Today was another bus adventure. I bought my ticket and took my seat. I lucked out and got on one of the nice charter buses. Don't let it fool you though, people will still bring their chickens! I sat across from a family of 5 squeezed into 2 bucket seats....and their pet chick. I first noticed the chick as they boarded the bus. The chick went tumbling down the stairs. Probably because they were transporting it via plastic grocery bag. Look closely and you can see the chick resting peacefully next to the Gatorade bottle...
As I waited for the bus to load, a man came by selling newspapers. He was showing all the men the papers, and to the women, he was marketing it as a fan to cool off from the heat. God forbid the women might actually want to READ the newspaper! No, we just sit and look pretty and fan ourselves.
One trend that I've noticed on the bus... It will either be a completely full bus and everyone is squeezing in the seats around me refusing to sit next to the Gringa, or it will be an empty bus and somebody just has to sit down next to me for a chat. Unfortunately, today was the latter. My company came in the form of a sweaty man (who was fanning himself with a newspaper I might add). I kept trying to give him more room, but he just kept spreading out and undoubtedly his sweaty arm would be resting against mine no matter how much I shifted. He kindly started fanning me with the newspaper (to which I politely declined).
Then, the questions started. Are you married? Why not? Well sir, maybe because the only person who has ever asked was this man. In a park. In Santa Rosa. Shirtless. I'd like to think I have a little higher standard than this. I mean, they have to at least have 10 teeth.
As we rolled out of the bus station, I had a realization. It never fails that when I get home from a day of bus travel I am COMPLETELY exhausted. It has never made sense. It's not like I'm doing anything. And then it hit me. As I listened to the baby chick chirping, at least 3 different cell phone conversations (in outside voices nonetheless), a baby crying, a man preaching a sermon and at least 6 bus vendors trying to sell various food products....It is mentally exhausting to ride the bus. My senses were on complete overload. I couldn't focus on one thing in particular. It was like a big blur in my head.
The bus ride would have been pretty uneventful if sweaty man would have let me get some sleep. Instead we played 401 questions. And at least 300 of those were asking why I wasn't married. "You're really not married? Why? You're beautiful." I felt like saying, "Oh, wait! You know what? I am married. I just forgot the other 299 times you asked me.
God does answer prayers. When I got to Santa Rosa, I saw a family from the school. They offered me a ride back to Gracias, which I gladly accepted. I even got to love on their doberman puppy, Sol.
Here are Yancy and sweet Sol. Her stepfather is from Denver. He moved here and married her mother and owns a coffee business here. They are one of the sweetest families and I really enjoyed the ride back with them. There was lots of laughing.
I arrived to find the electricity out...welcome back to Gracias! But I am glad to be home. Tomorrow I begin teaching a Level 3 English night class in the university. I go back to work at Minerva in the morning. We've started registration for classes. The new teachers start arriving next week so things are about to get busy. I will work on updating about my trip this week. I'm back to the land of slow internet, but I have lots of pictures and stories to share about my adventures with Deborah. Besos y abrazos!
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