For the children of Austria, school is standard as nearly every Austrian child attends
school, which most people view as being very important in the country. School generally
runs from early September to late June or early July. Like most jobs, school begins
at about 8:00 am, but only runs to about noon or early afternoon.
Evenings and weekends in Austria are generally only limited by time. Every individual
has a different idea on how to spend this free time. Many Austrians love the outdoors
and on weekends head to the mountains to ski or hike, head to a lake for a relaxing
couple days, attend an opera, museum, or sporting event, or just hit the varied
nightlife in their local town or city. Of course, family is also important to many
Austrians so many of these events are family affairs. However, due to school work
and after school activities evenings during the school year can be busy with activities
for families with kids.
Identity
The Austrians identify in multiple ways, but primarily as
"Austrians," which is a reference to the nation they belong to, not their
ethnicity. Some however do define themselves by their local ethnicity, greater ethnicity
(German), the region they are from, or even Europe as a whole.
Despite the many ways to identify, the people tend to unite as one and see each
other as one people, no matter how each individual identifies.