Humanity at it's Best

Considering this site is where we share cultural reflection and conversation as well as the latest in our lives, I couldn't think of a better place to tell these stories.  In my daily life here in Vienna I have experienced human beings at their best and other times when their best could use some improvement.  As an Auslander, or foreigner, I don't always understand the situations at hand to their fullest.  Whether positively or negatively.  I'll try not to overstate the importance of these individual occurrences, since the impact was significant possibly only for me.

To begin with, doctor's offices have been enlightening places for me in their own right.  On the best of days, I am not a fan of health professionals and my reluctance to visit doctors did not magically disappear when we arrived here in Vienna.  Only now, in addition to my hesitant nature, I must navigate the cultural differences and expectations in said offices.  I've shared here about the greetings as one is leaving the offices, the odd hours that are kept and the way in which patients are managed.  All different than what we experienced stateside.  Needless to say, our interactions with our GP, her assistant, and most other healthcare professionals we have encountered, other than the OB/GYN incident, which shall go unrecorded, have been mostly positive. 

Due to a nagging ingrown toenail and infection I found myself at our doctor's office, standing in line to hand over our E-cards and be checked in with about a half dozen other people.  The waiting room was filled to the brim as well with only a few chairs remaining.  Ahead of me, was a mother and her young child, approximately two years old, or at least in my best estimation. 

Said toddler was wandering around the office, curiously exploring her surroundings.   Helping herself to educational fliers, pressing buttons on the radio, filling her cup endlessly with water, and munching on snacks as she saw fit.  Her mother followed her around, picking up after her, and guiding her to less intrusive activities.  Which included, staring out the window, jumping over the threshold and walking in circles around the large table in the waiting room.  She was well behaved and handling the angst of waiting indoors quite successfully.  Or at least I thought so. 

As this mother and daughter duo exited the waiting room for a change of scenery, a middle-aged woman took her seat and commented on the mess left behind and the mother's headscarf.  Whoa.  It was said in a hushed tone but loud enough for the mother to hear as well as her fellow waiting room companions.  From what I understood, she was making her disapproval known of crumbs that were left behind.  Now, what the mother's attire had to do with that I do not know.  Some people feel it necessary to include those distinctions. 

It was at this time that two other people spoke up.  One, an older gentleman who had been smiling kindly at the toddler every time she passed by and the other, a woman close to my age who had been waiting just as long as I had.  Both shook their heads in disagreement and commented that the child had been waiting for two hours and was only behaving as any "kinder" would.  Agreed.  And then, a young man whom was sitting next to me, shared his view.  He gently asked the woman what being a Muslim had to do with anything and what the issue at hand was.  When said complainer remarked that there were crumbs and a mess, he stood up without saying another word and cleaned up that mess.  On his own accord.  As he returned to his seat his mother beamed proudly and patted his knee in approval, saying, "Danke Son."  Yes, indeed.  Well done and thank you.

The entire situation begs an explanation.  One I certainly cannot offer, mostly due to my lack of depth within the German language.  Once again.  But what stood out most to me and what is due applause, was the young man's response and action.  I held back tears of gratitude as he returned to his seat, so completely overwhelmed and moved by what I had just experienced, and still flabbergasted at the racially charged commentary.