Carbondale

Carbondale: first impression of Carbondale

I came from Kyoto in Japan. My hometown is a pretty big and traditional city in Japan. I live in the city. Many cars, taxi, buses, subways, public trains, big sightseeing buses, business buildings, and big hotels are very close to my home. I can go to these places by bicycle very easily. I have a driver's license, but I seldom drive in my hometown. I’m still scared to drive, because traffic and directions are very complicated in the city and people are very busy. Also, it’s hard to find a parking lot and it is expensive to park a car. On the other hand, Carbondale is part of the countryside to me. I have heard “Carbondale has nothing to do,” “Carbondale is very boring,” and “This is not America.” The bus is only a shuttle bus in this area, and the way to get to another farther place is Amtrak or Greyhound bus. Many students have their own car, and students and many teachers come to school by car. People in Carbondale drive anywhere. They don’t take transportation. I thought it was troublesome to me when I came here first, because I don’t have a car. I have to take train or plane when I go somewhere from here in the U.S. However, there are many natural sights here and you can go to places such as mountains, rivers, and waterfalls easily. This point is very nice and I like it. Also, people are friendly. They don’t seem busy.