(Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of post about moving to Salzburg from India. You can jump to the first post here.)
The thing about the immigration process is that no matter how far along on the journey you may be, every step feels like a bigger hurdle than the last. If you are a student, you may think getting admission in your university of choice would be your biggest concern.
You would think that getting a “welcome aboard” email from your college would mean the immigration process would somehow become a cakewalk. But alas that is never the case! Before you can even apply for the Austrian Residence Permit, you will have to find your accommodation.
If you are too late to find a student hostel (which are comparatively inexpensive options), you will have to pray to whichever entity that will listen to you to find an apartment within your modest student budget.
You can always temporarily book a hotel or AirBnB, but these are the expensive options. You will also need to remember that the Austrian government requires you to have a more permanent address if you are planning to come here for a longer stay. Since my spouse is studying for a two-year Masters programme, we needed a long-term stay. Even though we had booked an AirBnB for a month-long stay, we eventually found ourselves a hostel in the heart of Salzburg City.
Packing tips
After securing our Residence Permit, we panicked some more till the D-Visa approval arrived. Till I held the stamped passports in my hands, I could not begin packing seriously. The suitcases were out — two large and two small ones, and somehow we were to pack up enough for our life abroad.
Every step of the way I had flashbacks to how terribly underprepared I was when I first moved away from home. I was in my early twenties and shifted to New Delhi from Kolkata to officially begin my journalism journey with just a few clothes and a bunch of books in two small suitcases. It was a rude awakening when I had to sleep on the one bedsheet I had brought with me because the paying guest accommodation I was staying in did not even provide pillows!
But things are different now. You do not need to pack all your pillows and leave behind all your precious books. You can buy everything you would need to live here, but you should ideally pack a few basics in order to be prepared for the first few days.
If you like to or want to cook for yourself (to save some money), then consider getting:
• Spices! Bring turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, whole garam masala (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) and whatever else you like using regularly.
Be warned: Do not fly this route with poppy seeds (the not-so-humble Bengali posto)
as it is illegal!
• Bring tea (and a small tea strainer)! The good old roasted Darjeeling and Assam teas are available at Indian stores here but they will cost you a bomb.
• A small jar of ghee (to tackle that random bout of homesickness)
Here are a few other things you should bring with you:
• Bring your basic crockeries and cutlery (think plates, spoons, forks, cups). Ideally these should be microwave-safe.
• A small rice cooker or pressure cooker, which have induction bases, will save your desi soul.
• Thermal wear is a must! You should bring at least two sets you can layer underneath your outerwear
• Don’t forget your socks. All of them!
Here’s what you can ditch:
• Outerwear you use for Indian winters. You can bring a couple of them in vacuum sealed packs (to save space) but they will be good for the chilly autumn days only. You will have to buy sturdier jackets here — you can find them for cheap at flea markets like the ones that take place every year in places like Europark in Salzburg.
• Clothes: Even for clothes, stick to the basics. You can bring a few of your favourite clothing items for special occasions.
The journey from Kolkata to Salzburg
There are many ways to cover the (roughly) 7,000 kilometers between India and Austria, but we took a specific route keeping in mind a bunch of factors: my spouse’s first day of classes, the airline flying on the dates we preferred and the number of hours we would have to spend in the aircraft.
Here’s what we did:
• We flew Etihad Airways from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi.
• After a two-hour layover, we boarded our flights from Abu Dhabi to Vienna.
• From the Vienna airport station we took a train to Salzburg.
The last leg of the journey is what stumped us. Being unfamiliar with the train system in Austria, we were not prepared for the last-minute delays and changes in our route. Due to unprecedented rains, the Danube flooded and damaged some of the railway tracks, which led to all the chaos. Instead of a direct train, which is what we had booked through ÖBB, we had to break at Vienna city centre and then run from one platform to another with four suitcases and two backpacks.
In a way, this was the most apt welcome to the country that shares so much of its culture with its neighbour, Germany, also famous for its wonky train schedules.
Of course, you still have a lot more to do once you arrive in Austria, but more on that later in our series.
Debiparna Chakraborty
Debiparna Chakraborty is a journalist is from Kolkata, India. She has worked for publications such as Far Out Magazine, The Times of India, The Indian Express, reviewing films, TV shows and penning food, travel, lifestyle articles and personal essays for nearly a decade. She recently moved to Salzburg, Austria with her partner-in-life and continues to document life and write wherever she can find a cosy corner; a warm cup of tea (or even a good bowl of soup) being nearby never hurts.
