With time comes possibly some new perspectives. Okay, maybe more than possibly. Some larger fascinations with Vienna start to emerge after just a few months in the Viennese culture. However, the little fascinations spoken about in this post continually shape my perspective. I love the little things, and the observation of them makes each moment feel more important and almost magical. However, with some more time surrounded in the culture, the little things start to funnel into larger fascinations.
When I first arrived, everything was new (well actually quite old…cough cough) and spectacular in its own regard. Besides the immediate perception of the architecture mainly preserved from the late 1800’s and before, there were some more nuanced points that I would notice. I would notice the costumed men selling tickets to Strauss and Mozart concerts, no matter the weather. I would notice in the first district, the green pedestrian light included two people holding hands and a heart above this.
I would also notice the Strauss and Mozart music played as ambiance in the public transportation, restaurants and bathrooms. Sometimes if you listened closely enough, you could hear music whistled in the air- or maybe that was just one of my roommates every time we walked to class together…
I also paid attention to the mannerisms of many people. For example, many men and women would get up for elderly men or women at all costs when there were no seats available. There was this incredible positive vibe (I know, I’m hip) that radiated in these kind acts. Luckily for me, Austrians were also very willing to speak German and struggle with me. This was possibly because I looked somewhat Austrian, and they would be confused if I did not speak German. Nonetheless, I thought this was an act of kindness! I also noticed the practicality of many Austrians in the grocery stores. Many times, if I had one item, they would let me cut the line, or sometimes I could skip the line entirely if I had exact change in hand for one small item. Public service announcement: be mindful of the speed at which grocers check out the customers, because the next customer’s Müsli, Paradieser, or Wein might be thrown at you if you do not move quickly enough. After a while, these small acts started to paint a larger picture of what made Vienna, “Vienna”.
The larger things such as interests, personalities, and mindsets started to emerge. The idea that Vienna was a musical city was apparent from the start; however, learning how the musical business ran, how to find quality concerts, and how many musicians lived and breathed in the Vienna air all confirmed this honest attribute of Vienna. Before coming to Vienna, I heard that Austrians were nicer than Germans in many ways. I found Austrians are nice people, but I’m sure this is not exclusive to Austrians; however, I did realize that many Austrians were nice in quiet, cute and flirtatious ways that I did not experience in my short time in Germany. With some of my Austrian friends and language partners, I started to understand the way in which they viewed school and careers and such. I noticed that many people were in no rush to graduate, with many students living at home, with full health insurance, and in affordable college programs (Oh America).
These are some of the many trends that I will continue to unravel in upcoming posts. With more and more evidence, I can try to understand how life works in the fascinating city of Vienna. I might be, and probably am wrong about all these things; With more and more evidence, my views will change and hopefully for the better in search of some form of truth. However, picking out these larger fascinations is a great thought experiment to understand my time in Vienna. Stay tuned for the next post that will unravel more about these meta-ideas. As my high-school literature teacher simply put, “Writing is Thinking”.
Thoughts with David 