In previous posts, I've written briefly about the wonderful transportation we use here, known as the minibus. Seeing that we spend so much time on these fantastic vehicles, I've decided to give you a more detailed description today. I'll be using the five sense and perhaps by the end, if you close your eyes, you can almost understand the experience of being a passenger. Alright, here goes!
Sense Number One: Sight
These beauties generally come in a nice, chipped coat of white and blue. Rarely are they without many dents, scratches, broken mirrors...you get the idea. There's a sliding door one one side for people to pile in and out of. This is where the "conductor" stands. The conductor, a guy ranging in age from 9 to 30+ years old, balances on the step just inside the sliding door and sticks his head out the window to yell for passengers. On the inside the van officially seats 10, including the driver. However it would be quite the sight to see a minibus carrying only 9 passengers. Generally, 19 is more like it. In fact, the minibus Kendra and I took just this morning had 19 people in it. And that wasn't even the most crowded minibus we've been on. As you can imagine, looking in from the outside you see many people squished into a space that is far too small. Looking out from the inside, you see cars and pedestrians alike trying not to get run over. It's most frightening when you're sitting in the front seat. The first time you manage to grab a seat up front you think, "lucky me, I have so much leg room!" even though you're still sharing the front seat with two other people. Quickly, you realize this is a scary place to be and the leg room might not be worth it. When sitting in the front, beside the driver, you have a nice clear view of all the things you come so close to hitting. People, animals, cars, other minibuses...with no driving rules, it's kind of a free for all. Therefore the sense of sight is much less terrifying in the back seat. In my opinion.
Sense Number Two: Smell
More often than not, when climbing onto a minibus you are overwhelmed with the smell of body oder. Sometimes you think to yourself, "I don't have running water, so I haven't showered in days...is that awful stench coming from me?!" but then your friend smells you and says that you actual smell quite nice. You stop worrying about yourself, and try to locate the culprit of the fumes. If you can discover where it's coming from, you can attempt to face the other way. If not, you just have to breathe as little as possible. On really lucky trips, you are able to secure a seat next to a window. Open that baby up, and you smell the fresh (although very dusty) air outside rather than the stale oder inside. It's quite a relief.
Sense Number Three: Taste
I can't say I've tasted a minibus yet. I imagine it would be quite unsanitary, and probably not very delicious. But if I ever get the opportunity, I'll be sure to give you an update.
Sense Number Four: Touch
Personal space is something you cannot be concerned with on a minibus. To get on the minibus, you often have to push past crowds of other people trying to get on the same minibus as you. Once you get on, you most likely have to sit practically in someone elses lap. As I said before, having 19 people or more in a van that holds 10 is not uncommon. Sometimes, you have to sit on a teeny stool up against the side of the minivan, or balance on the very corner of a seat. You also get really bad leg cramps sometimes from sitting in awkward positions, but there's not much you can do about it since you can't move...at all. So, you sit through the pain. The seats, when you manage to get one, are fairly comfortable. Pretty standard van seats, with some rips and holes in them. On certain minibuses, your seat may not be firmly secured to the floor anymore. In this instance, it's even more like riding a roller coaster. Hold on tight. It's always a bumpy ride.
Sense Number Five: Sound
When looking for the correct minibus, you need to listen carefully. The conductors stick their heads out the windows and yell their destination. When you hear yours, you flag him down. Sometimes you have to ask where the minibus is going, but with your American accent the conductors have trouble understanding. When this happens, you rely on the other passengers to try to translate for you. Once you get on, you can hear a wide variety of sounds. Some minibuses have music, others don't. When music is playing, it could be anywhere from American rap songs to traditional Ethiopian music. You might hear people talking about how there are "faranje" on the bus, or you might hear Kendra and Deanna laughing a lot.
I think this about sums it up! Now next time you're driving to work in your nice car, you can think of Kendra and I heading to work in our fancy minibuses :)
Sense Number One: Sight
These beauties generally come in a nice, chipped coat of white and blue. Rarely are they without many dents, scratches, broken mirrors...you get the idea. There's a sliding door one one side for people to pile in and out of. This is where the "conductor" stands. The conductor, a guy ranging in age from 9 to 30+ years old, balances on the step just inside the sliding door and sticks his head out the window to yell for passengers. On the inside the van officially seats 10, including the driver. However it would be quite the sight to see a minibus carrying only 9 passengers. Generally, 19 is more like it. In fact, the minibus Kendra and I took just this morning had 19 people in it. And that wasn't even the most crowded minibus we've been on. As you can imagine, looking in from the outside you see many people squished into a space that is far too small. Looking out from the inside, you see cars and pedestrians alike trying not to get run over. It's most frightening when you're sitting in the front seat. The first time you manage to grab a seat up front you think, "lucky me, I have so much leg room!" even though you're still sharing the front seat with two other people. Quickly, you realize this is a scary place to be and the leg room might not be worth it. When sitting in the front, beside the driver, you have a nice clear view of all the things you come so close to hitting. People, animals, cars, other minibuses...with no driving rules, it's kind of a free for all. Therefore the sense of sight is much less terrifying in the back seat. In my opinion.
Sense Number Two: Smell
More often than not, when climbing onto a minibus you are overwhelmed with the smell of body oder. Sometimes you think to yourself, "I don't have running water, so I haven't showered in days...is that awful stench coming from me?!" but then your friend smells you and says that you actual smell quite nice. You stop worrying about yourself, and try to locate the culprit of the fumes. If you can discover where it's coming from, you can attempt to face the other way. If not, you just have to breathe as little as possible. On really lucky trips, you are able to secure a seat next to a window. Open that baby up, and you smell the fresh (although very dusty) air outside rather than the stale oder inside. It's quite a relief.
Sense Number Three: Taste
I can't say I've tasted a minibus yet. I imagine it would be quite unsanitary, and probably not very delicious. But if I ever get the opportunity, I'll be sure to give you an update.
Sense Number Four: Touch
Personal space is something you cannot be concerned with on a minibus. To get on the minibus, you often have to push past crowds of other people trying to get on the same minibus as you. Once you get on, you most likely have to sit practically in someone elses lap. As I said before, having 19 people or more in a van that holds 10 is not uncommon. Sometimes, you have to sit on a teeny stool up against the side of the minivan, or balance on the very corner of a seat. You also get really bad leg cramps sometimes from sitting in awkward positions, but there's not much you can do about it since you can't move...at all. So, you sit through the pain. The seats, when you manage to get one, are fairly comfortable. Pretty standard van seats, with some rips and holes in them. On certain minibuses, your seat may not be firmly secured to the floor anymore. In this instance, it's even more like riding a roller coaster. Hold on tight. It's always a bumpy ride.
Sense Number Five: Sound
When looking for the correct minibus, you need to listen carefully. The conductors stick their heads out the windows and yell their destination. When you hear yours, you flag him down. Sometimes you have to ask where the minibus is going, but with your American accent the conductors have trouble understanding. When this happens, you rely on the other passengers to try to translate for you. Once you get on, you can hear a wide variety of sounds. Some minibuses have music, others don't. When music is playing, it could be anywhere from American rap songs to traditional Ethiopian music. You might hear people talking about how there are "faranje" on the bus, or you might hear Kendra and Deanna laughing a lot.
I think this about sums it up! Now next time you're driving to work in your nice car, you can think of Kendra and I heading to work in our fancy minibuses :)
Sounds like quite the ride!
ReplyDeleteHahahaha love this!! Laughed out loud the whole time. :)
ReplyDelete