Learning Through Encounter: Visit to the Islamic Cemetery in Altach 🪦

A guided tour at a cemetery might sound unusual at first 🕊️ — but the Islamic cemetery in Altach is much more than a place of burial. 🤍

Created after years of dialogue and collaboration, it has become one of only 2 Islamic cemeteries in Austria 🌍 and even received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. 🏛️

Dr. Eva Grabherr guided us through this special place and shared insights into Islamic traditions, rituals, and the story behind the cemetery. The tour was incredibly well received by all participants ✨ and led to many meaningful conversations and new perspectives.

Thank you, Eva, for your openness, your time, and this enriching experience 🙏 ...

🌱 Growing more than just vegetables in Dornbirn 🌿

Last Saturday, our Expat V community joined locals at Essbare Stadt Dornbirn for a lovely Community Gardening Day in the Kulturhauspark. Around 15 expats came along, ready to get their hands dirty. 🧑‍🌾🌍

Together, we tended the garden, planted, chatted and enjoyed a shared Jause afterwards. Simple, hands-on, and full of good energy. 😊🥪

What made the morning so special was seeing expats and Vorarlbergers working side by side. Sometimes integration starts very naturally – with soil on your hands, a few seedlings in the ground, and a conversation that continues after the gardening is done. 🌱🤝

Together, we didn’t only plant seeds for future healthy food. We may also have planted the first seeds of future friendships.

A heartfelt thank you to Essbare Stadt Dornbirn for welcoming our international community so warmly and for creating such a meaningful project in the heart of Dornbirn. We’d be very happy to continue this tradition next year. 💚 ...

Navigating Austrian Tax Law as an Expat 🇦🇹📊

Great discussions and valuable insights at last week’s seminar on “Austrian Tax Law for Expats: How to Stay Compliant and Optimize Your Tax Burden.” 💡

A big thank you to @theresak.93 (@leitnerleitner_austria ) for delivering such a clear and engaging session in English, tailored specifically to the unique challenges expats face when living and working in Austria. 🌍

Cross-border situations often raise complex questions—whether it’s understanding how double taxation agreements apply, correctly reporting foreign capital income, or dealing with the tax implications of real estate held abroad. 🏠📉 These aspects are key to ensuring compliance while avoiding unnecessary tax burdens.

The session provided practical guidance on how to navigate these topics within the Austrian tax system and how to make the most of available optimization opportunities in the annual tax return. 🧾

We also thank @leitnerleitner_austria for the excellent collaboration in making this event possible. 🤝 ...

🧭 Navigating Education in Austria – Insights for Expats

Last week, we had the great opportunity to attend an insightful info session at @bifo.at in Dornbirn 🧑‍🎓✨

We learned more about the Austrian education system — presented in English, which made it very accessible and engaging for everyone involved. 🌍📖

The Austrian system offers several educational pathways, including academic (AHS), vocational (BHS), and dual education (apprenticeships) that combine school learning with hands-on experience in companies. This creates strong career opportunities, but can also feel quite complex at first glance. 🏫🔧💼

For expats and international families who did not grow up in this system, it can be challenging to navigate early decision points, understand qualification recognition, and compare it with more familiar education systems. Language and terminology can also add an extra layer of complexity. 🤔📚

A big thank you to the team at BIFO for the warm welcome and the highly informative session. 🙏💙

For our members, this session was especially valuable in gaining clarity and confidence when navigating the Austrian education landscape. 💡 ...