Adapting to life in Austria can be tough, but understanding some of the key traits of the beautiful nation will help you get closer to understanding its people.

Consider this your short guide to the hilarious/awesome/crazy things I've noticed from my first year living in Austria.

These are the little things you need to embrace to truly uncover your inner Austrian!

1.Be on time.

They really, really like being on time. The Germans and the Swiss have the more famous reputation but God help you if you're not on time to meet an Austrian.For an Austrian, to be 5 minutes early is to be on time. You have been warned!

2. Speak Austrian Deutsch.

The language spoken here is technically German, but an Austrian variety.

So a Potato is an Kartoffeln in Deutsch, but Erdäpfel in Austrian. German apricots are Aprikose, Austrian ones are Marillen, German tomatoes are Tomaten and the Austrian (specifically Viennese) tomatoes areParadeiser....you get the idea.

These tricksy little differences separate the Deutsch from the Österreicher! I've been struggling to learn any German at all, and I think these dialects are why!!

3. Get used to Smoking.

Austria is one of the few countries that has been sloooowww to take up any kind of smoking laws, because Austrians adore smoking.

For a country that's so modern in so many ways the smoking habits here make me feel like its still 1960.

Bars, restaurants and streetside you can buy super cheap packs of smokes (€4!). It's legal at 16 meaning half the population is addicted by 17. It's gross. Thankfully its no longer legal in restaurants and bars to smoke, but the locals still lurrrvvee their cigarette’s.