We had a meeting last Thursday afternoon on the other side of the city for all the women involved in the student ministry, to keep them up to date. It is a journey that would normally take about an hour. However, I decided that the best option would be to go by marshrutka.
My problems started as soon as I walked out of my flat, as the lift failed to materialise. After about 10 minutes, it finally appeared. I got down to the bottom to be greeted by a lady in a gas mask, who had been cleaning out the shaft. The answer to why I didn't go down the stairs is that they are locked at the bottom, and I don't have a key. I choose not to think about that.
In the meantime, I think I missed at least one marshrutka. I probably waited another 10 minutes for another one, resigning myself to the fact that I might not be early to the meeting, but it would save me walking to the metro. Finally the bus turned up, I got on, paid, and sat down with my book. After a short distance, the driver stopped, I think in the hope that some more passengers might get on. Vain hope, as we waited for about 10 minutes. We got to the next metro stop, where the driver decided to have a cigarette, and a chat with another driver. I kept looking at my watch, thinking I would be lucky if I was to make it on time.
Traffic was not in our favour, and as we progressed further, it began to be plain that I would not make the meeting on time. We travelled further, and I sat comfortably reading. 20 minutes after I was supposed to have arrived, I stopped reading, as the scenery was looking familiar and I didn't want to miss where I was supposed to get off. The driver turned round and said something, but no-one heard except one guy who answered him. Then he almost took off (I think he may have been running late...) I stopped recognising the scenery, and was wondering where we were. Then a lady turned to me and asked me whether Muzhestva had already been (where we were going). I said that I didn't think so, but then someone else said it had. Horror of horrors, I asked the driver. He said that we had missed it (that must have been what he had asked...) and three of us got off, to catch something to take us back. The other two promptly disappeared, and I crossed the road, walking through the mud and the rain, until at last I found something going back the other way. I made it to the meeting an hour late, putting down the delay to bad luck.
On the way home, I decided that the journey on the way was a one off problem, and that it would be easier to go home by marshrutka, as it meant again, that I didn't have to walk from the metro. We waited another 15 minutes maybe for one to come, and were on the point of giving up when it appeared.
I realised after going a short distance that it was the same marshrutka as on the way. My memory was helped along by the fact that the driver lit up as he was driving, and then appeared to stop again. But, as we were waiting to go on again, the door opened, and a policeman came in. We were really worried by now, but he just told us to take our fares back and go. Luckily we were close to a metro station. There was a tow truck in front, so something must have been missing. So we ended up coming home by metro after all, and not only did I spend 2 hours getting to Muzhestva, but we then spent 2 hours getting back. That will teach me to be lazy about walking to the metro!
Aaron and Luke had another bad experience the next day, when the door fell off the marshrutka as they went down Nevsky. I opted for the bus.
Sarah
xxx
My problems started as soon as I walked out of my flat, as the lift failed to materialise. After about 10 minutes, it finally appeared. I got down to the bottom to be greeted by a lady in a gas mask, who had been cleaning out the shaft. The answer to why I didn't go down the stairs is that they are locked at the bottom, and I don't have a key. I choose not to think about that.
In the meantime, I think I missed at least one marshrutka. I probably waited another 10 minutes for another one, resigning myself to the fact that I might not be early to the meeting, but it would save me walking to the metro. Finally the bus turned up, I got on, paid, and sat down with my book. After a short distance, the driver stopped, I think in the hope that some more passengers might get on. Vain hope, as we waited for about 10 minutes. We got to the next metro stop, where the driver decided to have a cigarette, and a chat with another driver. I kept looking at my watch, thinking I would be lucky if I was to make it on time.
Traffic was not in our favour, and as we progressed further, it began to be plain that I would not make the meeting on time. We travelled further, and I sat comfortably reading. 20 minutes after I was supposed to have arrived, I stopped reading, as the scenery was looking familiar and I didn't want to miss where I was supposed to get off. The driver turned round and said something, but no-one heard except one guy who answered him. Then he almost took off (I think he may have been running late...) I stopped recognising the scenery, and was wondering where we were. Then a lady turned to me and asked me whether Muzhestva had already been (where we were going). I said that I didn't think so, but then someone else said it had. Horror of horrors, I asked the driver. He said that we had missed it (that must have been what he had asked...) and three of us got off, to catch something to take us back. The other two promptly disappeared, and I crossed the road, walking through the mud and the rain, until at last I found something going back the other way. I made it to the meeting an hour late, putting down the delay to bad luck.
On the way home, I decided that the journey on the way was a one off problem, and that it would be easier to go home by marshrutka, as it meant again, that I didn't have to walk from the metro. We waited another 15 minutes maybe for one to come, and were on the point of giving up when it appeared.
I realised after going a short distance that it was the same marshrutka as on the way. My memory was helped along by the fact that the driver lit up as he was driving, and then appeared to stop again. But, as we were waiting to go on again, the door opened, and a policeman came in. We were really worried by now, but he just told us to take our fares back and go. Luckily we were close to a metro station. There was a tow truck in front, so something must have been missing. So we ended up coming home by metro after all, and not only did I spend 2 hours getting to Muzhestva, but we then spent 2 hours getting back. That will teach me to be lazy about walking to the metro!
Aaron and Luke had another bad experience the next day, when the door fell off the marshrutka as they went down Nevsky. I opted for the bus.
Sarah
xxx
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