Just seeing me walking down the street, I can usually pass for a local. I mean, I'm not a platinum blonde, blue eyed European, I'm a brown haired, brown eyed American. Until I open my mouth most people don't realize that I'm not from Formosa. Today, it was definitely obvious not only that I'm not from Formosa, but that I'm not from a city... or suburb... or any place with public transportation (RCT doesn't count, that's for old people).
Here's the back story. I was at a friend's house for the night, and when I got up in the morning I wanted to head home for lunch. She, on the other hand, had no intention whatsoever of changing out of pajamas and groggily explained to me how to get to the bus stop (seeing as her house is on the other side of the city from my own). I made my way to the bus stop and waited about 10 minutes till the bus arrived.
Now, I'm no stranger to the city buses. Last year I had to take the bus to school and back every day, and I know how to get to most of the other neighborhoods of the city by bus. Taking the same line as I always took home from school shouldn't have been a problem...
The bus came, I paid for my ticket ($2.50 pesos, .30 dollars) and took my seat, expecting to have a short twenty minute bus ride to get to my house. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. Passengers were getting off and nobody was getting on. Finally, we were driving down some dirt road in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods that I had driven through maybe two times all year. I was the only one left. And the bus stopped. Ok. The bus driver looked back at me and said "Aca termina," (it ends here), and I, confused, asked "Como que aca termina?" (What do you mean, it ends here?). Until today, I had assumed that the buses go in a loop. That they circle and circle in a never ending cycle. I knew that each line went in two directions, but I had figured that they do the same circle, and no matter in which direction one gets on the bus, it will always get you to your destination at some point. That is apparently not true.
The bus driver simply told me that I had to get off the bus, and that in awhile he would be back. Ok. Awesome. I was stuck sitting at the intersection of two dirt roads in the middle of nowhere, where there were kids running loose, horse drawn carts, and lines of one room huts with outhouses out back. A phone with no credit to call and no numbers for taxi services. A backpack with a wet bathing suit, a towel, and a hundred pesos. I figured I would just sit there and wait, while the bus went about another block and parked. The bus driver got off, walked around the bus, entered, exited, entered, exited, and about a half hour later the bus driver got back in the bus, started in up, and came back to my little dirt street corner. I got on the bus and started to make my way towards the back when he paused me and asked "y tu boleto?" (and your ticket?). I pulled my ticket out of my pocket and showed him. He lauged and said I had to pay for another ticket. I explained that I only had a hundred peso bill. Luckily, he had change, if not, he would have left me there on the corner. I paid for my ticket and went to sit, and a full hour later I got back to my stop.
Now, that traumatic experience was not my fault. How was I supposed to know that I had to wait for the bus driving in the opposite direction? I figured that either way, the bus would pass by my part of the city. I place 100% of the blame upon my friend, who was too lazy to get herself out of bed. Oh well. Won't make that mistake again.
Other quick news: I have gained a little respect from my swim team recently. In the past week we have been betting on who swims faster in certain events, and I had already racked up two bottles of Coke and an alfajor. Tuesday, we decided to do the ultimate challenge. I, the distance swimmer, would swim 600 meters nonstop. The two fastest sprinters on the team, who swim fast but get tired after 60 meters, would swim legs of 120 meters and trade off. And I won. So I'm awesome. We actually hadn't bet anything on that race, but I think I deserve a few liters of Coke for that one.
Play for vegetables or fruit.
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