Giving Thanks

Now that I'm back in the States, life in Austria already seems so far away. The life I led there for the past couple years was certainly a unique phase full of excitement and opportunity. When I learned that I wouldn't be able to stay in the country, I started to appreciate the little things all around me as though I only had a week left to live. Consequently, I spent most of the last couple weeks walking around in a state of perpetual thankfulness and warm fuzzies. On the train from Graz up to Vienna on my way to the airport, I finally compiled a list -- a list of all the things I could think of that I was thankful for. (This also makes it a list of things I like about Austria. I could call this list "Things I Like About Austria," or I can call it...)

I'm thankful...

for a city that's safe at night

for a city that's safe during the day

for a fantastic church home

for a rich national history

for accessible and affordable operas

for affordable housing

for an abundance of castles

for an orderly and cheap laundry system in my apartment building

for Austrian school and office supplies -- so much cooler!

for balls (i.e. dancing balls, like Cinderella went to a ball)

for bike paths

for cheap but good wine and beer

for cheap sparkling mineral water

for cheap, convenient and reliable train travel within Austria

for cheap/easy/convenient opportunities to travel within Europe

for church bells that ring at 7 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 7 pm

for consistently good coffee

for cute, quaint villages

for dialect and its accompanying amusements, puzzles and challenges

for everyone who helped me and/or made phone calls to figure out all the bureaucratic visa stuff

for everything pumpkin out of Styria: pumpkin seed oil, pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin bread, etc.

for exclusively Austrian Sturm, Glühwein, Christmas markets, and Buschenschanks

for ex-pats

for friends

for good bread and cheese

for good health insurance and no referrals

for good places to run and bike

for having 38 public holidays

for having the Mur river running though town

for hospitality

for how Austrians will really pull through for you

for incredible scenery

for kebabs

for Labello

for lackadaisical passport control officials

for living in a bike-friendly city

for meeting so many cool people from all over the world

for my connections

for my fellow foreigners

for old European streets, houses, and architecture in general; especially how this everyday cityscape stayed fresh and new for me

for reliable public transportation

for skiing and Austrian-style sledding

for so much free/leisure time

for sturdy toilet paper and tissues

for the abundance and coexistence of kitsch, history, and design

for the Austrians who adopted me and introduced me to Austrian life and culture

for the comfortable pace and quality of life

for the coziness of Graz

for the insanely cheap price of a chunk of fresh mozzarella

for the lack of cockroaches, poison ivy, and poisonous spiders and snakes

for the ubiquitous ice cream stands in the summer

for traditional clothing and accordion music

for tram and bus drivers who will stop the vehicle and wait for you if they see you running to catch a ride

for wearing slippers at home or as a guest in someone's home

for wonderful roommates and a flexible landlady

that Austria takes care of its people

that dogs are so well-behaved here and are allowed to go everywhere

that even in Austria I can be BFF with my bank teller(s)

that Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003 and therefore has lots of spiffy new buildings and such

that having a car is so unnecessary

that having a real Christmas tree with real candles is the only tree most of them have ever known

that I can leave my bike simply standing and loosely locked anywhere in the city and it will still be there when I come back

that I can understand German on the phone

that I can walk in to the doctor's office without an appointment and actually be seen

that I could live in the same apartment for over 2 years -- longer than any other apartment I've ever had

that I had so many visitors in the past couple years!

that I lived for 2 years without a deadbolt and it never bothered me

that I'm no longer pre-judged on the basis of my president

that it is so easy to split the bill in a restaurant

that my room doesn't face a street

that nearly everything you ever use is recycled

that people have stopped introducing me as, "This is Rebecca. She's American."

that receiving phone calls is free on your mobile phone

that Styria has it all -- mountains, hills, vineyards, thermal baths…

that tax is included in all your purchases and tipping is practically nonexistent

that the country is very stable and doesn't have any severe political or international problems

that there are so many old people who are out and about

that there are very few Americans in comparison with other Austrian cities

that there are very few tourists in comparison with the other Austrian cities