Thursday, July 26, 2007

I am sorry for whining about riding the bus

I would like to apologize to my parents for years of complaining about how I got to school.


Yes, these children in China have to take cross a river, via zip line, to get to school. Follow the link for more pictures. Kind of adds a new wrinkle to the old "uphill both ways in the snow" story, doesn't it?

Until I was 16, I rode the big yellow bus to high school. When I got my license, I was allowed to drive my father to his office in the morning and then continue on to school with the car (and my younger brother). And then of course I had to pick my dad up after work. Today, I'm not seeing why this arrangement was worth the trouble, but at the time, being the proud "owner" of a car for seven hours every day was a great big deal. I can say that the arrangement taught me a lot about gas mileage and the true meaning of "empty." I always managed to leave my father with a quarter teaspoon of gas. I don't think I ever paid for gas until I was twenty. He also had the habit of emptying the change in his pockets into the compartment in the door, and that change bought many a Taco Bell bean burrito.

So, anyone have a good high school commute story?

2 comments:

alexgirl said...

In elementary school I had to cross an arroyo and jump a fence (or shimmy under it) to get to school.

Anonymous said...

great zipline pic--that's education dedication.
my story is similiar to yours--big yellow twinkie until 16--and my mom wouldn't let me catch rides with other friends in case they were 'dangerous' drivers. later, i drove a 1976 orange jeep and my friends would count how many curbs i'd cruise over each day. turns out it was me who was dangerous behind the wheel!
=) heidi