdly, there’s much less of a hierarchy between teachers and students.

– Je pense que les horaires autrichiens sont un avantage par rapport à la longueur de la journée de cours française.

– In Austria mi sembra si affronti la scuola in maniera meno stressante rispetto all’Italia, c’è molto dialogo tra professori e studenti. Però dell’Italia mi piace come sono strutturati gli indirizzi scolastici: se fatta bene è un’ottima palestra per la vita.

• Welche Erfahrungen konntet ihr während eurer Zeit im Adalbert Stifter Gymnasium mitnehmen bzw. welche waren besonders prägend?

– I really wasn’t sure if I had the skills and confidence to be a teacher and when I did my first introduction lesson I was literally shaking, but after the first few I got used to it. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself and my own capabilities.

– La préparation de cours avec mes collègues, et le fait d‘être devant une classe et d‘essayer de lui faire comprendre quelque chose !

– Sentire i miei studenti cantare e suonare penso sia stata l’esperienza più bella: vedere che si impegnano così tanto per praticare la loro passione è un insegnamento che non ha valore.

• Erkennt ihr Unterschiede zwischen dem Verhalten der österreichischen Jugendlichen und jenem der Jugend eures Landes? Was ist euch besonders aufgefallen?

– Austrian teenagers are much more well behaved than UK ones… I’m not sure if you guys would survive at my old school. It was really lovely to have such enthusiastic students that are actually interested in what I’m talking about!

– En France il y a plus de distance entre les élèves et les professeurs, et une ambiance plus stricte en classe ou dans les couloirs.

– Sinceramente non ho notato molte differenze… Penso che gli adolescenti italiani andrebbero d’accordo con quelli austriaci!

• Worauf freut ihr euch besonders, wenn ihr wieder in eurer Heimat seid? Was werdet ihr vermissen?

– I’m looking forward to the shops being open on Sundays, every Sunday I’ve been here I’ve starved because I forget every week. I’m going to miss everyone at the school and all the great friends I’ve made in Austria!

– De la France j‘attends la joie d‘être chez-soi… Les personnes dont j‘ai fait la connaissance et la nature autrichiennes me manqueront.

– Sicuramente, al mio ritorno in Italia andrò prima di tutto al mare! Ma dell’Austria mi mancheranno le persone che ho conosciuto e gli studenti che nonostante le difficoltà linguistiche mi hanno dato tante soddisfazioni.

• Habt ihr schon Pläne für eure berufliche Zukunft?

– I’m going to be doing a French teaching module in university in September to see what’s it’s like to teach in a UK school, but I really want to try as many different things as possible and choose the thing I enjoy the most!

– Je pensais devenir professeur, cette expérience m‘y encourage, je vais donc continuer dans cette voie.

– Questa esperienza mi ha fatto capire che insegnare la mia lingua è quello che vorrei fare, spero di poter avere altre occasioni simili in futuro.