For a country whose primary language is German, there is a surprising number of people in Vienna who can speak English. Overall, Vienna is beautiful, and despite the on-again/off-again language barrier, the people here are reasonably friendly. Globalization has really proven that the world is a smaller place than it used to be, and the multiculturalism in Vienna certainly gives Canada’s competitive advantage of diversity a run for its money. For example, I’ve fallen in love with the melange coffees that Vienna is known for which I have for breakfast every morning, yet if I ever want some comfort food there is a Burger King by the subway that I can quickly get food from, and there is a local Taco Restaurant that is run by Colombians (which gave David an opportunity to brush up on his Spanish - who would’ve thought?). 

Our group visited Vienna’s City Hall, and the temporary Parliament of Austria (as the permanent Parliament is under renovations). Observing the many differences that different cultures have, while still showing values and aspirations in other forms, encourages personal growth through exposure through the interconnectedness that other countries and groups of peoples share. We pose a question to our readers: considering that Vienna, Austria and Canada and similarly diverse, are there any takeaways that Canada can take from Vienna to encourage diversity and to make our competitive advantage even more competitive through globalization? 

Hope to hear from you,

David and Ashlee