I am officially in love with riding public transportation. Most Hungarians, or people that use it everyday consider it to be dirty, crowded, very noisy and annoying to ride. However, despite all of these things I love it; it is better for the environment, more convenient, cheaper and overall a lot more entertaining and fun! Yes, it takes longer to get from place to place, but I feel more independent, free and able to provide for myself when I use it.
The transportation system here consists of trams, buses, trains, and subways, all of which can be traveled on using a pass or individually purchased tickets. For instance when I ride the subway, I have to present my transportation pass to the inspectors who check and collect tickets at the top of the escalator that decends into the subway stations. My pass has my picture with it, so they know that it is mine, and when they see that it is valid they will let me pass. I love to show them my pass, it makes me feel important.
Now, I have begun to wish that Ann Arbor would have all of these opportunities as well.
Love,
Emily
You must be getting a lot of experience being independent. For me that would be scary, but you look very comfortable and happy. Do you ever get to stand? My family always likes trying to stay standing on subways and the like for a balance challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, we stand usually on the subway even if there are seats. Also we will stand if we are only going one or two stops. But in this picture I think we were goin 8 or 9 stops, and since there were empty seats we decided to sit.
ReplyDeleteI also love to stand, but not when we are traveling for that long on the bus, tram or subway.
Isn't it hard to use public transportation in a country where they don't speak a language you speak?!? Or do you speak the language? If you don't by now, I'm sure you're probably starting to pick it up very quickly : )
ReplyDeleteYeah, how much Hungarian do you know? (is it even called Hungarian?)
ReplyDeleteAlso, what's the social etiquette like? Do they follow the same eating, cutting in line, sanitary rules they do in here?
Kathryn: I don't really have to get myself places bymyself. Judit is always with me and she knows where we are going by heart. Everything is pretty much straight forward in the system. You don't really have to speak Hungarian to get around you just have to know where places on in the city because that is how they mark where you are headed and what stops to get off at. But the Hungarian that one does need to know, if at all, is quite simple. Also sometimes they announce things over the loudspeakers in Hungarian and then in English so that helps a bit.
ReplyDeleteGrace and Kathryn: Hungarian is a language that I have been picking up bit by bit since I was 6. I am most definately not fluent and find myself (wishfully) thinking that I am even some what good at it. I know the basic words and phrases that help me communicate and I can understand quite a bit (not everything, but a good amount). honeslty I wish that I was a lot better, but slowly I am getting there. I am learning more about grammar and increasing my vocabulary, but there is no way that I can commmunicate all that I wish I could.
Grace: I don't know what you mean by eating, cutting in line and sanitary rules? Or social etiquette?
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! Oh, it is so wonderful to hear of all your Hungarian adventures! It sounds like you are having a fantastic time & taking it all in... As for public transportation in Ann Arbor, I'm sure you can try out AATA buses when you return! :) Keeping you in my prayers! Enjoy everything!
ReplyDeletesorry. What I meant was: in China people cut in line all the time, and slurp, and spit etc. I was wondering if they had different kinds of manners or not in Hungary. (not offensively asking)
ReplyDeleteHungary in my opinion is quite similar to America in terms of the big things that you are talking about like manners and cutting in line and sanitary rules; they are all almost the same. People also dress like we do here, no huge appearance differneces either.
ReplyDeleteBut Hungary is also quite different in many aspects as well, don't get me wrong, there is no way that they are almost the same.