Blog Analysis

In Britta Pichler’s blog “Op-Expat” the reader finds themselves immersed in the Viennese and Austrian culture through the eyes of a born and bred California girl. I chose this blog because I have a bit of personal experience in the Austrian culture.
Britta comes off to be a very down to earth and somewhat sarcastic person by the style her writing takes on. In one entry, “Failure to Communicate- Culturally” Britta talks about references to movies and television shows that a typical American would recognize but that her husband, a native Austrian, just doesn’t grasp. She goes on to describe a few such situations and then comments on her relief when a friend comes to visit them and her references are understood. Also, her blogs, usually including pictures, shows her appreciation for the Viennese culture. She has one entry dedicated to the “7 wonders of Vienna” as she calls them. She also offers a section that provides a little background on her, so it gives the reader an idea where she is coming from.
The audience for this blog is slightly broader than other blogs out there in my opinion. It could be for anyone interested in travel, or more specifically in traveling to Vienna. It could appeal to those interested in the varying cultures around the world. It caught my interest as another American having been to Vienna and other areas in Austria. I like to see how Britta’s opinions and experiences line up and stray from my own experiences.
Britta presents all her information in a very laid back, sort of personal style. She is not talking down to the reader like they are ignorant, but rather speaking on the same level and giving away aspects of her own personality. She tells stories of her experiences and compares and contrasts her new home of Vienna with her old home in California. In one entry, “Weather Culture Shock” Britta describes her new experiences with the four seasons, which she is unaccustomed to having grown up in California and explains an encounter with a co-worker regarding the shift in the season. She uses a lot of vivid language as well, creating pictures with her stories and allowing the reader to visualize each situation.
The point of Britta’s blog is to convey information about the Austrian culture, specifically the Viennese culture. She does this in a comical, slightly sarcastic style. She informs the reader about eating habits, holiday customs, everyday customs of Austrians and some sites to be seen throughout Austria.
All in all, I find this blog to be informative as well as entertaining. I always think it is interesting to see another point of view on something that you have personally experienced. The opinions expressed in blogs really allow readers to see the personality of the writer.

here you can read Britta Pichler's blog yourself: http://op-expat.com/

Let's lose the formality

My name is Emily, and if you are reading this blog I think you should know a little bit about the person that's voicing all their opinions to world wide wed. I come from a relatively small town in southern Indiana and I am currently in my second semester of college at a university. I spent the majority of my summer living and traveling around in Austria, and in all honesty I would rather be there now. It's the most beautiful place I have been to yet, and I absolutely love the German language. I have been skating with the Rollergirls of Southern Indiana (aka. ROSI) for a few months now, and if you've never seen a real roller derby match, I encourage you to go to one. You can get some basic information about derby right here: http://rollergirlsofsin.com/.

Though this is my first post on this particular blog, it is not the first I have done before. When I was in Austria I posted blogs about my experiences on a regular basis so that my people at home could keep up with me. This is, however, the first blog I am forced to write. Well, I guess there's always a choice in what you do, but I'd prefer not repeating my English class because I was too lazy to do a couple of blogs. As for the content of the blogs to come, I really have no idea. Perhaps there will be guidelines or maybe it will just be what I feel like voicing my opinion of at the time. We'll just wait and see.

For my first opinion, yesterday, as I'm sure many of you know, was the presidential inauguration. I was very pleased to see Obama sworn in. I had the chance to travel to D.C. and see it live in person with my dad, but I unfortunately had other things I had to take care of at home and so my dad tok the trip alone. I'm out of time for today, but have a good one.