Trouble on the Good Ole' Number 11

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I had my first real sizeable attack of frustration today; partly at myself, and partly at the world around me.
The day began rather well, as I receieved a text message from the Swedish Program director informing me that my first class of the day had been cancelled. After sleeping in for an extra hour and a half, I woke up and ate the prepared lunch that I had been saving for the several hours of dead time I had in between my two classes. I left my apartment at 3:00 for a 4:30 class at the University, which, as you know, is about 45 minutes earlier than I needed to leave. The fact that my roommmates were both out may have contributed to my boredom, but also I was late for my first class of the week yesterday (I was 4 minutes late, but it felt like 40), so I wanted to leave nothing to chance.
I arrived on the platform as a train to T-Centralen was about to arrive, and a voice came over the loudspeaker, rattling off for about 30 seconds in Swedish. I caught "Attention, ladies and gentlemen", and something about the branch of the Blue Line I'm on (branch number 11, hence the title), and that was it. Suddenly, the ticker that showed the incoming trains switched, and the next train to T-Centralen (and my switch to the Red Line, which the University is on) vanished. The next train's ETA switched from 1 minute to 7 minutes. This has happened a few time before, so I was only mildly miffed.
I wait the extra time, and the train arrives, with the destination clearly marked "Kungstragarden", the last stop on the Blue Line inbound. This means that this train will take me to T-Centralen, and I can continue from there. Anyway, about two stops down the line, the engineer comes on the PA system and says something in Swedish. I catch "Kungstragarden", and "Fridhemsplan" (the next stop). Then the Heads Up Display on the train switches the Last Stop sign from "Kungstragarden" to "Fridhemsplan", and I'm forced to get out and wait for another train.
5 Minutes go by, and another train shows up, and takes me the remaining 2 stops to T-Centralen. From there, I catch the Red Line outbound and I arrive at the University with 15 minutes to spare, instead of the planned 45. Not a big deal I suppose, but Lord knows what would have happened if I'd left with no time to spare. I experience similar delays coming back, with similar announcements that I couldn't understand.
Anyway, I got angry, really angry, at these delays. I was angry at the Tunnellbana for deciding to do construction on Line 11, or whatever the hell was going on. I mean, seriously, what the hell? What was so important on that one train that prevented it from going two more freakin' stops to T-Centralen?
Of course, for the first time since I've been here, I felt truly lost. I had no freakin' idea what the hell the announcements were about on the platform, but if I had to take a wild guess, they were an explanation and an apology on the delays. No one else seemed to mind about them, but I was lost in a sea of ignorance, wondering what the gibberish coming out of the speakers was. Let's just hope that these delays clear themselves up over the next few days.

Anyway, I wanted to get beyond that, because besides my frustration on the T, my day has been quick and easy. The class I went to was on International Relations, and though it seems like it might be long and kind of boring, the professor told us that his schedule doesn't fit the class right now, so we have no meetings until the beginning of March. I don't know if this kind of thing is common in Sweden, but having a month off for a class is unorthodox in the States, to say the least. Also, though I wasn't at the University when it arrived, Fedex is telling me that my iPod arrived, with my camera cable (so I'll be able to post pictures soon); it was signed for and everything, I just have to pick it up tomorrow. So Rock on!
All for now, updates and pictures coming
Matt

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Comments

[AnnLind]

You never can tell...
About rush hour or public transportation....hang in there!

[Dana Reinert]

Matt!!
Hang in there, I heard from Mom that you had this to document your travels. =) Sounds pretty exciting and frustrating so far... when I was in Germany this summer I got lost on the U-Bahn system a little bit like this. Granted there wasn't a class I had to catch but it still was a bit scary. Have a good time in Sweden!