Greetings from Vienna! My name is Maureen, and I am from Saskatoon, SK. Right now, I am living in Vienna, Austria for four months. I am working here at the Austrian Youth Red Cross as an intern for marketing and project management. In the photo, you can see the Red Cross flag - that is the building where I work!

The Austrian Youth Red Cross does a lot of cool things ... it publishes magazines for kids and youth in schools, it organizes First Aid courses, swimming and bicycling exams and certification, and it organizes students in Austria to send school supplies to other students in war affected countries, for example! All of the Austrian Youth Red Cross« projects focus on the themes of First Aid, Personal and Social Well-Being, and International Understanding.

I am having lots of fun working here, and learning lots at the same time! Most of all, though, I`m learning about all of the cultural differences ... and some of them are taking a while to get used to! For example,

1. In German, just like in French, there is a formal "you" ("Sie" in German) and an informal "you" ("du" in German). If someone is my own age, I automatically address them informally. And with much older people, I automatically use the formal address. But with those in the middle, I sometime have to ask what to do! And then that means remembering who I`m allowed to address with what!

2. Cell phones are EVERYWHERE! I read in the paper that 70% of all Austrians under the age of 29 have a cell phone (called "Handy" in German). I was walking home from work the other day, and a child no more than five was checking his messages (SMS's) on his cell phone. Whenever I go to a meeting or a workshop, 99% of the people around the table have a glass of water, a pen, paper, and a cell phone in front of them. But on the same note, no one here has ever heard of Message Manager or Call Waiting. Technology can go in many different directions, I guess!

3. "Neu Deutsch" or "new German" is simply catch words or phrases in English that have become well-known in the German language. For example, "event management" or "feedback" or "Halloween". One would think that this Neu Deutsch would make things easier for a native English speaker - quite the opposite! The words, even though they are in English, still have a German pronounciation, and sound so different that I rarely understand the words! When I ask for clarification, I get looks of confusion - what? She doesn't even understand her own language!

Take care! Smiles from Maureen :)