The phrase "on the bus" means many things to people. For some it might mean buying into a particular program, following while the leader steers you and others toward a destination which he or she feels fit to lead you. I had a leader like that on Guam who felt compelled to drive his bus into a ditch and the wheels kept spinning while the people who were on the bus, out of desperation, got off the bus. Who wouldn't get off the bus in those circumstances?
But, another meaning for "on the bus" is simply the true straight forward meaning. To be "on the bus" was a way of life for those at this new school. It was a meeting place or a beginning of the day. It was a place where people met new friends who might remain the strongest of friends throughout their time together and into the future.
I, for one, have a long history of riding the bus. When I was a child in Portland, Oregon the bus was a form of transportation which some in my family used regularly because we had only one car and further it was cheaper and more convenient when the bus took us to the exact place.
When I reached upper elementary age I took the bus to school across Portland to a private school, Trinity Lutheran School. I got to really like the time on the bus because it gave me time to do homework before I returned home and I'd have the evening free for entertainment. I met some interesting friends on the daily trek across Portland.
But, now in Suzhou riding the bus was a new experience for an American teacher. All teachers and all workers rode the bus to and from the school. It was a benefit of the job to not have to pay for transportation. It was not necessary to have a car in Suzhou. That could have added a whole level of expense that was unnecessary.
As I'd said in a past blog I would need to be at the entrance of my apartment, Chateau Regency, at 7:23 exactly to be picked up by the bus. After a few days I became acquainted with the other SSIS employees who got on at my stop. In my own apartment house building lived a Chinese kindergarten teacher. Her claim to fame from my perspective was her ability to arrive exactly, and I truly mean exactly, at the time of the arrival of the bus. 7:23.....ah, yes, there she was walking not running across the street and never missing the bus once. She'd see husband leave and her daughter to her transportation and there she'd be.
Another person at my stop was one of the IT department Chinese workers. He was a friendly young man who often would arrive walking backwards to the stop. In China people do curious things and walking backward is thought of as a way of focusing the mind; something that is similar to other mind sharpening exercises.
As the school year would progress other short term employees would use this same bus stop. I was literally always the first to the stop, a personality trait to be on time if not ahead of time. I would use the time at the stop to introduce myself and build on my Mandarin skills.
The bus would stop at the prescribed time and the women would be sent up the steps followed by myself and the Chinese IT technician. I would greet the bus driver, after I practiced a few times, with Ni Hao and walk to the middle of the bus. At this stop, which was near the end of the route, there were only about eight employees sitting on the bus before our stop.
Because we all worked at the same destination I eventually learned most everyone's job and where they worked within the SSIS building. There was a Pre-K drama music teacher that I would work with in a very general way. She was more to herself in the lower elementary school by the nature of the young students that she served. Strange as it maybe she reminded me of a student that I'd had many years ago.
There was a woman who worked at the front desk answering the phone and other assorted assignments. Also, there was a quiet woman who was one of the best computer help desk persons that I'd met. One day I happened to sit next to her and she shared her earphones with me. She was listening to some American country pop music at the time and that impressed me. I remember the song, "You Look Beautiful In White" being one of the songs that I had heard that day. I thought to myself, "I come all the way to China to hear an American song which I'd never heard before."
The ride to Suzhou Singapore International School took us by Jinji Lake, down a long boulevard and through a series of other large avenues until we reached the school. The first time I rode this bus it became apparent that the bus driver was not the usual driver that I'd encountered before. The Chinese style of driving was a bit of anything goes. Even though we were on a large tourist styled bus he drove as if he were maneuvering a sports car. I was to learn that this was not unusual at all for drivers in China.
We finally got to the school and all the buses drove up almost simultaneously. We disembarked the buses in single file and entered the foyer of the school. Welcome to SSIS.
But, another meaning for "on the bus" is simply the true straight forward meaning. To be "on the bus" was a way of life for those at this new school. It was a meeting place or a beginning of the day. It was a place where people met new friends who might remain the strongest of friends throughout their time together and into the future.
I, for one, have a long history of riding the bus. When I was a child in Portland, Oregon the bus was a form of transportation which some in my family used regularly because we had only one car and further it was cheaper and more convenient when the bus took us to the exact place.
When I reached upper elementary age I took the bus to school across Portland to a private school, Trinity Lutheran School. I got to really like the time on the bus because it gave me time to do homework before I returned home and I'd have the evening free for entertainment. I met some interesting friends on the daily trek across Portland.
But, now in Suzhou riding the bus was a new experience for an American teacher. All teachers and all workers rode the bus to and from the school. It was a benefit of the job to not have to pay for transportation. It was not necessary to have a car in Suzhou. That could have added a whole level of expense that was unnecessary.
As I'd said in a past blog I would need to be at the entrance of my apartment, Chateau Regency, at 7:23 exactly to be picked up by the bus. After a few days I became acquainted with the other SSIS employees who got on at my stop. In my own apartment house building lived a Chinese kindergarten teacher. Her claim to fame from my perspective was her ability to arrive exactly, and I truly mean exactly, at the time of the arrival of the bus. 7:23.....ah, yes, there she was walking not running across the street and never missing the bus once. She'd see husband leave and her daughter to her transportation and there she'd be.
Another person at my stop was one of the IT department Chinese workers. He was a friendly young man who often would arrive walking backwards to the stop. In China people do curious things and walking backward is thought of as a way of focusing the mind; something that is similar to other mind sharpening exercises.
As the school year would progress other short term employees would use this same bus stop. I was literally always the first to the stop, a personality trait to be on time if not ahead of time. I would use the time at the stop to introduce myself and build on my Mandarin skills.
The bus would stop at the prescribed time and the women would be sent up the steps followed by myself and the Chinese IT technician. I would greet the bus driver, after I practiced a few times, with Ni Hao and walk to the middle of the bus. At this stop, which was near the end of the route, there were only about eight employees sitting on the bus before our stop.
Because we all worked at the same destination I eventually learned most everyone's job and where they worked within the SSIS building. There was a Pre-K drama music teacher that I would work with in a very general way. She was more to herself in the lower elementary school by the nature of the young students that she served. Strange as it maybe she reminded me of a student that I'd had many years ago.
There was a woman who worked at the front desk answering the phone and other assorted assignments. Also, there was a quiet woman who was one of the best computer help desk persons that I'd met. One day I happened to sit next to her and she shared her earphones with me. She was listening to some American country pop music at the time and that impressed me. I remember the song, "You Look Beautiful In White" being one of the songs that I had heard that day. I thought to myself, "I come all the way to China to hear an American song which I'd never heard before."
The ride to Suzhou Singapore International School took us by Jinji Lake, down a long boulevard and through a series of other large avenues until we reached the school. The first time I rode this bus it became apparent that the bus driver was not the usual driver that I'd encountered before. The Chinese style of driving was a bit of anything goes. Even though we were on a large tourist styled bus he drove as if he were maneuvering a sports car. I was to learn that this was not unusual at all for drivers in China.
We finally got to the school and all the buses drove up almost simultaneously. We disembarked the buses in single file and entered the foyer of the school. Welcome to SSIS.
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