Ina T.

A very special morning - Thursday, 8th November Whe I woke up from the alarm in the morning I already heard in the news that all tube traffic did come to a stand still as people had been walking in the tube tunnels. Not a good start to the day! So I took my time to get ready and after an hour the commute had re started and I left the house. I was waiting at the bus station to get to the tube. The minutes were passing and passing and no bus appeared! After 15 minutes it was too late to start walking to the tube stop so I decided to wait a little more.After nearly 25 minutes I finally gav up and decided to walk. As I turned around the street corner I saw another men who takes the same bus as I from time to time also walking with a friend to a car. He turned and surprisingly asked me (even though that we never had spoken with eachother) if I also wanted to come with the car and I said yes if there is space. So his friend made space for me as well. I though by myself that this is really kind and that I didnt expect so much help from people I never met before. So he drove us to the tube stop and we had been pretty much in time to catch the tube I thought I had missed. .... Well ... not really! This tube was cancelled due to the earlier closure of all lines and we had to wait again with dozens of other people. Thats the moment when you realize: This day is not going according to plan and you are better going with the flow rather then getting stressed about something you can´t influence! With some delay the next tube came then after 20 minutes and I squeezed myself into it. Guess what the key topic of the people was? "I missed my train" "I am really sorry but my tube was cancelled but I am now in one so will be a little late:" "Every season the tickets are getting more and more expensive but they are always too late!" Etc, etc etc .... Lot´s of negativity in the tube and lot´s of very stressed people and it was hard to keep a positive spirit! And our bad luck was not even over! Some stops later our driver told us that due to signal failure the tube will stop at the next station and that we should find different ways to get to our destination .... not good! So we all got of, I followed the crowed and decided to walk the rest to work! At least the sun was shining however I felt like I would have worked already half a day before I even got in to work. Tube Talk - Friday, 28th September "Hi good morning, how are you Kris? .... That´s good! ... I am not good at all! .... I have just thrown out my husband last night!! ..... (some crying and sniffeling) Yes! It´s true!! I had enough! I was waiting all evening for him and when he finally came home he told me that he wants to spend the weekend with his friends .... I got so angry and we had a big argument! At the end I have thrown him out ... Yes well, what should I tell him? I couldnt lie to him so I said to him this morning when he asked that Daddy had slept somewhere else last night ... Honestly I don´t know what to do now ...."

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Thursday, 13th September "Hello Kate! How are you? ..... I am fine! .... Yes ..... hmmmm ........ hmmmmm ..... hmmmm Yes ...... Agreed ................... Oh yes, exactly! hmmmmmm ...............hmmmm ..................................hmmmm ah ok ...... hmmmmmmmm ..... yah .... ............ mmmmhhh ok good! See you then!"

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Monday, 10th September Today it was not really productive. I had a senior couple sitting in front of me with lot´s of luggages. They obviously returned from their holidays and got at the airport on the tube. Right after the tube took of from the station he made his wife dive deep into the luggages to get the mobile phone out. An oversized version of mobile phones for seniors. He took the glasses on and started to enter the number. I heard someone picking up the phone as he heldt the phone in quite some distance to his ear. With a very strong voice he announced that the are now on the tube towards their home city and that they would be there in 30 minutes. He also made out that they are very late as it took sooo long to get from the airplan to the baggage reclaim and that this took ages. So they missed the first tube and are now running very late. If you think that would have been enough? No! That was not the case. He continued calling other people leaving messages on voicemails like he would send text messages telling people that they are back from holiday. I heard that they wanted to go to the dance class later this evening and that they need to get dinner before. His wife was very quiet! She only made out at some point that she would find it great if they could get home first before making further plans. Unfortunately I had to get off the tube and couldnt listen till the end of the story .....

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I am also one of the million people commuting to work every day using public transport. And I am always amazed what conversations I can listen and what people do share so openly in the public. Sometimes I have eye-contact with fellow traveller and we have to smile about the situation. Interestingly those people seem to not realize that sometimes nearly the entire carriage is listening their conversation and vary between curiosity and embarressment. And it´s really great if reception will become bad as the people start then to speak even louder maybe to scream over the distance? One morning this summer I decided to start my "Tube diary" and share the best conversation I overheard. I will always keep adding them on the top so you can easily follow the updates of my diary.