I went to Austria in September 2012. I did not know yet where I would live and work. I went for a job interview. The company, where I had worked in Poland changed its owner, and I decided to look for a new job. I was looking for work in Poland, but my dream was to work in Austria. I thought: „It’s the time!” and consciously I started looking for work in Austria.
A mountain trip
I’ve been dealing for several years with tourism. I have the biggest experience in work at travel agencies. I am not Austrian, and I knew that looking for a job in Austria I would have to prove something more than other candidates. That is why in the beginning I decided to look for a job in a hotel. I could calmly start with it. Why Austria? Austria has been always in my life. I have a huge fondness for this country, I wanted to improve my language, and these magnificent mountains, that’s why I was looking for a job in the Alps, not in the lowlands. Mountains is a place for me, where I feel best. My mind and body are free. For me it is something primordial, it’s hard to compare to anything else. Being in the mountains triggers in me only positive emotions, it is pure joy. It is something flawless for me, something beyond civilization, something unchangeable. I love the Tatra Mountains, Beskid Śląski and Wyspowy. It is sad that Poles do not really know Poland, the magnificent nature of their country, and they set off somewhere else.
I was looking for a job in a specific region close to the mountains. First, I worked in a hotel in the Gastein Valley. The hotel was only a transitional stage. I told myself that as soon as I improved language and gained experience, I would try somewhere further. There was an offer, I came for an interview and got the job. Now I work in a travel agency in the town of Kitzbühel. The company I work for is a large corporation and mainly Austrians work here, but there are also Italians, Dutch, English. When I came to Austria, I was surprised by the number of foreigners: Hungarians, Serbs. They were everywhere, worked in every sector.
Beautiful beginnings
Upon arrival, the first two weeks were very difficult for me. Everything was new: new people, new environment. You do not know who to turn to, who can help you. I felt the lack of knowledge of Austrians about Poles. Austrians have the attitude: „How poor you are at home, aren’t you?” And foreigners should be grateful to them for the fact that they have a job here. Despite this, I believe that people are the same everywhere. Everywhere you can meet nice and unpleasant ones, no matter in what country you are. In Austria, there is a cultural mishmash. What makes Austrians not work physically, not clean, because it is foreigners who are to do it. I work in an office with people who, it happens, do not even have passed matriculation exams. And they complain a lot about their job. But they have such good working conditions that complaining is the only thing they do and they don’t look around for a new job. They do not have the ambition to have a challenging job.
Kitzbühel is considered one of the most beautiful regions in Austria. What I like in this valley is the space. It is amazing. I hadn’t known much about the city before my arrival here, and it belongs to the most snobbish places, where the whole Austrian upper crust come. Politicians and celebrities have their houses here. Why they come here – I don’t know. Even the locals cannot answer the question why this place is so popular. Kitzbühel has only 8000 inhabitants, and the main pedestrian area is covered with shops such as Louis Vuitton or a jeweler with Swarovski crystals. On the streets you can see luxury car brands (Porsche, Bentley). But the truth is that it is a very charming place, very well maintained, worked out in detail. Austrians make their living from tourism. The Alps are their main source of income, so they make every effort to make it look good. After all, no one wants to come to a dirty town. All mountain villages in Austria look alike.
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