The bus system in Juarez is mostly made up of American school buses that have served their purpose back in the United States of transporting boys and girls to and from school and are now down here living out the remainder of their days transporting the citizens of Juarez, Mexico all across this city.
Today, and until my mission financial situation improves a little bit, I am among the bus travelers.
Bus fare has increased from 6 pesos per ride to 7 pesos per ride. I guess you can chaulk that up to cost of living increase. That extra pesos will add up for the bus company that gives thousands of rides each day to people who have to get from one place to another here and who would prefer not to walk. I am one of those.
The buses are always packed and standing room only is the norm rather than the exception. When you get on the bus and hand your 7 pesos to the driver you make your way behind the line and stand. As I mentioned the seats are already occupied.
The problem begins almost immediately. With anticipations of getting off soon after a mile or so I resist the idea of moving back more each time the bus driver makes a stop to pick up new people. Reason being is "I'm getting off soon." So why would I want to go farther back into the bus ? But that's the way it goes.
The driver is continually making stops and more people are continually added to the already packed bus. Soon you find yourself somewhere in the middle or even past the middle of the bus and guess what ? It's time to get off at your intended stop.
So you begin fighting your way back to the front so you can get off where you want to get off before the bus arrives there. Otherwise you will go past your stop and have to walk back to where you really want to be.
More fun happens when the bus makes a stop at points where vendors of all sorts get on the bus and start offering what they have to sell to the passengers; everything form sodas, to juices, water, candy, cd's, games etc. Whatever the entrepenuer can think of.
I don't know how he or she does it but they have no problem navigating the standing aisle that separates the right row of seats from the left. They manage to work the whole bus from front to back before the driver decides it's time to move on and puts the bus in gear. The vendor hops off the bus with a few extra pesos in his pocket and a few less candy bars in his bag and then he is ready to do the same thing on the next bus that comes along. He does this all day long. It's his job.
Not only do these sellers of things make their way to the bus passengers all day long but also any person with a need. It happens on almost every bus ride. Someone will get on the bus and start telling the passengers why they need money; an operation, lost my wallet and need to get back to my town, my kid needs diapers etc etc.
After their speech the make their way up and down the aisle just like the vendors do with their hand out, palm up and the bus passengers who feel sorry for them drop some much needed pesos in their empty hand. They also get off the bus a little richer than when they came on and then they hop another bus and do the same thing, again, all day long. It's their job.
Yet another kind of entrepenuer makes his way on the buses every day. He is the musician or musicians. These folks bring their guitar or whatever contraption they have that they can make music with and they will make their way to the back of the bus and start playing their songs and making music. When they have sufficiently entertained the passengers for a little while they too walk up and down the aisle with the hand out, palm up and people put pesos in their hands too.
Riding the bus in Juarez is an experience everyone should have, at least once. You meet humanity face to face, feel the needs people have and relate to them in a way you don't from the solitude and separation from them, in the comfort of your own vehicle.
You get to feel what they feel, share some of the experience of being human and having human needs is all about. We are all on the same bus. I have have been blessed more than once by this experience during my time here doing missions work for the King. It's my job.
No comments:
Post a Comment