I take the train everyday and boy! It is an adventure all
by itself. I have been taking rides years ago, but I still can’t quite get the
hang of it. Out of boredom while I was waiting for my stop, I had an idea.I divided
the people that take the train into three categories, the newbies , the
veterans and the thinkers.
The "newbies" are those who are just starting to take the
train and lost their loyalty over the good old bus. They are the ones who just
got fed up with the slow traffic in our country. These people are the ones you
hear complaining about how crowded it is inside the coaches, that their feet
are stepped on by somebody who didn’t care watching where he walked and those
who groan each time someobody pushes him from behind.
The "veterans:, on the other hand, are those who have been
taking rides for years. They know the techniques on how to get past the swarm
of people in the coach entrance. They may be way past behind you but in a blink
of an eye, for all you know, they beat you to the door. These people are the
ones pushing, stepping on your toes without even saying sorry , and they know how
to get to the good spots.
The "thinkers", or the wise (I think I fall in this category)
are the people whom you call “siguristas” or in English “sure-getters” (I don’t know if there is such
a word J).They
wake up early so they can make a round-trip. With that, I mean taking the ride
all the way to the last station and never getting off the train to get back.
Get what I mean? For example : my station is in Cubao, I take the train all the
way to North Ave. then literally take the same train back to Ayala without
having to get off the train. That way, I would be able to get the best seats if
there are still some left, or, at least have a good spot where I can lean and
have something to hold on to.
I do this everyday except when I am tired of the morning
rush. That’s when I take the bus. I know that roundtrips are not allowed in the
North Ave
station, but many people are doing it. Only the pregnant , the disabled and
senior citizens are allowed to do that. This morning, the guard came to me and
asked if I was pregnant, I told him yes. Since I was skinny and wearing
tight-fitting jeans, he said I wasn’t. I casually told him, okay, show me
proofs that I’m not. With that, he left me and went to check on other stubborn
passengers like me.
Law-breaker? Maybe,but I’m just trying to survive in this city
jungle. Everyday is a game of survival where the weaker ones lose and the
stronger ones win. I am not proud of
this but, hey , i gotta do it to survive!
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