Ode to los camiones 

Constantly changing routes 

Impossible to be late 

When there is no schedule

…to begin with

I know I’ve written better pieces, but I’ve also (probably – possibly) written worse. In all seriousness though, I am very grateful for the camiones (public transport buses) for getting me to school every morning and taking me around the city. Actually, let me revise. For eventually getting me to school most mornings and usually delivering me to el Centro, often with some fun and unexpected stops along the way. 

I am currently writing to you all from the back seat of the R2 bus, marinating in a pile of my own sweat. It’s currently 99F outside (my weather app says it feels like 102F) and I am the only person in sight who has not stifled themselves in a pair of thick denim jeans. Despite my airy romper, I can feel the river of sweat running down my back and collecting in a lovely puddle on the hard plastic seat I’ve been sitting on for too long. While the R2 usually takes me from the bus stop next to my house to the university in about 15 minutes, it seems as if today el camione was in a silly goofy mood that inspired a 45 minute addition to the route – because why not? I left the house at 2:10pm for my 3pm class, giving myself plenty of extra time to get to class, but it is now 3:04, now I’ve gotten a tour of half the city of Merida, class has started and I’m still in my same sweat puddle. 

Luckily, my professor was also running on “Mexican time,” so I was not the least bit late despite technically arriving 9 minutes after class had begun. My class was a success and I was fortunate to quickly catch a bus that happened to take a direct route home, making it to my next class on time. 

My view from the R2

Though it can be frustrating and exhausting trying to navigate the ever-changing bus “schedule,” I love it all the same. It has taught me to both improve my time management ability and learn to be more relaxed about timing and tardiness. I no longer freak out about being a few minutes late and am learning to enjoy myself when I arrive somewhere early. I am trying to reframe the way I think about time, choosing to be grateful for what I have instead of fixating on “wasting” or “losing” it. Though I know my professors in the US will be significantly less chill about me arriving 9 minutes late, I hope to be able to transfer pieces of my relaxed attitude surrounding productivity and time to the US.

Until next time! Hasta luego!