When I first applied to go to France and Spain one of the main things I heard about was that public transportation was very helpful in getting around the countries. This was told to me by many people across the spectrum in my life, whether it be my study abroad advisor, my professors on the trip, or my Grandma who had worked in Europe. This was cool to hear about, but the more that it was discussed the idea of figuring out the “right” way to use it became daunting in my mind. When I got to Europe however, the ability to use the trains became so much easier, because like me, many others in our group had heard about the trains and how vital they were to a good trip. This statement is proven in one of my three photos, as well as the image of me in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was taken after a group of about 15 of us had conceived a plan late at night to go to the location. We could not of course do this by Uber, as with so many of us it would have been quite a hassle. Going on the train made the journey to the Eiffel much more pleasant and easy. It was a stupendous ride and introduction to the train system as we were all seated around each other and laughing. This helped quell my nerves, and made a memory with new friends to boot. Another experience I had with the train system that will stick with me from this endeavor was in the town of Madrid. This was because on the day of leaving from Madrid back to Leon my friend Byrce and I decided to take the trains to get to our class, as Ubers were too expensive. This decision led to an almost Tintin-like adventure where my comrade and I would go from one train for three stops and then had to run to another for five, then head to one more. I thoroughly enjoyed this and while the memory of taking the train to the Tower sticks with me through its pleasantness, this one will remain in my soul because of how chaotic and adrenaline filled it truly was. What I take away from all of this as an ambassador from the US is a couple of things. First thing is that I think about how unfortunate it is that in the US we are incredibly car dependent. This leads to a lack of diverse experiences in light of my journey in Europe as I have stated how I made many memories involving trains. Something else I took away from this is that when going on a study abroad trip, don’t be afraid to jump into new things. This is especially true in my case as even though I was afraid of the unfamiliarity of the train system, I was already in a different country, so why not embrace the change? Overall I am glad I took on the trip as it taught me many things, especially surrounding public transportation.
