Looking back on my life in the U.S.A, I did many things. For example, I gambled at the casino in L.A., watched musicals in New York, and ate pizza in Chicago. However, one of the unforgettable experiences was that I slept on the cold floor at the bus station in San Antonio like homeless people. It was Friday, March 13th, 2009, right before Spring Break.I go to McAllen at least twice a month to see my family, and I usually take the bus. On that day, as soon as I finished class, I went to the Korean market to buy some rice cakes and snacks for my family, and I left my dorm earlier than usual because I didn’t want to miss the last bus, which was supposed to leave at 10:40 p.m.
However, the bus for McAllen didn’t show up at the scheduled time, and there was an announcement that the bus would be late because of a traffic jam. As a result, I had to wait more than 2 hours at the bus station in Austin with many people. Finally, the bus came, and I fell asleep as soon as I got on the bus because I was too tired. By the way, all of a sudden, the bus driver told us to get off the bus in San Antonio because she noticed something wrong with the bus. What’s more embarrassing thing was that I had to wait for the bus not knowing when it would arrive.
It was past 2 a.m., and I was too sleepy to open my eyes. Most of all, I couldn’t stand the situation even though I knew there was no way except for waiting for the bus. I thought that if it had happened in Korea, people would have asked for refunds or apology. However, most of the people looked quite calm, and started sleeping on the floor at the bus station using their backpacks as pillows. At first, I was standing in anger, but I sat on the floor with fatigue. Then, I lied down on the floor like other people. Finally, I fell asleep, and slept more than 1 hour. The time when another bus took us to McAllen was around 11 a.m. I spent almost 13 hours to go to McAllen. It was a long trip.
Through that happening, I realized that Americans are more patient than me even though I don’t know whether it is the general reaction of all the Americans about this situation. That is, I was surprised at their calm behaviors. What do you think about this? Was it a cultural difference or individual personality?
Ohhh..Jiyeon, it is a really unforgettable experience such. I can imagine how awful you felt because we, foreigners usually try to avoid such situation, but it is our life and we really have to face them.
ReplyDeleteI am very proud of you! Because I think, I would just cry or complain to someone.
Moreover, I think being patient is a really cultural issue. From my point of view, Americans feel very safe and sure that everything would be handled ASAP. So they just don't panic...which I think would've, probably, happen in my culture, if we got stuck on a bus station.
However, I am very glad that finally got home safe!
I am embarassed to tell you that Most Taiwanese would also have been very angry. I think that most Taiwanese believe that squeaky wheel gets the oil, so they think that they would be ignored if they don't show their anger. IMO, most Americans respect and believe other people. They believe that other people would try their best to do their jobs, so they didn't bother arguing.
ReplyDeleteNo mater how. Shit happens. Therefore, we should always try to think in a different way. You really got an unforgettable experience, didn't you?