Thursday 15 February 2007
Once (pron Ohn-say) train station is one of the worst places in Buenos Aires, in my opinion.
It is dirty. Like everywhere in BA, people throw their trash on the ground, but here it seems worse somehow. I see them throwing it out the train windows, off the platform onto the tracks, onto the platform, anywhere but in the numerous trash cans. There is litter everywhere.
It is full of misery and desperation, a common place for beggars to beg, and homeless children to wander. Everywhere you look there is someone needing help, and every train ride is punctuated with the tragic stories of lives interrupted and sick children.
It is noisy. Not only are there people yelling and shouting to each other, men making piropos at women, and children crying, but there are dozens of people selling things on each train, as well. As you sit (or, more likely, stand) all kinds of amazing products are sung about, at full volume. Hot dogs and pop are the norm, but you can also buy socks, crossword puzzles, joke books, flashlights, candy, phone cards, colored pencils, pornography, ice cream, and much much more.
When a train pulls in at rush hour, there are always huge crowds of people waiting on the platform in groups where they guess the doors will line up. Very luckily, I am usually coming into the city at rush hour, which is between 6 and 8, having gone out to Flores earlier for my classes. These waiting crowds will usually push their way onto the train very violently, everyone vying for a seat. I really do mean violently, by the way, actually pushing each other out of the way. I've seen them push little old ladies. It's so ridiculous, in fact, that if the windows are open wide enough, people will climb into the windows to get the seats next to them, as can be seen here. You can't get off the train until this rush of people has gotten onto it, making the train twice as crowded as it needs to be until the seats are all taken.
It is dirty. Like everywhere in BA, people throw their trash on the ground, but here it seems worse somehow. I see them throwing it out the train windows, off the platform onto the tracks, onto the platform, anywhere but in the numerous trash cans. There is litter everywhere.
It is full of misery and desperation, a common place for beggars to beg, and homeless children to wander. Everywhere you look there is someone needing help, and every train ride is punctuated with the tragic stories of lives interrupted and sick children.
It is noisy. Not only are there people yelling and shouting to each other, men making piropos at women, and children crying, but there are dozens of people selling things on each train, as well. As you sit (or, more likely, stand) all kinds of amazing products are sung about, at full volume. Hot dogs and pop are the norm, but you can also buy socks, crossword puzzles, joke books, flashlights, candy, phone cards, colored pencils, pornography, ice cream, and much much more.
When a train pulls in at rush hour, there are always huge crowds of people waiting on the platform in groups where they guess the doors will line up. Very luckily, I am usually coming into the city at rush hour, which is between 6 and 8, having gone out to Flores earlier for my classes. These waiting crowds will usually push their way onto the train very violently, everyone vying for a seat. I really do mean violently, by the way, actually pushing each other out of the way. I've seen them push little old ladies. It's so ridiculous, in fact, that if the windows are open wide enough, people will climb into the windows to get the seats next to them, as can be seen here. You can't get off the train until this rush of people has gotten onto it, making the train twice as crowded as it needs to be until the seats are all taken.
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