Anyway. Since I'm too lazy to recap the last two months (and nothing much happened except Christmas), here's a list.
THINGS THAT ANNOY ME/SURPRISE ME/PISS ME OFF/ARE WEIRD ABOUT AUSTRIA
1. This place is named Salzburg. Which means "Salt Town". Salt is what made this place rich. Funny that the citizens have not yet discovered the joys of salt. When they have snow and ice, they don't put salt on the sidewalks or streets. Oh, no! They put ROCKS down. Small, gravel sized rocks all over the place. This accomplishes nothing, as it doesn't melt the ice. It doesn't provide much traction, either, which I believe is their intention. No traction. And then when the ice melts and refreezes? Now you just have ice with rocks frozen in it! And now that the snow is all gone, the stones are still there. They stick in your shoes. They get INTO your shoes. The look like crap. And are annoying. And then they have to pay someone to come sweep them all up in the spring. Silly Salzburg.
2. They don't believe in sending you bills. Like, no monthly reminder that you have to pay your insurance this month. No. But they sure as hell believe in sending you a note when you are a week overdue! And then they KEEP sending you notes. Those of us living here have come to the conclusion that the Insurance Company owns stock in the paper company. "Waste all the paper you can! Send out more over due notices!"
4. Which brings me to another point: ONLINE BILL PAY! IT'S A GREAT THING, AUSTRIA! Learn to use it!
5. Cell phones. Minute plans are a great thing too, Austria. Stop with this "Load your phone for 20 Euro and then when it runs out, you're screwed!" Because don't think you can re load your phone online. What were you thinking? I'm convinced I could become a millionaire by introducing the minute plan system.
6. I could also become a millionaire by showing them how to number their rooms in buildings. It took me about 2 months to learn where my classes were. They numbers don't increase with each floor and they are not sequential in a hallway. I really don't understand it. Some even have NEW numbers taped over the real numbers. What?!
7. Austrians rarely look each other in the eye on the street. I had fun the first few weeks by freaking out old people when I smiled at them on the street.
8. You bag your own stuff here. And you pay with cash. Heaven forbid you pull out a card and hold up the line by 20 seconds. People seriously will start to push or call out "What the hell is going on?" No patience, these people.
9. The number of things I have noticed that, had this been America, I could sue over. For example:
-The rocks on the streets. Could fall and break my neck!
-In our dorm, the hallway lights do not stay on. If you want them on or want to go up the spiral staircase at 2am, you have to feel around for a light switch in the pitch dark and hope you don't break your neck or find that ax murderer waiting in the silence.
-Our dryer sparks. So people just don't use it. Why risk electrocution?
-The stores sometimes don't refrigerate eggs OR milk. Weird.
10. Kids. I hate the kids here. They all try to be hard American thugs. But they live in one of the richest cities in Austria and don't even know what a 'ghetto' is. They are rude as anything too. Loud and obnoxious. And they get out of school at 12 noon. So THEY'RE ALWAYS AROUND. I have a special grudge against them because some hooligans threw a water balloon at me from a school window. Nice school discipline, huh?
11. Don't even THINK about expecting your waiter to be polite.
12. Don't get in the way of the bikers. They WILL run you down.
13. So will the cars.
14. Austrians were never Nazis, no. What Second World War?
Ok, that's enough for now. I'll leave you with my most favorite billboard in all of Austria. It's the Austrian National Ski Team advertising...something. I don't even know. Does it matter? It's cute men with Days of the Week underwear!
