4 CultureShock! Austria
industrial areas. For example, arriving at Schwechat airport
in Vienna, the first thing you see are the towers of the huge
Schwechat oil refinery. Certainly not the image one would
expect. Susan was fortunate enough to have arrived in Vienna
for the first time by train. Stepping out of the Westbahnhof,
she immediately came face to face with the city in all its
grandeur. How can you not be in awe of such a beautifully
ornate city, so rich in history that you know there is a story
behind everything you see? As she headed towards the city
centre, her head spun around trying to catch a glimpse of the
Opera House, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Rathaus,
the Hofburg, etc. It seemed as if one magnificent landmark
superseded another. All she wanted to do was to get out and
walk around the city and breathe it all in.
When Julie moved to Austria, her first impressions were of
space, cleanliness, a beautiful countryside, wonderful wines
and a sense of a well-balanced lifestyle. She was struck by
the well-functioning infrastructure and incredible public
transportation systems in the cities and towns. This allows
newcomers to easily access information and get around
without any major difficulty. Furthermore, even though she
had not studied German beforehand, she found that getting
around was easy because most people studied English in
school and have a passable knowledge of the language. Most
importantly for her, as a single woman, she felt safe and
secure wherever she went.
For those of you who, upon arrival, see a country
steeped in history, your second impression will be that
of a very modern country. Austrians may be a traditional
and conservative people, but they have enthusiastically
embraced the 21st century. Life in Austria is a wonderful
mix of quiet cafés and mobile phones, leisurely strolls
in the woods and speeding along the Autobahn, Mozart
and jazz, tuxedos and green hair, Baroque buildings and
the 51-storey Millennium Tower skyscraper, small family-
owned stores and the largest shopping mall in Europe. It is
a country that, although no longer an empire, is an active
member of the European Union and the seat of several
international organisations. Geographically, the country