Rager Family Adventures: The Wheels on the Bus, or "Transportation"

contributed by Lindsay

A couple of weeks ago, after work, my co-teacher dropped me off at the Al Foah mall so I could catch a cab back to the hotel. After I did some shopping at the Daiso (a dollar store on crack... Amazing, and dangerous), and picked up some Papa John's pizza to surprise Matt with, I went outside to hail a cab. After 10 minutes of standing out in the hottest part of the day, I walked around the mall to try and find a cab stand, and there weren't any. I only saw one cab right before I walked outside, and hadn't seen one since. I realized I was going to have to figure something else out, and luckily I had water, so I started walking. I passed a bus stop, but the operating schedule said the bus ran from 7:30-2:00, so I was out of luck. A minute later, however, a bus drove by in the opposite direction. Since I was across the road and had no idea where it was going, I kept walking. The call to prayer was sounding in the mosque I was passing, and it was very apparent that I was in a foreign land. I looked back every couple of steps to see if a cab was coming, and noticed that the bus had turned around and was at the bus stop I had passed a few minutes before. I turned around and started walking back. It was at least 200 meters back, but I wasn't about to run to catch the bus in the heat in a long skirt with a bag full of stuff and a box of pizza, salad, and sodas. I figured I could flag it down as it drove past. As I got closer, I did start to hurry, but made it with time to spare. I paid 2 dirhams (about 50 cents) and basked in the glorious air conditioning. I didn't even ask where it was heading. I figured I would stay on until I got to a place where taxi cabs were slightly more abundant. As we drove, I noted our route. The bus stopped right after the roundabout near my school, where two men stood next to a speed limit sign. I followed our route with the GPS on my iPad mini, and prayed that this bus would take me where I needed to go (there were no maps on the bus). Every roundabout we went through gave me a mini panic attack as I hoped it would take the exit I needed. Oh, and nearly every intersection is a roundabout here. About 30 excruciating minutes later, when we came to a stop at the Al Ain Souq, I realized that the bus could only turn left or right from there, and I needed it to turn left. I asked the bus driver which way he was going, and he said he was going right. I asked him if he would get any closer to my hotel and he said no. He told me I could take a cab from there, but someone overheard us and said that there was a bus coming that would take me straight to the hotel, so I waited for it, and it worked out perfectly. So instead of paying $10-15 for a cab, I paid $1 for the buses.

The next morning, I decided to try my luck at getting back to work on the buses. I left my hotel room at 5:41 AM, found the bus stop going back to the Al Ain Souq by 5:50, and the bus came at 5:53. When I got to the Souq, I got off, but realized (too late) that I had gotten off prematurely. I ran to try to catch the bus, but failed. I ran to the next bus stop and ran up just behind the bus. I didn't need to catch it, but I knew I hadn't at least missed the bus I needed. I sat on a bench and my bus came about 10 minutes later. When I got on, I told the bus driver to drop me off before the Al Khleef roundabout. A man came up and said he also works at the school and would let me know when to get off. I sat down, got out my breakfast, and enjoyed my 30 minute ride to work. When we got off, it was only a 5-10 minute walk to the school, and I arrived by 7:00. I had 30 minutes to spare! Normally the commute would be 30 minutes by car, but an hour by bus is ok with me, especially since I can read, eat breakfast, and not think or worry about driving.

One afternoon last week, I was waiting next to the speed limit sign bus stop and a man pulled up to offer me a ride. He worked for the Abu Dhabi transportation department, and at first I thought he was like a bus manager going from stop to stop picking people up because the bus wasn't running or something. I must have looked stranded standing out there. He said it was too hot for me to be standing outside and insisted that I get a ride. I told him I wanted to take the bus, and he said it didn't matter what I paid him. He just wanted to be nice. So, I got in. He took me all the way to my hotel and didn't expect to be paid a lot, but I felt so grateful (and also guilty that I make five times what he makes), so I gave him about what I would pay for a week of buses. He said he could come pick me up the next day, since he drives a school bus out near the Al Foah mall. I accepted, but didn't have the best feeling about it. He was too friendly for the culture here, and talked about going to America and being friends, and as I got out of the car, I heard him say, "I love you." Uh, not halal (it means "kosher"... The opposite, "haram," means "sin."). Later I texted him that I had my transportation worked out, and not to come. I promised my mom and my husband that I would never, ever take a ride from a man by myself unless he was an official taxi driver.

The next day, my bus came 5 minutes early, and I totally missed it. I sat on the bench and waited for the next bus, which should have come 30 minutes later, but it didn't. And who pulls up, but my "friend" from the day before. I had almost reached the point where I would take a ride, but literally 1 minute before he showed up, I recommitted myself to my promise. It took a lot of convincing that I wanted to take the bus, but he finally left with the promise that he would pick me up to come home at 2:30. Uh, so not happening. He probably did only have good intentions, but I didn't have my phone with me, and I wasn't about to risk it. I ended up hailing a cab and paid about a week's worth of bus fare to get to school, but we drove past the two men I usually get off the bus with, and I clocked in 2 minutes early. After work, my coworker drove me home. I really missed the buses that day. I can get work done (cutting, planning, reflecting) on the bus home, and I can read and eat breakfast on the bus there. Even if we had a car, I would still take the bus.

I've learned my way around Al Ain through navigating the bus routes. I am pretty impressed with myself. Haha... None of the websites I could find have bus schedules, so I took pictures of some that were posted at a bus stop. I like teaching people how to ride the buses here, because it can save so much money. We have spent 1/2 the price we would have spent on a car and gas by just using the buses and taxis. We also get rides from friends, which we really have appreciated. However, I feel so much more independent if I take the bus or a taxi. And I don't feel like I'm putting people out.