My train experience

Hi all,

Today I want to talk about my experience in a train. By the way I travel by train everyday from town to Seaview since September 2006. It's a 20 minutes ride. The reason I'm using it, I know everybody knows, they are cheap. Some of my friends think they are dangerous because of the crime that is happening in the trains. I don't argue with them but I think it depends where the train comes from because there are trains that I can't ride also from Umlazi and KwaMashu the stories that you hear about what is happening in these trains are.... let me share one with you;

These trains are always full, I mean packed so there is no space between people who are also standing because all the seats are occupied in the third class coaches. Mind you first class coaches are empty. Some of the people use this opportunity to do their sick games one woman shared that one day she was standing in the train and a man was standing behind her she did not notice anything odd by that until she was told by another women when they were at their station that her skirt was dirty. The silly man had masturbated whilst the train was moving until he ejaculated on her.... c what I'm talking about if I say I will never board those train.

Back to the topic; I travel between Berea Station and Seaview so I use platform 11 and 12. Ever since I started I sit on the same bench nowhere else and I only greet the person that I would find sitting. Then I will open my newspaper and read nothing else. No friends nothing its three years. I've had a couple of disturbances maybe someone is looking for some money because they were suppose to meet their relative and now they are not there. I give but also tell them if they are lying my God is going to take good care of them not in a bad way....

There are regulars in my platform. Two guys who tried to be my friend but did not succeed. They used to borrow my newspaper when I had finished reading it and I refuse point blank. I asked them how much they spend for lunch and both of them proudly told me... And I suggested that they cut their spending so that they can buy a newspaper because I also sacrifice a nice lunch for it. Their argument was, what will I do with the paper? I told them that I would rather give it to the man on the street to roll his cigarrate with it after reading it from cover to cover than them who are going to read sports section but have a lot to say about government without the basic information.

Ever since then they know that they should mind their business and don't interfere with me. Call me any name you like, I board the fourth coach of the train and also sit on the same seat ever since.

Am I boring or what? Please let me know what you think....

Life

Well, well, well, well I wish I could just say that. Its been a while since I've been here and I've promised myself that at least I have to write something everyday but now have realised that I can't not that there is nothing to say but its just that time is always against us. 

Starting with work: work is cool I would say I love my job its just that the money is not enough especially since I work away from home so I have two houses to maintain and its taking its tall. I've learned something new and I'm so happy and addicted to it working on a website. Karen Lotter aka eThekwini girl is doing a very good job in this. 

We are renewing our website at work so I'm kind of doing all the editing - I'm always happy when I learn something new. I've told some of my friends that I'm looking for a part time  job and am hoping I will get something soon and believing that the Almighty is planning something great for me. 

Before I forget; we were invited for a launch of two Agenda Feminist Media Journals, Sexual and Reproductive Rights edited by Deborah Ewing who is my Director by the way and Family Politics edited by Kristin Palitza. These two women did a good job. It was great to meet Kristin, she looks lovely. 

Guest speaker was Dr Nompumelelo Zondi a vocal woman and we had entertainment by Vivani Bafazi - a women's traditional dance group from Zwelibomvu. They are a bunch of amazing women most of them if not all of them are illiterate and unemployed. I like them and made a promise to them that I will visit them when I have time. 

About the whole launch thing, personally I think it was boring. The set up, there was not banner to advertise the organisation hosting it, I don't think you want to know about the time it started 3 hours late because there were people who were suppose to come. Who do you blame in these instances the organisation or the guests who responded to the invitations because we would not have waited if they did not. Oh! and there was this young poet girl who did a good job - her voice is amazing. 

What was really sad for me was the fact that the Vivani Bafazi group could not understand what was being said because of their level of literacy I wonder what was going on in the heads of the people who invited them. Were they considered as just a group of entertainers? I think they deserved to know what was going on because one of the articles was about their own communities. These are some of the things that we come across in our daily lives. 

Enough about work for the past weeks I've been... am trying to find the right words of saying this. I'm looking for a place to stay here in DBN but nothing. So at the moment am frustrated, stressed I'm living with my niece and her husband at the moment who are so very moody I hate every moment of it. 

Last week my friend's son Qhawe turned one it was a great party!!!!!! I met new friends and a friend suggested that I join the African Village group of which I did after a few reminders from her. This site is great I've met great friends from Kenya and Nigeria. We try to talk everyday, if we cannot chat we text each other. There are good people around. This week we are trying to finalise our website at work. 

Have to go now, will talk later! 

Peace