Bus Adventures

As a poor college student who lives far away from campus, I take a shuttle to and from classes almost every day. This is usually fine, but I think there's something about being on the bus that brings out my irritable side. Or maybe the people on it are just the worst (this seems most likely).

First of all are the people who sing along to the bus's music. Stop. In what world is it acceptable to harmonize off-key to an annoying song in an enclosed, public area? Probably none. In this same category are those who listen to their own iPod, but sing along to that. If they have the taste to be listening to their own music instead of Taylor Swift or Fun or whatever the bus has playing they're slightly better than usual bus singers, but still, no bueno. Especially because I can't even hear what they're actually listening to! So all there is is random off-key singing. Life is hard, guys, life is hard.

Secondly are people who I vaguely know, but not well enough to keep up a conversation with for the whole bus ride. There's nothing inherently wrong with these people, it's just awkward. Usually I hope we end up sitting far away or something, so all I have to do is wave and smile, and I can count it as my good deed of the day. But sometimes for some reason they come sit by me, and then after we exchange pleasantries and small talk for a while there's that awkward silence where both of us look around, because we don't really know each other well enough to keep talking. Then someone pulls out a phone and starts texting--thank goodness for modern technology!

Then there are people who shout when they talk to their friends. I understand being excited and talking louder, but not in an enclosed public area! The other day I sat down the acceptable one seat away from somebody, because there were still plenty of open spots. Little did I know the person I had sat close to would soon be joined by a friend, who would literally be yelling about cats the entire way home. Apparently this excited the original girl as well, because she soon started yelling about her grandma. Then they saw a friend halfway down the bus and started yelling to her, too. I've read Dante's Inferno, but I think he meant to put in a tenth circle of Hell where people who yell on the bus go. Because guys, this is the worst. After fifteen minutes of it, I wanted to die. Or maybe I did. I'm still not sure.

Now, when there are lots of students loading on, all the seats get taken up and people have to stand in the aisle. This is fine. Sometimes it gets extra crowded and people end up squished together, touching probably about ten other people at once. Also fine. I mean, we're friendly, right? But every once in a while there are problematic people. People who stay by the front so they can flirt with the bus driver the whole way home, forcing everyone who comes after them to crowd into the stairwell. And it's the worst thing in the world! These are 18 year old girls I'm talking about, inconveniencing everyone else and being generally obnoxious, just so they can flirt with a married man who's years older than them and driving their public transportation! I don't know why they think this is OK, but it seriously freaks me out.

But at least they're all children of God, right?