Mag. Birgit Wiesbauer
Subjects: English & French
About myself:
I was born in Schladming on 14th September 1972 and went to school here till the age of 8. As both of my parents worked in the Landessportschuelerheim, I actually lived there for two years. When I had just turned 9, my family and I moved to Senegal, Westafrica. There I had to learn French as there was no German-speaking school. I found a new home in this country of the evershining sun and, after some initial culture-shock, enjoyed living there very much. As we did not live too far away from the ocean, I still have a special liking for water, the ocean, palm trees and shells (and sunshine of course! ;-).
Growing up in Senegal I used to have quite exotic pets like turtles we found in the bush, a chameleon, parrots and a female monkey called Gini (besides a swarm of mosquitoes). Now I'm down to a fish tank ;-)
If you want to know more about Senegal, check out the following links:
Unlike my students, I am not much of a winter fan and when I go skiing (which takes some special effort as I don't like to be cold), it looks rather like that:
Of course I have a special love for the English language and enjoy working with teenagers and young adults. My favorite part of being a teacher is being in the classroom and to interact with the students. I could not imagine having a different job and am very grateful for the opportunity to teach in the place I actually live at. Click to check out how creative God was in this area! :-)
I also like spending time with friends and simply having fun. I enjoy a warm cup of tea just sitting and chatting with a friend.
Music is also very important in my life. I wouldn't say that I'm a gifted singer, but I like to sing along songs. I basically always listen to music and could not imagine my car (and my life in general) without it. I like pop, rock, soul, reggae and some instrumental music. What's very important to me though is the message of a song. Becoming more and more computer-literate, I'm also very happy to have found a few radio-stations I like online.
My favorite movies are dramas and comedies.
I don't really have one favorite film, but quite a few I really enjoyed.
For example Out of Africa reminded me a lot of Senegal. I
think the movie
during which I cried most is Shadowlands. Even though I don't
agree with Barbra Streisand's ideology on many things, I like many of
her movies like Yentl and The mirror has two faces. Some
actors I appreciate are Harrison Ford (can anybody not like the movie Sabrina?),
Keanu Reeves, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan. Series I like are Little House on the
Prairy, 7th Heaven (Eine himmlische Familie) and The
Wonder Years (Wunderbare Jahre).
I have to admit though that the early episodes of 7th Heaven had a bit more depth. It is unfortunately declining more and more as
the series goes on. And
I definately love the screen adaptions of Jane Austen's novels.
I guess I definately am a hopelessly romantic type of person ;-)
My favorite book is the Bible, basically because of its Author. I'm convinced that it is the only book which not only informs, but also transforms. I consider it to be God's love letter to me and the whole wide world! :-) Other books I enjoy reading are various types of Christian literature (biographies, Christian living,...). I'm also fond of classical comedies and tragedies (Racine for instance), biographies of exemplary people and fictional stories set in historic backgrounds (like the The House of Winslow series).
A few years ago I have also discovered a passion for the Spanish language and Latin American countries and their people. During my vacation I love to go there on mission trips. It always makes me come back with a thankful heart and gives me a broader picture of how blessed I am. If you want to get a small impression of it, check out the Picture Gallery which gives you an insight into my trip to the Dominican Republic in 2004 (and might make you a bit 'far-away' sick ;-).
What I do not like is dishonesty, rudeness and when people are inconsiderate of others.
I hope these few thoughts gave you a little insight on who I am and ...
Thank you for taking the time to stop by! :-)
