Commuting Through the Lens

By now, I’ve sampled a few lines and I could see striking differences between the people who boarded onto the train carriages. For me, it’s always simple. A backpack and a hand carry, nothing more nothing less, no matter the distance. Yet, I notice differences in these people depending on the line and the type of the train. For executive trains and express ones, everyone is looking like their calendar is in control of their life, a neat dress and an expensive luggage. For the regular long distance train, you could see them carrying a neck pillow and some bags filled with snacks and food. Then, there’s the commuter line, where personal space is more like a recommendation and what they carry is either too much or too little.

Almost rarely, people take out their phone to take pictures in this commuter line. These people are just trying to get through the day, mostly at work or even going back to their family after a week long, working to make ends meet.

This train is too ordinary to look at and borderline chaotic for an instagram worthy picture. You could see someone’s feet up across the seat like they paid for two, plastic bags everywhere and then, there's a specific kind of smell, instant noodles, sweat and something you would rather not think about. Thankfully, the AC hums, trying its best to help you survive its condition. Having to experience the extreme while I was traveling in Thailand, those are nothing.

It made me remember an encounter I had with a woman who traveled the first time on economy. She felt uncomfortable and finds it a little chaotic. It's wasn't on her level to travel on such carriage but she had no choice due to the timetable and needing to reach her destination.

For some people, commuting on this train is a choice but for some, this is their only option.

Unlike the executive and express train, quietness does not exist here. I could listen to a work conversation, a family problem, and as simple as random chatter just a few inches from my ear. We are more likely to make friends in this commuter line and regular train than the express and executive ones. As in those premium ones, there’s unspoken agreement that we have to be quiet, or we’d end up on someone’s instagram thread/twitter.

Yet in this train, with everything going inside, it humbles me. I could see someone dressing up for a work interview, a family sharing laughter and meals they bought when the train stopped, someone who boarded the train for the first time. Someone who already thinks it’s really cool to have boarded the train. A group of friends having the best time of their life. You rarely see this kind of scene and vibe in other carriages.

On my way back from the summit, more or less, I saw similar scenery. Though, this time since it was afternoon, I see everyone is a lot more exhausted. You could see from their face, they no longer want to chat, they just want to sleep it off until they reach their destination. Tomorrow, they have to start all over again, more or less in a similar situation.

Somewhere between home, this is their in-between, including mine.

	𝘊𝘦𝘮𝘺 (𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘤) 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 & 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘱𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺; 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴.