Culture Shock from Living in AUSTRIA? (Vienna)

Foreigners in Vienna share their biggest culture shocks, what they love and dislike about Austrian lifestyle and mentality, and their experiences with the Austrian dating scene.

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CREW:
Marina Iakovleva (host/editing)

Louisa Kurtz (local host)

CAST:
Parichay & Parampara:
Yuji:
Aleksandra:
Julia:

0:00 Intro
0:40 Meet the Foreigners
1:11 Biggest Culture Shocks
4:04 Best & Worst About Living in Vienna
6:40 What is the Viennese Mentality Like?
7:05 What are Viennese Men Like?
7:32 Dating Austrians?
8:54 How has Austria Changed you?

Filmed in:
Vienna Austria

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  • @hideoussails1783 says:

    Vienna is gorgeous 😍

  • @yasser7139 says:

    I think Vienna in particular and Austria 🇦🇹 in general is a place to work and study and if you are an individualistic person who really likes privacy and less interactions with people is gonna be a great place for you, it’s not a place to socialize and make friends

    • @klimtkahlo says:

      I had the greatest time socializing in Austria and I am a very sociable southern European! Love Austrians. They are like the Germanic Italians!

    • @sandorx4 says:

      It’s a depressing place, akin to Germany.

    • @thechosenegg9340 says:

      @@sandorx4 First of all, really fucking rude thing to say about a place that people grow up in and spend their entire lives in. Second, not true at all. We might be a little different culturally, but one can have plenty of fun here as a young person. We have a lot of really cool public events and free third places to socialize here. There are cool bars, clubs, museums, concerts, theatres, cinemas, coffee shops, karaoke, escape rooms, a big amusement park, and great biking/hiking opportunities. I really don’t know what more people want.

    • @sandorx4 says:

      @@thechosenegg9340 “a little different”? Thanks for the laugh.

    • @7shisha7 says:

      @@thechosenegg9340

  • @MsViolena says:

    As an Austrian I have to say it, on sundays (supermarkets are open from monday-saturday) you still can get your groceries at the big train stations like Praterstern, Westbahnhof and so on. And worse case, you can still order stuff. So I don´t know why one guy said he was starving during weekends. Obviously some things are different here compared to other countries and Austria is not into the 24/7 lifestyle. I have to agree when it comes to austrian man, unfortunately… It´s like pulling teeth. I deeply feel for the woman from Brazil. Austrian mentality is so different, I really hope she finds her happy place. Public transport is great in Vienna, outside of Vienna is a different story.

    • @AureliaIlva says:

      About the brazilian woman, I feel sorry for her too. I mean, I live in Vienna, I am very happy about it, and I hope it wont change! I appreciate quiteness, having my personal space, not having to listen to other peoples noises… I listen to music a lot, with my headphones on, no one can stop me with that ❤

      Imagine every country was like Brazil for example. That would be a true horror to all people that are introverted, socially akward, autistic, etc! I think its a good thing that countries are so diverse!

      But yeah, I feel very sorry for the Brazilian woman. Austria obviously just isnt right for her 😥 she seems really sad… I genuinely hope she finds her hapiness, whether it is in Austria or in some other country ❤

    • @MsViolena says:

      @@AureliaIlva same, I’m also introverted 😅 and I feel overwhelmed when I have to socialise all the time, or constantly hear strangers around me. Brazil or any culture like it would end me 🙈 I love that some people thrive in it and it’s lovely to see how they can connect with strangers so easily.

    • @tinademesticha9457 says:

      @@MsViolena Greek here, and I hate it when people constantly praise socialising with strangers. Why is that any good? For you who like it, no problem. But it’s not something like the “essence of life”. I am not an introverted person at all, yet it seems to me boring and a waste of time. It’s better for me to spend time with a few deep friendships or alone.

    • @klimtkahlo says:

      @@AureliaIlvaexactly, when people have so much criticism about a country they should leave!

    • @klimtkahlo says:

      @@tinademesticha9457agree! Brazilians and Americans are known for superficial socializing, no depth, no follow up! They just say things to sound and look nice! Give me Austrians all day everyday!!!

  • @toomuchinformation says:

    Vienna sounds like Germany generally. No surprise I guess. However, it does seem a bit more extreme.
    I wonder how Switzerland compares to both.

    • @Marcel78728 says:

      Austrians are different than germans and swiss , germans have more humor and enjoy life , i live in austria i dont like it. They are known for beeing grumpy , they are very hatefull and the NS Party in ww2 was even worse than in germany

  • @Vnzkb says:

    2:18 3:33 4:06 4:23 5:52 7:09 7:53 8:36 8:54

  • @francescoromito198 says:

    Interessante 🧐 ❤

  • @tylermacdonald8924 says:

    Not interested in relationships but this channel is such a fascinating observation of cross cultural relations and differences

    • @DatingBeyondBorders says:

      Thanks – that’s the goal 😁

    • @tylermacdonald8924 says:

      @@DatingBeyondBorders Yes, seeing how people connect is a surprisingly penetrating topic into the psychology of a nation (such as the video about Sweden). Keep up the great work!

  • @heriport6654 says:

    My guy speak al balkan languages and kurdish wow

  • @jujulechow says:

    Sooo nice to be part of this project ❤❤❤

  • @erikadeslauriers3403 says:

    Very interesting video!

  • @klimtkahlo says:

    😂 for Europeans more than 30 min away is far so Barcelona would not be considered “ really close” to Vienna! 😊

  • @Nias-m9b says:

    She’s MIGHT just be the most humble Art.cassidy.BEAUTY and heartwarming
    person to exist💚💞💙

  • @milksmoothie says:

    So interesting and entertaining! Thanks for your videos❤

  • @janbeklen6855 says:

    That the stores are closed on sunday is a thing for taking a day with the fam. It’s very importand. As an half polish, my freinds there never understood why on sunday everything is closed. Now in Poland every second sunday everything is closed and i talked with friends ad they like it. It’s not that when the grocery store is closed for one day you will die. Go to a restaurant or eat what you have at home. Enjoy the day off. Enjoy the life. And be honest, we in Austria do not need nice words or bla bla, come to the point. Vienna one of the top places to live (tbh, when you are older)

    • @sandorx4 says:

      Why would anyone like closed shops on Sundays? It’s stupid in so many ways. That’s one of the days when people have time to shop. It’s also a great day for students to make some money on the side. It hurts the economy as well. Imagine how much a company like IKEA loses, which in turn brings less taxes to the state.

      BTW, every Sunday is closed in Poland now. The new government promised to change that but nothing happened so far.

    • @TT-ef8sq says:

      That was the case in some towns in Quebec, Canada [with the exception of Montreal] as well

    • @thechosenegg9340 says:

      @@sandorx4 I live in Vienna and will forever be apologetic of our shops being closed. It is great to have a day of the week where is is really easy to meet with large groups because everyone has time. It is an incredibly small inconvenience. People should value free time more than blind consumerism. Also, if you really need to, supermarkets at train stations are open even on sundays.

    • @sandorx4 says:

      @@thechosenegg9340 Weird use of the word apologetic. Even weirder that smoking was allowed inside as late as 2019.
      What does meeting in large groups have to do with the moronic Sunday closure? Your friends work in shops?
      Lots of other things were wrong with Vienna as well, not least the people.

    • @coin5207 says:

      ​@@thechosenegg9340 what does this have to do with free time. You think countries where shops are open on sundays just work that extra day and don’t get the day off somewhere?? Young people are actually less likely to go out and do something together because nothing interesting has open and some public transport straight up doesn’t run

  • @simonplaner9107 says:

    Vienna isn’t all of Austria. On the Countryside it is way different. There people are not that serious, punctual and direct – they are actually the opposite. Tourists in my region (rural Austria) often complement how friendly, uncomplicated and traditionial we are.

    • @AureliaIlva says:

      Very true

    • @seba117 says:

      Depends on the place. There are certainly places in the countryside with very sociable people, and there are places where people are very closed or even racist. Alsi in Vienna it depends on your situation, if you are a foreign student and share a flat with other students you will probably also have a completely different experience of Vienna than for instance someone who is on his own and doesn’t know anyone.

    • @TheLastAngryMan01 says:

      Vienna votes SPÖ and much of the rest of Austria votes FPÖ, so…there’s that.

  • @seba117 says:

    To the brazilian woman who was worried about being jailed at her wedding party: nobody gets jailed for noise, the worst that can happen is that you pay a fine, and that’s only if the police have to come two or three times in one evening. When you have a party in your flat that is going to be until late you just tell your neighbours before and everybody will be fine unless its every weekend or you have a bad relationship with them.

  • @MathieuDeVinois says:

    Seems as they expect everybody to adapt to their needs and wishes. And as it’s not that way they just hate everything. I am very happy that my friends are more open minded.

  • @hideoussails1783 says:

    Sounds like Vienna is for introverts and Brazil is for extroverts

  • @Limpi43 says:

    Gonna be a bit rude, though I’m not from Austria. 😉
    1.) All those people who complain about shops and stores are closed on sundays… Don’t you have enough food at home for a few days? Are you unable to think ahead? And seriously, you want to spend part of your sundays doing shopping/groceries???
    2.) All those people who complain about they must NOT to disturb others… Do you have zero empathy? Are you unable to imagine how others would feel about your act? Cannot imagine that other people don’t want to see/hear/smell/etc. when you’re having fun??? (When the brazilian girl talked about music in Brazil and how other join singing and she is shushed in Vienna; my first tought was: Please, let me be her neighbor, I swear, within a week she’d complaining about me listening to music and she’d want to shush me.)
    3.) When people complain about meeting with friends needs days of planning… I said it before, I say it again: not every people have hours of free time every day. Recently read on the net (subject was about sport, exercise, training) that several people said that after morning routine, commute to work, work (with lunch-break), commute to home, groceries, chores… and they either run out of time or energy or both. Plus relationship, raising children (if you have), taking care of old parents, and the “lifelong learning” trend. So instead of complaining, be grateful that you could be bored.

    • @Kabirio93 says:

      I dont think its normal to plan days ahead. We are not robots. Life is unpredictable. You could die tomorrow for example. This mentality totally destroy the vibes. You also mention free time. I dont think everyone is a manager. The truth is people are fucking cold and dont care about humanity and making friends. I dont understand this sense of entitled OMG im busy we cannot meet. People just dont care. Noone is that busy to make friends etc. Its just lack on interest on this topic. Im also rude now: German speaking people just dont care and thats fine: its another culture.

    • @ppasci says:

      @@Kabirio93 Believe it or not but some people are already part of multiple friendgroups and cant hang out with everyone of their friends whenever they want to. Thats exactly not “being too busy to make friends”.

    • @Limpi43 says:

      @@Kabirio93
      “I dont think its normal to plan days ahead.”
      Yes it is. Planning help to manage your life. Planning help NOT to be overwhelmed at work or with chores or with other duties. You either haven’t heard ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’ by Aesop or La Fontaine, or can’t comprehend. Without “plan days ahead” you eventually run out of food and/or toilet paper.

      “You could die tomorrow for example.”
      So? You live ALL your days as if it’s the last one? Or you expect that you’ll live tomorrow?

      “This mentality totally destroy the vibes.”
      Do you know what else destroy the vibes? If you lose your job or an injury that hinders you to earn money for living. If you don’t have savings (which is another form of PLANNING AHEAD) you are screwed.

      “You also mention free time. I dont think everyone is a manager.”
      Do you think only a manager has less (if any) leisure time? I know plenty of people (none of them are manager) who gave up watching movies and matches because they don’t have time for it.

      “I dont understand this sense of entitled OMG im busy we cannot meet.”
      Simple. It’s called lack of empathy. You cannot even imagine that other people have MORE things to do in their lives than you do.

      “Noone is that busy to make friends etc.”
      Not everyone is single in an empty flat. Not everyone has 5-6 hours to spend freely every day.

      Count with me:
      evening routine (making dinner, eating dinner, bath, brushing teeth, making the bed, etc.) – roughly an hour (1 hour); 8 hours sleep (if it less, it will cause a) you’re tired b) ruining your health) (9 hours); morning routine (making breakfast, eating breakfast, making the bed, taking a sh!t, showering, dressing up, etc. – roughly an hour (10 hours); commute to work (because home office ain’t available for everyone) – an hour (11 hours); 8 hours of work (19 hours); lunchbreak – half an hour (19.5 hours); commute to home – an hour (20.5); groceries/chores – half an hour (21 hours).
      Nothing extreme (it could be 1.5 hour commute, 1 hour lunchbreak, 10 hours of work), no other duties, haven’t done anything yet, and still whatever you’d like to do you have less than 3 hours for it. If you have pet(s) – you have less time; if you educate yourself – you have less time; if you’ve voulenteered for something – you have less time; if you have a relationship – you have less time (at least you ought to); if you have children – you have less time (you MUST); if you exercise – you have less time.

      “Im also rude now: German speaking people just dont care”
      You are not rude, you are wrong. Not having free time does not mean they don’t care, it means they don’t have time. Also, not having free time has nothing to do with language. I’m not from a German speaking country, but all my acquaintances are usually busy (we don’t try to ditch each other, occasionally we managed to exchange ideas). Even our family gathering needs a lot of coordination. My girlfriend’s family as well. One of my foreigner friend (also from a non German speaking country) since we met has always been busy. A third non German speaking country I know is reportedly the same. So no, it is not a “German speaking culture” stuff, as you might think.

    • @TT-ef8sq says:

      It’s all about balance & not extremes.

    • @thechosenegg9340 says:

      As a Viennese person, thank you for being the only one here considering this side.

  • @user-hc2dz5cw9t says:

    Marina, I NEED TO KNOW what lip(product) are you wearing in this video. 😆

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