Week 1 in Austria

I made it to Austria with 4 children, 2 dogs and our cat. We are learning quickly that the pace of life here is a lot s…l….o…..w….e….r than it is in the US. Someday that may feel relaxing, but when you are trying to find a house to rent and a car to purchase it is a little more frustrating.

On the positive side, people seem very content to have long conversations hearing about how life is different in the US while we are all patiently waiting for service. I chatted with the car salesman yesterday (after learning that I could not pick up the car I had just purchased until an entire week later). He asked how much I worked in the US and I told him 4 days a week and and he was appalled. He mentioned that first of all there is only one doctor that works in the town now, and he only has office hours 3 half days a week and it’s very hard to get an appointment. He told me that if he needed anything quickly in terms of medical care, he would have to drive 20 minutes to the hospital and wait hours at the ER. Apparently there is nothing like urgent care in Austria yet. On the bright side, no one is going bankrupt in Austria because they have a complicated pregnancy or need surgery and they don’t have insurance. Most medical care is free for residents and all employers are required to provide health insurance for the employees, even if they are only part time.

Stay tuned for next week to see if we get the car we purchased.

Things we miss from the US:

More than one toilet in most homes

Fast service

AIR CONDITIONING!