Is it really so unusual nowadays for people to help others?
Let me tell you another one of my train "adventures" and please keep in mind that I don't intend to brag about being such a helpful little soul, but rather want to encourage others to take a moment and wonder what it's like to need help and not get it although it often would be so easy.
I walked to the train station and at the escalator there stood a lady with a cane and a big trolley and told me to go first. I asked her if she needed help and took her trolley so she could step on and off the escalator easier.
She met me again at the ticket machine and asked me if I could help her with buying a ticket. I know many people, older ones in particular, have a problem with these machines, so I let out her ticket. She happened to go to the same place as me, so I already expected to see her at the platform again.
And yes, there she was when I came there after buying my beloved ginger snacks and the yummy rice nachos with cheese that are so addictive ... oops, digressing, sorry - again, there she was. On the wrong side of the track. She had told me she had just been out of the eye clinic and couldn't see well yet, so she must have taken the wrong turn, to the side where you can't get on the train. I walked after her and took her to the right side (not the dark side ;-)).
Waiting for the train there she told me she had been released from hospital earlier than expected and couldn't even tell her daughter about it because she couldn't read the display on her cell phone. So I called a very surprised daughter telling her that her mother would be home today. I recruited a young man standing nearby to put the trolley on the train because I am not allowed to carry heavy stuff myself at the moment. And on arrival I recruited another passenger to lift the trolley out again, took her to the elevator that she hadn't known about yet, but which was much easier than the stairs of course, and said goodbye in front of the train station. I hope she caught her bus in time.
All that didn't cost me much energy, time or nerves, but she was so grateful that I really wondered if being helpful is a dying trait in today's society.
I sure hope not.
... that my life consists of train rides and incidents and even if I had not planned to come up with another story so soon again, I just can't help it.
You remember the sign on my forehead, right? "Talk to me. Ask me. I'm the expert. And nice. I'll help you and I'll understand."
But this time I didn't understand. I wanted to, but I don't speak Italian. Well, I can say scusi and trente and pizza, pasta, Napoli and Roma, grazie and molto bene, but that didn't help in this case.
And it all happened because my train was delayed and it was cold outside.
As I was too early anyway and much too early now with the delay, I went back into the station where about one million other people were waiting as well (Did you know I'm (in)famous for exaggerating with numbers? If not, now you know.). And of all these people he picked me. For my charming self, for my great looks, for standing right beside him, who will ever know? ;-)
"He" was a young man with some papers in his hand and "he" was asking me in half English, half German (? not sure about that part) if I spoke Italian. At least that was what I understood. So I told him in English that I didn't. He didn't understand. He kept asking me in this strange mix, I kept telling him I didn't. That didn't hold him back from showing me the papers. One was a reservation for a train seat and (I think) he wanted to know what it meant that it said "64 Mitte". I told him that was the number for a middle seat in a compartment. He seemed to think it was the platform number where the train left. Finally he showed me his ticket.
Oh no!! He was in the wrong town!! He wanted to travel to Italy, had had to change the train on the way and had gotten off in the wrong town! I went to check the timetable on the wall and got the next shock. There was no way he could go from here! Now how to explain that he had to go back first and take a train from there? We did a lot of stammering, holding up fingers for numbers, looking at each other helplessly. I told him by gesturing that I'd go to the service point to ask and he gestured back he'd already been there.
The clerk gave me a slightly strange look when I said an Italian not understanding German needed help. I turned around and the Italian not understanding German hadn't followed me to the service point. Oh well, he wouldn't have been of any help anyway.
She told me he needed to go back and take a train from there. I said I knew that, but if she would be so kind to print out exact directions which she did then. Of course it now was much too late for taking the train he had reserved for.
When I came back, he came up to me looking hopeful. I gave him the printout, showed him what platform and then I failed. I should have taken him to the machine myself to get him a ticket for the way and I can only hope he made it without getting into trouble with a conductor.
Granted, I was in a little hurry myself by now, but for me the next train would have been fine, for him it made a big difference. I just didn't think of it at the moment. Is it an excuse I was not really awake yet? An explanation maybe, but no excuse *sigh*
In the end he shook my hand almost solemnly, smiled at me and said "Thanks".
Another train story without an ending, sorry. I really hope he made it, no, makes it, it's a long ride and he won't be there yet.
Maybe I should take a course for important train-connected words in different languages .....
I should have taken one "S-Bahn" (local train) earlier, I knew it. Only because I wanted to finish something, I didn't,and so I chased my delayed train out of the station instead of catching it in the nick of time.
On the other hand I would have missed something, but I didn't know that when I trotted to the next track and got on the later train. At least this one wasn't delayed.
At the first stop my sister came on the train, on the other side of the wagon. She didn't see me, but the train was too crowded anyway to find seats next to each other.
At the next station we stopped, people got off, people got on, but ... hey, we didn't move on. We stood, well, not us (except for a few luckless passengers who hadn't found a seat), but the train did. I suspected the earlier train was still in our track, but then the announcement came:
"Dear passengers, due to an emergency ... an emergency with a doctor ... a doctor who will be here soon, we can't continue our ride at the moment." Ah yes. That was an unusual announcement and don't forget I have been commuting for 23 years. Unusual was not only the fact that there had obviously something happenend ON the train, but also the way the conductor sounded.
Around me people started calling their family, others discussed the announcement. A merry group of three thought the conductor might have had a little too much mulled wine, the girl next to me thought he had sounded upset, my sister later voted for out of breath.
We waited. After a while from the corner of my eye I noticed some red and white jackets entering the train (not alone, I suppose, although THAT would have been really exciting). That was all we saw. At least after a short while the train began to move again.
Suddenly there was another announcement:
"Passengers going to Geislingen and Ulm should get off in Goeppingen. There will be a fast one - behind me."
People started giggling again. A fast "one"? I felt as if this man did that on purpose to keep us in a good mood inspite of the delay of now "circa 21 minutes" of which he hoped "we might be able to reduce it a little". What an entertainer!
Then he continued: "You know we had an emergeny in the train, an emergency ...". Here you could hear he was about to tell us what happened and ears were popping up like bunny ears. "An emergency, well, you know how that is." What?? The ears went down again. He didn't want to tell us? Of course we knew he was right, it was none of our business at all, but we happily had given away "circa 21 minutes" of our lives, didn't we deserve to know what for? Obviously not.
Shortly before Goeppingen I got up to pick up my sister at her seat. We stood together at the door when the conductor went for the final kill:
"I want to remind passengers going to Geislingen and Ulm - and only there! - to get off at Goeppingen to take the train - now what's it called again?" After a little pause he told us the train number and "it's faster". I was surprised he didn't get any standing ovations for that. Many of us were standing already, giving a little applause wouldn't have been difficult to do ;-)
Still talking about this train ride we went to my sister's bicycle when suddenly a person with her hand raised to a high five appeared behind us - sister # 3.
"Who else is for founding a fan club?" she asked and we high fived each other.
Then she told us she had been sitting in the same wagon, just on the upper deck.
Welcome the three members of the "Unknown Train Conductor Fan Club 2009"!! ;-)
