Today didn't go quite as planned. I have to commute a good hour-and-a-half every day to get to a three-week language camp in Cologne. That trip consists of a ride from Bottrop to Oberhausen, and then an hour-long ride from Oberhausen to Cologne.
The first train that I got on never went to Oberhausen.
Somehow I ended up way off past a neighboring town, had to jump off the train and take the one going to the central train station in that town, then from there take a train back to Oberhausen, from where I finally back on track to take the train to Cologne. Whereupon I missed the subway I have to take from the train station to the camp building, and then had to wait for the next one to roll around.
O je.
My 1.5 hr commute became a 3-hour mess this morning.
Was I on time to school?
Absolutely not:)
But! I did get to practice mein Deutsch, and must say it's so cool to know you can ask for help in another language, understand the reply you get, and figure your way around totally foreign place without needing to fall back on English. In addition, everyone I talked to was not only helpful, but so nice and understanding that I can't understand how the ice-cold German persona stereotype still persists. I didn't get one dirty look or impatient answer, which is more than I can say for Seattleites [with a common language, even].
Apart from my first time commuting via train being entirely disastrous, I did notice something about public transportation- it's not used anywhere near enough in the states... Granted that I used the train system earlier-- but why does nobody ever use buses? Maybe it's a Washington-suburbs thing, but buses, trains, subways, metros, whatever. They are chock-full of people here, whereas the few times I've ridden a bus in my town, there would be less than a handful of people present on a busy day.
And yet I'm nonetheless scarred.
If anything, it's fabulous language practice. Bring on the adventures!
The first train that I got on never went to Oberhausen.
Somehow I ended up way off past a neighboring town, had to jump off the train and take the one going to the central train station in that town, then from there take a train back to Oberhausen, from where I finally back on track to take the train to Cologne. Whereupon I missed the subway I have to take from the train station to the camp building, and then had to wait for the next one to roll around.
O je.
My 1.5 hr commute became a 3-hour mess this morning.
Was I on time to school?
Absolutely not:)
But! I did get to practice mein Deutsch, and must say it's so cool to know you can ask for help in another language, understand the reply you get, and figure your way around totally foreign place without needing to fall back on English. In addition, everyone I talked to was not only helpful, but so nice and understanding that I can't understand how the ice-cold German persona stereotype still persists. I didn't get one dirty look or impatient answer, which is more than I can say for Seattleites [with a common language, even].
Apart from my first time commuting via train being entirely disastrous, I did notice something about public transportation- it's not used anywhere near enough in the states... Granted that I used the train system earlier-- but why does nobody ever use buses? Maybe it's a Washington-suburbs thing, but buses, trains, subways, metros, whatever. They are chock-full of people here, whereas the few times I've ridden a bus in my town, there would be less than a handful of people present on a busy day.
And yet I'm nonetheless scarred.
If anything, it's fabulous language practice. Bring on the adventures!
Aaaaaah, ich wollte antworten, aber ich habe eure Kommentar unbeabsichtigt inhalt entfernt :( :( :(
DeleteTut mir leid, aber danke fur meine blog lesen und ein Kommentar zu schreiben!
Ich kann kaum warten bis dieses Samstag!:)
Tammy