Ugly American

I missed my bus to Gothenburg today. I was fifteen minutes early and was waiting in the right spot, or so I thought. The TV screen showed the bus would leave from place M, and guess what was sitting outside the window? A sign with a big M on it.

I stood there and waited. This is Sweden and things are typically on time, so when five minutes passed, I wondered. But, I've taken Swebus before, so I know they can be a little late. Fifteen minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. "Ok, that's too much. I've waited long enough," I thought.

I re-charged my SIM phone card and called Swebus. I said, "What's up with this?" The representative looked and couldn't find any delays. Their computers showed the bus had been on time and had left on time, too. He said I was in the wrong place. I, feeling confident I was in the right, argued that the ticket said Centralstationen and the TV screens within the Central station showed the bus leaving from place M.

He told me I must be in the wrong place and I said I wasn't. We went around and around because I thought I was right. He said I should look at the ticket to see it said the bus leaves from a place called Svävarterminalen/Centralstationen. I got angry, realizing I would have to buy another ticket and blurted out, I won't be using Swebus again. He said, "You need to blame yourself. You were in the wrong place". I was still angry, so I just said, "Yeah, thanks. Bye".

That reply from the Swebus employee would raise hackles in the United States, even if a customer was in the wrong and was angry. In Sweden, people don't mince words. They go straight to the point. Things are they way the are and Swedes will tell you without reservation.

I walked up to someone in the Central Station and asked where Svävarterminalen could be found. They didn't point to the spot outside the window where I had been standing before. Instead, they said that terminal was about half a mile from the Central Station.  Man. I hate when I'm wrong.

And, yes, the truth hurts. You think you know a country and how things work. You think you have everything down. "I can't be wrong! I've traveled all over this country! I know what I'm doing!" Until I don't.

I have to swallow my pride and apologize to the Swebus employee I spoke with for my ugly American behavior. The customer representative was right. It is my fault and I must blame myself for not double checking. (Although, it would be nice if Swebus took the words Centralterminalen off the ticket entirely and replaced it with Svävarterminalen only.)

Now, I'm on the train to Gothenburg instead. Tired, but happy to be going in the right direction.