I'm in. I'm sooooo in.

I had to teach a class this morning (Saturday duty - the curse of the newbie teacher). As I was walking up the hill towards my bus stop, I saw a bus approaching. It slowed down and flashed its lights. Aha! I quickly hailed and he picked me up. I wasn't anywhere close to the stop yet. He recognized me! The bus driver knows me! I guess I'm pretty memorable, probably being one of the few gringos in San Rafael. But it made my morning to know that he made a special stop for me.

Bus drivers can be a fickle, surly bunch. They know they have the power. Some get a real attitude about it. This one was already one of my favorites. He picks up as many people as possible - I mean, really packs 'em in, to the point that some mornings people are spilling out the doors. Yet he still manages to get back and forth from San Jose as quick as the rest. It may not make for the most comfortable ride (imagine sardines on a roller coaster), but it's an excellent quality in a bus driver. During rush hour, when other drivers are zooming past and it seems like I'll never get a ride, this driver appears like a knight in shining armor... on a really loaded-down horse.

It's nice to be known. And it feels good to have someone on my side. Especially a guy that holds my key to the city.

Labels: costa rica