Celebrating 5 Years

I wanted to take a moment to briefly share that I passed the 5-year Vienna mark for my blog (and also for me, who moved here in June 2014). I started American in Vienna as a creative outlet to express my findings and realizations living in Vienna as a newbie.

At first, everything was completely new and overwhelming with my new life abroad. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I would do whatever I could to make this blog an excellent resource for people. My passion and drive soon led to opportunities I could have never dreamed of. I started to realize I could achieve anything if I set my mind to it.

Truthfully, however, becoming a blogger and ”influencer” has also brought adversity. Like anyone who succeeds quickly and publicly, the more successful you become, the more there will be people who will (subtly or not so subtly) try and thwart your progress. Their actions can be due to jealousy and finding you a personal threat to their success. It’s even worse when it happens from people in your network or local community. And if you don’t have the skills to manage all of that, your mental health will take a hit.

Experiencing the ugly truth of human nature, competition, and success over the years has supported me in taking a personal retreat from this blog and social media to heal, strengthen, and grow. Out of it came a stronger me (with tools to face future adversity) and, surprisingly, a stronger marriage with my husband, Aldin.

Now, a new direction has emerged within me with a much better sense of myself. Personally and professionally, I will be embarking on a new journey.

In the meantime, thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have found my writings helpful. Please contact me with any questions you have about the city or life in Vienna. I will still be available to answer all your questions 🙂