18 December 2007

i can do it!

nyc transit has always scared me. numbers AND letters! you've got to be kidding me! seriously, i'm terrified of getting lost on just about any public transportation, at least in the united states.


when i was staying with juliet at boston college for a week during my senior year, i was so paralyzed by fear that i refused- REFUSED- to go anywhere without her. to be fair, i didn't have a cell phone at the time. since she was still in class, this meant that i had a lot of time on my hands. so i watched every single episode of sex and the city. IN ORDER. because if i'm crazy enough to refuse to go anywhere, i'm obviously crazy enough to be orderly in my laze.


the odd thing is (yeah, the ONLY odd thing) when i was in melbourne, australia, i was all about getting around on trams and taxis. booking flights for the next day. renting cars with people i had just met. to drive along a road on the edge of an ocean. my first day of australia, i jumped onto the tram, despite having no idea what my stop looked like or how to get back. maybe it was the 16 hour time difference or the fact that i was in a foreign country, but i was completely comfortable just winging it. oh and i went to boston AFTER australia. so it obviously didn't stick.


i eventually warmed up to boston public transportation during the three years i lived there. but, new york remains a daunting task. i get really really uneasy at the prospect of not knowing where i'm going. so today was a test for me.


i'm visiting karel but she has to work all day today, so i decided to arrange a meeting with a friend from high school i haven't seen since graduation. SO I HAD TO TAKE A TRAIN BY MYSELF. TO THE FIRST LUNCH. THEN TO LUNCH WITH KAREL. THEN BACK.


and i did it! i know, most people probably wouldn't be as excited as i am, but honestly, the fact that i was able to transfer trains, use the right exits, and navigate different areas of new york is a huge deal for me.

so huge that i'm posting about it!

so, in summary.

nyc subway intimidates me. i conquered it today. go me.

2 comments:

karel said...

i'm so proud of baby!

Karen said...

I totally understand. In Europe, I was going all over the place by myself using public trans. Maybe because if I got lost, then I would have the language barrier to fall back on.

Anyway, then I got to the US and was "whoa, I have to do what?" Congrats gal! Isn't it nice to know you can do that even when you speak the language??