GW&M: Are your two children being raised bilingually?

LICHTENBERGER: Yes! That is something that is extremely important to me!! My husband and I use the 'One Parent-One Language' method at home. I speak only English with them and my husband speaks German. My children know that I can speak German because I speak it with family and friends here as well as when we're running errands in town but they also know I will not speak German with them. I have found many Austrians surprisingly receptive to the idea and they find it wonderful that the children speak two languages fluently. My daughter is currently in an English preschool in town where the emphasis, however, is on both languages. My husband was a little worried because my daughter's English was much stronger and better than her German. But since she's been in preschool her German has improved greatly.

GW&M: That sounds great to me! I know it can be very difficult to do. It takes a conscious effort.

LICHTENBERGER: Raising the children to be bilingual is a big thing to me because I don't think I could personally bear it if the kids only spoke German. Besides my parents would kill me! -- They were very worried about that when I became pregnant with my daughter. I think they were afraid they wouldn't be able to communicate with her. But since it is very important to me, I try to be consistent about only speaking English to them (even when we're out places or in front of people who do not speak English - I just have to make that extra step to translate).

I'm also fortunate to have my American friends, and we started an English playgroup for the kids, so they can get together with other kids who speak English as well. That way they don't feel so isolated, like 'my mom is the only one who speaks this funny language.' I've also spoken to many exchange students whose parents tried to raise them bilingual English/German in the US or Canada, and they said the biggest thing was no one else spoke the language and they felt so different from the others. So I'm glad we have this playgroup.

GW&M: I guess that also helps with the two cultures -- Austrian and American.

LICHTENBERGER: Definitely! A group of us expat Americans try to uphold as many American traditions as we can. This includes celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving, having a Christmas party where Santa makes an appearance, and the Fourth of July. Easter here is pretty much celebrated in the same way with the Osterhase [Easter bunny] and everything. We try to make each celebration as close to home as we can. For example for Halloween we carve jack-o-lanterns, bake pumpkin pies and other goodies, dress the kids up in costumes and try to arrange a way for them to trick-or-treat. I usually hold Thanksgiving at my home with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the works!! It really means a lot to us Americans because Thanksgiving really kicks off the holidays for us and it's hard being away from family and friends at that time. So it's great we can at least get together and party, and the kids get to experience that! For the fourth we have a big BBQ complete with softball and games and other activities. The Austrians are actually very receptive to the idea. They're curious about what we celebrate and most Austrians have had fun participating in these events.

GW&M: How did you meet your American friends?

LICHTENBERGER: I think we all met each other by coincidence. I met my friend Debbie at the university, who in turn introduced me to Claudine, and then it just snowballed. Someone knew someone else who was also American, and we all have kids about the same age and the same goals of teaching them to be bilingual, etc. And it's just kind of turned into a big group. It's great moral support on holidays like these, great contact for the kids to see that it's not just mommy who speaks this "funny" language called English, and great to bitch and moan about things that bug us here and feel like you have someone who understands!

GW&M: Most Americans tend to have what I call a "Sound of Music" image of Austria, if they have any idea at all. What have you observed about that?

LICHTENBERGER: I'm sure you already know that most Austrians today don't even KNOW about the movie!! In Salzburg, where it was filmed, they were pretty quick to realize that Americans (as well as Brits, Australians and Canadians) go completely ga-ga over the sights where "Sound of Music" was filmed! In Salzburg you can easily find many "Sound of Music" tours where they'll take you to the locations where scenes were filmed, etc. So with the exception of Salzburg, most Austrians have never heard of the film, much less seen it!! My husband was horrified when he watched it in the US one year! He thought, great! Now all Americans think Austrians run around wearing curtains!

[Editor's note: In Vienna and Salzburg tourists can buy caps and t-shirts with a "No kangaroos" logo -- a clever way the Austrians have found to cash in on the typical Anglo-American confusion over "Australia" and "Austria."]

GW&M: You said that you miss certain things in the States. What are some of the things you miss the most?

LICHTENBERGER: I miss big things that are important to me like my family and my friends. That separation is hard. I miss the ethnic diversity of the population. Having grown up in southern California I am used to a wide variety of ethnic cultures. Austria is rather homogenous and being different is sometimes seen as not a good thing (although the influx of immigrants from countries to the east and Africa is increasing) and I miss that cultural diversity of the US.

I miss little things that don't seem so important but sometimes contribute to an overall feeling of being homesick. Those little things would include having groceries packed for me at the supermarket (here in Austria you not only have to provide your own bags, you also have to pack groceries yourself!), good customer service in stores (it seems to me they've never heard of 'The Customer is King' policy - it's more like THEY are doing YOU a favor by helping you in the store...), and I miss foods and treats that I enjoy in the US (Mexican food, Sushi, steak restaurants, seafood, going to breakfast at a diner for a big pancake-egg-omelet, Mrs. Fields cookies, bagels, etc.). I know those seem like unimportant things, but when you suddenly don't have them anymore it makes you feel homesick.

GW&M: What about the cost of living? How does that compare?

LICHTENBERGER: Things are very expensive here! Toys, clothing, shoes, strollers, diapers, just about everything!! My parents are always horrified when they come over here and see how expensive things are! Granted the dollar is low right now and that, of course, makes a difference. When I first came to Europe in the summer of '85 the dollar was at something like 23 Schillings to one US dollar. That summer things were extremely cheap in Europe! Now it fluctuates between 12 and 13. We have a Toys R Us store in Linz and I've noticed that items are about 2-3 times more expensive than in the US (and don't forget that 23% sales tax either!).

When we're home in the US visiting we really stock up on toys, clothes for us and the kids, books, videos, CD roms, some grocery items I can't get here, contact lens solution and anything else we can cram into our suitcases! We travel back pretty heavy, but completely set for the next year!!! (On our last trip, our luggage weighed in at 308 lbs, but somehow we avoided having to pay extra!) Levis jeans run about $80-$100 a pair here, and Nike, Reebok and other brand name things also run double or triple what they cost in the US. When I'm home in California, it's all I can do to keep myself from getting down on my hands and knees and bowing down in front of Mervyn's, Kids R Us, Toys R Us, Robinsons May, Target, and Price Club because I'm so happy to finally be able to pay reasonable prices for things! Oh -- and never again complain about rising gas prices in the US! Gas here is about $4 a gallon!!

GW&M: Austria does have its advantages. Besides the social benefits you mentioned, what are some of the things you most appreciate about life in Austria?

LICHTENBERGER: I appreciate the emphasis on family life. Life moves at a slower pace and I think that contributes to an overall good quality of life here. Because most stores and shops close at 6 pm during the weekdays, at noon on Saturday, and all day Sunday, that time turns into family time. Most parents don't have to go to work, kids can't run off to the mall all weekend and I think that's nice.

GW&M: How is life in Linz different from life in an American city?

LICHTENBERGER: When I think about it, not too much. Linz is the third largest city in Austria (pop. a little over 200,000) and there are many cultural events, a wonderful pedestrian zone in the center town with many shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. There are nice parks for the children and lots of beautiful greenbelts for walking and riding bikes. I think there are many similarities.

GW&M: But you said earlier that you sometimes miss the cultural diversity you had in Southern California.

LICHTENBERGER: Yes, I happen to be of Indian heritage (from India; actually my parents are from Trinidad & Tobago) and being dark-skinned in this homogenous white environment gets to me sometimes. That's why I'm so aware of the lack of cultural diversity. But most of my personal experiences have not really been unpleasant, except for one incident years ago.

GW&M: What happened?

Well, it was like this: My husband worked with a guy whose family owned a small Wirtshaus [inn] in the country and the guy invited us for lunch there one Sunday. (This was probably a year or so after I moved here.) So we went, and it was nice. But I noticed that the place was mostly full of old men (some younger and middle-aged but mostly older). That's when I found out about the traditional Fruhschoppen in which after Sunday service at church, the men go for a beer and the women go home to cook the big Sunday lunch. The men stay until 11:30 or so and then go home to eat lunch. This is very common in the country and even has its own name (Fruhschoppen)!

Well, we were eating and talking to my husband's friend and we kept noticing they were staring, talking about us, etc. Finally this old guy comes over, sits himself down at our table (uninvited), and starts asking questions about where I'm from because they're just dying of curiosity over in their corner! I just looked at my husband and he really didn't know what to do either. So I -- trying to be my friendly self -- told him where I was from, etc. Of course, because of my Indian appearance, no one here ever guesses I'm American and they think I'm from Sri Lanka or something. I always make jokes with my friend Claudine (who is half Puerto Rican/half Caucasian and grew up in New York) that the Austrians automatically make up their own little stories in their heads and think we were mail-order brides or that our husbands were visiting our poor countries and took us away from the Third World to this paradise called Austria.

Anyway, this older guy takes my hand, rubs it and says something to the effect of, "Oh! It doesn't rub off..." (meaning my skin color). Since I wasn't very good with the dialect back then, I really had to look at my husband for confirmation that this man just said what I thought he had said. -- I couldn't believe it!!! Then he continues and says, "Fraulein, you're a sensation here today! A sensation here in Katsdorf! We only see people like you on TV. Wait until I tell my wife today - she just won't believe it!!" It was at that point I turned to Bernhard and said, "Okay - I've had enough of this." And even our host got a little upset with the guy and was embarrassed because we were his guests. But in a way I understood the man did not purposely intend his statements to be, well, mean. Here was a man who spent most of his life on this farm in the country (where even a 40-minute trip to Linz is probably like going half way around the world for him; he could probably count on one hand how many times he'd been to Linz!) and he was just ignorant. So that was just one of the interesting incidents that happened to me.

GW&M:Most Austrians aren't really that unsophisticated or thoughtless. It's quite different in the more urban parts of Austria, isn't it?

LICHTENBERGER: That's true. In fact, just this Saturday a few girlfriends and I spent the day in Vienna (a sort of 'Mom's Day Out' girls trip!). I hadn't been to Vienna in over a year and I realized I tend to forget how culturally diverse that city is. It has a large influx of people from all over the world. While it's not New York City, it wasn't as homogeneously white as Linz and other smaller Austrian towns. In the Turkish section of the Naschmarkt (a large flea market and farmers market) I almost felt more like I was in Istanbul than Vienna and it was wonderful! And it wasn't mostly Turks buying goods - it was lots of Viennese! There are many restaurants, clubs, social circles for diverse groups and it was great. As for English-speaking people there is an English theater, five or six cinemas that play the latest films in English, and many cultural and social events! But then again it is the capital, with over a million inhabitants (not to mention the UN.), and it's more likely to find things like that there rather than in smaller towns. But it was a great day trip -- almost like to another country rather than Austria!