Showcase April - Thoughts from a public bus in Mexico City | Reminiscing an old life I don't miss a single bit
I had to wake up at dawn just to make it on time to the hospital. I was supposed to donate blood, there's nothing wrong with me (yet), so don't worry about me. A hospital around 15 kilometers away from where I'm staying.
I arrived at 6:10 am ready to donate blood and get the hell out of it to make it on time to the Vietnamese embassy 22 kilometers away from the hospital.
Well, they made me wait until 6:30, which is when the blood bank opens. Makes sense, no point letting people in into that area of the hospital until there's somebody there to receive donors.
The lady got there at 6:47 am. I waited in the cold outside 37 minutes and when she arrived, she didn't say sorry or even aknowledged her lack of respect for other people's time or even showed any signs of shame. I was already in a terrible mood but hearing the words without an appointment I'm not going to receive you, I can't take your blood. Fuck. So, this public hospital that needs blood and that never answers any phone calls to ask for information, doesn't include on their mediocre website this particular bit of important data and that pretty much makes every patient, family member, doctor and worker life miserable, won't take my blood because I didn't make an appointment. Nice.
I don't need to deal with this third world mediocre mindset. It's not about them not accepting people without an appointment. I get there's rules and they should be abided. The problem lies in the virtualñy impossible access to these rules and general information. I left, their loss.
I walked five blocks to one of main streets, the one that should take me close to the embassy. The same street I used to take from my house to my workplace every day for four years. That dreaded avenue that still haunts my nightmares. Before having a car I used to take a bus here, and I rode it for 25 kilometers and one hour and a half - each way.
On my way to the bus stop two different people approached me. One begged me for money and yet she looked better fed and better clothed than me; con artists that make a living off suckers giving them money to feel good about themselves. The other one asked me for my banana; two dogs were following him and I could swear he was poor as fuck, but also spent every dime he got his hands on, in drugs.
I lived for 27 years in this city. I know the drill and I'm familiar with the games people play, but damn, I sure as hell didn't miss having to have a defensive attitude at all times.
Got in the bus. A crowded as fuck bus due to lack of mobility and transporting plan. There's not enough buses to transport every person. The streets are too small and there's always traffic jams everywhere because of two main reasons: too many private cars and public buses stopping wherever they want, for as long as they want and - this one's pure magic - because they are constantly reaching with each other: there's no bus schedule, drivers decide how fast or slow they drive, who they pick up and what route to take, so bus drivers are constantly reaching each other to arrive to specific bus stops where there's a lot of people waiting; arriving first means more money for them. Oh yeah, because public transport is barely private. Public transport in Mexico is made up on its majority out of individuals who get a loan, buy a bus and then get permits to drive certain route. So the more they work, the more money they get. But you can imagine by now how much enforced the laws are rules are when it comes to public transport.
After 45 minutes of riding the bus through the fucked up streets full of holes, the person sitting next to me stood up and I was able to sit down, so now I'm writing this.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that after doing the necessary paperwork to get my Vietnamese visa, I have my GMAT exam. I'm already stressed and my day began horribly. I'm late for the embassy and I'm probably not going to make it on time too the exam, so I'll have to go again to the embassy to finish my paperwork.
The Cherry on top is, my internet data plan is not working. Why? I have no idea, I have to go to the cellphone attention center - because obviously, nobody answers when you call them.
I'll post this when I get some wifi, in the meantime I'm just…
Reminiscing a city I don't miss a single bit
This post was originally posted in October 2019 and it's part of my initiative called showcase April, where I'll post the best content I've done over the past three years.