Vacation's Over!

It’s back to work for me!

It isn’t exactly as though I’ve been sitting on my hands lately. In fact, I’d say that even though I haven’t worked at a traditional office for some time, with preparing to leave the U.S. and getting settled here (not to mention the teaching I did last year), I've been working pretty hard!

But a major part of the plan in moving to Vienna was to be able to find employment so I could support myself in my new life. And I am happy to report that this has proven to be not only possible, but abundantly so.

I had anticipated that not having a longer track record in teaching would be a hindrance, but — as Karma would have it — my business and entrepreneurial background seems to more than compensate. Choosing to go for the CELTA certification, as opposed to quicker, less expensive and less reputable ones, was also a good decision, as the Cambridge University imprimatur does carry weight here.

I’ve hooked up with what I consider two of the best language schools that cater to an Austrian and international business clientele. My first class was for a pair of lawyers who work in the area of telecommunications and regulation. I’m also teaching employees in the accounting and HR departments of the Austrian branch of an Italian company, some association marketing execs and a business consultant — for a total so far of six classes a week.  Their levels range from elementary to intermediate, and they’re lots of fun to teach. I also actually enjoy commuting to the various work sites, as it tangibly enhances the feeling of being more than just a tourist or visitor, but rather being someone who actually lives here. That’s always been my goal.

Now this is not going to cover all my expenses, but basically it does take care of my rent, and that’s a good start. I’m also meeting with administration officials at schools and American-based universities with campuses here that teach in English, to investigate the potential for not only teaching positions but freelance communications work as well. So far people seem receptive. Still on my agenda is the U.S. embassy and their American Chamber of Commerce (the ‘amcham’), although perhaps a little later.

In the middle of all this I’ve been going to various meetings and seminars — on issues such as Austrian income tax liability, social (i.e. health, pension, etc.) insurance and other relocation matters — offered by various agencies and organizations here. I’ve gotten involved (on a volunteer basis) with the AWA’s imminent rebranding campaign, and continue to study German, meet with friends and go about other daily affairs. In the process, I’m discovering new ways to get around the city and (finally!) getting a sense of the geography.

Vienna continues to nourish me aesthetically, and that’s even before the grass greens and the trees and flowers burst forth. But that is coming soon, as I can actually feel the days getting longer. Certain people — and you know who you are! — are already making plans to visit, and that is something else I look forward to.

I do have to continually monitor Scout’s virally-transmitted intestinal problem, which, I’m sorry to say, has become an ongoing and unexpected corollary to living in a city with so many dogs and their less-than-conscientious owners. She’s a hardy little beast, though, and seems completely unfazed by it all, so it’s just a task and an expense that I must deal with.

And finally, you may be wondering, what’s with all these window photos? Well, there wasn’t really much to illustrate in this post, so I decided to share something that I have found so enjoyable here: the beauty of the architectural detail that goes into even  the most prosaic of structures, apartment buildings. These are all from within a two-block radius of my own apartment. Other neighborhoods are even more spectacular. Hope you like ‘em!

Getting Settled

One month down, a lifetime to go

My things are unpacked, my financial affairs are finally in order, I’ve got my Jahreskarte (annual pass) for the transit system, an ever-widening circle of friends, and NO SNOW. So life is good!

Where has the time gone? I know I haven’t written in a while, but honestly, it’s because life is so normal for me here that it’s hard to single out events or impressions to talk about.

The Albertina - formerly the largest residential 

Habsburg palace, now one of Vienna's signature 

art museums, named for Duke Albert of Saxe-

Teschen, son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresa.

My days are spent very much like they were, or would be, in the U.S.: making my to-do lists and checking things off, running errands, making phone calls, writing e-mails, looking for work (more on that soon), grocery shopping, doing laundry (can’t get away from it!) as well as business and social networking. Only here, when I step out my front door, or look out the Ubahn (subway, metro, T …) or tram window as I travel around town, my eyes are treated to architectural wonders and many hundreds of years of imperial splendor. Yes, I know it wasn’t splendid for many who lived in centuries past, but how can one not marvel at the beauty and grandeur? (Check out my ride and the Opera House.)

A balmy Sunday afternoon at the
Belvedere to see the exhibit
"Rodin and Vienna"

A fair amount of my time is actually spent studying maps and Web sites to get to know the city better. With a somewhat dysfunctional innate GPS, it sometimes takes me a while to get my bearings and figure out where I should be headed – especially in the winding streets of the old city. But it is gradually sinking in, and since the tram and much of the Ubahn are above ground, I pay particular attention as I go along. This way I also get to make mental notes of shops, cafés, restaurants and places of interest that I want to make a point of going back to. And, yes, I have been to a few so far! 

I’ve been doing some German studying on my own, but have also just signed up for a course at one of the (many!) language schools here. I’m not a complete beginner, but without any formal instruction or solid background, I’m not yet an advanced beginner, but somewhere in between. So I’ve been doing a little bit of crash studying this week in order to be able to join an “in between” class that is already in progress. I’m also lucky to be able to attend a weekly conversation class for slightly-more-than-beginners at the downtown office of the AWA (American Women’s Association), where grammar, story-telling, conversation and quite a bit of fun are provided for an hour and a half every Tuesday morning. 

My German course workbook

There is, of course, television. I do try to watch, or just listen, to programs in German, although they are often from Germany, not Austria. I’ve mostly enjoyed their nature programs and documentaries, a growing portion of which I’m getting to understand. But when I need ‘relief’ I switch to English language broadcasts. Sadly, my only recourse is CNN and BBC, and they focus on just a handful of international stories … ad nauseum! Watch five to ten minutes at a time and you will have seen the entire day’s programming. There’s also EuroNews and – oddly enough – Russia Today which do broadcast in English, but they are similarly repetitive. (You think you’ve been hearing a lot about Egypt???) And while it seems that licensing laws  prevent most networks and broadcast sites (e.g. Hulu) from streaming outside the U.S., I can - for better or worse - get my fix of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, even if it is a day late! Strange thing is, when I’m on my computer, the Internet gods know I’m in Vienna, and tell Google and Facebook to run ads for local Viennese retailers and services, and in German. Spooky!

I am also steeping myself in European history thanks to those who gave me all sorts of books on Vienna  before I left. I particularly enjoyed Thunder at Twilight by Frederic Morton (thank you, Michael!), which beautifully, almost poetically, describes the cultural, social, political and psychological spirit of turn-of-the-century Vienna - the brilliant and prolific yet doomed epicenter of the Habsburg empire - and how the Austrian and German monarchs were essentially powerless to stop the locomotive and train of events that brought on World War I. Now I’m jumping ahead a bit to post WWII cold war Europe with Armageddon by Leon Uris, borrowed from the wall-length collection at the AWA office.

So not to worry … even though I’ve chosen not to bore you these last few weeks with the quotidian details of my life, I have been enjoying myself enormously and feeling so very much at home in this amazing city. I can’t believe that tomorrow it will already be five weeks!

I plan to do at least an entire blog post on this!