continued....

I have continued on with my feminist reclamation. Today I got done with work early and decided to do some shopping in town. Taxis are quite dear, but shared taxis are quite popular. Shared taxis are interesting, a fifteen passenger van filled up to the brim while a man hangs out the window whistling at you to get in. So I wandered around the main road for a bit trying to figure out which one to get in, when such whistling man just told me to get in the car. So I did. And squeezed in next to a man with five bin bags which I’m fairly certain were full of chicken feet. I was also next to a nice looking business man who asked me straight away where I was from. I guess it is that obvious that I am not from here. It could have been the sunglasses or skirt, but it was a boiling 22 degrees, though all of the locals were bundled in jackets and scarves. It was a bumpy ride and very hot in that car, but slightly hilarious. We ended the journey at the top of the train station and needless to say I was the only white girl out of hundreds. People keep trying to say hi to you, but I kept the head down and marched through. It was an insane bus terminal, if you can even call it that with hundreds of these vans going nowhere in particular and people just running everywhere. After a bit of manoeuvring I found myself on the main street and attempted some unfortunate shopping. It was about five and I figured I better figure out a way to get home before it got dark (not that ready to reclaim the actual night…). It was approaching twilight and I had quite a debate about taking the train or not. All I could hear was don’t take the train at night, but it was rush hour and I didn’t think that it could be that bad. So I bought a ticket and amazingly found my way on a train. Although I watched my bag like a hawk, nothing happened. Except the randoms that run onto the train selling fritos and cigarettes for cheaper than chips. Or the blind woman who sings all the way down the train and back up again clutching her son’s arm while he holds out a battered cup.