First Steps

I just decided recently that I would start writing about this particular subject, since it's something that I now do daily, and I have found that it is an adventure all it's own. I have previously been held back by these crazy phobias about putting my true feelings on the world wide web, which is why I have stayed away from blogging all this time. But alas, I have convinced myself that it is harmless, and here I am starting my first blog. Whoa.

My car died, a number of weeks ago. It doesn't matter now how long, it just did. After that, I was forced to look towards public transportation to get me to work, which was already a one hour commute from my house by car, driving at an easy speed of 80mph. I was nervous to say the least. I tried to take the bus once back in Hawaii from Ko'Olina to my house right? No big deal, there's maybe what, 2 buses, one going each way? But alas, I found myself somewhere off Farrington, at who knows what time of night, and Esther and Siope had to come and pick me up from a Jamba Juice, where I spent my last 5 bucks just 'cause I felt bad for sitting there in the shop for the last 5 hours.

I tried once more recently. I believed my plan was foolproof. I asked a friend who was very familiar with the bus system to show me how to find routes and how to get from place to place. She, being the excellent person that she was, did just that. I planned a route to a job that I would be starting soon, and since I had no car, this would have to do. It took me 3.5 hours to get to that prospective job location, and included a half an hour walk from the closest bus stop to the building, along streets with no crosswalks or sidewalks for that matter. That was a bad idea since it is snowing most of the year here. Booooooo.....

Long story short, me and the bus have never been friends. I never understood how it worked, how people would sit on top of each other and still pretend that the other person wasn't there, I never got the whole culture of public transportation. I make the excuse that I grew up in freeway country where people drive from the ripe age of 13 and that's why I don't get it. Either way, it was now finally time for me to learn.

My first time riding the bus was an amazing experiencing. I didn't even sleep the night before, I don't think. I spent hours the day before on the computer planning out my route. I looked over each stop, and Google mapped everything! I had to know exactly where each stop was, what the street looked like, and I hopelessly searched Google for the name of the bus driver of each bus. I was psycho. But in my defense, I was scared outta my wits, and was nervous that I would end up across the country somewhere, and knowing my luck, I would be all the way to Kentucky by the time I figured out the right stop to get off.

I woke up early that day. It was very early for me. The bus ride would take me 2 hours to get to my work, and I had to get everything ready for a whole days worth of activities. Things that I would normally keep in my car, I couldn't. I had to carry them with me. Only 2 transfers, I kept thinking. It was more like, 2 TRANSFERS! Dang. I tried to keep positive. I had everything, my lunch, my jacket, my outfit was good, I had my rubber slippers on, my gym clothes, my bus pass, I was set.

I got out to the stop 15 minutes early. I read a quote by Benjamin Franklin once about being early by 15 minutes, and the only other thing I remember is it leading to success. So much for life lessons. I thought to myself that if there was any day that I needed success, it would be today. Then it started raining. Sheesh. I rolled up my pant legs, (since there is nothing in this world I despise more than wet pant legs) and I waited there in the cold rain. Rain here is cold here. It's the worst thing ever. I don't understand why rain has to be cold here. But it is winter, and I presume this is normal.

The bus finally came to get me. I looked at my paper to find that indeed this was my bus. But the bus was different. As it halted in front of me in the early morning darkness, I noticed that the bus was actually a handicap bus. Y'alls know which one I'm talking about, the midget buses for the old people! Oh man... here I go.

I walked onto the midget bus and was happy to feel the warmth of a heater. My legs and feet were numb and my clothes were all wet. I didn't even have a jacket. I asked the bus driver, am I on the right bus? He looked at the wrinkled wet paper in my hands, "Yeah," he replied. I sat there for a while, nervous. Then the bus started moving. I walked up to the front again and asked the bus driver if this bus went to the train station. "Yeah, it's at the end of the line," he said. "Cool, thank you" I responded, although my mind thought, "what's the end of the line?" Finally the bus stopped and the driver yelled to me, "get off here." Walk past that green rail and wait there, the train will come, and then you can get on there. I hopped off the bus so thankful to be there, safe, and not lost. I thanked the bus driver about 10 times and ran off the bus.

Here I go, transfer. I got on the bus easy enough. I didn't really understand what the first driver was talking about since there was nothing past the green rail. But, I did as he said, and felt stupid the whole time. I talked to a couple of people nearby who also confirmed I was standing in the right place. It was like Platform 9 and 3/4 from Harry Potter, it just didn't make sense to me. Then all of a sudden I heard a bell, and in no time at all, there was a train right in front of me. I got onto the train easy enough, wet, with all of my things. It was nice. This was the first time I had ever been on a train. In my life! The train at Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland do not count in this instance, of course. My paper was giving me some random instructions. Get off the train at such and such a number and such and such a number. Some address. But all of the stops in the train had names, not addresses. I was mad. I was mad at the blasted computer for giving me misinformation.

All of a sudden, I hear the announcer repeat over the loudspeaker, "This is the end of the line, as far as we go." "Oh well," I thought to myself, I guess this is where I go. I got off the train and noticed a bunch of people running to various stops. I looked to my right and far in the distance I could see it. A stop for my next bus. Transfer #2! I walked in a bit of a jog towards the stop, and stood in line behind everyone. I took my turn, tapped my pass, and sat down next to this Tongan lady in the front. The bus was full, and I was so panicked I asked her if I could sit with her. I literally squished her towards the wall so we could both fit. But I was happy to have a seat. The bus driver assured me the bus would go straight to my job, and sure enough, it did. I got to my job, safe and sound, and even got in a little nap on the way.

As I walked from the bus that day, I couldn't stop smiling. It was as though I conquered some great fear in me, and found that it was all clouds, and fairies and such after all. I hadn't felt so much confidence in a long time. It gave me an extreme sense of independence, and I could never have imagined, how much the bus would change my life...