Riding the Rails

Ok. I am not talking about the train.  I mean the metro (underground city trains). Using public transport can raise many emotions - ranging from anger, fear, disgust, frustration, amusement, excitement, impatience and anything else in between. When somebody nasty gets on the train and you notice them, you fear they may sit next to you. And they probably do. The power of attraction !! You may feel disgust if an unsanitary soul plonks themselves down next to you. The level of discomfort can be high when some other passenger on the train has their eyes fixed on you or is glancing at you continuously. You may feel afraid as you clutch your wallet and valuables when the carriage is jam packed with passengers that are pushing up against you. When fighting your way through the maddening crowds to get to the platform, or having to fight through the heaving masses that are fervently rushing to board the train you can become frustrated and impatient.

Passengers standing in the carriage

He watches the photographer!

So let's not dwell on the negatives... Let me think about some of the positives to using the metro. There are sometimes some interesting and delightful moments on the underground trains. You can eavesdrop and listen in on some entertaining conversations of other passengers - and have a silent chuckle at times. You hear so many different languages being spoken in the trains that it becomes a guessing game or a moment of bewilderment trying to figure out which language you can hear or you think you hear. When a desirable soul plonks themselves down onto the seat next you to, you might feel the excitement when your heart starts beating fast and your mind starts racing... When you hear the voice of a fellow English speaker speaking English, it is always comforting to know that an English speaker is near. If all else fails, you know at least that you are doing good for the environment by using public transport and not adding to the carbon emission count from driving your comfortable car with just one person in it!

Some people even get to sit!