Austrian Civility

The German word Bitte is translated to Please in English.  Photo by {artist}/{collectionName} / Getty Images

The town that my family and I settled into was called Maria Anzbach in the district of St. Pölten in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Austria. The village had a population of 2,000 then, and now, they’ve only increased to a couple hundred more. It was a typical village in the Austrian countryside. Children had the liberty to go wherever they pleased, as long as they informed their parents first. There were children as young as 6 years old who would walk to and from school either alone or with fellow schoolmates carrying their school backpacks.  I was so excited to do it for myself! 

I remember the first time I felt adventurous and went exploring on my own, with my mom’s permission of course. I made my way to the town center and just walked wherever my feet wanted to take me. I enjoyed the thought of walking alone since I was never able to do that back in Manila. I was not, however, prepared to have a local cross my path and I was instantly skittish. The feeling of panic set in. I obviously didn't look anything like a local, much less a European. I was worried that I was going to be given a troubled look, stared at and even worse -- talked to. I hardly knew any German yet!  I saw a figure walking towards me, and I instinctively looked down at the ground -- there was no turning back. As we walked closer, I gave myself the courage to look up to the person in front of me and braced myself for the worst. What I got in return was a smile and a “Grüß Gott.” As a newcomer who hardly knew the language, I smiled and nodded back. The elderly woman stopped and said something in German that I didn’t understand. She wasn’t mad or anything she just spoke calmly and repeated the words, “Grüß Gott.” I felt that I had to say something so I communicated the words back to her. Satisfied, she patted me on the head then went on her way.  Later on, I realized that she was trying to give me a crash course in Austrian civility.  You see, when you’re in the countryside, passing a person without saying Grüß Gott is seen as disrespectful. This is what the lady was trying to teach me; she didn’t care where I came from or how I looked, she was just showing me to be more cordial. Apparently, being shy was mistaken for being arrogant. I was utterly unfamiliar with the idea of talking to a complete stranger. Growing up in the city, parents would always tell kids to never talk to strangers. Being so new to the community, the last thing I ever wanted was to be misunderstood.

After this incident, my German tutor explained that it is customary to greet each person you pass. She also pointed out that Grüß Gott is a greeting said to everyone. Instead of saying “Hello” (“Hallo”) or “Good Day” (“Guten Tag”), the Austrians say, “Grüß Gott.” It’s the shortened term of Grüß Dich Gott with its literal translation read as “Greet God” however, this is more likened as a blessing that you express saying, “May God Bless You” to whomever you came across with during the day. This alone shows the country’s strong religious background and the practice of fundamental principles such as courtesy and respect.  The term has been in constant use since the time immemorial although saying these words today may not necessarily have a religious connotation.

That was my first of many observations about the Austrian way of life. This city girl had some significant adjustments to do. Now that I was living in a country that was different from the one that I was used to, I'd better learn how it was to be a lokal. Respect and courtesy are practiced by every individual in this country, from the eldest to the youngest -- at least in the countryside. Point taken, lesson learned. I knew I had a long, long way to go but being with the lokals made me feel learning the basics wasn't going to be so hard. I found that Austrians themselves were very open, never judged other people or nationalities too much.  If at all, they were just curious. So by the time I’d made my second trek alone to town, I made sure that I would hold my head high and greet every individual with a smile and a “Grüß Gott.”