“I AM A STRANGER HERE MYSELF”

To quote one of my favourite authors, Bill Bryson, “I am a stranger here myself”! And that’s how I will probably always feel, no matter how long I will stay in Germany.

Thinking about my parents who came from Styria to a small Carinthian town with a population of roughly 8000, living there for more than 30 years they were considered “newcomers” all their lives. I guess it’s easier living in a large cosmopolitan town, where you don’t stick out like a sore thumb. Luckily, due to the kind of company my father was working for, with his special education, he was not the only crazy Styrian being swept into the deep mountain village – sorry, town – to work and live there.

I at least have managed to occupy a town with roughly 67,000 inhabitants. Even though the city centre doesn’t seem much bigger than the ones insmaller Austrian towns with approximately a third of people living there.

What makes me feel like a stranger? Germans and Austrians can’t be that different, can they? Well …obviously, they can. The language is only a minor barrier … apart from a more pronounced accent / dialect we use different words for the same things than the Germans. A chair is a chair is a chair. No matter whether it’s a comfy one, an office chair or a kitchen chair. Not in Germany … resulting in laughter or questioning looks when I use my Austrian expressions.

And the food! Oh boy! Eating out sometimes is like running the gauntlet. Ordering – bravely – a Schnitzel (I know, I know I will be disappointed) I need to think beforehand to give a special order. As in: skip the veggies with the hollandaise sauce and the weird orange salt on fries. Pizza: with a sigh, because I just know it will be a weak example of the real thing being served in Italy, forget the dollop of dried oregano in the middle. However, surprisingly, the best and most Italian style pizza I had was frominternational delivery service “Domino’s Pizza”. I wonder what that tells us about German cooking?And THEY say the British food sucks … yeah, sure!

Feeling like a stranger is not just a matter of another country and culture. It’s also the difference in German and Austrian character. Due to our Austrian history, being a melting pot and influenced bySouthern and Eastern countries – after all, once upon a time “the sun never went down” in the Austrian monarchy – the Austrian in general is warm and not at all scared to hug his friends and family. I couldn’t imagine NOT hugging my best friends – male or female – and this is something I miss incredibly. In Germany? It took ages until one of my German friends opened up in these regards. How come it’s especially from “strangers here themselves” I receive the most warm-heartedness? Because that’s just the way they are? Of course, not every German is cold and unable to show feelings. But those seem to be exceptions. One of my friends actually confirmed this German characteristic … when I dared to thank him with a hug for installing two lamps … that it took them ages, years, if ever, to come to the point of hugging.

Yes, I am a stranger here! I will always remain a stranger, I will always sound like an Austrian, keep my Austrian passport and identity … and I will always shudder when I have to use some German words that barely come across my lips. (Like “Brötchen” instead of “Semmel” – roll -, “Quark” instead of “Topfen” – cream cheese -, “Blumenkohl” instead of “Karfiol” – cauliflower -, and so manymore …) One adapts, of course, but in the end one will always be different! And I’m proud to be!

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