Austrians Can Be Awesome
I feel like this is a long awaited post. I have lived here a total of 15 years and I rave about all the benefits this country has to offer, but yet, I haven't really raved about Austrians... which has been pretty crappy of me, actually. Now, I am guilty of stereotyping and painting Austrians with a wide brush and that is, for lack of better term, fucking unfair.
I am married to an Austrian. Granted, he was born and raised in Kenya, but he still is Austrian. He has red pants. But he has a similar third culture kid thing going on as I do so it has been easy for me to exclude him from the equation. My grandfather was German - born in Hamburg and raised there until he was evacuated as a teenager because he was Jewish. He left behind his mother who later met her fate in Auschwitz. Something that is never forgotten in our household. But a lot has changed over the years and I will never forget calling my grandfather about 14 years ago and saying "Grandpa. I've met someone, he's Austrian." He took a deep breath and asked "Is he rich?" I don't hold anyone in Austria accountable for a terrible history. And I feel sad that there hasn't been more awareness about the Austrian resistance during the war. Heard stories about the French resistance? Yes? They were kick ass. And so were the Austrians. And this is a long and convoluted paragraph to lead to my next point: there are a lot of awesome Austrians!
I have experienced a lot of what the expats complain about. The bureaucracy, the old ladies yelling, and of course the opening hours. We were kicked out of two kindergartens and I lost a job because my company culture ideals didn't involve yelling at people. I've experienced everything that a lot of people complain about... and yet... I have experienced moments that take my breath away: complete kindness and selflessness. I am friends with some amazing Austrians and I always feel bad when a topic turns to complaining about how terrible Austrians can be. To be honest, every culture has their own version of redneck bigots. And yes, there are times I want to yell and scream and say "IN CANADA WE WOULD.... " but today once again reminded me how many Austrians are absolutely awesome.
After work today, I met a friend for drinks and then headed home to relieve the nanny. Thank God the Kid was in a better mood and there were no panicked calls from the Nanny. Since the weather is beautiful, I threw a helmet on the Kid and said "We are going to the park!" He biked around for a little bit and then we headed to the grassy knoll which is his favourite place to run up and down, babbling in happiness. About 20 minutes later, a trio of students in their 20's showed up with some beers as well as an unopened case of Gösser. The Kid immediately ran over and tried to get their attention. They laughed and then yelled across, asking me if I had trained him to get me beer. I responded with "I wish!". The Kid ran around some more and then went back to the guys. They smiled at him and moved their case of beer closer to them as the Kid eyed it. Eventually the Kid went up to the case and started touching it. I tried to call him back but he ignored me. I stood up and headed over and apologized, explaining the Kid had autism and sometimes doesn't understand personal space. The guy with the dreads looked at me and said "Oh! I didn't even notice. I just thought he was being a typical kid." We struck up a conversation and the three of them asked me questions about autism in Austria and they interacted with the Kid and they were all so nice and polite. And then the Kid started to hump the case of beer and it was time to go. I walked away with a big smile because these 3 guys were open, friendly and engaging and it was amazing. When I tried to tell the Husband, he said "They probably thought you were hot." and then I suggested he gets another eye test. Might be glaucoma. No, in all seriousness, it was a special half hour for me. And this hasn't been the only time in recent months that I have had amazing conversations with Austrians and it makes me ashamed for grouping 8 million people into one stereotype. Again, that wasn't and isn't fair of me.
So when I say I love living here, I should also add on that the majority of people here are amazing too. And that's my message for the day. I'm going to see if I can buy those three boys a new case of unhumped beer. Sweet dreams. Over and out.
I am married to an Austrian. Granted, he was born and raised in Kenya, but he still is Austrian. He has red pants. But he has a similar third culture kid thing going on as I do so it has been easy for me to exclude him from the equation. My grandfather was German - born in Hamburg and raised there until he was evacuated as a teenager because he was Jewish. He left behind his mother who later met her fate in Auschwitz. Something that is never forgotten in our household. But a lot has changed over the years and I will never forget calling my grandfather about 14 years ago and saying "Grandpa. I've met someone, he's Austrian." He took a deep breath and asked "Is he rich?" I don't hold anyone in Austria accountable for a terrible history. And I feel sad that there hasn't been more awareness about the Austrian resistance during the war. Heard stories about the French resistance? Yes? They were kick ass. And so were the Austrians. And this is a long and convoluted paragraph to lead to my next point: there are a lot of awesome Austrians!
I have experienced a lot of what the expats complain about. The bureaucracy, the old ladies yelling, and of course the opening hours. We were kicked out of two kindergartens and I lost a job because my company culture ideals didn't involve yelling at people. I've experienced everything that a lot of people complain about... and yet... I have experienced moments that take my breath away: complete kindness and selflessness. I am friends with some amazing Austrians and I always feel bad when a topic turns to complaining about how terrible Austrians can be. To be honest, every culture has their own version of redneck bigots. And yes, there are times I want to yell and scream and say "IN CANADA WE WOULD.... " but today once again reminded me how many Austrians are absolutely awesome.
After work today, I met a friend for drinks and then headed home to relieve the nanny. Thank God the Kid was in a better mood and there were no panicked calls from the Nanny. Since the weather is beautiful, I threw a helmet on the Kid and said "We are going to the park!" He biked around for a little bit and then we headed to the grassy knoll which is his favourite place to run up and down, babbling in happiness. About 20 minutes later, a trio of students in their 20's showed up with some beers as well as an unopened case of Gösser. The Kid immediately ran over and tried to get their attention. They laughed and then yelled across, asking me if I had trained him to get me beer. I responded with "I wish!". The Kid ran around some more and then went back to the guys. They smiled at him and moved their case of beer closer to them as the Kid eyed it. Eventually the Kid went up to the case and started touching it. I tried to call him back but he ignored me. I stood up and headed over and apologized, explaining the Kid had autism and sometimes doesn't understand personal space. The guy with the dreads looked at me and said "Oh! I didn't even notice. I just thought he was being a typical kid." We struck up a conversation and the three of them asked me questions about autism in Austria and they interacted with the Kid and they were all so nice and polite. And then the Kid started to hump the case of beer and it was time to go. I walked away with a big smile because these 3 guys were open, friendly and engaging and it was amazing. When I tried to tell the Husband, he said "They probably thought you were hot." and then I suggested he gets another eye test. Might be glaucoma. No, in all seriousness, it was a special half hour for me. And this hasn't been the only time in recent months that I have had amazing conversations with Austrians and it makes me ashamed for grouping 8 million people into one stereotype. Again, that wasn't and isn't fair of me.
So when I say I love living here, I should also add on that the majority of people here are amazing too. And that's my message for the day. I'm going to see if I can buy those three boys a new case of unhumped beer. Sweet dreams. Over and out.
Great story! It's nice to see the Viennese get some good feedback. As an American who's been living here for over 25 years I've had a lot of time to think about the impression the Viennese make on visitors or "Neulinge ". I'll spare you most of my theories. I'll sum it up in one little story.
ReplyDeleteI once read a sign on the bus. I happened to see the Engish first. It said, "Please refrain from speaking to the driver while he is driving." My first thought was that that was too wishy-washy for Vienna. Then I read the German version, "Sie werden ersucht, während der Fahrt nicht mit dem Fahrer zu sprechen! " ( you are ordered not to speak to the driver while he's driving! ) Now that makes more sense, was my first reaction. (Clearly, I've been here to long,lol!)
What's insulting in one language is polite in another. I'm pretty sure the Viennese would have wondered why they were being coddled like a child if the "overly" polite Engish version had been literally translated.