A Venezuelan wacky guy living his Australian dream

I find so funny when I am talking to someone (not Australian) and the beach topic and its creature emerge... Specially ’sharks’

I am starting to believe that is a fact that every 3 of 4 will ask ‘are you nuts?? Why do you swim at the beach? Doesn’t shark eat people?’ (All three at the same time...)

To all those whom keep asking if sharks will devour my flesh to the bones... find useful the next instructional video.

Ha ha ha!

The story goes like this, every single day (except for weekends of course) I have to take to train from Hornsby station to Macquarie University station and take the bus up to lane cove west; which have made me realise there is a lot of people doing exactly the same every day.

Why does this impress me? Well, in Venezuela people runs by them own time... That means if you have an appointment by 10 AM you might get on time, but others might get 2 hours later.... ‘On time’ concept is pretty much inexistent term in South American culture... So chances to meet a friend or neighbour in the train or bus are pretty much scarce.

I was impressed because I was just one of those in the routine of leaving at the same hour every single day. Bummer!

Moving on, on my second week working at Cochlear, I was walking from the train station to the bus stop when I notice that my bus was already stopped at 35 metres ahead, closing doors to departure. Chills run through my back just to think about waiting for another 20 minutes to take the next bus and I start running to the bus waving my arms up high yelling ‘PLEASE STOOOOP!!!!’... The bus was moving apart from the sidewalk and I knew at that very moment, just a miracle could make that bus stop... But I continue running toward it.

Then it happened, the bus stopped and the doors opened just in front of me (which was weird, most of the buses in Sydney don’t wait for anyone except they are ahead the schedule, more strange was watching it park 3 meters off the stop). I stood there a few seconds without thinking that much and jump into the bus saying ‘thanks’ very agitated... A blonde girl standing 3 feet behind the driver told me ‘no worries sweetie, thanks [driver] you saved my husband of getting late!... Come darling, you almost missed this bus...’

Without understanding a bit my body reacted to the command of ‘come’ but my mind was ‘who’s she??? Am I in a parallel universe? What’s going on?’

Took sit at her side, still without understanding and then, she started whispering at me:

She: Hi, sorry for that. Act like my husband, say something!

I just replied ‘Thanks honey’ a little out of tone. She continued:

She: I saw you running toward the bus and I recognised you from before. You always take this bus, isn’t?

Me: Yes...

She: I am really sorry for that, I was telling the driver to stop because you were rushing... and the only thing that came to my mind was ‘Please stop for my husband! He's with me!’...

All of the sudden everything made sense for me... Maybe my face told her more than I was actually expressing when she smiled at me saying ‘I am not crazy! I did it because I have saw you every single morning in the last two weeks!’

That comment triggered my memory as watching her jumping off the bus, to what I reply: ‘Oh yes, I have saw you dropping near lane cove business park, I guess... I am sorry that you had to lie for me... Thanks though....’. The chat went on for few moments up to her stop, where she dropped off the bus saying (again loud enough for the driver lady to hear) ‘Cya home darling. Thanks [to the driver]!’

I continued to my stop and as soon as the doors opened wide the driver told me ‘You're not married!, aren't you?’ giving me an intense and inquisitive look to what I just replied: ‘What are you talk about... We are!!!’ jumping off fast enough to avoid any other question.

I was just amazed that a complete stranger wanted to extend her good will that day to help me take the bus, and then gave me a nice chat for a while. Something even better is that in Venezuela people is not like that (or at least wouldn’t react so warm to a complete stranger) and it just happened at that moment making up my day.

Funny thing is I have bumped with her twice more since then, and every time I got a ‘Hi darling!’ greeting as soon as she sees me to which I reply ‘Hey honey! G’day!’