School has finished for the day, and yet I am sitting here
on a hot school bus and will be for the next 10 minutes. This is not quite by
choice, I must add, but because this lovely thing will take me home. I happen
to have my laptop with me so what better way to narrate a story than as I am
experiencing it. I get a headache every time anyways, so why not accelerate the
process by staring at a bouncing screen. Here I give my best recollection of
the bus ride that I encounter each day.
Before starting my description, I must ask you a favor: take
every mental schema of a “school bus” and throw it out the window. You won’t need it. I know if you try and fit
my portrayal into your preconceived notions you won’t get the correct picture. Throughout
the city I’ve never seen the standard “wheels-on-the-bus-go-round-and-round”
yellow giant that we see everywhere in the states. So again, toss it.
Now that you’ve erased “school bus” from your mind, I can proceed.
Let’s start with what these buses look like. First of all, they are all charter-bus
style with 2-3 vinyl seats on one side of the aisle and 2-3 vinyl seats on the
other side. I say “charter-bus style” not because they are particularly
nice, but rather the seating plan is the same and there are giant windows that
take up each side of the bus (like you see on charter buses). They come in a
variety of colors (mine happens to be green and white) with a variety of
different logos on them. They lack air conditioning, but at least the windows
open so when we are moving there is air flow.
So, how in the world
do we identify our school busses? They all have 3 unifying features: (1)
Somewhere painted on each bus is the word “escolar” (school) and the name of
our school (2) there is a bus driver and an attendant (both in uniform) and (3)
There are little Colombians packed inside
I am a teacher, so you may be confused as to why I’m taking
the school bus. Well, I don’t have a car and also don’t care to jog the 20 km
through the mountains to and from school each day. Therefore, my option lies in
taking the bus or a taxi. The bus is a free service provided by our school
(which most teachers take anyways) so it is my best choice. In the morning we
have a “teacher-only” bus, but then in the afternoon we join the students.
If you take away the nausea, fumes, and headache, the morning
bus ride is quite tranquil. I walk a few blocks from my house (uphill mind you)
to my bus stop where several other teachers congregate to wait for the bus. The bus arrives between 6:35 and 6:45, there
is plenty of space for all teachers, and apart from the droning engine and
general traffic noise it is silent. No one really talks and we’re all okay with
it. I’d like to imagine the majority of the teachers are mentally preparing for
the day ahead? Ha! As for me, all the dips and tucks throughout town, looking at all the shops and the
constant fear of throwing up demand all of my attention. Anyways, we arrive to school
around 7:15 and rush off the bus to sign in and make it to our classrooms
before the first bell at 7:25. In the states I’d arrive to school 45 minutes
early, this 10 minutes (on a good day) is sometimes stressful…but I’m thankful
for the ride.
Now for the afternoon bus ride: The school bell rings at
3:00 and everyone rushes to the bus; students and teachers alike. Initially I
participated in this, but recently I’ve stopped hurrying due to the stuffy heat
that ensues upon taking a seat. Despite what time you get on the bus, it still
leaves at 3:15. That means the earlier you get on, the longer you sit on a
cramped bus, with no airflow and the sun beating down you on. Not exactly the
most pleasant experience. Eventually the bus leaves, the air starts flowing,
and before I know it we’ve dropped off a bunch of little ones, it’s 4:15 and I’m
finally at my apartment.
Now all this might not sound too bad, but I must tell you first
about the fumes. The windows are open and in comes exhaust, before I know it I’m
high. Not only am I high, but I also get a wicked head ache. Second I must talk
about the terrain. Pereira is situated in the mountains. Whoever made the roads
could not escape the mountains or flatten them, so almost all streets have some
sort of incline. Some are a gradual slope while others are approaching a 75
degree angle. You think I’m joking, I’m not. So I’m high, I’ve got a headache and the bus
is lurching up and down these massive inclines. Third, the bus drivers are fantastic,
but the roads are tight and bumpy, there are a million stop lights/signs, we
make a ton of stops to pick up/drop off people, and shifting is not always the
smoothest. We thrust forward and then plunge to a stop. This motion continues throughout
the entire ride. Why don’t we just add continual nausea on my list of ailments?
By the end of the ride I’m ready to be done.
So there you have it: my bus ride in a nut shell. Initially
it was horrible, but to be honest I’m getting used to it and I’m thankful to
have transportation provided for me. Some of the other teachers who have taught
at international schools around the world assure me that they’ve had it much
worse! I’ll take my cards, head home, and pop some ibuprofen to get me through
the night.
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