On Being a Commuter

Where to start?

It’s week two of being back in the corporate world and I’ve hit the ground running since Monday as the girl I replaced left last Friday. For the first 4 days, I was working closely with her, learning the ropes so speak.

My new desk

The work itself is great, I’m starting to feel comfortable in my new roles, the people are great to work with, the environment is really nice. I can really see myself growing in this place. The commute not so much, but I am not complaining. I’m merely sharing with you pieces of my daily life nowadays.

Disassociation came in handy when I have to force my way into a congested train full of women. Mind you yes, the situation is pretty bad that the Indonesian government decided to designated some cars just for women! That says a lot about how women are being treated. Sadly! While it is a great way to give women a safer place, why not emphasis more on teaching men to be more respectful instead of moving the women out if the way? Okay, that’s a whole new topic altogether.

The train really is the best option for me in terms of how fast it is compare to being stuck in traffic for hours. I could reach work which is the center of Jakarta in one hour max. My heart sank when I met a junior admin girl who told me about her daily commute that takes up to 3 hours each way! Bless her heart.

Being in the train really is something new for me so it takes awhile to get used to the new rhythm. Seems like all hell break loose! From the pushing, the shoving, the screaming even down to near smack down between women. I am in total awe at the drama of being in the women’s train car. While I salute these strong willed women, it made me wonder how far this country still have to go to provide its citizen with a safe, comfortable and most importantly reliable public transportation system.

The first few days was rough, I told my boy that his Mommy will be in a semi comatose condition by the time she gets home from work. Hah! Now, I’ve learned the art of swaying inside the train. Yes, you read that right. Swaying! You see, at first it was like a natural instinct for me to held on tightly to the bars inside the train while tensing my whole body just trying to keep my balance. Wrong move! I ended up feeling so sore. Now, I just learn to sway to whichever direction the ‘wave’ is inside the train.

Pushing to get into the train Inside

My mini iPod is a life safer. Really. I can just close my eyes, swaying and zoning out. Is it crazy? Maybe to some but for me this new job is a blessing. It landed on my lap unexpectedly and I’m a firm believer that nothing is ever a coincidence. That thoughts keeps me going. Knowing I am providing for my son, helping my family out and being productive? That fuels me!

So there you go. A little update from my neck of the woods!

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6 thoughts on “On Being a Commuter

  1. Lia Reply

    perjuangan banget ya kalau mau berangkat dan pulang kerja. selamat atas pekerjaan barunya ya, Mbak 🙂

  2. Gracielle Reply

    Wow! I can’t believe that women have separate cars in your country. I’m sure the government meant well, so hopefully they are as comfortable as the mens’ train cars? I used to travel 2 hours one-way in college. It was exhausting, but at least I could sit, sleep, or read. Good luck on your daily grind.

  3. Lux Ganzon Reply

    You’re right in still looking at the bright side of things. Focus on the blessings and not on the obstacles. Kudos to your bravery.

    Good luck on your work.

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