"The subways here in Beijing are almost always packed. In the short moments that the doors are open, hundreds of passengers push their way on and off the subway. Today though, it was even more crowded than usual. As we stopped at more and more stations on our way to the silk market, we found ourselves blocked in on all sides by what must have been over a hundred people jammed into our little subway car alone. There was no room to move in any direction. Our arms were pinned to our sides, and there was little room for our legs to move. Having lived here in Beijing these past couple of months, I’ve began to realize that I no longer have a personal bubble. Personal space is a luxury you can’t afford here.
Arriving at our stop, we realized that we were locked towards the center of the subway car, far from the exit doors on either end. Leading the way, I tried to push through the throngs of people blocking our way, but no one was getting out of the way. The bells began ringing, signifying that the doors would soon be closing. Realizing that unless something changed, none of us would be getting off this subway before the doors slammed shut, I did what any mature, sensible twenty two year old young man would have done; I began frantically shouting “laduzi, laduzi” (diarrhea). It caused quite the commotion as everyone was trying to scramble out of our way, but the sea of people parted allowing the four of us to escape through the door just in time. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and I was even amazed at how well it worked. When I regained my composure, I realized that I probably shouldn’t attempt to create any more mass panics on public transportation."
May I add to this that after we got off the subway, I could not stop laughing for like 5 minutes.
Abby, Terrorism on public transit! Funny!
ReplyDeleteLove. This!!
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