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In my last part of looking back, today ... what do I do with the loss and the new things gained?

I don't have a profound answer for that! I do know that as I type, I sit in a cafe.

It's the first day that I have been able to wear my spring shoes. Now, I have seasonal shoes ... and not very many of them. They are chosen for comfort. They are more expensive as they are an investment. They are part of my daily uniform and a necessary part of my life. I use them because I walk everywhere.

I like my little cafe. Most of the Barista's know me ... and know that I will always order the same coffee. Some of the guests I've come to recognize as "regulars". We share knowing smiles, but they seldom talk to me. That's OK. I've learned to sip my coffee, spend a good couple of hours just being. I've learned to "tune out" the noise around me and don't recognize that now it is familiar and a welcome sound to my ears that no longer hurts. I've learned not to feel as if I need to give money to every homeless person that walks through the cafe begging. I've learned to chat quietly if I meet a friend, because no one is loud ... unless you are an American tourist.

I've learned that I don't need to tip ... more than about 20 cents for my coffee. They don't expect it nor do they don't frown that I've sat there for over 2 hours. It's normal ... for them ... for me. I've learned that when I leave, despite not knowing the name of a waiter or Barista, they will always say goodbye when I leave.

I've learned that when I leave my cafe, I better use the toilet (and that's another word I've learned ... it's not crude to say toilet. That's what it is. That's what we call it.) because the chance of finding a public toilet is slim and/or next to impossible. If I do happen to stumble on a porcelain throne, I gotta pay. I prefer to pee for free.

I've learned that as I make my way back home, people will stand in my personal space on the UBahn (subway) and not look me in the eye or smile. I don't take it personal ... anymore. I try to keep my friendly face on at all times .. desperately trying to stand out among the neutral faces ... as a witness that my life counts for something. Sometimes I forget ... and I stare into grey space and don't smile, just like my countrymen.

I've learned to carry my own grocery bag as I run into the market to pick up something for tonight's dinner. The vegetables are healthy and cheap. The meat has no hormones injected into it and is expensive. Frozen pizza is often a reliable stand by and doesn't taste like cardboard. I just know not to buy the tuna pizza ... or the ham and corn one.

Life is normal. I pass people who never say hello to me. They are not being rude. It's just their culture. I pass people who practice every kind of esoteric, humanistic, post-modern thinking technique. I pass Orthodox Jews with curls in their hair and wear long black trench coats. Sometimes I pass a nun or two. Often I see Muslims. The vast majority of my community smokes. They are practical. Obey rules. Ride their bikes in the designated bike lines. Dress their babies way too warm. The drink coffee and eat cake at 3:00 p.m. Older women have strange colored hair.

Overall, what began as a wild pattern of new discoveries is ... normal. It's my life. I am better for everything I've lost and all that I've gained.

I am currently taking a German class. I am experiencing deeper depths of my second language with other students from Ukraine, Nigeria, Italy, Japan, China and Afghanistan. Our Austrian teacher is engaging and motivating, spurring us all toward new heights and cheering us on as we let the harsh Germanic sounds drip off the tips of our tongues.

We entered this class as international strangers. We end this class as international comrades. We all speak different languages, come from varied cultures, earn different amounts of money, travel by different forms of transportation, and pledge our allegiances to different kinds of governments. However, one thing remains the same: we are all human at our core.

At this point, I must admit my ignorance. I have discovered my world view is so isolated to my own experience. Let me give you a few examples. In a conversation with my classmate from China, I was asking her if she had brothers or sisters. She gave me a polite, yet weird look and replied: “It is forbidden in my country to have more than one child.” While talking with my classmate from Ukraine, she told me that she and her husband would make Vienna their home because they can earn more money here than in their homeland.

Story after story points to one main theme: living in Vienna means a better life. My classmates are learning the language to become fluent so they can remain in this country at a stab of a better life than what they could live back home.

I don’t know what it means to sacrifice. Yes. I live in a different country. I can’t run to Wal-Mart or buy over the counter medicines without a prescription. I have to make my own cream of mushroom soup. If I want brownies I make them from scratch. I live far, far away from friends and family … yet have the ability to Skype or call or email to reconnect. Sacrifice?

Passing this fluency course for most of my classmates means a ticket to stay in a country where they will earn minimum wages, live in small flats, and join the ranks of Austrians to live their dream. Most will continue to be judged by the color of their skin, be racially profiled during random visa checks, and be spoken rudely to by bakery clerks because they are “foreigners”. This is their “good life”. You know what? They are happy as little clams. They are thrilled that they live in this country. For them, they are the success stories of their countrymen. They have reached a level of achievement others dream of and long for. For me, it’s just everyday life.

I don’t know if I have a good conclusion to my ramblings this morning. It’s just an opportunity to shine light on a new world perspective. Maybe for you, it’s just an brief moment to realize that your supermarket not having the lime Jello you needed is really not that big of a deal. Perhaps our country (I’m speaking to my fellow Americans) is declining by moral, economic or other perils, but no one has issued a decree that we cannot have as many children as we want. I know gas prices are high, but you have a car. I know that Bank teller was rude, but you earn a regular paycheck and I doubt if any of us are sending most of it back home to support other family members.

Sometimes I think we just need to calm down, take a deep breath, and get a different perspective. That’s what I’m doing this month in my class. As I conjugate verbs with my little Chinese friend, and discuss the “N deklanation” with my buddy from Italy … I am gaining much more than German language acquisition. I am gaining a broader world perspective.

How about you?

P.S. You don't have to answer that out loud. It's a rhetorical question!

So, on the way to language school, these are the pictures Chris and I see everyday. We are now finding ourselves saying, "Wow. We really do live here." What was at first overwhelming, odd, or we were too freaked out to notice we are now finding just a part of everyday living. In one respect it's nice to have found a sense of foundational living. On the other hand, as with all routine, I don't want to find myself in a rut ... It's a good reminder that no matter where you live, Norman, OK or Vienna, Austria, ruts are just a part of life. Remember to breath and take in the scenery now and then.

A quick funny language story. This week as I was doing my grocery shopping, 3 people asked me if they could go in the line in front of me. This is not an out of the normal kind of experience. In an effort to remain efficient, why not let the person who has the least amount of things to be purchased go first. I had a buggy rather full (not a normal sight here) and so 2 old people and a hurried gal my age jumped in front of me. In an effort to try to be happy and not loose my sunny disposition with the third jumper, I asked her how many children she had. She told me three. I said that I, too, had three children. She said really. I said in fact, my three children are girls. She said, really. Her three children were girls also. Her exact words were ... "sich auch?"(Pronouncing the auch like ... ouch but not a heavy ch ... kinda). I said, "mich auch." Translation ... you too? Yes, me too. I came home and told Chris about my real conversation in the grocery store and then said I would have laughed to have the conversation go ... "sich auch ... mich auch ... get out!" Just a bit of random American humor to the German language!

Speaking of getting out of a rut, we took our Sunday afternoon to do a little sight-seeing. We first went to get a Kaisar Kraner ... the most fatty, cheesy, yummy sausage in all the world ... and if you tell the person at the stand you want it as a hot dog, watch out baby! They take this hot dog bun on steroids with an Austrian twist, stab it into this metal pointy thing that squishes all the bread to the bottom and creates a little spiral hole for the sausage to fit snugly inside, then top it with ketchup or senf (Austrian mustard) and viola! Yum, yum, yumm! We had one when we first moved here and it's now been just shy of 6 months so we thought our digestive system could handle one again. Pure heaven ... pure heaven!

We walked around a lot of places we had not seen, took lots of pictures, and Addison got her first Starbucks since coming to Austria. I take that back, she had one one of the first days we got here ... but it just makes for more drama to say the very first one. Roll with me on this one ...

Wanted to try to include a video clip of what it means to ride the subway system, we call it the UBahn.

Also wanted to remind you to pray for my brother-in-law, Rodney and the surgery he will be having this Thursday. We spoke with him and my sister last night and they feel very peaceful about whatever happens. This is a very complicated surgery, removing the spleen, part of the lung, and all the fungal infection attached to both. I've seen Rodney grow spiritually through all of this, not letting this make him bitter but truly better. Right now, he is my hero. Rodney, if you are reading this instead of just looking at my facebook pictures because you don't want to read ... I love you!

To all of you thank you ... your prayers, support, and words are breaths of life for us.

Quite Reflective,
Christina

This week has been a no-nonsense kind of week. And, in normal life, no-nonsense is nothing to report. However, as we are coming out of what we perceive as "culture-shock", a non-nonsense kind of week is a wonderful thing!

I've said this to a friend before, but let me reiterate it again to make a point. When we first arrived in our new home, every single event was like receiving electrical shock treatment. After awhile, the shocks were fewer as normal events became more routine. Now, as a new normal has set in, there are few electrical shocks to report. Every now and then something will cause a minor jolt, but nothing that isn't too difficult to maneuver around.

For example, getting a driver's license has proven to be a chore. You have to first go to an officially appointed doctor and receive a preliminary check-up, proving you are fit enough to drive. After receiving the check-up, you take your official paper to the driver's license burro to get your Austrian license. Sounds painless, right? Well, we didn't pass the initial exam. Chris has poor eyesight and wears glasses. He didn't pass the eye exam. I take regular medication for anxiety. I didn't pass because I do. So, we now have to go to a Head Honcho guy and bring stuff from the doctor's about Chris' eyes and prove why I have to take medication. If this doesn't suffice with the Head Honcho, Chris has to go to an optometrist and I have to go to a shrink! And remember, this is all to obtain a driver's license. It's a good thing we travel mostly by public transportation! This may be our only option in the near future!! :)

This week Chris and I finish our first step of Language school. As of next Monday we will be taking the next level. As much as we say we don't like it and whine about how difficult it is, we are learning lots! We embarrass ourselves often, using our broken German. We mix up words in German and English making our own private language. And, we laugh at new terms for body parts ... like Po for buttocks ... because my maiden name is Poe. But, we are very grateful we work for such a great organization that allows us the opportunity to go to full-time language school. One day we will amaze and dazzle you with our mastery of the German language, for now, Danke will have to do!

Chris and I started Language School. The most excited we look is when we enter the building ... it's down hill after that! Here is a picture of Chris in front of our school. For being in torture for 3 hours a day, we sure do have an amazing atmosphere in which to suffer! Ha,ha! That big thing the background is a famous tourist attraction, Karl's Church. There's a wonderful park surrounding the area. Not that we see it because we are great students and would never, ever hang out in the park instead of attending class ... but every now and then we get a good look at it ... on our way to class ... that we go to and would never skip. Actually, we are learning quite a lot and are recognizing words more and more on signs. In fact, our confidence has gotten so elevated that we've tried ordering food in only German. We give our order. The attendant looks at us and says ... "What do you want?" in English. Not a good sign but it makes us feel better we are learning our new language!

The girls are finishing up their school year at VCS. Addison is really looking forward to next year, her first year in High School. She got her next 4 years all planned out. Hmmm ... do you think she's go a plan?

Parker has done so well in 3rd grade! Some of you know that we found out she had a possible learning issue while we were in Richmond. However, putting her in 3rd grade seems to have done the trick! She's really done well and has so much more confidence!

Libby will remain in Austrian Kindergarten for the month of June. She's now answering our questions in German. Her BFF is a little Austrian girl who happens to be our neighbor. She asked the Mom how to say "hot lava". The Mom thought it was weird and asked us about the request. We said, "Oh, she's playing like there is a volcano and there is hot lava they have to stay away from." She smiled really big and said ... "Oooohhhh ... hot lava. I thought she was asking me how to say hot lover!" We are quickly learning that anything ending in an "a" comes across like a "R" to Austrians. No more playing the Hot Lava game for Libby!!

Today was Addison's birthday! We spend the day at the Hapsburg Family country palace. They know how to spend the weekend in the country, let me tell you!!! It is gorgeous!!

Life seems to be becoming more "normal". Our home is actually looking like a home. We can drive without poping a Zanax. We know how to ask for what we need. And, most of all, we've become friends with our neighbors and find ourselves many an evening sitting on their patio chatting. This relationship thing is what life is all about! So glad God thought of it!!!

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