Traffic

Traffic here in Mexico City is “different” than in central NC. On the one hand there’s a lot more of it and traveling a distance of five – ten miles could take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on the time of day. On the other hand most individuals who live here constantly expect to be delayed by traffic. So if you happen to arrive at an appointment (or a morning Spanish class) a little later than anticipated it’s rarely viewed as an interruption.

Since moving to Mexico, we have joined the ranks of millions that do not (yet?) own a car. Each day we rely on public transportation to navigate the city. Since being here for nearly two months we have learned the names of the buses that will get us to, or close to the university and the ones that will return us to our apartment. We have almost learned the routes to and from our church and (we’re getting better with every Sunday attempt :o) If you get on a bus during rush hour you can count on not having a seat. The up side to this is that you’ll get in a week’s worth of arm workouts clinging to the metal poles that keep you from landing in the lap of some unsuspecting commuter. Most of the bus drivers that we have encountered are incredibly skilled at weaving their large, hulking buses amid cars, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians. The other day we encountered a driver whose skill surpassed the rest. It wasn’t that his driving was noticeably different but upon exiting the bus we noticed that he only had one eye. Perhaps it easier to stay calm among the rush of Mexico City with only one eye to view the other vehicles that are usually only centimeters away?