Ever since I studied abroad, I have been obsessed with public transportation; my life had been changed. Before studying abroad in Prague, I’d lived in the South (Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee) and primarily traveled there as well, mostly by car. It was all I knew. When I went to Europe, my world view expanded. I was in a place where you didn’t need a car to get around. More than that, I was in a place where you didn’t even need a plane to get around! I got to discover Europe through trams and trains and metros and buses, and after having experienced that, I didn’t want to worry about a car ever again.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. I returned from abroad to the United States of cars. It was pretty disheartening to be back and lose a little bit of freedom. At that point, I didn’t have a car, so I was limited to walking, using Lyft, or hitching rides with friends. Before having those options wasn’t a big deal. After, because I knew this wasn’t the way it had to be, it was even more bothersome. Unlike the countries across Europe, the United States is allegedly one country. It should be a lot easier for us to create a transit system that could connect cities and states, but instead the focus was put on infrastructure for cars. It just goes to show how greed robs the greater good.
Now, I’m back living in a place with public transportation infrastructure, and it’s been lovely. I feel better, I’m more active, and I get to see so many new places whiz by as I ride along. Most recently, I took my first train ride in China, and it was so easy. I can’t wait to take more! The bloganuary prompt asks which mode is my favorite, but it’s hard to narrow down which mode of transportation I like the most. It might be trams because those were my first real introduction to good public transportation. Now though, I take the metro almost everyday, so it feels like home, and trains are a special treat. Maybe my favorite public transportation is those on tracks. Still, I think there’s a time and place for every one, and I hope one day I can train and tram across America instead of being confined to a car.
