Today I had so many thoughts running through my head. There has been a massive public transportation strike in Madrid over the past two days, and a good three hours of my day was eaten up taking buses from one stop to the next. Standing in a bus for three hours gives you a lot of time to think, and I thought about strange things as I was crowded in a moving vehicle, swaying back and forth. I was very close to a pole, and I almost felt like a pole dancer in the midst of a massive, transportation-al orgy. Sorry, I should censor that. My attempt to be funny didn’t really work out. I’ll be sticking to straighter stuff from here on out.
I thought about posting how much I dislike buses. Oh wait I already did that. I thought about posting some stories and observations I noted while riding the train. They will be coming shortly.
What made my day interesting was that I jumped on the first bus that came to my stop. This wasn’t the wrong bus, but it wasn’t the right bus, either. I needed to get to Sol, one of the big tourist hubs, and switch buses so I could go back to “mi casa,” and the bus that came was heading that way. I did not realize that Sol was the end of the line, and I was at the beginning of the line. I shrugged my shoulders and felt that it was okay to take this bus; I haven’t taken buses much before, so I don’t know the topside of Madrid very well. I took this chance to get to know it a little better.
I let myself get lost.
I knew I was getting lost, and I kind of knew where I was the entire time, but it was wonderful. Walking down the streets listening to my iPod as it played this song (yes, the video is cheesy), seeing the architecture and the people and the fountains. Back home, I used to go walking or driving if I wanted to be alone. I figured out how to be alone in Madrid: hop on a bus. Even though I am surrounded by people, it’s like moving in a sea of loneliness. Wow, I am tired and oh my goodness it’s late for me.
Anyway, I learned today that I still don’t know my way around very well in Madrid yet, even after being here a month. I’ve been able to navigate the bus system passably, but I can’t simply wander around. The wandering will get you farther and farther away from the right bus stop sometimes.
(Argh, I want to rewrite this post and make it pretty and beautiful and poetic, but that will have to wait for some other time. Today really did feel like a page from a story.)
((I also have the phrase, "stranger in a strange land" reverberating in my head. "No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home"?))
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