Getting up at 6am and leaving at 7 am, the short walk to the neighborhood metro station is pleasant. Clearly the proverbial calm before the storm; the ride is not pleasant.
Have you seen that commercial where the little boy imagines cheezits are made by smashing a meteor size piece of cheddar into one little cracker dropped from an airplane? That's the feeling riding in the Shanghai metro during rush hour. Real tight. With brief cases, backpacks, babies, and luggage, the space separating you from the next guy is microscopic. Over a million people ride the Shanghai metro from 7 -10 am, and it feels like all of them are on THIS CAR.
In China, the expectation is to be first. this carries into many different aspects of the culture (more to come in a future blog on taxis). Sidestepping, cutting in line,and flat out bogarting your way through is not only allowed but necessary and expected. It's no surprise to see someone within a breath of the subway doors when they open regardless of the time of day.
In basketball terms this is called 'establishing position' or in coach speak 'beating him/her to the spot' and it seems the Chinese people are coached by Phil Jackson in executing this play. I have been 'beat to the spot' at grocery stores, restaurants, and well, basketball since I've been here.
when you are this close to someone there is an instant intimacy. Normally, you are only this close with people you really care about or love, familiars that you share your secrets and fears. Your partner is now a stranger, a foreigner, a farmer, or a beggar all crushing your personal space with their own force of personality and The only way to find balance is through distraction. So there is a preponderance of electronic devices on the ride. headphones connected to phones, ipods, and PSPs playing music, games, and even movies. Traditionalists attempt to read a newspaper, but it is only an act, the squeeze allows for little movement, much less page folding or turning. Never the less, the illusory turns are taken, providing the necessary respite for the commute.
At each stop, rinse and repeat. No one gets off, more people push in. The noose is tightened with each slide of the two hours, three transfers, and over 20 stops later, the Jing 'An Temple station arrives. Another short 10 minute walk to the office provides a short respite from the claustrophobic car but the humidity hits like a hammer, condensing all the body heat (and odor) that was vacuumed sealed during the two hour canning process in the subway.
Some of you might remember the Nickelodeon show "You Can't Do That on Television". It was a sort of SNL but with kids, and whenever a cast member said "I don't know" a bucket of slime would cover them. The show didn't last long but the tradition of 'sliming' on Nick did. Entering the office doors and walking up to the reception desk, it was as if someone said those magic words and a wash of the morning's adventure materialized.
I walked in to the scene when my boss asked me to meet the new intern and fill out paperwork. My first day was easy, short 10 minute taxi ride to the office doors, fresh pressed and feeling good. I walked in on a scent out of YCDTOT: the new intern completely slimed and filling out orientation papers. I greeted him and immediately felt uncomfortable for him. Of course the conference room was the "cold room" - you know, the one that's always freezing. Unaffected, Hugo sat through that 30 minute orientation with a serenity only seen in pictures of Belizean beaches.
I immediately formed a respect and admiration for Hugo. he told me the story you just read about his metro ride. Twice a day for the next two months Hugo will ride the rail. Four hours a day, five days a week he will spend it riding the metro to and from an unpaid job.
As other interns checked in over the next week, I realized Hugo's story is not unique. Kelvin, Derek and Teresa ride a bus ranging from 30 to 90 minutes. Jessie walks for 40 minutes to a bus ride of 30 minutes.
My first impressions of this intern team: Durable, Persistent, Dedicated. It's going to be a good summer.
Some of you might remember the Nickelodeon show "You Can't Do That on Television". It was a sort of SNL but with kids, and whenever a cast member said "I don't know" a bucket of slime would cover them. The show didn't last long but the tradition of 'sliming' on Nick did. Entering the office doors and walking up to the reception desk, it was as if someone said those magic words and a wash of the morning's adventure materialized.
I walked in to the scene when my boss asked me to meet the new intern and fill out paperwork. My first day was easy, short 10 minute taxi ride to the office doors, fresh pressed and feeling good. I walked in on a scent out of YCDTOT: the new intern completely slimed and filling out orientation papers. I greeted him and immediately felt uncomfortable for him. Of course the conference room was the "cold room" - you know, the one that's always freezing. Unaffected, Hugo sat through that 30 minute orientation with a serenity only seen in pictures of Belizean beaches.
I immediately formed a respect and admiration for Hugo. he told me the story you just read about his metro ride. Twice a day for the next two months Hugo will ride the rail. Four hours a day, five days a week he will spend it riding the metro to and from an unpaid job.
As other interns checked in over the next week, I realized Hugo's story is not unique. Kelvin, Derek and Teresa ride a bus ranging from 30 to 90 minutes. Jessie walks for 40 minutes to a bus ride of 30 minutes.
My first impressions of this intern team: Durable, Persistent, Dedicated. It's going to be a good summer.
1 comment:
Hey Todd
It sounds like Disney World to me!! Take care!!
Jeanne
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