As you would expect with moving to a new country, there are plenty of adjustments that need to be made. As well as the obvious, there are a few ‘more subtle’ ones that I have had to take on board…
Hard hair
Sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Turns out the water here is ‘hard’ and full of minerals, which makes my hair quite gross. I spent hours googling the best way to fix it, then proceeded to experiment with a range of ‘solutions’ like washing my hair with lemon juice and vinegar. Not 100% yet but getting better. And yes, my hair still smells like lemon juice.
Dating my friends
Making new friends is like dating. You arrange to meet somewhere, then there is a period of stilted conversation until you have had a few glasses of wine. Who speaks first? What should we talk about? Is my outfit ok?
In addition, I also have to take into account the ‘kiss’ factor. In Austria, people kiss on both cheeks…but only after you have met them a few times. How do I know when to give up the handshake and go in for the kiss? Awkward.
(Always a good spot to date, err meet, new friends)
Sharing my space
Austria is a lot smaller than Australia, yet it still has 1/3 of the population. This means that sometimes I share my space with more people than I’m used to. I now dress a little more respectably at home in case a neighbour calls hello over the fence (we live beside the park). Oversized track pants and a singlet with holes doesn’t really cut it.
The other thing I still can’t get my head around is sharing a space with dogs. Dogs in a shopping centre. Dogs in a restaurant. Dogs in the airport. Strange but true, they are everywhere. But to give them credit, they are sometimes better behaved than me.
(Yes, I snapped this photo. No, I didn’t plant the dog. This actually happens.)
Moving isn’t traveling
After a month of being in Austria I thought I was doing fine. I was meeting people, starting to understand some words and learning to love schnitzel.
Then it happened. I had a melt down. And to top it off, it was in the subway. Embarrassing! I realised that I was treating Austria differently to other places because this was my new home. I wasn’t acting independently. I wasn’t asking for help. I just wanted to fit in.
I needed to find the balance of fitting in and using the ‘traveller’ part of my brain. This is going to be an ongoing adjustment but I figure I will get there. In the meantime, I’m wearing sunglasses while riding the subway.
