My sister and I went to Austria last February to visit some friends and explore whatever there was to be explored. I was amazed to see Filipinos everywhere I went and surprised that I didn’t notice that the first time I went there.

On our first day, we watched a Filipino film called Love me Again at Cineplexx Donauplex – quite a big cinema. It was filled with Filipinos, of course, since it was meant for Filipinos (there were no German or English subtitles). It was enough to make clear that there are many Filipinos in that country.

There are approximately 30,000 Filipino immigrants in Austria today, according to the official statistics of the Philippine Embassy in Austria. Also according to official statistics, 20,000 of those immigrants are nurses working in Austrian hospitals.

The fact that two-thirds of Filipino immigrants are nurses results in stereotypes. It happens that when some people in Austria (even Filipinos themselves) meet Filipinos, the first thing they ask is which hospital they work in. It is true that the majority work as nurses, but one should not be too close-minded to assume they’re all nurses.

When I was in Austria, the first thing I noticed was that almost all the workers in Burger King were Filipinos (including the manager), except for two or three others. The same goes for KFC en McDonald’s.

A woman was telling me that she worked for a Dutch businessman. When I asked what kind of work she did, she said, “Domestic helper, what else?” Thousands of Filipinos work as domestic helpers. She also said that it is especially difficult now because the money she earns is lost to the rising prices of the basic things that a family need. She said that it is really not enough because she doesn’t have a permanent job or pension and she is sending money to support her family in the Philippines.

I also met a lot of young Filipinos in Austria and I was amazed by how easily they integrated and learned the language without forgetting their Filipino identity. Most of these young people did not go to a special language school, but just learned the German language by not being afraid to use it. A lot of young Filipinos who were born in Austria still speak Tagalog, Bisaya and/or other Filipino language/s.

“It is about time that we show that there are more Filipinos in Austrian society, not just nurses. We should show how the Filipinos are contributing to the development of the Austrian society,” says an officer of Austrian Society for Integrity, Reforms, and Social Transformation (PINAS FIRST) and a member of Migrante Europe, speaking to the second and third generation Filipino youth.

PINAS FIRST is a democratic organization of migrant Filipinos and their families in Austria. Last July 2008, PINAS FIRST organized a creative integrated arts workshop for the youth that aimed at a cultural venue to develop awareness, appreciation and pride in Filipino history, culture and heritage and at the same appreciate Austrian cultures. They are planning to do this again this year, further developing young people’s skills and  hoping for more new participants.

(Photo: meeting up with Filipino youth who attended the workshop last July 2008)

This is just a glimpse of the Filipino people in Austria. There are much more to be explored. I will surely come back there and have a much deeper insight.