The daily commute

I was thinking recently about how different my daily commute to work is than it was last year. And then realized it might be a pretty good blog. So, last year my commute consisted of two lovely Minnesotans, an old honda accord with a moldy trunk, and NPR. Now, I take a bus everyday. I live far enough outside of Loja that there are no official bus stops in my neighborhood. Instead I stand on the corner and flag the bus down like I would a taxi every morning. Now, when I say I live that far out of town, it's really only a 15 minute bus ride downtown. Loja's small. The bus costs 25 cents, and on lucky days when it's not too hectic, I'll read a book for my whole commute. However, my bus ride is usually interrupted by various distractions. Men will enter selling everything from bubble gum to their own mother. I had a guy a few weeks ago come on selling some sort of herbal medicine that he claimed not only cured cancer, but also gave you clear skin. Various animals also ride the bus with me, normally a dog or pet, but occasionally chickens and roosters. Other times people will come on hoping to entertain and get a few bucks. Anyway, I've become so accustomed to this, that it doesn't occur to me that it's out of the ordinary. That is, until I compare it to my life pre-Ecuador.