Getting around town.

One of the less enjoyable part of my new position within the school is the amount of traveling I do. Truth be told, I don’t actually travel that much, on average once a week, although it always seems that when I do travel it’s around the same time.

Whether it is a meeting, going for training, hold a training workshop, or some other reason, it’s a part of my job that is unavoidable, much like the traffic here in Beijing.

When I say traffic I don’t just mean cars. It applies to people, too. There are so many people in transit in Beijing at any one time, meaning there is no ‘quiet’ period, it’s packed throughout the day.

Buses are usually my most frequent form of public transport away from work, but for work trips it’s almost always catching a subway somewhere. While the Beijing subway is extensive, and relatively quick, it can be very congested. I really dislike being crammed up against strangers, and with the threat of pickpockets and such, it makes it also a little stressful.

I’ve often thought about buying a car, but the insanity that are Beijing roads quickly extinguishes any enthusiasm I have in wanting to get one.

Ultimately, I have to accept that Beijing will never be a city I want to travel in, and that this small part of my job is something I’ll have to cope with as long as I’m here.

So how is traffic in your part of the world?