When I say I am visiting relatives in Austria, some look shocked and some ask if they're from Jana's side. Nope. They are my relatives, and they are Vietnamese (Chinese actually but let's not get into that story right now.)
During the great emigration wave of the late 1970's and early 1980's, my immediate family along with most of my extended family escaped Vietnam (generally by boat). All of us landed in refugee camps, a kind of purgatory as we waited on paperwork and approvals to get us elsewhere. The US being the top destination choice had the longest waits, making other countries willing to take us in more appealing. Austria was one of those options, and my cousin took it. (There's debate if he mistook Austria for Australia. Who even has heard of Austria before Arnie became the Terminator.) His initial plan was to make it to Austria, bring over the remaining family members still in Vietnam, and try to immigrate to the US where my family ended up settling. However, one thing led to another, and they remained in Austria which means, "I have relatives in Austria!"
We went to visit them this past week. It's been 10 years since my last visit, and I wanted them to meet Jana and Makai. And both Jana and Makai loved them (Jana is hoping the feeling is mutual.) From being local tour guides, to home cooked meals, to fighting over bills, these guys put southern hospitality to shame.
Two moments stand out. The first occurred when we departed Salzburg by train. The entire Salzburg family came out to bid us farewell. And as we entered the train and searched for seats, the entire family followed us from outside of the train, waving at Makai each time we looked out the window. 5 cars in, we found our seats and gave our final wave to my Salzburg family as the train pulled away. The second moment occurred when we departed Vienna to return to Tel Aviv. My cousin (first cousin-once removed) scheduled a car to pick us up at 6 AM. She woke up along with us at 5 AM and prepared us coffee and packed us a little snack bag complete with freshly sliced mangos and sandwiches. I bragged to Jana, "That's my family." Liking the whole experience, she responded, "That's my family now too."
Attention SF LG's: Our standards have been raised and we expect the same treatment in two weeks!
Here are a few family photos from the trip. More photos can be found here. Austria 2012 Photos
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| Cousins in Vienna. Makai ran away from the group photo. |
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| Cousins in Salzburg. I look like a giant standing next to them. |
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| Salzburg Cousins. |
And I will end with this funny photo of Makai. Yep that's my son.
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| Peeing in the Hohensalzburg Castle. |
I'm jealous!
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