Life in the Time of Corona: Wolfgang Aschauer

7 April 2020
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2019–20 Austrian Fulbright scholar Wolfgang Aschauer details the experience he and his family had in the US and while returning to Austria.

 

Wolfgang's story reflects his family's personal experience.

After an exciting February in which we successfully settled in, the first signs that the corona crisis might affect our future plans became clearly visible. I remember one course on American immigration, which I was auditing in Harvard, where the instructor clearly educated the students on all potential impacts of the pandemic during the next months. Soon it became clear that Harvard University would be among the first to introduce online teaching and strict social-distancing measures.

Gladly enough, a last conference (the Weatherhead Alumni Meeting on Timely Questions) with Michelé Lamont joining us for the first time was able to take place at the beginning of March. She is the director of the Weatherhead Center at Harvard and a leading scholar in cultural sociology, and she was also the central person who invited me to apply for my research stay about two years ago. For me, 6 March was certainly the scientific highlight of my stay. We spent the whole day with substantial discussions in our small group. The icing on the cake at the end of the day was to attend an evening event with Thomas Piketty, who presented his new book on capital and ideology in front of a selected circle of elite scholars.

In the following week, it became clear that the further goals of my stay would be difficult to realize. All face-to-face meetings for spring were canceled, and our Weatherhead scholars forum on 11 March was one of the last (personal) meetings that took place. There was already a kind of aura of nostalgia in the air during this meeting because it became clear to everybody that the corona crisis would probably affect the US far more than other countries. I was at least lucky to have my secondary data available for use and to have my paper presentation set on 25 March, so I could continue to concentrate on my research.

But during spring break my guest lecture was canceled, and the situation in Europe became quite dramatic. Austria was among the first countries to establish harsh measures, and the government clearly advised all Austrians abroad to come back to Austria. I also realized—talking to colleagues—that many German fellows had already returned to Europe and that the number of regular flights to Europe might decrease dramatically in the near future. Finally, the Trump administration decided to introduce a travel ban from Europe, which became the center of the pandemic in March.

I started weighing our options. It was clear to me that the situation in the United States would get worse and that the health, economic, and social consequences could be very incalculable and probably very dramatic during the coming month. And maybe there would be no possibility to return to Europe in the near future. The main advantage of my research plans is that I can do most of my research at home as well. It is still possible for me to use the Harvard Online Library, and I can participate in all online meetings at Harvard University as well. Due to the established health system and the Austrian government’s proactive crisis management, it is highly probable that the effects in my own country will not be as severe as in the United States. The situation in Austria is also easier for my family than in the US. Schools are closed in both countries, but it is better to get my daughter involved early in her regular school class in Austria as well. And finally, our families at home started to get worried due to the dramatic government appeals to return. So I came to the final decision to leave the US. I communicated my decision to the Weatherhead Center, to Fulbright Austria, and to the Institute of International Education (IIE), which is responsible for Fulbright scholars in the US, and everybody clearly supported my decision.

The spring break week in March was then quite turbulent. Our airline rebooked us several times, and it was impossible to reach them by phone or by any offered hotlines. It was also clear that all those rebooked flights wouldn’t take place in the near future. So finally we got quite upset, and I decided to book a new flight with Air Lingus (one of the last airlines flying regularly to Germany and Austria) via Dublin to Munich on Wednesday, 18 March.  

We had four hours to pack everything, to say goodbye to our wonderful new home in Cambridge, and to inform our landlords, who were always full of hospitality. We needed two taxis to bring everything to the airport in time, and then we were again confronted with unforeseen troubles. The staff at Air Lingus told us that it may be difficult to enter Germany, and they even discussed whether they could let us travel to Dublin. We were quite upset because we had no information that we were no longer allowed to enter Bavaria and to travel back to Salzburg! There were a lot of rumors flying around, and we also met an Italian colleague with his Austrian wife who was told that he could definitely not fly to Vienna even though he had not been to Italy during the last months. So finally we were all happy to get on the plane to Europe. I was able to reach the Austrian foreign ministry’s hotline and to clarify the open questions, and we were reassured that we could enter Germany without any problems.

We had four hours to pack everything, to say goodbye to our wonderful new home in Cambridge, and to inform our landlords.

Finally, we were grateful that all our (nearly empty!) flights were scheduled as planned, and we got to Munich smoothly. We used a transfer agency to get to Salzburg by van, and the nice driver told us that they had worked there regularly the week before. In the end, coming home was easier than expected; surprisingly there were no border controls, and we reached our home at noon on Thursday, 19 March.

The whole travel experience was an interesting challenge for us all, normally being highly privileged with our European passports. The impression of the whole Western world being in the center of a major crisis, borders closing, only small opportunities to get back to your home with the expectation of being rather imprisoned, was quite a tough experience. Normally I deal with such “refugee stories” from my own island of safety at home, and I hope that our often indifferent “imperial mode of living” will learn something from this experience.

We were all safe and healthy at home without any symptoms. We decided voluntarily to stay in self-quarantine for two weeks, which is now over. It was a good period to come down, to reflect on all the turbulent experiences we had had. In the first days I was relieved to be here, but meanwhile disappointment is increasing. I try to find a good balance to get involved in Austrian initiatives regarding survey research on the corona crisis but to also stay up to date with my US research project as well. And luckily there are initiatives to stay connected on both sides of the Atlantic. I enjoy seeing the faces of my Harvard colleagues during online meetings, to stay in touch with Fulbright colleagues who are really struggling in the United States (with online teaching, family issues, shutdowns, etc.), and to renew my activities at my department at the University of Salzburg. Due to new technologies, there are always alternative ways to meet, and I am impressed by all the innovative initiatives that make our lives far better now. And we should always be aware that our lives as mid-career researchers who can do most of their duties from our “home offices” is far easier than life is for those people who are more endangered by this illness and who fear or already witness unemployment and who are not receiving support from social benefits in established welfare systems.

Although my stay in the United States was just six weeks, I want to profit from the special spirit of “flourishing” I experienced in the US. I have seen so many American researchers who always find time to advise, to comment extensively, who try to think positive, who practice a culture of recognition, and who stay focused on their profession and make the best out of the dramatic situation. I hope that different social groups in all our societies can keep a kind of optimism and can rely on the positive resources they have despite the harsh living conditions we are facing and potential long-lasting effects of this crisis.

 

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