A Muscovite named Anna moved abroad, to Vienna, the capital of Austria, after she married a foreigner. They met in Offenbach in Germany, where he worked as a chef in a restaurant. Having married in Russia, for three years the young people lived in two countries, and then decided to move to Austria. Anna told users about her life there on the Internet.
Few believed in success.
The couple chose Austria, among other things, because there was a prospect of obtaining a residence permit. In addition, in 2012, an employment program for cooks began to operate there. The couple decided that the husband would work and feed the family, and the wife would provide the rear while doing the housework. Then few believed in their success, but after several years, they still remain in Vienna, they have a thriving business and their beloved son.
Despite all the unfavorable forecasts, the husband was able to find a job in the specialty plus a part-time job at the bookmaker. A year later, he received a residence permit. Anna was already pregnant then and in one month received a visa with the aim of arriving in Austria for family reunion.
I had to move on
The Austrian climate pleased the woman. Here, long and warm autumn, little rain, and winter is short and not very snowy, with the exception of mountains. And also warm spring and long hot summer. Upon arrival in Vienna, Anna's husband received about two thousand dollars. With a similar salary, you can’t talk about taking a mortgage or a car loan.
Therefore, it was necessary to somehow get out of the situation and think about further development. But for the cook, growth is possible either with the receipt of a Michelin star, or with the opening of their own institution. But even for a small point, for starters, about 110 thousand dollars (about 7 million rubles) are needed, which were not there.
After studying the catering market, Anna's husband came to the conclusion that in Austria almost no hot waffles are sold, which are very popular, for example, in the Netherlands. The pair began to acquire the necessary equipment, raw materials, and master the production technology.
Waffle business is growing
In May 2015, they already began selling hot waffles on the streets of Vienna. They were very happy with the first sales, earning about 270 dollars (17 thousand rubles) per day. After some short time passed, a stir began around their products.
Now their waffle business is growing every year. They trade in Christmas markets, provide catering services, serve birthdays, weddings, corporate parties, attend festivals. The latter helped their family to see almost all areas of Austria with their own eyes.
Not without flaws
As for Vienna, there is a very measured way of life. In the evenings and on weekends there are few people on the streets. After eight in the evening, only transport, cinemas and cafes with restaurants work. And also in winter, even at two or three degrees of frost, people try not to stick their nose out of the house.
In Austria, it is not accepted, as in Russia, to celebrate birthdays and other holidays noisily. According to one friend, her parents come to visit her only by prior arrangement for a specific time. And in order for them to sit with the child, they need to be asked about this for a whole month. And this situation is observed in many families.
The big minus is that brothels are located everywhere, and their number is constantly growing. And recently, free sale of marijuana was allowed. Therefore, often in parks and near playgrounds you can see smokers "weed" of insane people.
Living here is expensive
Housing in Vienna, like other services, is very expensive.Anna's family lives in a house without an elevator, which was built at the end of the 19th century, and pays about 850 dollars (about 54 thousand rubles) per month. And this is not counting fees for electricity, gas, water. The lease is renewed every three years, and a fee of $ 223 (14 thousand rubles) is charged.
Still need to pay $ 30 (1890 rubles) for the availability of a TV and the Internet. It should also be said that a deposit of $ 4,450 (about 280 thousand rubles) is paid for the lease. Thus, the amount is not quite small.
Social security
Anyone who believes that the Austrians in the general population live better than Russians is deeply mistaken. Even if the salary is high, taxes are the same. They make up at least 35%. And the remaining amount is quickly spent, since prices are sky-high.
However, paying heavy taxes, the Austrians see exactly where they are going. The quality of life, including social support, is at a high level in Austria. In this country, high-quality products are sold, even in stores for poor people. There is also a wide selection of healthy foods.
Austria has become a small homeland
At some point, Anna was gripped by a longing for life in Russia. She became indifferent, she did not feel interest in anything, became isolated in herself, was only concerned with the house and the child, and gained excess weight. But a year and a half ago, she suddenly woke up from "hibernation", began to play sports, got rid of 18 kilograms, became interested in creativity.
Now she creates short animated videos in order to advertise their family business, and also makes custom-made Christmas balls in retro style. Each of the balls is interesting in that it is unique. They host photographs of people who are dear to the customer.
To create the illusion that Christmas decorations were made in past centuries, Anna ages them. If someone wants to give their loved ones something original and memorable, then this is just what you need. Thus, a woman, giving joy to others, regains peace of mind.
Of course, she misses Moscow, St. Petersburg, and her native country as a whole. In Austria, she feels a lack of emotions, speed of life, communication and professional realization.
But she has a family, which she values very much, and wants everyone in her to feel good. Therefore, she does her best to preserve the hearth and does not think about moving at all. For her and her husband, Austria has become a small homeland over the years.
