My once home turf, compared to my new bunk differentiates more besides from missing a few obvious letters. The incline of my local town embraced a staggering 60 meters, my Austrian residents sits a healthy 1,000 meters above sea level, not to mention the Grossglockner, the country’s highest point, shy of 4,000 meters in my horizon.
Obviously the Australian beaches are second to none. Literally, in Australia we may have destinations with 25km of endless sandy coast line but here, we have 8 different countries bordering Austria! In fact, Austria can fit into my whole home state of Victoria nearly 3 times. Not to mention the greenery. Where I lived looked close to dead all year round – even in the winter it’s not that lush, whereas the summer scenery in Austria is more vibrant and lively then anything I have witnessed before. As for wildlife predators’, the marmots are far more vicious then any kangaroo I’ve ever come across. One thing is certainly on par though – that country smell, the cows, the freshness.
Austria provides all you could want in the great outdoors. From endless mountain ranges and snow-capped summits, natural beauty surrounds you wherever you happen to be. When people realise I’m not Austrian, nor am I English there’s usually a period when they tentatively ask… New Zealander?… Almost there, but no, Australian. Their next statement commonly consists of, ‘what are you doing in Austria?!’ Well…
Newly 18, a dual passport for Great Britain, it seemed crazy not to take advantage of that opportunity! Running the 9-5 I found myself surfing on the couches of relatives in Manchester. All I wanted my life to revolve around was the great outdoors! A month after arriving in England I had to solve this dilemma so I turned to the World Wide Web without knowing exactly what I was actually planning or seeking, I naively typed the words, season workers. There was my solution, ‘Workaseason – Work Abroad With Us’! So, resume sent, I cycled through the interview finally receiving that highly anticipated phone call to say ‘you’ve got the job’!
My mum was over from Australia at the time and I came running out in tears to share the news. Sobs from ever angle, perhaps due to the reality that I wouldn’t be returning home when expected and of course the sheer happiness that I had pursued this idea and it had worked in my favour.
Onto Ischgl, an Austrian ski resort I couldn’t spell or even, admittedly, pronounce until weeks after living there. My return ticket to Melbourne for the January soon became non-existent and now home is a distant figure I don’t put dates on. That phase when people say, ‘it was the time of my life’, well that is now – those days spent snowboarding on the alps were nothing but, a smile was plastered on my face for a solid 5 months, the reality of the whole situation and being exactly where I wanted was refreshing every moment I looked up and saw endless views, learning something new, surrounded by likeminded individuals.
Having currently been overseas for 14 sweet months with little intention to hurry on back to my home land (sorry, mum) I now find myself returning to the Austrian Alps of Saalbach/Hinterglemm for the summer of 2016, where I belong with my mountain fix on my doorstep, and a new life I can’t praise enough.
See you here soon!
Evie Neate, Resort Representative (Saalbach/Hinterglemm)