Travel stories

Arrival in Austria

Austrian Customs

Shaking hands

The first thing that happened when we got off the plane was that we met Mike (our tutor from the Ybbs institute). I went to greet him with two kisses, as we usually do in Spain, but he extended his hand instead.

In Austria, the custom when you meet someone is to shake hands, unless it's a friend—in that case, a hug is fine. What surprised me was that when I asked if they ever give two kisses, the answer was that it’s only done with very close friends and family. They usually don’t greet new people that way.

Taking off your shoes

Another custom that surprised me was when I visited my Austrian friend Isabella at her house. She told me I had to take off my shoes at the entrance and leave them there. When I asked why, she said it’s a tradition in Austria: whenever you enter someone’s home, you must take your shoes off.

I found this strange because in Spain, people don’t usually remove their shoes when visiting others.

Transport

Transport was something that caught my attention from day one.

In Austria, many people use bikes to get to work or move around the city. Interestingly, many of these bikes have motors, which shows a different standard of living compared to Spain.

I was also surprised to see how many people in Vienna move around using the metro or bus—but especially bikes and scooters! Walking down the street, you’d see adults commuting to work on scooters.

Meal Times

Meal and dinner times are one of the things I never got used to, even after living in Austria for two months.

There, people usually have lunch between 11:00 and 12:00 and dinner between 18:00 and 19:00. In contrast, in Spain, I typically eat lunch around 14:30–15:00 and dinner between 21:00 and 22:00.

So comparing both routines, there's a two-hour difference. That meant when I ate lunch at 12:00, by 15:00 I was hungry again, simply because my body was used to eating at that time.

THE COMPANY

The company where I did my internship for my vocational IT course was Frequentis A.G., located in Vienna. Around 1,250 people work there.

Frequentis is an important Austrian high-tech company that develops communication and information systems for air traffic control, public safety, and transportation.

One of the main features of the company is that it has a very “family-like” atmosphere—everyone is supportive and available to one another.

Another strong point is their flexible schedule. Employees aren’t expected to be in the office all the time. They can work from home or wherever they want.

First Impressions, Schedule, and Mentors

The best part was the first impression we all had. When we arrived at the train station, Bernhard picked us up in a very fancy car and took us to the company. There, we were introduced to three people—highly educated individuals. One of them worked for the German defense department.

After the presentation, they showed us the section of the company where they manufacture the hardware they develop. Then, we returned to the room where we met our mentors.

I was lucky—I had two Spanish mentors: Gonzalo and Fernando.

Gonzalo is the project director of ATM Brasil, the project I worked on, and Fernando is a software engineer (although nobody really knows what he does, because he’s always working on something).

Gonzalo was like a father figure—whenever I had a question or problem, I could go to him, and he’d help or find a solution. Fernando was more like an older brother—whenever I didn’t understand something, he’d explain it to me or show me a resource to help.

Then there was Wolfgang, who planned my work. It was hard to understand him because he spoke very technical English and very fast with an Austrian accent.

Gabriela was always doing documentation and testing, but she brought me into the lab and let me help with a few things.

Nina was also in our department and spoke Spanish. I did a course with her, and whenever I had doubts, she helped if she could.

Internship Tasks

The first task Wolfgang showed me was analyzing the network topology, making sure the STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) configuration was correct to prevent broadcast storms and future errors.

My second task was scripting. The base script was already written, but I had to insert variables into a spreadsheet that would generate three different scripts from a template—all with the correct configurations.

My final task was updating the firmware of a router and a switch to run tests using containers.

TURNING 18

I left for Austria at 17 and came back at 18. My birthday was on June 6, but on June 3, we went to a fair in St. Pölten to celebrate with Isabella’s friends (whom I already knew).

The weekend of June 9–11, my mom and her partner came to Austria to celebrate my birthday. I asked Isabella to be our tour guide around Vienna and Melk, and she happily agreed.

After such a perfect weekend, I returned to work, and they threw me a surprise party for my birthday.

TRIP TO THE ALPS

We all wanted to visit the Alps, so we asked Mike if he could take us or explain how to get there. One day, he emailed us to say we’d be going that weekend.

On Saturday, Mike and Rainer picked us up in a van, and we headed to the Alps.

They didn’t let us pay for anything. We went up the mountain by cable car, had lunch at a restaurant at the top, went go-karting down the hill, and relaxed by a lake.

LAST WEEK

The last event I went to was the Donnau Festival, the biggest festival in Vienna. I had a great time with Isabella and her sister Vroni—I didn’t want the day to end.

On my last day at the company, I had to give a presentation in English about all the work I’d done.

They even took me to the server room with a special security coat.

That night, we had a farewell dinner at a restaurant to say goodbye and welcome the summer. After dinner, I said goodbye to the team and my mentors.