Culture shock

Growing up in Hungary you're going to expect certain things. For example, everyone is going to be sour all the time. If you're in the service industry people treat you badly, bus drivers are kings of their rides and they shout at you for whatever. Stairs everywhere. You need to keep an eye on your stuff at all times. So even though I'm on the same continent, I still managed to experience a couple of culture shocks.

Let's start with trains. I've travelled a lot on trains in Hungary, because I would make the journey between Szeged and Budapest at least once a month to see my mum. I was used to stairs starting at my knees, and keeping my luggage in my sights at all times. Imagine my surprise when there were no stairs on the train from Glasgow, and there was a luggage rack next to the door for my monster suitcase! I had to leave it there, which I found pretty scary. I was compelled to check it every other minute. Of course, I was the only one doing that. There was also a food trolley on the train. We used to have that, but it was so expensive, not a lot of people used it, so it stopped. We also had a restaurant on some trains, but rarely have that now. It's a bit strange not to expect to be robbed at all times.

On the bus came another weird thing. In Hungary when you're on a bus, you have to be really quick getting on and off. Getting on you get buzzed by the chauffeur for taking the steps too slowly. If you have a problem with your legs, knees, well, get a car. Getting off isn't easier either. You need to jump off very quickly, because the guy may shut the door in your face. If you're lucky. It's not uncommon to see an older person struggling to get off, and see the door slam onto them. Once I even saw a bus start off with an old lady hanging partially out. The passengers were screaming for it to stop. These things can be life threatening. 

While I was going on the bus to Keswick, I noticed that it's very different here. There was a beep that someone wanted to get off. Then the bus stopped, but no one was standing in the door, ready to jump off. Instead, an old man slowly got up from his seat, went forward, said his goodbyes to the driver and got off. I thought it was the best thing ever. Nice, relaxed, and we still made our destination on time. No one got hurt.

I found people to be generally pleasant and friendly. The guests smile when they arrive to the hotel, pleasant, lovely. Shopkeepers, bus drivers are helpful, and you don't feel like an idiot for asking something, or like you're intruding on their lives if you need more information on a product you'd like to buy. Previously, I have noticed that when I went abroad, even though I walked around a lot and was generally rather exhausted at the end of my trip, I felt more relaxed and happy. Since I haven't been abroad for a number of years, I had been feeling very agitated. I did know I needed the boost I felt after a trip. What I wasn't sure of was if it was the holiday, or getting away from Hungary a bit. Now I'm getting the feeling it was getting away from Hungary, and being in a place where it feels like people actually care about each other.

It's often the little things. When I pay two pounds with a ten pound note, or even a twenty, no one makes a face, or asks me if I have something smaller. They accept that I want to pay with that bill, and just go with it. No one tells me how to use the terminal when paying with a card. Just let me know when to type in the pin, and that's it. If I order a glass of beer and sit with it for an hour in the pub, the waiters don't look at me like I'm being a terrible person for not ordering more, or taking so long. They are also not hung up on the fact that I arrived alone. When I ask about the ingredients in a dish because of my food allergies, they look very understanding. I've grown used to apologising about having them, but I'm finding myself doing that less. After all, I didn't want to have them, it's harder for me living with them, so everyone else just has to deal. They don't have to do it for the rest of their lives.

Culture shock can happen anywhere. Sometimes even in one's own country. However, in this case, they were more pleasant, than unpleasant. So far, there are a lot of things to like about living in the Lake District.