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(The experienced Reader will note that this picture was not taken in Petersburg)These yellow vans (sometimes more like minibuses) run all over, between, and among Piter and its suburbs. They have fixed routes, but not fixed stopping points - you just tell the driver when you want to get out. Riding on them used to terrify me.
The biggest problems with riding a marshrutka arise when you don't know where you're going. That is, you know you need to take the K-425 to get to where you want to go, but since you've never been there before, you don't know when to get out. In 2005-2006 this led me to almost never take marshrutki, because I was shy of my Russian and terrified to talk to the driver.
Nowadays I no longer fear talking to the driver, but I still haven't mastered marshrutka riding. For example, on Wednesday I was running late to meet a friend, so I decided to take a marshrutka, which I figured would be faster than walking. I thought I'd recognize when I needed to get out - but it turns out I didn't, and I ended up riding to the end of the route without even realizing we'd passed my stop. When I told the driver where I was supposed to get off, he was like, "Why didn't you say anything? We passed that place 40 minutes ago!" Oops. I caught another marshrutka headed back the way we came, and explained to him that I needed to get off at such-and-such an intersection, but I had no idea what that looked like, so could he tell me please when to get out? Needless to say, my "time-saving" manoever actually made me about an hour late to meet my friend.
However, I wasn't frightened. Annoyed at myself, yes, felt like a dolt, yes, but I wasn't terrified about having ridden to some unknown part of the city. This is HUGE progress. Doesn't mean I enjoy riding marshrutki, but it does open up much more flexible transportation options. I think this means I've accomplished the goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year of not fearing marshrutki. Yay me!
Happily, the next day I had to take a marshrutka to Sestroretsk, a small town about half an hour out of Piter. Once again, I knew I was supposed to get out at the train station, but I didn't know what that looked like (or if I'd see it in time to tell the driver to stop). Instead of panicking (or riding to the end of the route, duh), I just asked the guy sitting next to me if he'd tell me when to exit. Worked like a charm.
5 comments:
Alli vs marsrutki...and the winner is Alli. Yaaaay! Good job sweetie. It always feels great to conquer a fear. Proud of you!
I used to never take the marshrutkas in Moscow even though they would have been so helpful. Everyone in Moscow always seemed to be in a hurry. But in Ukraine I had to get from my little suburb to Kiev, so I had no choice. But the driver saw my fear and offered to tell me where it is that I should get off. I love Ukraine. =)
Thanks, Mama! Love you!
Steph - next year you too will have a chance to try your hand at Piter's marshrutki. :)
Good job Alli. Conquest of a fear is always a thing to celebrate.
I don't know if there are cultural differences amounting to hugely different responses when dealing with Russians compaired north americans, but I have found that the vast majority of people who choose service industries such as taxi drivers, waiters, etc. actually love to serve. Asking them for their help is actually giving them a huge compliment and a stroke to the ego.
There may be a few with chips on thier shoulders or having a bad day, but those are exceptions and, if the attitude lasts, then they won't, in that business.
Only an immature person in a service type of industry will expect everyone they deal with to know as much about their field as they do and be upset if someone does not know.
Anyway, good job expanding your horizons once again.
Lovya
Dadoo
Hey Dadoo,
Russia is still working on the concept of customer service. It's possible that someone among the thousands of service positions in this city enjoys their job and enjoys helping people, but the vast majority of them make you feel like they have to go WAY out of their way to help you, that it's a HUGE hardship for them. Nonetheless, that's not what used to freak me out about talking to bus drivers - it was really just the linguistic aspect. "He's not going to understand me, and I won't know how to get my message across." or "I'm not going to understand him, and he won't be patient with me while I try to figure it out." Of course, these were mostly unfounded fears, but that's what it was.
Several of us on the Flagship program have noticed that the best customer service in Russia is to be found in McDonald's. We decided they probably get special "smile training."
It's going to be nice to get back to the US, where, more often than not, people really DO enjoy serving.
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