As soon as I made sure it was ok with the Y that I leave for 6 weeks and still have a room there, I said yes to Rebecca. (The Y was very accommodating!)
The only down side to living in the wee seas side village of Greystones was that that's all I was doing there. All my ministries were still in the city.
So I got to know the DART line real well! (The electric rail system, Dublin Area Rapid Transit, DART) Heading south, the DART line follows the coast line, so during daylight hours, it's a beautiful commute! It was also great for getting loads of reading done. I wouldn't say I'm a particularly fast reader, but I went through so many books during that month of commuting. (Which the nerd in me loved!)
As ideal as the DART is for reading, it's also fantastic for sleeping. Just the gentle swaying, lolling sleep upon it's unsuspecting passengers.
One of the hazards with sleeping on a train is the possibility of missing your stop. Thankfully Greystones was the last stop on the line, so if I was headed home and the eyes suddenly couldn't stay open on their own, it would be ok.
One time this happened, I didn't think I was actually asleep. I thought I was just in the awkward eyes closed but not actually asleep stage. Ideal really, because I still knew where I was. What stops I was at, how many I still had to go. The voice announced over the air Shankill, then Bray... then 10 minutes more sleep and we'd be in Greystones. As the train came to a stop, I leaned my head back, confident that we were at Bray and I had 10 more minutes. Suddenly there's a hand on my knee and a lady's saying "love, this is the last stop. " I jump awake! Oops!
Apparently I was not as awake as I thought I was.
Another thing one experiences on the DART, especially the more one rides it are the beggars. Technically they shouldn't be on the trains. So I guess they've figured out a way around that and so they actually sell tissues on the trains. Walking up the car, putting a packet on the seat next to you, with a note saying that they're not beggars, they have children, etc, would you please help them by buying these tissues. They then come back down the aisle of the car collecting the tissues, or money. At the next stop they get out and go to the next car.
I was so confused the first time I encountered this. I thought I was getting a free packet of tissues! (They did do that in Japan). Then I read the note, and watched how everyone else responded. Oh... you just ignore them, or say no thanks....
One time when I was on the DART, 2 men got on and sat next to me. One across from me, one next to me. The man across from me was trying to roll a cigaret, but was shaking so much that the tobacco was just going everywhere. (It's against the law to smoke on trains, so just him doing that, I thought was a bit bold). The man next to me was talking about how they just need 5 more Euro for a hostile that night. But it was so degrading asking people for money. So degrading. Did people think he enjoyed it? So degrading. No pride....
I of course was just reading my book during this whole intercourse. As I listened to this intercourse, part of my heart wanted to go out to the men. I had a fiver, if that meant they'd have a roof tonight. The other part of my heart felt the conversation sounded too staged. Not to discount how degrading it is. It is. I can't even imagine. But.... I don't know, was I just being too cynical?
This probably only lasted 2 minutes then the man next to me stood up saying he'd get the front of the car if the other guy got the back of the car.
"They're not...!!!" I thought, not even pretending to read my book at this point, as I watched the men walk to the front of the car asking every person they passed if they could spare some change for a hostile.
At the next stop they got off.
Another time on the DART I felt the gentle rolling of the train to overpowering to read. I was headed into town, but had like 45 minutes, so plenty of time to get a wee nap. I plugged my phone in to charge in an outlet next to me and laid my head on my bag on the seat next to me, and attempted to sleep. I don't know if you've ever found this to be true, but sometimes when you actually give into the desire of the body, (like sleep) the brain doesn't oblige.
As I at least pretended to sleep, I was aware of couple getting on the train. She had a very heavy, broad Irish accent. There's loads of different accents just among the Irish. But there's the broad accent (heard more among the blue collar/working class). As charming as the Irish accent can be, this accent just annoys me. But anyway. It was noon, but this lady had already been drinking or was on something. The car is empty except for the 2 of them and myself. Mind you, I'm pretending to be asleep, but I hear her go on about looking for an outlet to charge her phone. She just wants to charge her phone. As there's probably only 1 (maybe 2) outlets in a car, and I'm using one, I assume she's just jealous of me. I hear her walking around the car. Which is unnerving because normally you just sit. But I again assume she's looking for an outlet. Part of me is concerned that she's just off her rocker enough to take my phone or my bag. But I'm listening to music, and it's still coming through my ear buds, so she hasn't taken my phone. And my head is still on my bag, so that's still there. We're ok. Why am I getting paranoid?
Some time later I become aware of more people on the train and a younger girl actually comes over to me and asks if I'm ok.... at this point I finally sit up.... Feeling a mix of "aw that was sweet that she was worried about me (I must look rough!) and why would she asks me that when I'm clearly sleeping...?"
At this point I finally check my phone. My phone is still in my hand. The USB cable is still in my phone. But the USB cable is no longer in the plug.
The feeling of violation and naivety wash over me as I discreetly put my USB cable away. Trying to decide if I go and ask the couple if I can have my plug back, or if I just let them have it.
By this point in time, the train is actually quite full and I feel that my confronting the lady will just make a scene. So whether or not it was just the easy route out, I left the DART that day avoiding potential conflict but forever less naive in trusting people and their intentions.
But that may not be such a bad thing.....
