I’m about to go to the country of baconnaise, the home of hamburgers, fries and Dr Pepper. The land where you get asked a question and are not expected to really truly fully answer.

Can’t wait to see how Miki, my travel mate, will react to this. Entering shops, placing orders in a restaurant, pretty much everywhere you get greeted by a phrase that might look like this:

“Hello (Sir), how are you doing today?”

When I first went to California, this warm and open greeting seemed kind of alienating to me. You get asked how you were doing today… In the most formal restaurant? That – to me – used to be material I talk to friends and people close to me about. Not waiters. Not staff. Until I realized that this is not supposed to be some intrusive question or anything of the kind. It’s just a way to greet someone and loosen up a bit.

You are not expected to give detailed updates to your waiter on your critical condition concerning your inflamed right pinkie toe. Just shoot back a nice “Fine thank you, and you?” and where ever you are – may it be in a café, restaurant, shop,… everywhere – the person that will be helping you for the day will appreciate it.

What Europeans get wrong very often: You are not expected to give orders to a waiter before you greet him/her accordingly. That would be considered entirely rude. “Hello, how are you?” – “Two scrambled eggs and bacon as an aside!”. You get used to that warmness very quickly and I sometimes miss this kind of dealing with people. Use phrases like “May I have another diet coke, please” instead of “My coke’s empty. REEEFILL!”… You get the idea.

What Europeans get wrong too often: Tipping accordingly.

Can’t wait to give you more updates on our upcoming trip. Just ordered the New York City guide by Lonely Planet since the Encounter version was just too superficial for a 10 days stay. Covering just the basics that I knew about already made it look like there wasn’t too much to do.

As the summer months approached not too long ago, people board planes to get away from it all. We take our family and friends with us on all sorts of trips. Following that logic, we have to bring along the iPhone, of course.

As we will see, a high-technological device like the iPhone can turn out to be quite a handy tool on the road.

First we’ll look at special settings that any reasonable traveler should activate while being abroad. Then we’ll extend our iPhone’s functionality with several apps off the App Store. 

I’m very happy to find myself in a position where I do like the course I set taking me down on university roads. Studying at WU has been one of the most surprising and interesting experience so far in life. Right after sipping down my first can of Dr Pepper. Those two experience are very much alike, even though it doesn’t seem so at first glance. It was a very sweet – so were the people -, taught me not to judge too early – the first sip usually doesn’t tell the whole story, and I realized there was something out there I haven’t given a go and thus learned to be more open.

So here’s a warm hello to new friends I made over the last year. I hope I get to spend some of the upcoming years together with you. It was interesting to see many different characters (some more enjoyable than others *cough* *cough* – Nah, I’m just kidding) mixed up in one cage fighting for a common goal. Like hamsters taking turns in running the wheel. Whether that was Barcelona or several exam weeks. We did a good job and we sure can be proud of accomplishments.

Have a great summer, peeps. Stay safe, healthy and tuned. Want to see you return to Vienna in late summer/earily fall as I saw you waving good byes yesterday.

Good question. Stupid answers.

T-Mobile released its iPhone pricing. While the iPhone itself seems cheaper, their 24 months contract certainly are not. For now. Until June 30 Orange offers half its monthly charge for the entire span of your contract. That’s a really great deal you’re getting – See Part 1 for further details. After that point in time, this might shift towards T-Mobile. Read this to see who wins over the homo economicus.

The iPhone costs on a 24 mo plan laid out for you...

Ocean Road · matt.hintsa (found via flickr.com)

I miss this. I miss the ocean. This is the Austrian speaking.

What is described below should not happen with the money you’re supposed to pay back with knowledge “purchased” earlier in life in college. If that “student loan” is a scholarship that your country gives you on a monthly basis, please understand that there comes certain responsibility. The tax payer will thank you.

Drink responsibly.

As seen on Twitter by lukeayresryan.

“Family top, politics flop” is the headline of diepresse.com’s article I took this chart from. This survey reveals how we Austrians tick. In a nutshell: We prefer family and friends to our job and politics. We don’t agree with abortion unless chances are it’s going to be handicapped in some way. The more education, the happier. The further west, the more likely that you’re happy with live in general. Vorarlberg or Tyrol, for instance, is revealed to be the happiest places in all of Austria. Just like Disneyland, but a tad smaller in size. Furthermore we believe that being a housewife can be very satisfying as a full time job.

All in one: Even though we believe in those traditional values, we are “dissatisfied on a higher level”. Go figure. Austrians like complaining, nagging and chewing on their Schnitzel for Sunday lunch.

This survey? Not surprising. (I translated this chart as it is seen on diepresse.com)

Die Presse · Print-edition, June 15, 2009