3. Tell us about your first “wow” or “aha” moment – think about that experience, interaction, or even mistake that really drove home the point that you are in a different country or culture. How can this moment become a learning opportunity?

I remember when we first arrived in Austria. Exhausted, but happy to be there. After a quick dinner and a good night’s sleep, we hit the ground running the next day with tours, meetings, and lectures. After long days of structured activity, we were itching to get out and explore on our own. However, when we first went out shopping, we discovered that all the stores were closed, and it was only six o’clock! We were pretty frustrated, since we did not get much free time during the week, and weekends were spent in other cities, so we hardly got a chance to explore and shop around Graz. Having stores close closer to six was quite a shock for us, considering in the United States, most retail, food, and entertainment places are open at least a few hours later than six. Walking around reading all the times that the stores closed (in military time, which was also an adjustment) really reminded us that this was not the US. As silly as it sounds, we were all used to the convenience that we were afforded in the States with the later closing times. Even the grocery store only stayed open until seven, whereas the grocery stores in Pittsburgh are often open until eleven. While at first we felt a bit frustrated and surprised, we actually learned to appreciate this. The earlier closing times allow for the people who work to go home and spend time with their families and promote a better work and life balance in the community. There are many other things to do and see that don’t impinge on people’s ability to not be at work if they choose. While it did take some getting used to, we were able to work out times to shop and eat out, and I learned to appreciate the value Austrians place on work-life balance, which is something we could definitely improve here in the United States.