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An "excuse me" or "pardon me as I knowingly just
elbowed you to get in the front of the line"... would all
be nice things to hear when commuting on public transportation
or being in public.
So, I have gotten familiar with the bus system and the subway,
much more so than a few weeks ago. The buses run frequently and
they are inexpensive, though not always the quickest way to get
around town. The subway, still inexpensive and much faster, but
is still in the developing stages making it more difficult than
easier at times to get places.
..But how about the social deportment exhibited in public transport
and public places?...quite a different story. Okay, so I am not
Shanghainese nor am I of any Asian descent, I am referred to as
the general "Westerner". Westerners tend to be stared
at, not sometimes nor on occasion, but all the time. I must admit
it took some getting used to, I thought of it as rude and inconsiderate
when I first arrived, but now I don't mind. Just the other day,
a man was starring at me as he was riding his bicycle. He starred
so intensely and continued to stare as he passed by me, that he
ran into a tree! Inquiring and curious minds starring at you all
the time...but if that is all you "feel" while commuting
on public transport I would have to say you have yet to experience
the "real" Shanghai. daily. I get elbowed, shoved, pushed,
hit, spit next to, coughed on, sneezed on, ashed on, dripped on
(from people dumping stuff out of their apartment buildings),
and not to mention starred at.
Lines do not exist in Shanghai. The physical placement of one
individual in front of another to wait for service simply does
not exist. It is possible to hold my space in line if only two
people are in front of me, but any more than that the line quickly
degenerates into a mass of people and it's every man for himself!
Darwinian theory at its best. An example: the line to get on an
arriving bus...there isn't one! Just as soon as the bus is in
sight, people start running as if to meet it half-way. Of course
the bus doesn't stop any earlier than the actual bus stop, so
then the people run along side the bus. Then when the bus stops
at the actual bus stop, the runners come to a dramatic halt in
front of the bus doors. Crowds begin to form outside the bus doors,
people come from every possible direction imaginable pushing and
shoving to get onto the bus...and the doors haven't even opened
yet! Not knowing any better in the beginning I, too, partook in
the shoving match thinking that perhaps the bus just leaves whether
or not everyone has boarded as that is what the mentality seemed
to be, but this is not true. Now, I just stand back and wait for
everyone to get on, so far it has worked out okay...
A second example: the subway.
...Perhaps exhibiting even more breathtaking acts of social deportment
than the bus! In the subway there is a platform and on the platform
there are yellow lines in which everyone getting off the subway
are suppose to follow. aAso on the platform there is a yellow
square in which everyone getting onto the subway is suppose to
stand on. Then when the subway stops the doors open and the commuters
getting off the subway follow the yellow lines and the commuters
getting on the subway leave the yellow box and file into the subway
(in between the commuters getting off the subway following the
yellow lines). Sounds logical right?! Well, it would be really
great if I were to ever see the system of yellow lines and yellow
boxes work! Instead, just as the subway arrives, even with your
toes practically hanging off the platform someone squeezes in
front of you, someone bumps into you with their shoulders of steel,
or simply just pushes you out of the yellow box area and then
you are left to struggle through the crowds literally plowing
off the subway ( following these yellow lines). yes, I have missed
some subways.
I try to keep my patience, but at times it is easier said than
done. I just think to myself that this is Shanghai! there's not
much one can do about a city of 15 million people. Fortunately
no one will think I am rude when my patience gives up and I, too,
join "the push and shove" to get on the bus and subway!
My best,
A smile from Shanghai
 
在乘坐公共交通工具或在公共場合時﹐能聽到一聲“對不起” 或“真抱歉﹐我想往隊的前面靠﹐不小心用胳膊肘碰到了你” 會是多麼美妙的事情啊﹗
現在﹐我比幾個星期前更加熟悉了上海的公共汽車和地鐵。公共汽車班數很多﹐也很便宜﹐但並不總是最快的交通方式。地鐵也還算便宜﹐而且比公共汽車快得多﹐但尚處于發展階段﹐有時使得出門變得更難而不是更容易。
人們在公共交通工具和公共場合的舉止又如何﹖那就是另外一個故事了。是的﹐我不是上海人﹐也不是亞裔﹐所以我一般被指認為“西方人。”
在上海﹐西方人總是要被看的﹐不是在某些時候某些場合﹐而是在任何時候任何場合。我得承認這得要些時間才能適應﹐剛來的時候我覺得那些看我的人又粗魯又不夠體諒﹐但現在我已經不介意了。有一天﹐一個人一邊騎自行車一邊看我﹐他看得太專注﹐已經騎過了還在看﹐結果他撞到了一棵樹上﹗每時每刻都有好奇的人和目光在打量你﹐但如果你以為這就是你坐公共交通時會“感受”
到的全部﹐你就錯了﹕我要說你還沒有體驗到“真正”的上海。在這個城市﹐我每天都在被搡､被推､被擠､被碰﹐有人在我旁邊吐痰﹐有人沖著我咳嗽､打噴嚏､拍灰﹐有人從他們的公寓樓上向下丟東西丟到了我的身上﹐當然﹐我還無時無刻不在被看﹗
在上海沒有排隊之說﹗一個人站在另一個人前面等候服務的事兒根本不存在。若是只有兩個人站在我前面﹐我還能勉強保持我在“隊”
裡的位置﹐但若是兩個以上﹐這條“隊” 馬上會退化成一群人﹐每個人都只考慮自己﹗達爾文的社會進化論在這裡再清楚不過了。舉個例子﹕車要進站了﹐想排隊等候﹐“隊”
卻根本不存在﹗車一在人們的視野中出現﹐人們就開始向車奔跑﹐在半路上接上了車。但車當然不會在還沒有到站時就停﹐所以人們就在車旁邊隨著車跑。車進站了﹐跟車跑的人會戲劇性地在車門處停下來。大堆的人開始在車門附近聚集﹐從每個能夠想象得到的可能的方向﹐互相推擠著上車…而此時車門還沒有開﹗起初的時候﹐我不了解情況﹐也跟著拼命推擠﹐怕人還沒上車車就開走了(人們的舉止好象都昭示這一點可能性)
﹐但事實並非如此。現在﹐我索性站在後邊﹐等所有的人都上去了再上﹐目前為止還沒有出現什麼問題…
第二個例子﹕地鐵。
可能人們在地鐵裡的舉止比在公共汽車上的更有過之而無不及﹐驚險動作層出不窮。地鐵的站台上有一些黃線﹐下地鐵的人按理說應該跟隨黃線的指示。站台上還有一個黃色的方格﹐等候上地鐵的人按理說應該站在方格上。理想狀態是﹕地鐵進站後﹐下地鐵的人沿黃線離開而上地鐵的人離開方格進入地鐵。聽起來很合理是不是﹖事實是﹐若我曾經看到過這黃線黃格的系統加以實施該多好﹗地鐵進站的時候﹐即使是你的腳尖已經離開了站台準備踏上地鐵﹐你仍會發現突然有人擠到了你的前面﹐有人用他們的鐵肩碰到了你﹐或是有人把你推擠出了黃格子﹐你陷入了那群像耕地一樣(沿著黃線)擠出地鐵的人。你猜對了﹐我曾因此而誤過好些輛地鐵。
每次我都試圖保持耐心﹐可有時這說起來容易做起來難。我只能告訴自己﹐這畢竟是上海﹗誰又能拿一個有1500萬人口的城市怎麼樣呢﹖幸運的是﹐當我終于失去了耐心而加入“推擠”
著上公共汽車和地鐵的人群時﹐沒有人覺得我很粗魯﹗
最美好的祝愿﹐來自上海的微笑…
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