The Metro

In Rome I feel like the metro is never there to help you. Want to get from point A to point B? Well, just follow this overly complex route of buses, trams, and subway systems and you’ll get there in no time! Except when you try walking there, and oddly arrive in half the time. The buses hide the button to signal you want to stop so you’re left to desperately claw at the window as you watch your destination roll past. A painless ride on the subway turns into motion sickness and utter chaos in the cars as the conductor abuses his control over the slow down/speed up lever in between stops. And just when you think you’re on the right side of the road for the tram, it magically appears on the other side, even though you triple checked the sign above the stop.

Today I took the metro home from school. I decided to finally break out my iPod and listen to some music as I rode the subway from Barberini to San Giovanni. Everything that played was extremely upbeat and had me tapping my toes while I mouthed every word of the songs. I didn’t care that numerous people were blatantly staring at me, I was in my own world and quite frankly, it rocked. For once the ride was smooth and I was ready and at the door when my stop was reached. I was in such a good mood that I walked all the way up the two long escalators to the top, each step in sync to the rhythm of Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple. That is, until I reached the exit turnstile and slammed right into a non-moving piece of metal, almost toppling over it and straight into concrete. I looked at the screen attached to the revolving bars. A green check mark. I checked the ones on either side of me. Green check marks. I tried again, pushing it with my hands. It didn’t budge. Everyone else was swarming past me, gliding with ease through their correctly chosen means of escape. After waiting for everyone else to leave, I was finally free to tentatively try another turnstile and gleefully run up the stairs into the rain as Kids by MGMT started up in my headphones.