Friday, October 2, 2009

Urban Jungle

Sometimes this place is like a jungle, and public transportation really brings out the somewhat subdued animal instincts in people. Just as the salmon swim upstream, and (add smoother metaphor with animals going against natural forces and all odds to get home) the Subte at rush hour kicks this inane desire into overdrive. I let two trains pass by me and watched already full cars double their intake as people decided over saturating works for humans and trains, not just rock candy. Finally I was at the front of the crowd on the still full platform, and in the five minute interval between trains, I decided this was it. I had to get to my class, so when the next train came (sigh, full again) I decided the Subte wasn't sending empty trains to 9 de Julio (as they sometimes do) and figured I would squeeze in. So did thirty other people. Bring propelled forward by a rush of people is something I'm used to from concerts, but usually there is another reaction when people push back and things go back to normal. But in a train there is no where to go. So I stood. Bent over. For four stops.