An online supplement to the books
When in Germany and The German Way
by Hyde Flippo

Nadine Lichtenberger, age 32 at the time of this interview, was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Orange County, California. She has resided in Austira since 1989. More in Part 1.

INTERVIEW: PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3

GW&M: You said that you miss certain things in the States. What are some of the things you miss the most?

LICHTENBERGER: I miss big things that are important to me like my family and my friends. That separation is hard. I miss the ethnic diversity of the population. Having grown up in southern California I am used to a wide variety of ethnic cultures. Austria is rather homogenous and being different is sometimes seen as not a good thing (although the influx of immigrants from countries to the east and Africa is increasing) and I miss that cultural diversity of the US.

I miss little things that don't seem so important but sometimes contribute to an overall feeling of being homesick. Those little things would include having groceries packed for me at the supermarket (here in Austria you not only have to provide your own bags, you also have to pack groceries yourself!), good customer service in stores (it seems to me they've never heard of 'The Customer is King' policy - it's more like THEY are doing YOU a favor by helping you in the store...), and I miss foods and treats that I enjoy in the US (Mexican food, Sushi, steak restaurants, seafood, going to breakfast at a diner for a big pancake-egg-omelet, Mrs. Fields cookies, bagels, etc.). I know those seem like unimportant things, but when you suddenly don't have them anymore it makes you feel homesick.

GW&M: What about the cost of living? How does that compare?

LICHTENBERGER: Things are very expensive here! Toys, clothing, shoes, strollers, diapers, just about everything!! My parents are always horrified when they come over here and see how expensive things are! Granted the dollar is low right now and that, of course, makes a difference. When I first came to Europe in the summer of '85 the dollar was at something like 23 Schillings to one US dollar. That summer things were extremely cheap in Europe! Now it fluctuates between 12 and 13. We have a Toys R Us store in Linz and I've noticed that items are about 2-3 times more expensive than in the US (and don't forget that 23% sales tax either!).

When we're home in the US visiting we really stock up on toys, clothes for us and the kids, books, videos, CD roms, some grocery items I can't get here, contact lens solution and anything else we can cram into our suitcases! We travel back pretty heavy, but completely set for the next year!!! (On our last trip, our luggage weighed in at 308 lbs, but somehow we avoided having to pay extra!) Levis jeans run about $80-$100 a pair here, and Nike, Reebok and other brand name things also run double or triple what they cost in the US. When I'm home in California, it's all I can do to keep myself from getting down on my hands and knees and bowing down in front of Mervyn's, Kids R Us, Toys R Us, Robinsons May, Target, and Price Club because I'm so happy to finally be able to pay reasonable prices for things! Oh—and never again complain about rising gas prices in the US! Gas here is about $4 a gallon!!

GW&M: Austria does have its advantages. Besides the social benefits you mentioned, what are some of the things you most appreciate about life in Austria?

LICHTENBERGER: I appreciate the emphasis on family life. Life moves at a slower pace and I think that contributes to an overall good quality of life here. Because most stores and shops close at 6 pm during the weekdays, at noon on Saturday, and all day Sunday, that time turns into family time. Most parents don't have to go to work, kids can't run off to the mall all weekend and I think that's nice.

GW&M: How is life in Linz different from life in an American city?

LICHTENBERGER: When I think about it, not too much. Linz is the third largest city in Austria (pop. a little over 200,000) and there are many cultural events, a wonderful pedestrian zone in the center town with many shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. There are nice parks for the children and lots of beautiful greenbelts for walking and riding bikes. I think there are many similarities.

GW&M: But you said earlier that you sometimes miss the cultural diversity you had in Southern California.

LICHTENBERGER: Yes, I happen to be of Indian heritage (from India; actually my parents are from Trinidad & Tobago) and being dark-skinned in this homogenous white environment gets to me sometimes. That's why I'm so aware of the lack of cultural diversity. But most of my personal experiences have not really been unpleasant, except for one incident years ago.

GW&M: What happened?

Well, it was like this: My husband worked with a guy whose family owned a small Wirtshaus [inn] in the country and the guy invited us for lunch there one Sunday. (This was probably a year or so after I moved here.) So we went, and it was nice. But I noticed that the place was mostly full of old men (some younger and middle-aged but mostly older). That's when I found out about the traditional Frühschoppen in which after Sunday service at church, the men go for a beer and the women go home to cook the big Sunday lunch. The men stay until 11:30 or so and then go home to eat lunch. This is very common in the country and even has its own name (Frühschoppen)!

Well, we were eating and talking to my husband's friend and we kept noticing they were staring, talking about us, etc. Finally this old guy comes over, sits himself down at our table (uninvited), and starts asking questions about where I'm from because they're just dying of curiosity over in their corner! I just looked at my husband and he really didn't know what to do either. So I—trying to be my friendly self—told him where I was from, etc. Of course, because of my Indian appearance, no one here ever guesses I'm American and they think I'm from Sri Lanka or something. I always make jokes with my friend Claudine (who is half Puerto Rican/half Caucasian and grew up in New York) that the Austrians automatically make up their own little stories in their heads and think we were mail-order brides or that our husbands were visiting our poor countries and took us away from the Third World to this paradise called Austria.

Anyway, this older guy takes my hand, rubs it and says something to the effect of, “Oh! It doesn't rub off...” (meaning my skin color). Since I wasn't very good with the dialect back then, I really had to look at my husband for confirmation that this man just said what I thought he had said.—I couldn't believe it! Then he continues and says, “Fräulein, you're a sensation here today! A sensation here in Katsdorf! We only see people like you on TV. Wait until I tell my wife today—she just won't believe it!” It was at that point I turned to Bernhard and said, “Okay, I've had enough of this.” And even our host got a little upset with the guy and was embarrassed because we were his guests. But in a way I understood the man did not purposely intend his statements to be, well, mean. Here was a man who spent most of his life on this farm in the country (where even a 40-minute trip to Linz is probably like going half way around the world for him; he could probably count on one hand how many times he'd been to Linz!) and he was just ignorant. So that was just one of the interesting incidents that happened to me.

GW&M:Most Austrians aren't really that unsophisticated or thoughtless. It's quite different in the more urban parts of Austria, isn't it?

LICHTENBERGER: That's true. In fact, just this Saturday a few girlfriends and I spent the day in Vienna (a sort of 'Mom's Day Out' girls trip!). I hadn't been to Vienna in over a year and I realized I tend to forget how culturally diverse that city is. It has a large influx of people from all over the world. While it's not New York City, it wasn't as homogeneously white as Linz and other smaller Austrian towns. In the Turkish section of the Naschmarkt (a large flea market and farmers market) I almost felt more like I was in Istanbul than Vienna and it was wonderful! And it wasn't mostly Turks buying goods—it was lots of Viennese! There are many restaurants, clubs, social circles for diverse groups and it was great. As for English-speaking people there is an English theater, five or six cinemas that play the latest films in English, and many cultural and social events! But then again it is the capital, with over a million inhabitants (not to mention the UN.), and it's more likely to find things like that there rather than in smaller towns. But it was a great day trip—almost like to another country rather than Austria!

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