Living in Vienna

In writing over the last few weeks, I noted that there are lots of things I am leaving out mostly because living in Europe is no longer new to us.  I was looking over our posts from our early days in Warsaw and noticed that I had completely forgotten to share what it was like the first time around.  You can read about it yourself if you wish, but what follows is a bit about what is similar and/or different between Vienna and Warsaw (in case anyone is looking for a follow on post).

Around the House

From 2006, Warsaw...

"Some interesting differences we noted right away had to do with the light switches and doors. The light switch is on the outside of the bathroom and other common areas, rather than inside, yet they are located inside for the bedrooms. When you think about it, that makes more sense than having them inside a room. Further, some doors open out while others open in. That was not as bad as the light switches. I have spent the last few days confused reaching for a light switch inside the bathroom.

Toilets are also different. For one, they have flush control so that you don't use up as much water. They also seem to not have much water in them as a rule. Only when you flush does the bowl fill up."

No changes in the above.

One thing I never mentioned that people sometimes ask about is US appliances.  We left our major appliances in our house in Virginia, but we did bring some minor appliances/items like our television sets, Blu-Ray/DVD players,  the Wii, our computers, iPads and iPhones.  We run these items off transformers that are provided to us.  I want to say that if your appliance runs at 2000+watts you use a transformer.  This is not to be confused with a converter plug.  Converter plugs work with a hair dryer for example, but don't try to plug up a 110v appliance (coffeemakers, conventional ovens, etc) because you will blow it up.  This happened to me with a conventional oven when I was in Warsaw. The Wii runs off a wall transformer just fine.  The computers are an interesting comparison.  We own PCs and Macs.  The PCs usually require a transformer or a wall transformer. But it was the Macs that impressed me.  Apple sells converter plugs for their Macs.  If you take your Mac (or iPhone) charger, you will note that you can remove the 110v plug and replace it with a 220v.  That has by far been the easiest appliance conversion ever! This was news to me because I didn't have a Mac back in 2006.

Language

In Polish, one greets others by saying "dzien dobry" which means good day or good morning.  In German, most people think "guten tag" works, but that is not how people greet each other here.  And if you greet someone with guten tag, they will know you are a tourist.  The proper greeting here is "grüß gott" (pronounced gruss gott).  It literally mean "greet God" which makes no sense, but very well then.  

Most people under 40 (like in Poland) speak English quite well.  But I would say it is more true here than it was in Poland.  We have been able to find an English speaking person everywhere we have been (even at the grocery store).  

However, like in Poland, I am certain that German will be helpful once we venture out of Vienna into other areas of Austria. 

One of the things that I find happening to me when I try to say "yes" or "no" or I try to ask for a number of items is that I find my mind automatically shifting into Polish and I will respond in Polish.  I don't know why it happens, but I remember the same thing happening when we returned to the States in 2008. I can only to compare it to how I can speak Spanglish without giving it much thought while non native speakers stare and say "huh?" On the plus side, it confirms that I really did learn Polish:-)

German classes start in September and I can't wait to add German to my list of spoken languages. 

Shopping

No major difference in shopping between the two countries except for the fact that everything is closed on Sundays and Vienna is still primarily a cash based society.  It really is hit or miss.  For example, we went to the grocery store for the first time and were able to pay with our US debit/credit card.  But this past weekend, at the same store, the transaction was denied.  We just went to the ATM where the card worked just fine and withdrew cash to pay.  But places like the U-Bahn or the movie theater, you can pay with your card just fine. I don't particularly like this because I rarely carry cash and now I have to have some on me at all times just in case.  

Another common aspect at grocery stores is the that cashiers sit at the register and all they do is scan your items.  You have to pack them yourself (quickly) and you better bring bags because they do not supply plastic or paper bags (see my Recycling post).   At the stores here, there is a staging area past the register.  You basically dump all your purchases back in the cart and then you can take your time to pack things in that area.

VAT or Value Added Tax is alive and well in Austria as it was in Poland.  It is what makes things more expensive here.  The Embassy reimburses us for VAT like they did in Poland, but a change here is that you can either itemize or take a lump sum of 330 Euro per quarter.  To itemize, you need every receipt. So far we have not been keeping track, but even with a lump sum, we get about $400 per quarter. The quarter ends in September so I will start keeping track then to see what's best. 

Banking

We never had a Polish bank account when we lived in Warsaw. Looking back, we probably should have gotten one because I'm sure we paid lots in foreign transaction fees. In Austria, we need to open an account. The bank account in Europe is how you pay your bills. You don't send a check. Whenever you get a bill here, a bank account number for the biller is provided. You basically have to do a wire transfer from your account to the biller not unlike many of the web bill pay programs at US banks. Many people just go to the bank and fill out their little forms to have the bank transfer funds from their account to the biller's account. You can pay online, but you still need the biller's account information. Without a bank account, we are unable to get mobile phones. To get a bank account, you need your legitimacy card (like a residency card). So three weeks into this we don't have mobile service on our phones. Luckily, the Embassy gave the Cat an ancient Nokia phone which we carry around for emergencies only because they do little else.

Driving

This is what I wrote about Warsaw:

"Driving here is scary. The roads here are awful and I hear that in Warsaw it is better than driving in other more rural areas. Some roads are still dirt roads. Cars squeeze tightly next to each other. They tailgate and cut in front of cars kind of like they do in the USA only the driving resembles that of a NYC cab driver. If driving is scary, walking is even more daunting. You have to be very careful when you turn a corner because cars turn very fast and may not notice you are standing at the curb or walking up the street. Other than this, it is pretty safe to walk around the city."

No change here either except that I find the Austrians to be even more aggressive than their Polish counterparts. You also have to look out for the Straßenbahn (street car/tram) that do not stop. We were told that a teach at the American school was killed by a street car 2 years ago because she looked one way to cross but failed to see the street car coming.

The police here ticket you for everything. I have heard that since there is virtually not major crime (with the exception of non-violent break ins), they have an exorbitant amount of time on their hands. Yet even with all that time, they won't pull you over. There are cameras everywhere. Your ticket(s) get sent to you at home. The Embassy is going to be sponsoring a "driving" seminar in September that I plan to attend.

Gas is quite expensive. Last week, I saw 1.43 Euro per liter or 5.72 Euro per gallon. In USD terms, that's $6.97 per gallon! And you thought prices were bad in the States! So to fill my 15 gallon tank, it will run me $104.55 in USD. We are given a gas card here that give us a nice discount on gas. Gas gets charged to card and the Embassy sends us a bill.

To break that down into real life terms, when I was in Virginia, I filled up every week and at the highest prices, I paid about $52 per week or $208 per month. If I purchase the annual transportation pass at 365 Euro/$444.50, I can travel on the bus, streetcar, or U-Bahn, unlimited for no more than $37 USD PER MONTH.

Quite frankly, in Poland, you needed to drive most places because transportation was sketchy. Here, I would not mind using public transportation for the next three years and using the car for the autobahns out of town.

The Expat Community

This is where Warsaw and Vienna appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Vienna, unlike Warsaw, is a Tri-Mission, meaning, there are three separate Embassies here with three different ambassadors. There is our main Embassy, the UNVIE (UN Mission), and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operaiton in Europe). The community here is extra large and not as tight knit as Warsaw. Last week, there were three 4th of July parties here and everyone from each mission was invited to each. Personally, as of right now, I enjoyed the community in Warsaw because it was much easier to get to know people. This posting is impersonal which can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. In Warsaw, socialization happened in people's home over food, coffee and/or several bottles of wine and/or beer. Here, there is so much to see and do that you are pretty much on your own. The Embassy does plan certain events and tours, but, from what I hear, they are poorly attended because there is so much more going on elsewhere. I think the school may be a better place to meet people.

Overall, things are looking up around here. Even the temperatures have dropped into the 60's for daytime highs and 50's for nighttime lows. I don't have any sweaters, but I'll take it over the summer heat any day.