In the last few weeks, I have been meeting loads of new people (mostly from North America and Europe as expected) and I saw a number of sights around this great city through my orientation program, including an ever so fun trip to Linz, Austria. As I have displayed in my past posts I really enjoy listing things, so why fix what's not broken?
1. It Amazing to Think of People's Experiences of World War II Here: I was sitting on the subway one morning going to my German class and couldn't help but notice an elderly lady riding the Subway in the seat diagonally to the left of me. She appeared to be in her early to mid 80's, so chances are that she was at least aware of what was going on with World War II in her life at the time. I instantly thought of every story I've heard every elderly American tell about World War II, mostly revolving around Pearl Harbor, relatives leaving for war, and the sacrifices made at home in support of the American war effort. However, I couldn't help but think that the events that she witnessed were much more significant than the ones I heard. She was aware when the most evil figure of the 20th century annexed her country, she was exposed to Nazi paraphernalia all over Vienna and the Goebbels' produced propaganda of the era, and most of all she witnessed her city being bombed and taken over by allied forces at the end of the European theater. It is much more interesting perspective to think about.
2. It is Also Interesting how Austrians Deny Involvement with the Axis in WWII: I'm going to continue a bit on this topic because it is something that I had thought about a decent amount. There is a joke that Austria's greatest achievement is convincing the world that Beethoven was Austrian and Hitler was German. I thought of this off-the-cuff joke, while I was Linz, when a friend of mine reminded me that Hitler considered Linz to be his "hometown". Obviously this tidbit was not mentioned in my tour, as the topic of Nazism is considered taboo in Austria and Germany. Also, While walking around Vienna, I did see a monument commemorating the Soviet soldiers who "liberated" the city of Vienna during World War II. Although history points that Austria's vote to join the Third Reich was heavily influenced by the German military, it also suggests that a majority of people supported a union with Germany in the time between the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII. While the sanctions that were put on Austria during the Treaty of St. Germain (Austria-Hungary's version of the Treaty of Versailles) were severe, and made the promises of the Nazi party appealing, the end is the nation did in fact have a role similar to that of Germany in the war. Ultimately this is past that the following generations want to distance themselves from and ignore, which makes sense, considering that the Austrians I had met have been very open and kind people. However, it is a past that I believe people should be aware of, because only by remembering the negative effects of that era, can one avoid going down the same negative path.
The Ever-So-Odd Soviet Army Monument in Vienna
3. "Bernd Das Brot" is the Best Late-Night Show Ever: Now that I have depressed y'all with talking about Nazism for a bit, I'm going to do a 180 and talk about something light. I my many of nights where I return to my room late and turned on the TV late at night, I seem to always gravitate towards one show entitled "Bernd Das Brot", which means "Bernd the Bread" in English. It is a children's show which is on the KIKA channel here in Austria. The show is essentially a curmudgeonly piece of bread who dances around and dresses in different costumes (Harry Potter, Star Trek, anything you could imagine really), sounds amazing right? I've got you drawn in? Well it plays here every night on KIKA from 8pm until the early morning. So one can imagine it is a go to show of many people under the influence of one thing or another. I remember seeing this show a couple of times before and thinking that he was actually a chocolate bar, since he is essentially just a brown rectangular figure with arms. I've been told that there is an episode where he just falls continuously for 20 minutes... I must see this.
The Bread, The Myth, The Legend
4. I Haven't Traveled Outside of Austria Yet, and I'm Oddly OK with That: This is an amazing thing to say considering one of the reasons I chose Vienna as a location is that it's central location makes it advantageous for traveling, however, I've enjoyed spending all of my time in Austria thus far. I know people here who have yet to spend an entire weekend in Vienna, which is amazing to me. As a city of nearly 1.8 million people, the amount of things to do in Vienna is incredible. I have generally enjoyed taking this first month to see everything available to me in the city of Vienna and the nation of Austria. I've found Vienna thus far to be truly the most livable place that I have ever been to. One of my roommates recently traveled to Italy, and while he loved his experience there, he said he missed Vienna at the end and looked forward to returning. Now, this isn't to say I am planning to stay in Austria the entire time (if things work out, I will be going to Copenhagen and Brussels in the near future), but I am glad that I have taken the opportunity to appreciate what I have in front of me before I rushed off to see other places.
5. You Find Yourself More Invested In World Events When You're Closer to Them: This is something that I have felt particular with the events currently happening in Ukraine. I remember a friend and I sitting in my room a couple of weeks ago before going out watching some of the incredible footage going on in Kiev at the time. We were watching Molotov Cocktails being thrown at attacking state police and a group of people fighting for the freedom of their nation. I found myself much more invested in the event as my friend and I came to the realization that Kiev is a mere hour and a half flight from where we are currently living. This situation has been made all more real as I have had the opportunity to meet and befriend a few Ukrainians over the past weeks (There is video of my friends and I with our new Ukrainian friends drunkenly yelling "Slava Ukraini", which means "Glory to Ukraine", the cry of the Euromaidan protesters in the nation). Given the people that I have met and my own Western biases, I obviously am in entire support of the Euromaidan protestors in achieving their goals in the country, even on what appears to be the brink of war with Russia.
Slava Ukraini!
Other Less Noteworthy Thoughts that Didn't Make the Cut:
- Everything here is so much more expensive... Except for Alcohol.
- Falco is Austria's greatest musician, that's right Mozart...
- It is amazing how many people roll their own cigarettes here.
- The average Austrian beer absolutely destroys the average American beer, no contest.
- My roommate knows the best restaurants / Wiener Schnitzel was created by the Gods themselves.
- I start actual classes this week... Fun.
- It's so nice to buy the cheapest wine (Usually 2-3 Euros) and not have it be awful or come in a box.
- Kebabs are still the best street food, but Käsekrainers are awesome too.
- The song "Das Geht Ab" needs to be big in America yesterday.
- It took two weeks to hear a non-Macklemore rap song at a bar/club, and yes I rapped the entire thing.
Well that's all I really have in the empty space that is my mind, so...
Song I'm Listening To:
Der Kommisar - Falco
Peace in the Middle East... Better Yet Ukraine,
Ted
