this is a big deal.

first off,

let me just say that since i don't have a car here (duh), public transportation is the only way to go (figuratively and literally). oh, and yeah, you can also walk places (am i right, megan? am i right?).

with that said,

when i lived in salzburg, i got a student discount on a Monatskarte (month-long bus pass) and paid only 24 euro! when i lived in vienna, it was a bit pricier - i paid 50 euro (but this was understandable since i could use it to ride not only buses but the u-bahn and strassenbahns). okay, remember those prices. you'll need to recall this information in a paragraph or two.

now,

rewind to sept 2010, when i was being orientated into training for my year of teaching in bayern (bavaria). they told us, "of all the 16 german states, those of you placed in bayern will have the hardest time with your finances, as it is the most expensive".

okay,

fast forward a little bit to my arrival in bayern. lo and behold, they weren't lying when they said it was expensive. a bus pass here? well...let's just say it costs more per month than my salzburg and vienna passes combined. i spent september - march (that's 6 months, people) wishing that i had enough money to add a bus pass to my monthly budget. but i wasn't willing to sacrifice my "weekend travel" money. so instead of buying one, i woke up extra early to ride to school with colleagues and stayed much later than necessary in order to get free rides home (which, by the way, reminds me  of how incredibly nice my colleagues have been). i rode the bus rarely (my daily commute to school costs 10 euro, roundtrip; see what i mean about expensive?). and i envied every person who stepped on and flashed their green badge (bus pass, but badge sounds cooler) at the bus driver.

however,

when i moved into my new place (and started paying half of what my old place cost), everything changed.

i have a bus pass i have a bus pass i have a bus pass i have a bus pass.

fsfskjekrjtherkhkjrht. !!!!

after standing in line, filling out forms, submitting a passport-sized photo and using my university of salzburg ID to be elgible for the student price (because no, that actually hasn't expired yet), i purchased what is now my most prized, precious possession.  {i should add that in salzburg & vienna, getting a bus pass required walking into a tabak shop, paying the cashier money and then walking out….a little easier.}

and you better believe when i step on the bus now and flash this "badge" at the driver, i'm loving it.

i wasn’t kidding when i said it’s the littlest things in life that make me so, so, so happy.

top left photo: trying to emulate the creepy passport photo/just not doing the creepiness justice