people
Character Study: Tourist vs. Inhabitant
“Ciao, Bella.” Here he was again. The handbag-street-seller. As soon as the Venice police came into view, the bags were swept away, and Handbag-Man sashayed out of the square. But minutes later, he’d be back, talking to me.
“Do you live here?” Handbag-Man stood over me where I lounged on a bench built into the front of one of the many Venice churches.
I laughed, wondering if he was flattering me or if he was serious. He seemed serious. “No, I don’t.”
And then he was away, leaving me once again to my thoughts.
What characterizes the tourist versus the actual inhabitant of a famous city? What would cause this man who worked the squares of Venice to think I might be living there? Was it simple flattery or did I do something different than all my other fellow tourists?
So I watched. I observed the other pedestrians of the square, trying to guess whether they were tourist, inhabitant, or employee of the many places on the island.
Looks lost – Tourist
Clutching handbag or map – Tourist
Purposeful walk, eyes straight ahead – Inhabitant/Employee
Mouth agape, eyes wide, head turning this way and that – Tourist
Professionally dressed – Employee
Dressed for the club or sneaker-clad with t-shirt and shorts – Tourist
Relaxes without an urgency to see everything – Inhabitant
Snaps pictures as walking through streets – Tourist
These are a few things that I was able to pin down as possible characteristics of tourists versus inhabitants of a city. But of course, it is incomplete. Have you noticed things that tourists do that make them obviously tourists versus city inhabitants?
I’ve decided that the reason that Handbag-Man thought I might be living in Venice was because (1) he wanted to flatter me, (2) I wasn’t rushing around like other tourists, (3) my outfit was understated but nice, and (4) I don’t carry a backpack or map [very obviously anyway].
May you go forth and look less touristy whenever it suits you!
What I’ve Learned From Austrians
I better start this off with a quick note that I still haven’t learned everything I can learn from Austrians. And this first post will probably only brush the surface, but coming up on my 4-month-anniversary of living here, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate this country and culture.
Austrians keep to themselves.
In some places, you are socially pressured to acknowledge every human being you pass on the street, even waving at drivers. I consider myself a friendly introvert, however, I tend to prefer to ignore other pedestrians. In Austria, you can do that!
Austrians greet everyone in a group or party (arriving or leaving).
I’m the type of person that likes to just slip into a group without causing a stir (that’s how I like to leave places too). All the hellos and goodbyes are overwhelming. But Austrians are super intentional when they arrive to a workout group, bible study, or party to greet everyone when they arrive and when they leave, too. I’m not sure I’m ready to adopt this social norm, but I find it incredibly admirable.
Austrians are body conscious.
From what I’ve seen, Austrians like to take care of themselves physically, and they like to see what their bodies can do. They show off their bodies without shame. When I balked at just wearing my sports bra for something, my European friends replied, “Why? It’s just a body. People swim naked here.” This doesn’t mean that they are not modest, but Austrians are more relaxed about bodies and showing skin.
Austrians are proud of being Austrian.
You’d think that national pride would be a given for every people and every country, but it isn’t. But, Austrians, they are proud of their country, language, and people. As an English speaker with ein bisschen (a tiny bit) German, I often resort to English, and it’s fairly common for German speakers to reply, “You’re in Austria now. Speak German.” It can be frustrating to hear that when you can’t yet speak German, but to me, it just shows that Austrians are proud of their heritage.
Austrians recycle, recycle, recycle.
Never have I ever seen such a complex recycling system. It’s both amazing and terrifying because what if I screw up. There’s a place for your white glass, colored glass, cardboard/paper, plastics, tins, cartons, biodegradable food stuffs, and trash. And you know, I probably missed something in that list. This country is taking care of their portion of the planet in a way that the rest of the world could really learn from.
So there you are, these are all things that I really admire about the Austrians. But I’ll be on the lookout for more! So stay tuned!