Coming Home

The end of exile

  

Mea Culpa and a thousand pardons. I have, it seems, fallen off the proverbial (blog) wagon, but I am still here!  It’s not as if I haven’t wanted to share my impressions or thoughts, but I am not one of those who needs to always update my comings and goings on Facebook or Twitter, and it just seemed that my busy and pleasant life had become so normal and routine that I didn't feel the inspiration to write about it.

So where to pick up from?  No other way but to dive in with perhaps a brief update on ‘events’ since my last posting, and a few thoughts along the way.

WORK

I taught at the university all through the spring, and have secured contracts for additional courses through this fall and the spring of 2013 - a solid income base. I’ve also been teaching business English courses at various companies assigned to me by a very busy language school, and have even taken on a few private students. This is the part of my working life that I hope to build on in the coming year(s).

CULTURE

My personal austerity budget has loosened up a little bit, now that I have a fairly steady income, so I have been enjoying a few concerts, movies, and social engagements. Once this current heat wave breaks, I hope to get ‘out there’ a bit more.

Sitting on stage at a Musikverein concert was the thrill of a lifetime for me.

TRAVEL

So far this year, I’ve been to Salzburg (for a teacher’s conference), to Graz (for fun, with a good friend) and to London to visit with my son, Ben, and daughter, Michelle, for a week. The rest of the year will be even busier:  a few days in Prague with Ben later this month, a few days in the U.S. with Michelle in August, and a few days in Israel in September. I have a break between semesters in October, and who knows where I’ll go then?

A view of the river Mur in Graz

Spring sprang early in Graz

My favorite wise guys

By the Tower Bridge

FAMILY
What a year of joyous news it’s been:  

> Michelle got engaged and will be married next May in Israel (and I love my future son-in-law, Arnon):  

Celebrating engagement

> Ben received his Masters degree in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art (and picked up this year’s sculpture prize along the way!):  

Being interviewed about his exhibit

> My niece gave birth to her second son (my jubilant brother’s second grandson): 

Welcome Alexander, Declan's new little brother!

... and I managed to enter my seventh decade without any debilitating trauma, but with a little help from a traditional schnitzel dinner (– real comfort food). 

I ate out on my birthday, but this schnitzel I made at home.

And while not quite family, I had a great thrill meeting with my mother’s best friend from her childhood in Vienna, an amazing nonagenarian who lives in London and shared with me some personal and touching memories.

Edith and me, like old friends ourselves ...

So, what has all this got to do with the title of this post?  I think it’s my attempt to convey just how completely at home I feel here, and have felt since I arrived. Vienna is truly one of the most livable cities in the world — its size, culture, social services, and dedication to a more relaxed and pleasurable way of life, have all come together for me in a way that has produced a contentment I’d not previously known. These qualities have also attracted a diverse and fascinating array of people from around the world, many of whom I now count among my dearest friends. And while I may not have yet penetrated any inner Viennese social circles (no invitations to waltz at the ball), my encounters with the people here have been welcoming, wonderful, and supportive.

It’s not that I’m blind to the city’s and country’s faults. (I’ll leave that for another post.) It’s just that I’ve settled so completely and thoroughly that I don’t consider myself an expat, someone who lives temporarily in a foreign country. Although my move has been infinitely smoother and less wrenching than my parents’ immigration in the opposite direction back in the late 1930s, I feel in many ways that I, too, have immigrated - but back home. 

I’ve often said that my upbringing was more European than American, and that I’d felt this even since early childhood. Of course, the U.S. is clearly an intrinsic part of my identity; but I can appreciate now very precisely how truly Viennese my childhood and family life were, and how deeply it formed my character. Obviously, on a basic level, this accounts for how natural and comfortable it feels for me to live here.

On a deeper level, however, it also strengthens the conviction and validation I feel in returning to Vienna. It was from here that my family was viciously and ruthlessly either kicked out or killed more than 70 years ago – but not forever. I have come back to reclaim, to the extent it is possible, the identity and lives that were taken from us. This imbues my life with an intense and unmistakable mission, and as I walk the streets of my family’s and my neighborhoods every day, I feel their presence and their company, every step of the way.

My maternal grandparents, Emil and Selma Schorr, deported 1942

My paternal grandparents, Leo and Frieda Hollander, who made it to the U.S.

My parents, Otto and Lisl, ca. 1988

Lady of the Manor

Ya think?

A question I am often asked by friends back in the U.S. (and sometimes by those here as well) is: How has Scout adjusted to the new environment and to becoming a city dog?  I can only say that it took her almost as little time to feel at home here as it did for me.

Granted, when we first arrived last year, she was obsessed with finding just the right place—any nice little patch of grass, or even a mound of sweet-smelling earth—to leave her calling card. But it was dead of winter, and as far as the eye could see or the nose could smell, there was only paved street, sidewalk, and cobblestone. But by Day 2, when nature’s call could no longer be postponed, and she relented to peeing (etc.) on concrete, Scout became a true Wienerin (Vienna resident [f]). Now it's winter again, and all is ganz regelmäsig (completely routine).

The Lady of the Manor
poses for her audience.

And as for apartment vs. house living? Kein Problem (No problem)! Scout has had to recalibrate her ball chasing speed somewhat, since without the reliable traction of pile carpeting, she tends to slip, slide, and skid in a variety of hysterical positions across the parquet and tile floors—a marvelous source of many laugh-out-loud moments. But even careening into table legs or the occasional wall doesn’t seem to faze her. She’s apparently always had a high tolerance for pain (is that where the term numbskull comes from?), and it’s hard to resist a good chase every now and then. So as long as the water bowl is always full and the kibble bowl gets replenished regularly, life is good.

And speaking of the good life, I think you'll agree that Scout doesn't look stressed about living in Vienna (see below). When she’s not out for a walk, playing, chewing her toys (especially the one stuffed with peanut butter), or getting mega doses of affection from me, she just chills in the cozy, comfy surroundings she has come to know as home.

And so, a day in the life ... (captions welcomed!)

P.S. The sheet on the sofa may not be the most attractive look in home design, but it's an absolute necessity when you have a dog that sheds enough hair to provide coats for at least three more dogs, and you have children who spoiled her in the early years by allowing her to join them for a cuddle on the furniture! Underneath, it's a really pretty gray tweed sofa!

JANUARY 7

Backward and forward

It was exactly one year ago that I moved to Vienna, and yet I can remember everything about it in the most minute detail as if it were yesterday. It started with a packed van in Portland, Maine on the morning of January 6^th, continued down the highway through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York to JFK airport, lasted for over eight hours in the air above the Atlantic and western Europe, and ended on a cold, rainy, wonderful day the next morning in Vienna. And while I know so much has happened since then, I still can’t quite understand how it is actually now 365 days later!

There are of course many, many things I could write (and have written) about my experiences here so far, but the best I can do at this moment of reflection is to say that I am 100% content, and have 0% regret. This was the right decision on every level, and the wonder of it all still unfolds before me in new ways each and every day.

I’ve made local friends and expat friends, found employment, met fascinating people as students and colleagues from all over the world, and put down roots in the place where my roots began. What more could I ask for?

I won’t say it’s been easy being away from family and friends from before, because it hasn’t, but with e-mail and Skype I don’t feel as cut off as I otherwise might be from those I love. And speaking of those I love, being here has brought me closer to my parents than ever before, and in ways I’m not sure I’m yet able to describe. They never shared too much of their Viennese childhoods with me, each for different reasons. Yet the pull that the city and culture exerted on them, in spite of everything, seems to be in my blood, and gives me an inexpressible sense of truly being home.

So, it being a new year, and a time for looking forward as well as backward, what are my plans and resolutions for the next 365 days? Here are my top three:


1.  To become completely self-supporting.

I am thrilled with my new teaching profession, and managed to already earn back a large part of what it cost me to live here this past year. My business plan for 2012, though, is to earn enough to support myself entirely from my work as an English trainer, editor, and executive coach, without tapping any previous resources.

2.  To improve my German.     

How many times have you heard that one by now? The fact is, I can indeed understand a whole lot more now than when I arrived. I do fairly well at shopping, making appointments, listening to conversations, reading light material and such, but speaking is another matter. Even though I can usually make myself understood, the grammar and colloquialisms are a real challenge.

That said, I think I may be starting to look like a local, because just this morning, on two separate occasions in town, I was asked for directions. Not only were the conversations in German—I knew where and how to direct them!

Meanwhile, I found a humorous take on this subject by a German comedian who does stand-up in Great Britain, and I invite you to take a look so you can see what I’m up against. He’s got 10 separate skits, which you can get to from the Web site, but this is my favorite:

Click Here

3.  To cope with turning 60

What is there to say? I don’t relate to that number at all; it simply does not compute. Sure, both body and mind are a little worse for wear, but this ‘change of life’ has been very rejuvenating. And if the expression ‘Bis hundertzwanzig’ ('til 120) means anything, I’m only halfway through! In any case, I am entirely optimistic about my future here, and if I can just work out a way to see more of my kids, life will be perfect.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So ... assuming Obama makes it back into the White House (things are looking up a little bit, no?), I think 2012 is going to be a very good year. And when I’m not preparing for lessons or grading papers and exams, I really hope to also do some more exploring and experiencing in this wonderful city—and, perhaps, even beyond. And maybe you can too! With thanks to my friend Janice and the New York Times, I’d like to share with you just a few of the many attractions in store for both residents and visitors. You don’t have to all come at once … but please do come! It’s really worth the visit.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/36-hours-vienna.html?emc=eta1

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

New Year’s themes in Austria include the greeting above (which translates literally as ‘Have a good slide in the new year’), and the pig as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. In the days between Christmas and January 1, vendors popped up all over the city with pigs of every variety:

And on that note, let me wish you all a 

Spectacular, Happy, and Healthy 2012!

A Jew's Christmas in Vienna

(…with apologies to Dylan Thomas)

I suppose it could be said that I see things in Vienna through rose-colored glasses, both because I am so happy to be here and because I feel at home in a culture that is very familiar to me. And even though the streets and stores have been crowded with busy gift shoppers, I don’t sense the same materialistic madness as in the U.S., like the post-Thanksgiving Black Friday midnight crush, or the pepper spray aggression at Walmart! There is also virtually no trace of tacky flashing light displays, inflated lawn Santas or other gaudy decorations.

But don’t get me wrong … the city is certainly ‘dressed up’ for the holiday. Stunning but tasteful lights adorn the major pedestrian thoroughfares; little pine forests have sprung up everywhere with beautiful, fragrant specimens for sale; and dozens of markets – called Kristkindlmarkts – abound, in major tourist locations as well as some local neighborhoods. The tradition, it seems, dates back to the Middle Ages, and many items have become quite clichéd, but walking among the chalet-like wooden huts with our noses frozen by the cold, hands warmed by mugs of glühwein (mulled wine) or Punsch (punch), and tummies sated with Maronen (chestnuts—yes, roasted on open fires), Würstel (sausages), Krapfen (jam-filled donuts), and Lebkuchen (gingerbread), it’s almost impossible to resist the seasonal spirit, even for a nice Jewish girl from New York!

So here’s a glimpse of some of my Christmas wanderings. There were many other markets that I visited, and even more that I didn’t get to visit … but there’s always next year!

Kristkindlmarkt in front of the Rathaus (city hall)

Christmas lights on the Graben

And then one day a pine forest "grew" on the Graben ...

... and in so many other places, including in front of this church.

"Old Vienna Xmas Market" 

Mixing business (gift shopping) with pleasure (eating and drinking) !

Yummy - Der Lebkuchen schmeckt mir sehr gut!

Even sent some home to my 'cookie punk' offspring!

Handcrafted tree ornaments of infinite variety 

Who knew the Austrians were such apiarists?
Honies and beeswax candles make extremely popular gifts. 

Christmas must-haves, right?

More tree and house decorations 

Basketry is also popular, year-round 

Austrian president, Heinz Fischer, visits

(not my photo)

(Click on the link, and scroll down to just below where you'll see this photo. Hover your mouse over the little black box and click on the arrow to watch a little clip:) 

http://www.altwiener-markt.at/start.html  

And don’t believe everything you hear about the reserved and unfriendly Viennese. The (native) neighbors on my floor are some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet. One, an older gentleman who absolutely adores Scout, came to my door on Christmas Day with biscuits for her and a box full of home-made­ Vanillekipferl for me. 

Almost as good as Oma's

But don't worry, I haven't forgotten my heritage; I lit Hanukkah candles at my window faithfully every night: 

The glow from the candles on my parents' menorah
shone out onto the streets of Vienna for eight nights.

So This is Austria!

A country in love with its rules

It seemed like a good idea at the time. But if I had known beforehand what I was getting myself into, I never would have started.

As I may have mentioned earlier, the public transportation system here (which I just learned is referred to as die Öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel, or Öffis for short) is one of the best in the world, and I do not anticipate ever needing to own a car. Nevertheless, I thought that, in case I ever wanted to rent one and drive somewhere, or needed to share the driving with someone else, an Austrian driver’s license would come in handy. An Austrian Führershchein also serves as a national ID, and is easier to carry around than a passport. Sources told me that in order to do this easily, I’d have to start the process within six months of moving here, or else I’d have to take driving lessons, pass a test, etc.

And so begins my saga.  Get comfortable … this will take a while!

The list of requirements was long, but seemed to present no obvious hurdles:

1.    A completed application (der Führerscheinantrag)

2.    Birth certificate, original & one copy  (die Geburtsurkunde)

3.    Vienna residence registration, original & one copy (der Meldezettel)

4.    Official photo ID (e.g. passport) (der amtlicher Lichtbildausweis)

5.    Current (U.S.) driver’s license & two copies, front and back

6.    Two passport size photos (available to make at kiosks everywhere)

7.    Medical report from a doctor on the approved list

8.    Copy of eyeglass prescription (if applicable)

In May, with that six-month deadline looming ever closer, I prepared everything but #7, and proceeded to visit my doctor for the required report.

ROADBLOCK #1:  Austria requires the completion of a rather cursory medical exam (a bit more than just the vision test), and yes, my doctor was on the approved list, but she was not permitted to administer the exam to me—it had to be by someone who is not my regular doctor. (Huh?) No problem; she  referred me to her colleague, who was also on the list. Now normally, most doctors set aside certain ‘open’ office hours, when you’re allowed to just drop in, although you may have to wait. So I went to this doctor’s office, only to be told that for this ‘exam’ I needed an appointment. I made one. I returned, only without my passport, which I was never told to bring. I made another appointment. I waited two and half hours for an exam that took five minutes.

ROADBLOACK #2:  Sometimes honesty is not the best policy! Because of the heart medications I take, the doctor was not able to issue a ‘clear’ report, but instead had to submit the form to the Verkehrsamt (their motor vehicles bureau). She said I would be notified by them what to do next.

Doctor’s service fee                                                   KA-CHING   € 19.00

Within a week (it was now late June), I received a letter from die Bundespolizeidirektion Wien (scary, no?), with instructions to report to their doctor for their  medical exam to determine “whether you possess the health prerequisites for steering a motor vehicle.” Aside from the vision screening, however, this exam was nothing more than a showing of my medical records and an interview with their doctor (which, I’m proud to say, I managed with minimal difficulty in German). So, based on the medications and the reasons for them, I was obliged, he said, to get an official affidavit from my cardiologist, certifying that it was, in fact, safe for me to drive. This had to be done within six weeks.

Verkehrsamt doctor’s fee                                        KA-CHING   € 33.20

The Verkehrsamt building

Life suddenly got very busy, so it quickly turned to August before I got to see my cardiologist.

ROADBLOCK #3:  He explained that he saw no problem with my driving, but if he were to certify that, he was required to take out specific insurance in case I do ever end up causing an accident. Of course, this was not included in my regular medical insurance, so there would be an additional cost. And while we were at it, and to make my case even stronger, he recommended doing a 24-hour Holter test to prove that everything was ‘functioning properly.’

Test fee                                                                         KA-CHING   € 33.49

The test came back great, no problems. He issued the affidavit, and wished me luck!

Cardiologist’s affidavit insurance                         KA-CHING   €150

ROADBLOCK #4:  I returned to the Verkehrsamt (it was now September), affidavit and all documents in hand, satisfied that I had completed all the requirements for my new license. This visit involved stopping at a total of three separate stations within the agency, until my paperwork was approved (and, most importantly, stamped!) and I was finally directed to go to Window #7 for Ausländischen Führerscheines (foreign driver licenses). Ja, alles in Ordnung—but I don’t have the official translation into German of my U.S. driver’s license.  

What? Have you looked at your license lately? There’s nothing to translate—it’s all completely obvious: name, address,  date of birth, license number, height, weight, eye color, restrictions. But  no, I had to take it to the ÖAMTC (the Austrian equivalent of the AAA, where, by the way, I have several English students!). A separate trip to their downtown office, and after a relatively short wait, I was able to leave with an officially stamped and signed translation that provided … go on, take a guess: my name, address,  date of birth, license number, height, weight, eye color, restrictions (I wear glasses).

Translation fee                                                            KA-CHING    € 13.81

Life got even busier (I was teaching at Webster as well as several business classes), so it was October before I managed to return to the Verkehrsamt for what I assumed would be the absolute final step in the process of my license application.

ROADBLOCK #5:  I went straight to Window #7 where, for once, a young man spoke English. He pulled my file, which by now was several centimeters thick, and said, yes, everything looked OK. He gave me a slip of paper and told me to call the phone number on it at the end of the week to make sure everything was ready. Then I could return to pay the fee and hand in my U.S. license.

What!?!?!?!  Why did I have to give up my U.S. license? I’m a citizen of the U.S. and Austria. What happens if and when I go back and want to drive a car? (Well, I could use my Austrian license.) So, I left—again without an Austrian  license—reeling from the prospect of having to give up a part of my identity!

My mind raced, and I quickly contacted my brother and asked him to find out for me if it were possible to claim a lost Maine driver’s license and apply for a new one online. He e-mailed me the link, I filled out the application (after answering “no” to the question: Have you applied for a replacement license more than five times this year?), and printed out a confirmation of my order.

License replacement fee                                           KA-CHING   $ 5.00

Within two weeks, Peter confirmed that my new Maine license had safely arrived at my (his) home address. On October 24^th, two days before he arrived with it on his visit to Vienna, I went back to the Verkehrsamt for the third (or was this the fourth?) time, confidently (or should I say, smugly) walked over to Window #7, paid the fee and handed in my soon-to-be-‘lost’ U.S. license. I received a temporary paper license, and was told that the real one would come in the mail … which it did, within the week.

Austrian license fee                                                   KA-CHING     € 60.50

Image blurred here for reasons of security and vanity!

ROADBLOCK #6:  Unlike U.S. driver’s licenses, which must be renewed every few years (depending on the state), in Austria your license doesn’t expire. Unless you’re me … in which case it will expire in 2016. But I can’t even think about that now.

So, have you done the math? I sure have! Aside from literally countless hours involved in the process, my lovely new license cost me a total of € 313.70, or $423.95 (at today’s fairly favorable rate of €1.00=$1.35).

Like I said, if I had known beforehand …

Just call me Frau Professor

… and don’t forget to do your homework!

The funny thing is, I never thought of teaching as a career for myself. I suspected that I didn’t have the temperament or patience (picture a classroom full of pubescent pranksters!), and felt uncomfortable about the prospect of being asked a question to which I didn’t know the answer. After all, teachers are supposed to know, right?

Flash forward to my life as an ESL trainer—which is what we’re called here—and I find that teaching English is the ideal combination of personal, professional, and social satisfaction for me. But teaching business English to company executives and employees is one thing; teaching university students is something else entirely.

When I first met with the head of the English department at Webster University (an American university based in St. Louis with campuses all around the world), it was an informational interview, with no specific discussion about a teaching position. However, as my continuing good fortune would have it, the new academic director had just begun an initiative to ramp up their ESL program and so they needed new teachers. After conducting a demo lesson, (a ‘screen test’ if you will,) I was hired as an adjunct professor for the first Fall semester, which began on August 22^nd.

As is apparently the case all over, but which I did not know, adjuncts are hired on the basis of their credentials and experience, and expected to develop their own syllabi. Never having done this before, I had to dive in, research, create, modify, and finally submit and post my syllabus for the course in Intermediate Reading and Writing Skills. My obsession for detail and structure also drove me to develop creative lessons and exercises and to prepare extensively for my classes, which were held three times a week. Of course I also had to write and grade midterm and final exams, as well as many homework assignments.

Hard work and long hours, yes. But you know, I loved it. I had a total of 24 students, divided into two sessions (the school’s class size limit is 15), and it was both fascinating and rewarding getting to know them. They ranged in age from 17 to 21, and came from Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Russia. In one sense, many of them had already experienced a lot in their lives, including wars, earthquakes and floods—even if they were still young children at the time.

On the other hand, they were in general extremely conservative socio-politically, and  still quite naïve academically. Despite many years of studying English in their home countries, most were really not ready for university-level courses in English, which is why and how they ended up in my class!

The semester ended a couple of weeks ago, and I’m on a bit of a break right now, although I’m still teaching my business English students. The good news is, I received positive course evaluations and have already been contracted to teach a full year of  courses next year, starting in mid-January. This means that a ‘cornerstone’ of my income is assured, which I hope to supplement extensively with business English lessons through the language schools and privately.

I can hardly believe that it's already 10 months since I moved. The U.S. seems both like yesterday and so long ago. I’ve felt at home here since the very beginning, but in addition to teaching, there’s been a lot to do just to set up my new life, and so I haven’t availed myself of too many cultural—or even tourist—activities.

But as Vienna heads into the November/December holiday season, tons of concerts, exhibits, special markets and all manner of festive activities are scheduled throughout the city, and I aim to do my best to partake of as many as I can. Care to join me?