Howdy Ya'll!

Its been a while since my last blog, so I thought I'll start writing again. People asked me a lot about the differences between Austria and Texas, after I moved here about a year ago. I thought this would be a good topic to write about. I hope ya'll enjoy reading my observations. 

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Downtown Dallas

Weather 

I expected a big weather change moving to Dallas, Texas, from Vienna, Austria but it was even more different than I thought.

Summer in Dallas lasts for about 5 months with highs up to 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit). When it's really, really hot it hurts to go outside. But at least it is dry heat, not as humid as other places is Texas.
Winter only lasts for like a couple of weeks. We only had like a week of freezing temperatures and it snowed for only one day. The really good thing about that is that u don't have to scrape ice off your car, like u have to in Vienna for like 4 months each year. Spring and Fall are really really nice in Texas, very sunny and not many rainy days. But when it rains, it rains a lot in a very short time. Big storms, even tornadoes, and floods are not rare things. 

Since it's hot for half of the year, Texans like spending lots of time at pools and lakes. Renting boats, jet skis, or kayaks is really popular.

Vienna has 2 months of hot summer with up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and 4 months of winter with temperatures between 0 and -15 degrees Celsius (between 32 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit). Vienna gets a lot of ice cold wind, on top of those freezing temperatures. It gets uncomfortable to go outside on some days during this long winter. Austrians are specialists in wearing a bunch of layers. Spring and fall are nice; normally it gets pretty rainy and grey though. 

Other areas in Austria, especially places closer to the alps, get even colder winters with tons of snow. Due to the cold weather, Austrians really like winter sports like ice skating and skiing. 

kayaking at Ladybird River in Austin,TX

Food & Restaurants

Texas has a ton of restaurants, diners and cafes that are casual, homey and affordable. Many of them offer to go options or even a delivery service. 

Austria lacks these kind of places. There are very few casual restaurants, most places are expensive. That's probably why Texans eat out a lot more than Austrians. When Texans have dinner together the chance of going out together instead of eating at someones house is pretty high. Austrians on the other hand would more likely eat at somebody's house instead of going out.

Meals in Texas are always bigger then meals in Austria. I have almost never finished a whole meal by myself. In Texan restaurants it's common to take part of your meal home if you can't finish it. In Austria it's considered rude to ask for a to go box in most restaurants.

At most restaurants in Texas u are supposed to wait at the entrance to be seated by a waiter. Texan waiters are really friendly and come by your table every 10 minutes to see how your doing.

Once ur done eating the waiter will bring the check in a little folder and step away to give you time to read through it. You can pay with cash or a credit card. Once the waiter realizes u have put something in the folder, he will come by to pick it up. If you paid in cash you are free to go. If u decided to pay with a credit or debit card, you just have to stick around for a bit longer until the waiter returns your card. Then after you sign the bill, then you're done. 

In Austria you mostly seat yourself. Some waiters are rude and take forever to come to your table to take your order. And most of them will only come back to your table if you ask them to. If you're ready to pay, it usually takes a while for the waiter to show up with the bill. Once you get your bill you are supposed to pay in cash. Only some places take a credit or debit card. 

In Austria people usually tip 10%, in Texas 20%.

Fast Food is really popular in Texas. There are all kinds of fast food restaurants out here. Burgers and sandwiches are probably the most common. Most fast food restaurants have a drive thru.

Only a couple of American fast food chains made it to Austria and mostly young people eat there. Street food on the other hand is really popular. Walking through Vienna or other Austrian cities you'll find food stands at every corner. Hot dogs, pizza, Asian food and Turkish 'Döner Kebap' sandwiches are most loved. People usually grab one of these foods and eat it on the nearest bench or park. 

1.) Meat

Many people in Texas are huge meat lovers. Meat in every meal, every day, is considered normal. It's very common to start off your day with some bacon or sausages for breakfast. I even got the feeling that some people (especially guys) don't consider a meatless meal a real meal. On the other hand a meal that fully consists out of meat is okay.

Many Austrians on the other hand try and only eat meat once a day, some try and avoid meat 2-3 days a week completely. I think Austrians believe that eating too much meat is unhealthy. Also, meat is more expensive in Austria, this might be another reason for some Austrians not to eat as much meat as Texans.

Texans love to grill all year, even in December or January. Different marinades, spices and sauces make the meat taste different all the time. I believe Austrians grill a lot less and use a whole lot less of different spices on their meat.

In Texas people eat dried pulled meat as a snack, it is called beef jerky. In Austria people eat dried sausages instead; the most common type is called 'Kabanossi'.

I have to admit I totally fell in love with Texan burgers. 

Burger & Fries from JC Burgers

2.)  Sweet Food

Texan cakes seem a lot sweeter to me than Austrian cakes. One reason could be the amount of icing Texans like to put on their cakes. Austrians on the other hand rarely use icing. A thin layer of chocolate is probably the most common way to decorate cakes in Austria.

Products in Austria that would never have additional sugar in them, like sausages or bacon, have sugar in them in Texas.

But on the the other hand, Texan restaurants offer unsweet ice tea. People seem to really like it. I have never seen unsweet ice tea in Austria. Austrians drink sweet tea only. 

In Austria people like to eat sweet dumplings or other sweet meals for lunch or dinner. I have never seen that in Texas. 

Austrians eat a lot more chocolate than Texans. I guess that's because American chocolate is just not as good as the European ones. 

Pies, cinnamon rolls, muffins, brownies, cookies and cheesecake and are the most loved desserts in Texas. Austrians like to eat chocolate cake, pudding, fruit salad, appelstrudel and other pastries instead.

Texans like eating ice cream all year, Austrians only eat ice cream in the summer. Gelato ice cream is really popular in Austria. People like getting a cone of gelato on a sunny day and walking at a park while eating. I have never seen this style of eating ice cream in Texas. People usually eat their ice cream at home, while watching TV or as a dessert. 

3.) Drinks

People in Texas mostly drink still water, sodas, lemonade or iced tea. Nobody drinks carbonated water and I think only children drink juice. Dallas gets its tap water from lakes. Even though the water gets purified by filtering and chemicals it often does not taste very good.

In Austria I believe that most people drink carbonated water or juice. Sodas are mostly consumed at restaurants but rarely at home. Tap water in Austria tastes delicious and most people love drinking it. A lot of places get water from the mountains. The standards for tap water in Austria are extraordinary and therefore it is of high quality. In most areas the water is already clean and does not have to be purified.

In Texas it's totally normal to order free filtered tap water at a restaurant. In Austria many places charge you for water. Free refills for water, sodas, ice tea or lemonade are also very common at almost every restaurant in Texas. Only some fast food place in Austria offer free refills, and not one restaurant does. 

While Austrians only like ice cubes in their drinks during summer time, most Texans put tons of ice in their drinks all year. 

4.) Salads

The most common type of salad in Texas is green salad. Lettuce and spinach leaves are the most popular leaves. Many people like to eat their salads with ranch dressing or caesar dressing. 

In Austria green salad is mostly eaten with oil and vinegar. I believe tomato salad, potato salad and cucumber salad are just as common as green salad. Popular green salads in Austria are ice berg lettuce, arugula and lamb salad leaves. 

5.) Bakeries and bread

Most Texans buy slightly sweet, square shaped bread made at a bread factory. They either toast it and eat it with butter, jam or peanut butter for breakfast or make sandwiches for lunch. 

Austrians like multigrain home made style bread. They like to eat it untoasted with jam or bread spread for breakfast. (Austrians don't eat peanut butter). Many Austrians like to eat bread for dinner. Therefore they only use one slice at a time, it's not very common to put two slices of bread together (like the traditional American sandwich style). 

Austria has bakeries all over the place. People like grabbing breakfast or lunch or just a snack from them. These bakeries sell all kinds of bread, sandwiches, pastries, cakes and coffee. That's were many Austrians like to buy their bread (instead of the grocery store). Most Austrians eat bread every day or sometimes twice a day. I've heard Americans say that Austrians take their bread too serious ;)

While there are only a few bakeries in Texas, there are a ton of donut stores. They sell different kind of donuts and pastries. Most donut places are owned by Asians for some reason.  

Donut Store in Plano, TX

Stores

Texan stores are generally bigger and have a lot more variety. For example, I couldn't believe how many different types of cereal you can find in a normal grocery store, and how many types of cars there are at car dealerships. Most stores have big parking lots in front of them. That's because almost everyone takes the car to get to places. I have to make sure I remember where I park so I find my car again after I'm done. Stores in Texas have relatively long opening hours. I would say that most stores are open till 9 or 10 pm. Almost every store is open 7 days a week and some grocery stores are open 24 hours. 

Austrian stores are a lot smaller than Texan stores, and some stores don't even have their own parking, probably because some people like walking or biking to stores. In Vienna most people take public transport to get to stores. Every Austrian store is closed on Sunday. During the week most stores close around 6 or 7 pm. 

In Texas prices are written down without taxes. On your bill it will tell you your total of items plus taxes. In Austria prices already include taxes.

In Texas most grocery stores have their own pharmacy included. Some of them even have a pharmacy drive through. There are a lot of drugs you don't need a prescription for. Some groceries stores have as well a book store or Starbucks included. 

In Austria pharmacies are only found in separate buildings. Most medications are not available over the counter. 

In Austria, items purchased are not placed into bags by the people who work there - you have to bag them yourself.   In Texas, items that are bought are placed into plastic bags by the clerks working there.

Texan grocery stores usually don't sell hard liquor, only wine and beer. People need to go to liquor stores to get vodka, rum, tequila and all the other stuff. In Austria you can buy all kinds of liquor at grocery stores. I'm sure it's because the drinking law is different. While you are not allowed to drink alcohol at public places in Texas, you are allowed to drink wherever you want in Austria. The legal age of drinking wine & beer is 16 in Austria; it's age 21 in Texas.

In Austria you'll find shops called 'Trafik'. These shops are tiny and sell cigarettes, lighters, magazines and lotteries. I haven't seen a shop like that in Texas.  That is probably because Texas has a lot more gas stations and convenience stores (7-11 is one popular convenience store), and cigarettes are usually found in grocery stores as well. 

at Super Target u can buy almost everything

Cars and Transportation

Austrian's major cities have efficient public transport, and young people especially don't need a car. Outside the cities some people bike or walk as an alternative to using their car. Towns are less spread out which makes avoiding a car possible. Traveling long distances happens at least 50% of the time via a train. 

Texans love their cars and big trucks! Their cities are made for cars and trucks. Public transport takes at least 3x the amount of time as using a car or might not even be available for your route. Walking or biking is often not possible due to lack of sidewalks. Therefore Texan cities have a ton of traffic jams. During "rush hour" it may take up to 4 times as long to get to places as it would take during the rest of the day. "I got stuck in 5 o'clock traffic" is a very common phrase. 

Texans like big cars. Trucks, mini vans and SUVs are very common, even for people who don't have children. The most common brands are: Nissan, Lexus, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes.

In Austria you rarely see a truck or SUV. Only families buy mini vans. Common brands: BMW, VW, Mercedes, Audi, Opel and Toyota.

Texans' streets are a lot wider and longer than Austrian streets. Some streets here in Dallas go through several cities. Most streets in Texas have 3-5 lanes. In Austria only the highways have multiple lanes. Vienna only has 3 major highways, while Dallas has around 30.  

Dallas Highways Interstate 635 and U.S. Route 75

Buildings

Dallas has many new buildings, skyscrapers and big corporate buildings. In some other parts of Texas you can find some historic buildings from when Texas was a part of Mexico. 

Buildings in Vienna and in most of the bigger cities in Austria are pretty old and some very old, like from the 1300s. There are a lot of Gothic churches, palaces from former empires and middle age castles. There is as well a lot of Baroque architecture. 

Dallas skyline, photo taken from the Reunion Tower

Apartments and Houses 

Most apartment complexes in Texas seem pretty new to me. They usually have a couple of separate buildings on the property with 2 or 3 floors available for the apartments. Only downtown you'll find towers that go above 3 stories for apartments. Some of them have gorgeous views. They all have a leasing office on property. If your interested in looking at a complex there is always an apartment model available to give an idea how your new home might look like. Austrian Apartments, especially the ones in Vienna, are, relatively speaking, old. Apartment complexes/flats normally have only one building but up to about 7 floors. I haven't seen a single complex that has a leasing office or apartment model. It's very common to buy an apartment, probably because buying a house is a lot more expensive in Austria than in Texas. Therefore, an apartment complex can have different owners. Lets say u get really lucky and one complex has two open apartments available, you most likely have to contact two different people. If you would like to look at an apartment you have to talk to the current residents and schedule a visit. 

Most houses in Austria are made entirely from bricks, including walls inside the house. The outside walls facade includes insulation layers. Inside walls normally just have a thin layer of plaster. Making holes for pictures or shelves requires a power drill. 

Texan houses are only partly made from bricks. Inside walls are often made from wood supports then plaster, which makes them more susceptible for termites, mice or other animals to live inside of them. Because is doesn't get as cold in the winters, Texan houses are not as insulated as Austrian homes.

In Texas all houses have air conditioning. Cold and warm air comes out of a vent in the wall or ceiling. Most rooms have additional fans on the ceiling. Texan houses usually don't have a basement. People store most of their stuff in the garage or in the attic. Almost every house in Texas has a fireplace. Many times each bedroom has their own bathroom and a walk in closets.

In Dallas and other cities and their Suburb houses are arranged in neighborhoods. Most neighborhoods have a name and sometimes neighborhoods organize meetings or events. During the Christmas season some neighborhoods decorate all their houses in a certain way or theme with lots of Christmas lights around the rooftops. People from all over the cities like to drive around to see the different decorations in the various neighborhoods. Houses in a certain neighborhood are mostly around the same size. Some neighborhoods have alleys so garages and trash cans don't make their street look ugly. Properties in neighborhoods are mostly connected. Backyards have high wood fences, and front yards are normally open.

Many Texans like to walk around inside their homes with their shoes on.

In Austria houses are more isolated. There is no such things as neighborhoods. Houses have radiators to heat. To cool the house in the summer, people put up small fans or close the blinds. Unfortunately, only public buildings have cooling systems. All houses in Austria have basements. Instead of walk in closets people uses big wardrobes. Austrian houses are structured different then Texan houses. Small entrance rooms are really common. There people usually have a coat and shoe rack. Austrians take their shoes off when they enter a home. Most people put on house shoes or slippers while being inside. It's common to offer visitors guest-slippers. Houses are generally less open in Austria. While open kitchens areas are really popular in Texas, it's rare in Austria. Fireplaces are pretty rare in Austrian homes. 

Doors on homes in the U.S. have a knob on the inside where you can lock the door without using a key. In Austria, doors usually require a key to lock the door on the inside as well as the outside. House and apartment doors in the US don't lock automatically when u close them. To lock the door when you leave, you need to use your key to lock it. In Austria if you close your apartment door, it locks automatically. When it comes to Austrian's house doors, it is optional which kind of locking mechanism you can use.

Neighborhood in Plano, TX

Nature and Animals

Austria has a lot of mountains, hills and lakes, but because of its climate, it is only green and fruitful from around April to June each year. Luckily there are nice pine trees all over the country. Up in the mountains you can spot marmots and ibexes. Valleys are inhabited by rabbits and deer. In the cities u rarely see any animal besides some birds, mostly sparrows and pigeons. 

Most of Texas is pretty flat. But because of the warm weather it's green almost all year. During the spring time you get to see the most beautiful flowers everywhere you go. The State Flower of Texas is bluebonnets.  It is illegal to pick bluebonnets.  Many parents will take pictures of their little children or pets sitting in a field of bluebonnets.

With the flowers come tons of beautiful butterflies and birds. I especially love the red robins and cardinals. Texas has tons of squirrels even in the cities. Raccoons and opossums are pretty common too, and sometimes you even get to see an Armadillo. The animal I was most surprised to see was a bobcat. I saw one in the middle of the city!  People have to keep their small pets inside at night so they won't be attacked by either bobcats or coyotes which wander into the city for food. 

Unfortunately Texas has lots of snakes in the country-side, even poisonous ones like rattlesnakes, water moccasins and coral snakes. Texas has many man made lakes where boating and jet skies are very popular.  Their "beaches" are not naturally sandy, usually, but muddy.  By the ocean, at the Gulf of Mexico, there are sandy beaches, however, many beach areas (around Galveston, Texas, especially), are quite dirty due to the ocean currents pushing the ocean trash inland. 

In Dallas and other Texan cities you can find a lot of pretty parks, outdoor learning centers and nature preserves. Most of those have pretty ponds with TONS of turtles, sometimes even snapping turtles.   

 Breckenridge Park in Richardson, TX

Healthcare & Taxes

In Austria everyone has 'free' health insurance through their job. General health insurance is paid by everyones taxes. Taxes are higher in Austria than in the USA.  Depending on your income you pay between 10 and 50 % of your income on taxes. The health insurance that is covered by these taxes covers basically everything. You can go see a doctor anytime for free. Because its 'free' a lot of people see doctors for minor things. Therefore, waiting for an appointment for a specialist like a dermatologist, radiologist or gynecologist can take a couple of months. If u need to be hospitalized you only have to pay a small co-pay per day, like 10€. But u need to share a hospital room with about 3 other patients. Some people in Austria pay for what's called 'private insurance'. That kind of insurance gives you extra benefits. You get to go to doctors who have less patients so you don't need to wait forever for an appointment. And once you're in the waiting room you don't need to wait for hours to see the doctor. Those doctors normally have nicer practices. And if u need to spend some time in a hospital, you get your own room.

In America, there is no 'free' health insurance.  Each worker must pay a "premium" fee through their job, who contributes a little money for the premium as well. It is called 'health benefits'. The employer will sign a contract with health insurance company in order to obtain discounts, like 40-50% off the regular price of medical costs. In addition to paying your monthly insurance premiums you need to pay a co pay every time you see a doctor or go to the clinic or hospital until you reach your deductible, with is normally between $1,500 to $6,000. If your job has no benefits you might end up paying quite a lot for health care, depending on your age and medical condition. 

Medical City Hospital, Plano TX

Working, Vacation, Maternity leave

It seems to me that Texans work a lot more than Austrians. In Austria it;s really rare to work more then 40 hours a week. In Texas I met a ton of people who work a lot more than 40 hours per week. 

In Austria people almost always get payed monthly. In Texas it depends on the type of job. Some pay weekly, some pay every other week and some pay monthly. One big difference between Austrian and Texan salaries is that Austrians, by law, get two months (June & December) of double income. It is called 'Summer Money' and 'Christmas Money'. This is the government helping the people to save up some money for vacations and Christmas expenses.

In Austria you get around 4 weeks of paid vacation. In Texas the average amount of paid vacation is only 1-2 weeks. But sometimes there are more opportunities to work from home, which gives people the opportunity to 'bring' their work home or while they travel. 

Because of Austria's high taxes, people get 2 years of paid maternity leave. In Texas it depends on the type of job, but normally mothers only get 8 weeks of paid leave. 

Texas flag

Education 

The school system here in Texas is more different than I thought it would be. School in Texas basically starts with 1 year of kindergarten when kids are 5 years old, followed by 5 years of elementary school. Those 6 grades are all in the same building. Each year the kids have another class teacher, which means that teachers only teach one grade at a time. For example a 1st grade teacher will teach different kids each year, whoever is in 1st grade. All 6 grades start and end school at the same time, usually 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.   In the middle of the school day, the kids have a 30 minute lunch break, and a 30 minute recess where they play either outside on a playground, or inside their classroom. Students in Kindergarten basically have the same timetable as the other grades. They have math time, language arts, reading and science lessons.

Before Kindergarten children can go to preschools. It's not as common to go to preschool as it is in Austria because there are not many public / "free" preschools in Texas. If you'd like to send your child to preschool u have to pay unless it is a special program which your child qualifies for. 

After elementary school, students go to Middle school for 3 years (6th, 7th and 8th grades). Students go to different rooms for different subjects. Everyone in middle school goes to school from 8:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.

After middle school kids go to High School for 2 years (9th and 10th grade), followed by Senior High School for the last 2 years (11th, called "junior year", and 12th grade, called "senior year"). Both High schools go from 9:00-4:15. 

Beginning in Middle School and through Senior High School students can join different clubs and sports after school. Lunch gets served in cafeterias throughout all the grades.

Because Texas basically doesn't have public transportation that is able to go to any area, schools have their own school buses. Kids who live beyond a walking distance to school, are eligible to get picked up and returned by the school bus.

In Texas you can't just walk into a school building. You first have to report yourself to the office. Because of all the shootings that have happened in US schools, they had to find a way to protect the kids. Depending on why you are going to the school, the receptionist will decide whether to let you in or to bring the person you need to talk to into the office. If you're allowed to go inside the school, you'll get a sticker saying your name and reason for your visit to be placed on your shirt or dress. 

In Austria we call 'pre school' kindergarten. Kindergarten is for 3-6 year old kids and prepares children for elementary school. All over Austria you find public kindergartens in separate buildings from elementary schools. During those 3 years of kindergarten we don't separate kids into age groups. Each class room has kids with different ages. One reason why Austria does it this way is because we want to give younger kids the opportunity to learn from the older ones and teach the older ones how to take care of younger kids. During these 3 years of kindergarten, the kindergarten teachers focus mostly on helping kids to grow social and emotional skills. Most kids go to kindergarten from 9am-12pm. During those hours the kids get to play, sing and dance together. Crafts and sports are usually part of the daily schedule too. Kindergarten teachers also play a lot of games that help develop language skills. But they do not teach them how to read, write or calculate. Austrians think that kids aren't ready for that kind of stuff at that age. 

After 3 years of kindergarten (only the last year is mandatory) kids go to elementary school for 4 years. School only lasts from 8 am-12 pm or 1 pm. (3rd and 4th grades usually have one day per week were they get to stay till 2 pm.) Every class gets their own timetable, so not everyone gets off school at the same time. Austria has no school buses, because kids get either picked up by their parents, walk home alone or take public transport. Because school days are shorter, there is no lunch break, only a 20 minute recess at 10 am. 

After elementary school, kids either go to middle school for 4 years or to a 'Gymnasium' for 8 years. Only kids with good grades get to go to the Gymnasium. If kids end up getting really good grades in middle school, they can transfer to a Gymnasium. If kids are only doing average in middle school, they usually go to a vocational school for 3 years after that. During those 3 years they learn about professions you don't need a degree for, like retail, carpentry, IT or mechanics. Kids who were able to go to a Gymnasium are able to go to University after. 

Austria has public, tax funded, universities that are free. But the byproduct of those free universities is that most courses are overcrowded and it can be difficult to get a spot. For some majors, students need to pass a test beforehand. Only private Universities require tuition (not as expensive as Texan universities though). Those school are usually less full and it's easier to get in. 

In Texas all universities are private. Community Colleges offer more affordable education, around $800 per semester (depending on how many classes your taking). Tuition at good universities can be very high, around $30,000 per semester. A lot of Texans get student loans which they have to back over the course of about 10 years. 

Forman Elementary School, Plano TX

Lifestyle

Life just feels different here in the US. People in Texas seem more relaxed and happy then Austrians. I've been trying to find out why. One reason could be that Texans do a lot more things that make them enjoy life more. 

1.) Sports 

In Austria only some people watch sports on TV. This might be because the only popular ball game is soccer and the Austrian soccer team isn't really good at it. But Austrians do really well when it comes to winter sports. But those tournaments are only on TV for a couple of weeks per year. Texas has 3 major ball sports: Football, Basketball and Baseball. Those games are on TV all year. From September to February it's football season which is almost simultaneously with the basketball season (which is from October to May). And from April to October it's Baseball season. The Dallas Cowboys (football) and the Texas Rangers (baseball) are especially successful. But people do not only watch professional games, college games are popular too. People love getting together to watch games, either at home or at a stadium. Texas soccer ("futbol") is another sport that is played by younger children up to adulthood, but it is not as popular as the other sports.

3.) Holidays and Seasonal Decorations

Compared to Texas, Austrians seem to decorate their homes, stores, schools and work places a whole less during holidays. Especially during Christmas every place you go in Texas is beautifully decorated. Some people even wear Christmas themed clothes. But as well during other holidays you'll see houses and other places decorated. Stores have multiple aisles full of seasonal decorations. Many people like decorating their front yard. For example during Easter time I saw a couple cardboard sheep and rabbits in front of peoples houses. During Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and 4th of July people hang up US flags. People in Texas seem especially happy during holidays. Maybe because Texans celebrate holidays a lot more then Austrians do.

4.) Openness to strangers 

If people in Austria talk to strangers, they communicate in a polite form using specific pronouns to show respect. Once you are closer to a person someone will ask the awkward question:"Can we stop using these pronouns?". Employers and employees or doctors and patients mostly remain using specific pronouns and never call each other by their first name. This whole thing creates distance and makes it hard to get over superficial talk.

The English language doesn't have that kind of stuff. People seem to open up to each other quicker because of it. In a lot of workplaces employees call their bosses by their first name. Both times I've been to the doctor here, all the staff called me by my first name.

5.) Christianity 

Texas is part of something that is metaphorically called the 'bible belt'. It seems like almost every major street has at least one church on it. But not just Catholic churches, mainly Baptist and Methodist churches I think. There are as well a lot of Presbyterian, Lutheran and Non-denominational churches. Texas also has over 200 'mega churches' (congregations that count over 2,000 people). Over all, it's safe to say that Texas has a lot of believers.

Austria used to be a very Catholic nation. All over the country you'll find beautiful Catholic cathedrals and churches. But it looks like not many people go to church anymore. Besides Catholic churches you'll find a couple Lutheran churches but Baptist or Non-denominational churches are rare. 

Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Plano, TX

I hope you found my observations interesting! If you have moved to or from another country, I would love to hear about the differences you noticed!  :)