One of the things that I am confronted with on a frequent basis since I have moved to the UK is a commute, both on the train and on the tube. I live in Newbury, which on a map looks really close to London, but in reality makes for a hellish train ride that is alternately handled on the fast train, thereby making life easier, or on the slow train, which makes me want to commit random acts of violence.

So I spend a lot of time on trains and on the underground.

The trains are always on time when I have ample time to get to the office, and always delayed when I am running late.

That's just the way it is.

When I am not running late, stressed to bits, and wanting to rip out the transport authorities souls and shake them in front of their disbelieving eyes, I just love to people watch. People here are so wildly different from where I am from, either because I never really took public transport in the US, or else because I wasn't ever really paying attention.

Last Thursday, I encountered a number of people that made me take notice. First off, I had the guy on the train next to me-he popped open his laptop and then used the thumb scanner to login, looking at me dodgily the whole time, worried that I would steal the secret formula to some weird chemical he was working on or something. I admit that I was intrigued by this thumb scanner thing-and a bit put out that Dream Job only requires a password from me, instead of a retinal scan-when I noticed that once he had gotten past the security screen, he had fired up Solitaire.

Right. Impressed-ness gone.

Making my way to the tube from Paddington Station, I saw the buskers in their usual places. Now, I have a very soft heart. Buskers see me coming from a mile away, and I generally keep loose change in my pockets to hand it out. It annoys people-including Mr. Y-that I give out change, but the way I see it is, if they're asking me for it, they probably need my change more than I do (I did, however, stop the policy of handing out change while I was unemployed. I figured I needed it then, too.)

If they have a dog they're definitely getting change from me if I have any.

If they play entertaining music or are very pleasant in their musical selection, then they generally get change from me, too. I figure if they're spending time making my trip more enjoyable, it's the least I can do.

I was walking past a guy in the busking station, playing his heart out on a guitar. He actually sounded quite nice, and it was a good song, so I flipped a 50 pence coin into his hat. He looked up at me.

"Thank you, luv." He said, smiling, his shoulder moving under the shoulder strap of his guitar in a breezy manner. "We're all looking for a new god."

Sounds about right to me.

On the tube, I sat down on a seat and bounding onto the seat next to me was a hyper-active young man, all jittery joints and red eyes. He was constantly wiping the end of his nose, which was bright red, and examining his hand. Now, I am no expert on drugs (although I can match you one on alcohol), but this man was definitely on something. He started biting his nails and spitting them out on the train floor, in brief breezy arcs that would wind up somewhere in the middle of the tube carriage. I watched, utterly horrified and fascinated all at the same time, rather like we are when we see a car accident-transfixed without our will. But then Jittery Boy started reaching into his ears and pulling out balls of wax, rolling them up in his fingers and rejecting them onto the floor, managing to still doing the nose rub thing.

The wax basketball was too much for me, and I had to move seats.

On the way back home, I sat in a row of seats alone and was treated to two young boys who thought that the best fun that they had had in ages was to let some serious wind rip and see the reactions of the passers-by. Worse, the passengers kept looking in my direction, and the young boys would dive low in their seats, so I have no doubt that most of the tube folk thought that I should best be kept away from curry houses in the future. I didn't even try to look embarrassed. After almost tossing my cookies, I have never been so happy in my life to get off the tube.

The final jaunt I had was on the train, and I sat next to a group of people, a bit tired and feeling that my cute strappy shoes weren't doing my feet any favors. The people next to me started talking to each other, and my ears did a Gizmo swivel and tuned right at them.

They were Americans.

As they talked about their day, I listened in. He was so jet-lagged. Would Sue like this T-shirt? Did you see that English policeman, the one with the Bobby hat? How about maybe seeing if we can get tickets to see "Mama Mia" tonight? Her feet are killing her, but she is determined to go see Parliament lit up tonight. Isn't this the best fun ever? She wonders if they'll get her postcards before she gets back.

I sighed somewhere within myself, and realized that in that very moment, I was actually rather homesick, and longing for a good long chat with people who are just like me-strangers in a strange land. Instead, I leaned towards them, not saying anything, and soaking up their broad and familiar accents and letting it warm me from the inside out.

-H.

PS-great news-I now have a PC, and I now have broadband. Blogging to recommence (I am very sorry my site hasn't been so active, and that I haven't been to other blogger's sites for a while!), and many thanks to the Newbury Public Library.

PPS-greater news-Sarah McLachlan is coming to England in October, and Mr. Y and I have bought tickets. Only 6 months and counting!

PPPS-greatest news-I got this book from a Miss K (name withheld to protect your privacy, my dear). I absolutely love David Sedaris-I first heard him on a car trip with Kim on NPR many years ago, and found him hysterical while being deeply, deeply honest. I can't recommend him enough. Thank you for the wonderful book, Miss K. It made my weekend!

PPPPS-I am 40 comments away from my 4000th comment.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 02:58 PM | Comments (21) | Add Comment
Post contains 1142 words, total size 6 kb.

1 What an experience! I'm always taken right to the moment when I read your posts. Congratulations on your broadband/pc combination! Welcome back to the connected.

Posted by: Lisa at April 18, 2004 04:05 PM (uxfbz)

2 Last fall, when I was able to go to England for the first time ever, John and I stayed in Salisbury. We took the train into London (many delays at that time - took 3 hours once - and I think it's only 70 miles away!). I was struck by how beautiful the British children are - they all have gorgeous skin. I was also struck by how many very young teens smoke on the train - they can't be more than 13 or 14. Which is why I was also struck with how old many 30ish British women looked - smoking ages that beautiful skin much too quickly. I also noticed a whole bunch of tatoos on the men. At least on the train. The tube was a little scary - people pushed me around quite a bit, and I was constantly afraid of pickpockets (there are signs everywhere warning of them). I do want to go back again - I didn't get a chance to see nearly enough. But I would not want to live there - I love my Leavenworth, Kansas.

Posted by: Beth Donovan at April 18, 2004 04:40 PM (igCu1)

3 Sheesh, I hope Sarah M. would visit our country too. Congrats on your PC and broadband, I'm still on dial-up. Takecare and Godbless. p.s. I'm pretty sure you'll reach your 4000th comment in no time. Your journal is a good read. You have a knack for writing, if I don't know better, you might be a pro writer. hehe. Wouldn't it be cool to compile this and make it into a book? [Ohkay, I'm stopping now...]

Posted by: Vikkicar at April 18, 2004 04:51 PM (E3NZV)

4 Never been on the English trains, but had the most amusing experience on the Metro in Paris. Group of about 12 of us traveling into the city from Charles DeGaul, we could not figure out the map in the train, but had a paper map, none of us spoke french, but managed to somehow convey to this guy on the train where we wanted to go. He spoke no english, so at every stop, all of our talking stopped, and 12 heads rotated towards this poor Frenchman, who would shake his head back and forth, and we would all start talking again, until he finally nodded at our stop, thanking him profusly. I was almost hysterical by the time we got off that train. The kindness of strangers strikes again =)

Posted by: Dane at April 18, 2004 05:39 PM (ncyv4)

5 The trick to having children with beautiful skin is to raise them in a country where the average annual rainfall is just this side of Noah's Flood - like the UK, for example...

Posted by: John at April 18, 2004 05:50 PM (lX4XA)

6 I moved to Britian from NYC... to get away from the commute. So I do feel for you, because it sounds very similar to my experiences in Manhattan... And re: your giving change to ... buskers (what's that mean? where does the word come from? i'm assuming panhandlers??)... we have the exact same 'rules'! You resonate! I love hearing Americans, too! I finally loved hearing them enough to say something. We went to Hay-on-Wye a couple of weeks ago (used book store paradise in Wales) and there was an American couple. It was so great talking to them. Such a connection, like you describe: stranger in a strange land. I'm not sure it's homesickness though. Just some rootedness feelings. I really don't feel homesick at all. Speaking of all that... as you DO resonate, if you ever want to get together and talk about Brits and Americans as Americans, just let me know! (I'm just north of Bristol, so not far from London. Although Brits think it's really far. It's really only, like, going to the Bronx from Staten Island. No big deal at all!)

Posted by: hetty at April 18, 2004 07:07 PM (zyqdt)

7 Congrats on your PC and broadband! 4000 comments, wow, I may get that many in about 100 years, if I'm lucky. LOL It's always funny the people you see on trains and buses, the weirdos and people you're sure are out on a weekend pass from "the home". Then I think, the crazies may be thinking the same thing about ME. : O)

Posted by: JaxVenus at April 18, 2004 10:28 PM (j0X+N)

8 People watching is often great fun!

Posted by: Courtney at April 19, 2004 12:42 AM (ISNgk)

9 You should try riding the train as a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan. Ok, so I'm asian and they think I'm Japanese. but my husband's not. People always stare. In fact, my friend was saying the other day that every time she goes to the public bath at the gym, women stare at her the whole time. From the moment she steps in and starts to shower, through the whole time she washes her hair and soaps up, and including when she gets into the warm bath to soak. Before I moved here, I thought Japanese people were polite. Now I know they can't control themselves when they see white people.

Posted by: reflection at April 19, 2004 12:42 AM (QuuTP)

10 Helen, I think it would be hilariously girlie to ride the tube with you. The people watching would elicit so many giggles I think. Maybe not cause we might be too inhibited right off, but ya never know. My girls and I have great fun when in NYC--we go out of our way to be hillbillies just for effect--Carhardts and cowboy boots!

Posted by: Marie at April 19, 2004 02:02 AM (3Y1np)

11 Maybe one day when i am people watching on the tube i will see you and not even know it! Or maybe we will even pass at a Sarah McLachlan gig in London! The worst i experienced this weekend was realising that the bloke sat opposite me on the northern line was really keen to engage me in conversation - about his needing to buy some milk! Abs x

Posted by: abs at April 19, 2004 09:19 AM (lnpfn)

12 Ahh, yes, prepare for many years of interesting public transportation stories. Also, I can assure you that after some plural years of living here and hearing English accents all the time, most American voices cease to be comforting and reveal themselves in the way British people hear them: grating, loud, and delf-important. Southerners still manage to sound charming, though.

Posted by: angel at April 19, 2004 10:45 AM (VDG65)

13 Ah, commuting. What a delight that is. The main thing that makes me bury my head on the tube or train is just how ugly most people seem to be. And if not innately physically repellent, they tend to have bad dandruff or halitosis or something like that. There's nothing worse than being wedged up against some stranger with dubious personal hygiene on the tube and have manky dead skin from their scalp cascading onto you. Bleugh. I've never known where all these tube passengers appear from or go to, as people on the street seem to be far more normal looking. The main bit of commuting survival advice I'd offer is that if one carriage looks significantly more empty than the others, it's bound to have at least one passenger who either reeks beyond belief or is completely mental. Or both. Sometimes it's worth forsaking a seat and following the crowds.

Posted by: Gareth at April 19, 2004 12:25 PM (NHA9E)

14 hetty - buskers are people who play music on the street in the hope of passers by giving them money.

Posted by: Gareth at April 19, 2004 12:29 PM (NHA9E)

15 I don´t really understand commuting, what it means. But for someone like me, that takes a train to work an average of 3 days a week a is comfortable with it, let me tell you something about crazy people: it´s heat related. Spring coming, temperature rising, and the amount of crazy on the train just raises and raises... Miguel.

Posted by: msd at April 19, 2004 12:59 PM (Idqki)

16 Helen- I am a reader but not a commenter. Just wanted to say I love your stories of an American living in a strange land, meeting friends, falling in and out of love, and your love for your animal friends. And I am so sorry your Dallas Stars were eliminated from the playoffs in five games by Colorado. (They used to be MY North Stars...) Take care!

Posted by: amelia at April 19, 2004 01:56 PM (3d5i9)

17 Amelia-WHAT!? My Stars are eliminated? Oh geez....how depressing...I see drinking will be happening in my house tonight! Gareth-absolutely right about the nasty odor folk-I switched tube lines this morning just to get away from the train I had been on with Funky Boy! Hetty-I was just in Bristol this weekend, to the IKEA and Richer Sounds there! Nice town you have there!

Posted by: Helen at April 19, 2004 02:16 PM (TmM0X)

18 Public transportation CAN be entertaining. Bill Cosby did a comedy routine back in the '60s (before my time) called "A Nut In Every Car". It's cleverly accurate and pretty funny if you ever get a chance to hear it. The whole CD "Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow" is worth having.

Posted by: Solomon at April 19, 2004 02:24 PM (t5Pi1)

19 I'm going to see Sarah too! Since Lovely Wife isn't a fan (yes she's a bohemian but I forgive her) I'll be seeing the honey throated one with Dopple-G's wife. I don't mind a bit of wife swapping when I get to go and pretend that Sarah is personally serenading me.

Posted by: Jim at April 19, 2004 07:26 PM (IOwam)

20 I love trains. Just love 'em. At home I take BART all over San Francisco; abroad it's the only way to get anywhere! One of my best memories is descending out of the airport in Frankfurt and into the main station for the first time. I sat down and sighed with contentment. And if you ever get the chance to take the Rhine ride between Paris and Heidelberg, DO IT!

Posted by: Kaetchen at April 19, 2004 07:42 PM (1nMRx)

21 Just wanted to stop in and say hello! I have been away for sometime now and I am looking forward to reading all of your past post... Take care and keep it up...

Posted by: Wired Nerve at April 19, 2004 10:29 PM (hL8Mp)

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