Hallo! (Here, let me translate that for you: “Hello!”)
Two months ago, we shouldered our backpacks and hopped on a plane to begin a new chapter in our lives in Vienna, Austria. Two months is long enough to mix ourselves up by using the word “home” to describe both Austria and the USA, but short enough to not have a single decoration up on our white apartment walls. We have a shipment of possessions on its way from the US, but it left our apartment in June, and as of today, is in… the Atlantic on a boat? Still nestled between 1,000 other containers in South Carolina? The Suez Canal? Hard to say. We have quickly learned that international travel means making flexible plans.
I type these words while participating in a favorite activity: sitting in a coffee shop, drinking a dirty chai, and people watching. Ordering my drink transpired as it often does these days: mentally rehearsing my German sentences in advance, ordering with pride, and then spooking in response to the barista’s follow up question. My face ices over as I attempt to piece together the syllables she spoke like a jigsaw puzzle. She feels awkward. I feel awkward. We stare at one another. The barista then realizes that mein deutsch ist sehr schlect, and effortlessly rattles off what I need to know in English.
When asked if they speak English, most Viennese will respond with “a little”, and then recite a monologue from King Lear, or otherwise demonstrate that their English is, in fact, excellent. Derek and I realized within our first month that we could live here and speak only English, and in 95% of situations, get by just fine. We want to learn, though, and plan to take an intensive course in October. So… please don’t quiz us until then.
Here are some other lessons we have learned in our first two months of living as Americans in Vienna:
- Convenience is not a value in Austria the way it is in the USA. For example, there are no superstores; rather, each category of item (groceries, cosmetics, appliances, etc.) is its own entity. It is common to take multiple trips to the grocery store throughout the week. This makes more sense when you remember that you have no trunk. Whatever you purchase, you are lugging with you on the U-Bahn (subway) and through the streets back to your apartment. Suddenly, that extra six-pack of beer feels like a worse idea.
- Do not stand in the middle of the escalator with your arms on both rails. If you are not stationed firmly on the right side, a cute, white haired, 75-year old woman will karate chop your left arm to move it out of her way, as the left side of the escalator is for walking, not standing, you barbarian. Austrians take their line etiquette seriously.
This will be the corner of the internet where we will post updates about our lives in Austria. Thank you for taking a moment in your day to read it. It reduces the distance between you and me, I think, to be for a moment reading the same words from 5,000 miles away. I cannot promise that this will always be a travel blog, as I’m prone to write about whatever happens to be coloring my mind and heart space that week, but I can promise it will sometimes be a travel blog. For example, here we are on a weekend venture to Salzburg a month ago. The hills are obviously singing.
If you are hoping for pictures of perfectly symmetrical buildings down an alley, me in various shades of tan sweeping gracefully through a field, or any of the other minimalistic, gloriously curated themes that pop up often in travel photos, I’m afraid I will disappoint you. There will be photos, but I am no Laurie Lundberg (hi Mom), and have little eye for design in general. The deficit extends to my photography skills. But we will throw in some photos, as you can likely only take my existential ramblings for so long without a visual break. I could easily make a lovely photo series titled “Derek cheesin’ at me from across the table right before we eat”, so ask and you shall receive.
P.S. A favor to ask: The last few days have been the first that I have felt a bit homesick. I think it is because my precious friend got married this weekend (I love you Cydnee Dufenhorst, you joyous, fabulous human!), and I was on the other side of the world, and very sad to not be there. It has made me realize, though: I would love some pen pals! If you’d like to exchange some mail across the Atlantic, send me your address and I’ll be glad to write to you.
