Willkommen, Willkommen, Willkommen Sonnenschein!

As spring changes (ever so slowly and hesitatingly) into summer, I've immersed myself even more deeply into the life of this city. Here's a look at what I've been up to:

Österreichischer Frauenlauf (May 26, 2013)

Krieg und Frieden

It's somewhat ironic, and even more traurig, that I had never met any Afghans or Iraqis until coming to Austria. In the United States, we're not confronted with the "collateral damage" of the wars we've started in an up-close, personal way. We have our oceans to protect us, meaning that very few refugees simply wash up on our shores.

The situation in Europe is rather different. Because of its geographic position, it's quite common for refugees from conflict-ridden regions of the world (Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent) to find their way to the shores of the Mediterranean, and then by boat to Italy, Greece, or Spain. From there, due to open borders within the EU, it's relatively common (although bureaucratically non-permissible) to move on to countries like Austria, where the economy is stronger.