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The jeep was my best friend when I entered college almost ten years ago. I did not have much of a choice as it was the only vehicle allowed inside our subdivision, the FX was yet a luxury, and I had to survive on my P100-a day allowance (bulk of which went to photocopied readings). Besides, how could I escape riding this contraption when I had classes in buildings which were fields apart?

Back then, traffic was not so horrendous and most of my rides did not take longer than forty-five minutes. I actually enjoyed the freedom of the open air every time I traveled, which I could not have if I rode the bus or FX.

I’d board a jeep at 5:30 in the morning for a 7 a.m. class, which meant I had to share it with the entire working population and students like me. My mother, fearful for her only offspring who practically grew up on a school bus, warned me not to fall asleep during the ride. So I amused myself by watching my co-passengers who had the amazing talent to sleep sitting down and not fall off the seat.

But what really stressed me out was going home at rush hour, 5:30 or 6 p.m. Sounds childish, I know, but rush hour for a seventeen-year-old trying to go home with several other people is hell. I mastered the art of gauging the spots where most people would get off just so I could get rides. There was a time I even tried to hang from a jeepney. A guy (grudgingly) had to give up his seat. By this time I had enough so upon reaching my sophomore year at college, I arranged my schedule so I could go home at 4 p.m. at the latest.

It was also while on the jeep that I experienced my first (and hopefully last!) brush with death. Our jeep was held up by a guy who pretended to be asleep, then brandished a gun. He got away with only my cellphone, which he himself dug out from the depths of my bag. Luckily, my watch was covered by my jacket and I never believed in wallets so I was the only one who was able to get home with money intact…and I even paid for my co-passengers’ fares.

There was also one time when a co-passenger pestered me for my name and number. I just gave him an alias and an imaginary landline number. He followed me part of the way I walk on foot, but fortunately I chanced upon a friend who saw me safely home.

Scary moments aside, jeepney riding has great memories. I remember chatting with a blockmate all throughout a jeepney ride, up to the time we both alighted, only to realize we didn’t pay our fare. Another time, during a gay parade on school grounds, I was aboard a jeep when an exotic creature in a colorful costume suddenly pinched me on the cheek. I love my school (but that’s another blog).

My commuting days came to a halt when I entered law school, as I lived but a stone’s throw away from San Beda. Now that I’m working again and the most convenient ride to the office is by jeep, I resurrect my love-hate relationship with this mode of transport. The weird thing is, I am now more conscious of things that didn’t irk me during my school days – the grime, dust, or stench of the road. I now hate it if someone smokes and all the smell goes to my newly-washed hair. I glower at seatmates who take up one-fourth of the bench. Maybe I have become more impatient with people than I allow myself to think I am. Or the child in me who used to savor dawn breezes is now a cranky adult who fidgets and looks at her watch every five minutes.

Sad…but I look forward to the day when I transform into a child again, and the grime, dust and stench will be plain open air once more.

On the lighter side….

5. It is better to receive (bayad) than to give (sukli). May mga manong kasing deadma sa panunukli, so magbigay na ng exact fare…if possible. Pero pag bayad ang ibibigay mo, kahit mabangga pa kayo, matanggap lang.

4. Sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon, sa banyo rin ang tuloy. What’s the use of taking a bath, e pagbaba ko ng jeep, taong grasa na ako. Kaya diretso CR pagpasok ng office

3. Two things can occupy the same space at the same time. So what kung pang-waluhan yung jeep, siyam at siyam pa rin ang pauupuin ni Kuya…pag-uwi mo, dala mo na ang mukha ng katabi mo. In relation to this…

2. The formula is X-2=the number of passengers to comfortably sit in the vehicle. Kaya pag si manong driver ay nagtawag, let X be the number he tells you is the capacity of one side of the jeep. And my favorite…

1. What comes up must come down. Kapag ang katabi mo ay nakaupo ng pang-P50 habang ikaw ay mahuhulog na, mag-antay ng humps at umusog ka. Or pray na bumaba na siya.