I’m On a Bus!

This is the image that was generated for me using the Random Creative Commons Image Generator on my first try and I couldn’t be any happier. 

Even though this picture is one of a subway scene, it relates perfectly to our transportation system for Rutgers. Every day that I take a Rutgers bus I count how many people are staring down at their phone, how many are tuned in to their music, and how many are just sitting there, maybe doing the same thing i’m doing and observing. I am doing this usually while checking my phone every 5 minutes and listening to music. I try to switch it up every day whether or not I will completely tune out the world while traveling to class. I can’t help but think how much more friendly the Rutgers transportation experience can be if people were less engaged in their bubble. 

These are some of the things I notice while on the bus:

• It’s a constant battle to avoid making eye contact
• People with headphones in mark themselves as unapproachable
• If you start up a conversation, people will absolutely engage in it
• You can hear a pin drop on a packed bus 

I say that it’s a battle to avoid eye contact, because every time that I am sitting across from someone I can’t help but check them out. Girl, boy, or adult, I like to observe. This doesn’t mean that I creep on people, but I am certainly a fan of ‘people watching’. Once eye contact is made, there is a dash of the eyes to get away from looking. I see no point in this because when you are stuck on a bus for twenty minutes at a time with the same people around you, you will encounter multiple meetings of the eyes. But most people feel uncomfortable and look away. When someone doesn’t mind, that usually means they are more approachable and conversation is the natural next step.

I wear headphones on the bus to zone out and be in my own world. I like to see it as a soundtrack to my life. Headphones are the universal code saying, “Don’t bother me, I’m doing my own thing.” Nothing is wrong with that, except when you are having a conversation that ends with that person putting in their headphones…then it’s embarrassing. 

I try to talk to somebody I don’t know as often as I can. To me this makes the ride go by faster and I believe that we should all interact more with each other. With everyone in their own bubble, and technology padding that bubble, it’s not nearly as common as you would think. Most people do not interact with each other on buses, but as I have found, every time I do, the person is willing and almost pleasantly surprised to be having a conversation. 

Silence on the bus interests me. Everyone on a Rutgers bus is about the same age, similar demography, has similar mindsets to have chosen this school, takes classes that many people surrounding you take or have taken, and the list goes on. The point is that with all these similarities how is there still nothing to talk about? I assume that people are tired, stressed, uninterested, in a rush, or scared. I know I use the time I spend on the bus mostly as a personal get-away-from-everything time. Even in the middle of the day with classes swirling around me, I look at it as a separate entity of school and enjoy the bumps and rhythmic sound of the road. The bus acts as a sanctuary as well as a melting pot of potential friends, classmates, or just somebody to talk to briefly.