So, every morning the buses to school (in Spain) are pretty crowded. There aren’t many regulations (actually there are none) on how many people can fit on a bus. Also, in general, it has been noted that the Spaniards are not afraid to push or cut in line to get on the bus. Normally, I usually just let them go and I get on the next bus.

On Thursday, this was not the case. When I approached the bus, there were just so many people that I was instantly separated from my friends Tasia and Madison at the stop. The bus was clearly full, and the bus driver yelled that he was going to close the door. It was at this moment my inner Spaniard came out, and pushed onto the bus anyway. I pushed about 3 people on so that I could get on too, and then a couple people saw what I did and followed. The bus was so packed that We didn’t have to hold on to anything, we were just sardines waiting to be eaten by the classroom and monotony of everyday movement.

However when the bus pulled away, I instantly noticed that we were a little heavy in front. When the bus stopped at a red light, there was air flowing out of somewhere. The bus driver looked worried. He had a student climb out to check the tires (he couldn’t get out himself because there were too many people). The student saw nothing, but there was clearly a lot of air and the bus was lower than usual. We pulled over and the bus driver called in, asking if he could keep going. His manager said no, and all of the students started yelling. Eventually the driver was convinced to keep going. The bus moved very slowly and tilted more than usual on the turns. When we finally got to the university and everyone piled off, the bus driver called in and the bus was out of commission. Supposedly there were only just a few too many students on the bus. Whoops.

Today I decided that I wasn’t going to push and I ended up missing two buses. If breaking the bus is what it takes, SO BE IT.