Op-Expat http://op-expat.com An Expat's Hilarious Observations About Life Abroad Fri, 18 May 2012 14:04:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 World Trip Fears http://op-expat.com/2012/05/world-trip-fears/ http://op-expat.com/2012/05/world-trip-fears/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 13:45:44 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=801 Continue reading →]]> When I tell people that I am going to travel the world for six months I get two reactions. The first is, “Oh that is so cool.” The second is, “What about your job?”

My reaction to the world trip is both. I can’t wait to go and I think it’s going to be so cool. Then again I think about Europe going into a recession and I think “Am I insane for quitting my job? In six months from now, what will the economy in Europe look like? How hard will it be to find a new job?”

When those thoughts start up in my brain I just gentle shake my head until they disburse. I’ve learned something very valuable over the last few years due to two things: becoming an expat and working in the corporate world.

Becoming an expat taught me that I can always find a job, even when the odds are stacked against me. When I first arrived in Austria I had no idea what the job market was like in Vienna, had no network, and didn’t speak the language very well. Within six weeks I got a job. Okay, a crappy job, but it paid the bills and gave me the time I needed to get my career back up and running.

Working in the corporate world taught me that no matter what, there is no stability. The company might go through a merger, a round of layoffs, or might outsource your job to India. Then what happens is you’re out of a job and all you can think is, “I should have gone on that world trip.”

I should have gone on that world trip

I should have gone on that world trip

]]> http://op-expat.com/2012/05/world-trip-fears/feed/ 0 New Project http://op-expat.com/2012/05/new-project/ http://op-expat.com/2012/05/new-project/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 09:22:18 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=686 Continue reading →]]> It is time to announce my new project. I’ve been dying to share it with you, but had to keep quiet until I announced it at work.

My husband P and I are going on a world trip. We just gave notice and quit our jobs because in Austria, you have to give two months notice. We leave Vienna on July 11th to tromp around the world for six months. The itinerary is:

Argentina – four weeks
Brazil – two weeks
Los Angeles – three weeks
Australia – three weeks
Bali/Gili Islands – two and a half weeks
China – three and a half weeks
Thailand – two and a half weeks
India – three and a half weeks

Putting the itinerary together was tough. We have a big world map on a wall in our apartment and just stood in front of it staring. Where should we go? We thought about this country or that country. We added them in, kicked them out. I even bought a guidebook because I thought a certain country (Costa Rica) would be interesting. Then I read the guidebook and thought, I don’t want to go there. That really surprised me because it seems to be the hot destination place for Americans right now. I also really wanted to go to Japan and New Zealand, but they both seemed too expensive for this trip.

Discussing destination ideas with anyone besides yourselves is a huge mistake. Everyone has input. Go here, go there! Forget it. If you didn’t come up with the idea yourself, do you really want to go there? P and I knew where we wanted to go, it was just a matter of cutting the itinerary down that was the hard part.

 

how to plan a round the world trip

how to plan a round the world trip

]]> http://op-expat.com/2012/05/new-project/feed/ 0 I’m Back! http://op-expat.com/2012/05/im-back/ http://op-expat.com/2012/05/im-back/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 08:52:43 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=682 Continue reading →]]> Well hello there. I’m back from my book writing break. Writing a book was overwhelming. There is a big difference between writing a few words for a blog post and writing 83,500 words for a book. Yes, that is how long my book is.

I’ve sent out query letters to agents only to get rejected. To be honest I’m not surprised because that is the nature of the business. These poor literary agents get 300 queries a week. It’s just frustrating because I was reading a book the other day that had glaring grammatical errors. I just sighed and thought, I write so much better than this person, but this author is published and I am not. So the 300 query letters a week that the literary agent gets is full of crap writing that makes it harder for the rest of us to get through the fog.

I could just give up the idea of publishing my book, but since I am not taking the literary agent rejection personally, I have deiced to self publish. I am in the middle of figuring that out. Wish me luck.

]]> http://op-expat.com/2012/05/im-back/feed/ 0 Break Time http://op-expat.com/2011/09/break-time/ http://op-expat.com/2011/09/break-time/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:45:56 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=653 Continue reading →]]> It’s time for me to take a break from my blog. My writing efforts are currently going into a book. How I can be insane enough to write a book even I cannot answer, but there you have it. So if you know any publishers, or have any contacts to a publisher, let me know.

In the meantime, I still see if any of you make comments, so please feel free to continue to share your thoughts. Open dialog is, after all, the purpose of a blog.

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/09/break-time/feed/ 2 Vienna vs. Stockholm http://op-expat.com/2011/07/vienna-vs-stockholm/ http://op-expat.com/2011/07/vienna-vs-stockholm/#comments Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:04:25 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=637 Continue reading →]]> Whenever I travel to another city, I like to post my observations about how the other city compares with Vienna.

I have to admit that I like Stockholm a lot. Though Vienna is a clean city, Stockholm is even cleaner. Both cities are great for walking. Both cities have good public transportation. Both cities have good food.

What Stockholm has that Vienna lacks, however, is a lot of seafood and a lot of beef. I like both so this was a piece of heaven for me. Also the people are really nice in Stockholm. Perky, happy, helpful. Such a nice change to the cranky Viennese. Also shopping is good with stores open on Sundays! A miracle.

Let’s get to the heart of what is really important to me. The ocean. Water is everywhere in Stockholm and I love it. Austria is landlocked and I would have to drive for five hours to get to the ocean. I try to convince myself that I no longer miss the ocean. However after months of not seeing it, then flying into a place like Stockholm, I almost weep with homesickness for the ocean.

However there are two things which Stockholm cannot keep up with concerning Vienna. The coffee there is no good (but for you poor Americans probably still an improvement) and the pastries just aren’t what they should be. Vienna knows its cakes and pastries like no place else.

To sum up Vienna and Stockholm. In Vienna throw a rock and hit a church or a coffeehouse. In Stockholm throw a rock and hit an H&M.

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/07/vienna-vs-stockholm/feed/ 0 Castle and Underground Lake Near Vienna http://op-expat.com/2011/05/castle-and-underground-lake-near-vienna/ http://op-expat.com/2011/05/castle-and-underground-lake-near-vienna/#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 09:07:59 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=634 Continue reading →]]> Bored as usual on a Sunday, my husband and I were flipping through the Austrian guidebook that I purchased to find some entertainment. We were successful. I recommend both places for a Sunday afternoon romp.

Burg Lichtenstein

http://www.burgliechtenstein.eu/de/anfahrt.html

Seegrotte Hinterbrühl

http://www.seegrotte.at/002_englisch/frameset.htm

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/05/castle-and-underground-lake-near-vienna/feed/ 0 Article about Cultural Differences http://op-expat.com/2011/05/article-about-cultural-differences/ http://op-expat.com/2011/05/article-about-cultural-differences/#comments Fri, 27 May 2011 10:30:25 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=630 Continue reading →]]> A good article from BBC about cultural differences between the English and the Germans. American behaviour is fairly similar to that the of the British and the Austrian behaviour is fairly similar to that of the Germans.

If you are Austrian and just read that statement, please do not blast me. =)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13545386

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/05/article-about-cultural-differences/feed/ 0 Where to Hang Out in Vienna in the Summer http://op-expat.com/2011/05/where-to-hang-out-in-vienna-in-the-summer/ http://op-expat.com/2011/05/where-to-hang-out-in-vienna-in-the-summer/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 13:06:24 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=628 Continue reading →]]> A friend of mine put together an awesome list of places to hang out in Vienna during the summer. Take a look.

1)      At the water – An ocean breeze is a bit hard to come by in Vienna, so the “Alte Donau” will have to do. It is quite beautiful there actually

“Alte Donau”

La Creperie

Zur alten Kaisermühle

Ufertaverne

Fabelhaft

Strandcafe

Straßenbahnerbad

Wake up

2)      Heurige – two of my personal favourites and a bit away from the beaten tourist tracks

Weingut Reisenberg

Steirerstöckl

3)      Donauinsel – Viennas very own “Jersey Shore”

Copa Cagrana

Sunken City

4)      Summer in the City – Ideal for an after work spritzer

Altes AKH

               Stigl Ambulanz

               Salettl

25 hours Hotel

Summerstage (some nice, some not so nice bars & restaurants)

Sand in the city

Bunkerei (Rather “alternative” but very nice location right in the middle of the augarten)

Eis Greissler (no spritzers but bio icecream)

5)      Away from it all – For those with access to a car, some locations outside of Vienna

Mole West

Klosterneuburg Heurige

Kahlenberg

6)      Donaukanal

Strandbar Herman

Adria Beach

Tel Aviv Beach

Badeschiff

7)      My favourite place in the summer

Krapfenwaldbad – Enjoy the view, and I am not (just) talking about the Viennese vineyards…

8)      Open Air Cinemas

Augarten Kino – Perfect for a Picnic

Hauptbibliothek Kino – very urban

Kino unter Sternen

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/05/where-to-hang-out-in-vienna-in-the-summer/feed/ 1 Vienna vs. Budapest http://op-expat.com/2011/04/vienna-vs-budapest/ http://op-expat.com/2011/04/vienna-vs-budapest/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:46:01 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=624 Continue reading →]]> Whenever I go to other cities in the world, I like to compare them to Vienna. This Easter weekend I spent in Budapest. They say that Budapest is Vienna’s “sister city.” What they don’t say however, is that Budapest is the rundown, poor sister to Vienna.

From the moment my husband and I arrived in Budapest, the city rubbed us the wrong way. We became sullen, cranky and disinterested. We walked around listlessly and looked at this and that without having the slightest excitement woken within us.

Budapest has the same shops and restaurants as Vienna. For example, Vienna has the famous Cafe Central and so does Budapest. Both cities have the Danube flowing through it. Both cities have similar architecture.

Despite the strong similarities between the cities, Budapest is a sorry, rundown version of Vienna. Everywhere we looked something was crumbling, chipping or sagging. When we did see a pretty building it was either a hotel, an embassy, or had a decrepit looking building next to it.

We were also never left alone by the Hungarians trying to hawk something to the tourists. More than once I gave a tight smile and said, “I’ll let you know if I decide” or “Please just give me a moment.” In Vienna, they could care less if you come in or buy something. On one side it’s rude, but at least the Viennese leave you in peace.

Though the food was good in Budapest, somehow it was sold in the most unappetizing way. We went to a really nice restaurant and hemmed and hawwed over the menu. We were trying to decide between tongue salad and head cheese. Finally out of despair we ordered just anything. Lucky for us it turned out and we enjoyed our meal, but somehow the hard decision-making process took the fun out of it.

To be honest, I couldn’t get out of Budapest fast enough. If I never see that city again in my life, I won’t feel bad about it.

]]> http://op-expat.com/2011/04/vienna-vs-budapest/feed/ 5 Coffee is Good for You http://op-expat.com/2011/04/coffee-is-good-for-you/ http://op-expat.com/2011/04/coffee-is-good-for-you/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:56:45 +0000 BM Pitcher http://op-expat.com/?p=622 Continue reading →]]> Dear Austrians,

Your precious brew is safe! So go to your favorite coffeehouse and throw back a cuppa

http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100271111&imageindex=1

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