Reflections On A Bus

Everyday as I travel to work I sit on a bus, watch the world go by, and think. Oh, nothng too profound. I think about the houses flying by, the cows in the fields, the mountains in the distance, and most importantly, reflections on life.

Here are a few reflections I've made this week:

On paying for a bus ride -
When seeking to ride the bus in New Zealand you must pay a fare. Interestingly, to pay that fare you don't have to have exact change. The bus driver is equiped with a cash box and can take your $10 and give you $8.20 back. As I daily observed this process I thought about how in Cleveland you have to have exact fare or no change will be given. How inconvenient. Even more inconvenient is the bus system in New York City where you can only pay the bus fare with quarters. Imagine having the fare in cash but not in quarters.

On birthday cakes -
In New Zealand birthday cakes come in all types of shapes and sizes. The types of cakes vary from sponge to black forest, and some birthday desserts aren't even cakes at all. This is curious to me since in the US many birthday cakes are very similar. They usually have sugary icing covering the whole cake and writing on the top saying "Happy Birthday...." or any number of messages. I kind of miss that. It makes the cake more personal.

On school uniforms -
The majority of the schools in New Zealand have a uniform that all the students must wear. I can tell which kids attend the same school when they walk onto the bus just by their identical uniforms. In the US, uniforms are usually associated with private schools. Most public schools just have dress codes in varying degrees of strictness. There weren't many dress restrictions at the schools I attended. Jeans and a T-shirts were usually the norm.

On smoking -
New Zealand is a smoke free country, yet I see so many people smoking (teens included). I think I've breathed more clean air walking the streets of Cleveland than I have walking the streets of Hamilton. On the other hand, a year ago Ohio became a smoke free state. What took them so long? At least New Zealand realized the value of a smoke free environment (if only indoors) a long time ago.

Whoops! The bus has reached my stop. That's it for now.