VIENNA WORCESTER'S 1998 CHRISTMAS/1999 NEW YEAR'S LETTER
LAST UPDATE - Tuesday, June 22nd, 1999
ZULETZT HIER GEBAUT - Dienstag, 22.JUNI, 1999
Dear Family and Friends,
We've had a busy year with a few trips in spring and summer and great visits from family. Angela is still working at the Japanese Mission in their new office out by the UN and keeps busy with her projects and choir organization.
Dan's choir, "Heart, Voice and Soul" performed a successful concert series in May and June this year. The CD recording turned out well, and we are looking forward to the start of our last "Best of the Spiritual Project Choir and Heart, Voice and Soul" project next February with concerts in April and May. We are planning benefit concerts the proceeds of which will be donated to the Red Cross. At a choir party earlier this month it was inspiring to share the excitement over the prospect of singing again and to realize how many lives Dan has touched through his choir work in Vienna.
Dan was also accepted into the professional Arnold Schoenberg choir this year and has been on the go ever since juggling his own choir rehearsals, Schoenberg Choir rehearsals, concerts all over Europe and his studies. We splurged this summer and purchased Palm III organizers with infrared communication capabilities so that Angela could attempt to keep track of Dan's schedule. It's fun to see others' reactions when we beem each other information at a restaurant or in the subway. The Palm organizers aren't as popular in Austria as we've heard they are in the States.
And now we have a paramount and exciting event to note down in our calendars! We are expecting a new addition to the Worcester family in Austria in June (doctor's estimated arrival: June 21st)! We are both very exctied and have been devouring pregnancy literature. Angela has found a doctor that we like, and we've checked out a few maternity wards in Vienna. Although we definitely are not experts on the subject, it appears that the childbirth system in Vienna is quite different from the US. Professional midwives play a central role in preparation and exercise classes as well as hospital deliveries. One of the midwives we spoke to on our hospital tour said she believes it is important for women to be primarily in charge of childbirth - after all, it is a "woman thing."
So as we contemplate a new phase of our lives as parents, we are also about to embark on a new cultural adventure: child raising in Austria. Some differences are hard to miss. For example, many Austrian parents bundle their children up in winter coats, hats and boots before we would even consider pulling our winter clothes out of storage. It is also tradition to push newborns around in gigantic and amazingly well-equipped baby carriages. Special areas are even marked for baby carriages and strollers on public transportation. It will be interesting to find some of the more subtle differences.
So what's the plan as far as we can see?... Dan should finish his Music Theory/Composition diploma work in June 2000. That means we're planning to stay in Vienna till then. Angela will continue to work after having a 2-month break with the baby. This option is feasible only because Mom & Dad B. have promised to come stay with us for a few months after Angela returns to work. It will be a time of drastic transition... we are excited and overwhelmed at the same time.
We hope that our happy news brings added joy to your holidays. We miss you all and want to wish you all the best for the new year!
