And Now a Word from our Sponsor
If you recall the Eisenhower years, you probably also recall the advertising jingle: "See the USA in your Chevrolet!" If you have the song stuck in your head now, you are no doubt hearing the voice of the late Dinah Shore.
I could sing a rendition of this song about ride sharing, but I don't exactly "see" much of the country in my travels. What I hear though, are stories of passengers from all around the USA and World. You could say I 'travel vicariously' through my riders. I especially enjoy trips of long enough duration, to allow me to ask questions about their various states and homelands.
There are several businesses in our Metro area that employ a great number of people from India. One of my early passengers was a young man who had only been in the United States for two months. I picked him up one winter morning to take him to work. Although I'm not a great judge of age, I would guess he was in his late 30's. We were having a nice visit, when I casually mentioned I'd be having surgery soon.
"What kind of surgery will you have?"
"A hip replacement"
"What is wrong with your hip?"
"I have osteoarthritis..."
(gasp) "Why? Are you senior citizen?"
"Well, yes... yes I am... 😳 But thanks for asking..."
As we arrived at his workplace and he moved to exit the car - the rider turned back and said he had enjoyed the ride very much... "I would like to invite you for a drink later, so to continue the conversation." I was amused and flattered but said I wouldn't be able to do that, but maybe I could give him another ride sometime.
Not long ago, I picked up three exchange students from Australia. They were outside Home Depot. Each carried shopping bags and they were all full of chatter. (I could have listened to their cute little Aussie accents all day!)
"Did you girls come all the way to Iowa to shop at Home Depot?"
"Ha-ha... No. We were just waiting for you there, we don't think the bus is running today."
"Well then I'm glad I get to give you a ride. What did you shop for?"
"Little things to take home. Americans all love Halloween, don't they? It's your favorite holiday, right?"
"Um, No, not really... at least it's not mine."
"But you have Halloween stores..."
"Well, yeah, but they aren't open year round"
"We're disappointed we won't be here for Halloween. Why don't you like it?"
"I don't know - I never liked finding costumes ... Plus all the candy - it lasted forever..."
I told them about Halloween alternatives like Trunk or Treat and they admitted Halloween wasn't widely observed in Australia. (They were greatly impressed though, with the Siri on my iPhone, who speaks with a male, Australian accent!) 😁
I wish I had started writing down the different states represented by my passengers, from the start of my RideSharing. There have been some from every corner of and across the US. One time I picked up a trucker (after dropping off his tractor) to take to the airport.
"Where is home for you?" I ask.
"Alaska."
"Whoa!" I say.
"Yup. That's the response I usually get."
I love to ask people about the weather in their regions. Folks from the South complain about our 'cold'. I ask if they've been to Minnesota. "They make winter in Iowa look wimpy." We talk about industry, education, sports teams. One rider from Michigan said, "I see a lot of corn... but no children" (reference to the movie Children of the Corn) I laugh congenially. A doctor from Brooklyn, NY came to Iowa to interview for a staff position at a local hospital. "I think this will be a bit of a culture shock for you." I remark.
"Me too, but I think I could get used to it."
And then there was a young man from San Francisco. On our drive to University City (where he came to look at the medical school there) he had many questions for me. "Do you think I'll need gloves? Because I don't have any..."
"I hope not," I said "they are usually clearance'd out in February... so you might have trouble finding any. I don't think it is supposed to snow though, until late in the weekend."
"I leave Sunday morning"
"You should be OK... but if you get desperate, you can always try the Garden Center - they'd at least have cotton ones."
A couple minutes later, the GPS tells me to 'turn left at this intersection'. "Dang..." I say, "I'm not in the turn lane. You know, people are very friendly here in the Midwest... Let's see...." I turn on my left turn signal and make eye contact with the driver to my left. He slows down and lets me slip in front of him.
"That was AMAZING!" exclaimed my rider, "Where I'm from, he would have flipped you off for sure." I offered a silent prayer of thanks that the other driver had indeed displayed Iowa values.
Everyday I meet people from all different places. It's the best part of my job. I enjoy their stories and they enjoy mine. I had a woman from Florida tell me about the infestations of love-bugs they have in her region.
"Love-bugs?" I ask.
"Yes," she said, "They mate in flight."
"Maybe they should call them "Mile-high bugs," I quip.
"Oh, that's awesome... I'm gonna use that one!"
"Be my guest and remember me when you do..." 😉
And just like Dinah Shore, who hosted talk-show, "Dinah's Place" for many years ... I get to interview "my guests" daily, as well as sing this RideShare jingle: "Hear bout the USA, from inside my Chevrolet!" 🚗
I could sing a rendition of this song about ride sharing, but I don't exactly "see" much of the country in my travels. What I hear though, are stories of passengers from all around the USA and World. You could say I 'travel vicariously' through my riders. I especially enjoy trips of long enough duration, to allow me to ask questions about their various states and homelands.
There are several businesses in our Metro area that employ a great number of people from India. One of my early passengers was a young man who had only been in the United States for two months. I picked him up one winter morning to take him to work. Although I'm not a great judge of age, I would guess he was in his late 30's. We were having a nice visit, when I casually mentioned I'd be having surgery soon.
"What kind of surgery will you have?"
"A hip replacement"
"What is wrong with your hip?"
"I have osteoarthritis..."
(gasp) "Why? Are you senior citizen?"
"Well, yes... yes I am... 😳 But thanks for asking..."
As we arrived at his workplace and he moved to exit the car - the rider turned back and said he had enjoyed the ride very much... "I would like to invite you for a drink later, so to continue the conversation." I was amused and flattered but said I wouldn't be able to do that, but maybe I could give him another ride sometime.
Not long ago, I picked up three exchange students from Australia. They were outside Home Depot. Each carried shopping bags and they were all full of chatter. (I could have listened to their cute little Aussie accents all day!)
"Did you girls come all the way to Iowa to shop at Home Depot?"
"Ha-ha... No. We were just waiting for you there, we don't think the bus is running today."
"Well then I'm glad I get to give you a ride. What did you shop for?"
"Little things to take home. Americans all love Halloween, don't they? It's your favorite holiday, right?"
"Um, No, not really... at least it's not mine."
"But you have Halloween stores..."
"Well, yeah, but they aren't open year round"
"We're disappointed we won't be here for Halloween. Why don't you like it?"
"I don't know - I never liked finding costumes ... Plus all the candy - it lasted forever..."
I told them about Halloween alternatives like Trunk or Treat and they admitted Halloween wasn't widely observed in Australia. (They were greatly impressed though, with the Siri on my iPhone, who speaks with a male, Australian accent!) 😁
I wish I had started writing down the different states represented by my passengers, from the start of my RideSharing. There have been some from every corner of and across the US. One time I picked up a trucker (after dropping off his tractor) to take to the airport.
"Where is home for you?" I ask.
"Alaska."
"Whoa!" I say.
"Yup. That's the response I usually get."
I love to ask people about the weather in their regions. Folks from the South complain about our 'cold'. I ask if they've been to Minnesota. "They make winter in Iowa look wimpy." We talk about industry, education, sports teams. One rider from Michigan said, "I see a lot of corn... but no children" (reference to the movie Children of the Corn) I laugh congenially. A doctor from Brooklyn, NY came to Iowa to interview for a staff position at a local hospital. "I think this will be a bit of a culture shock for you." I remark.
"Me too, but I think I could get used to it."
And then there was a young man from San Francisco. On our drive to University City (where he came to look at the medical school there) he had many questions for me. "Do you think I'll need gloves? Because I don't have any..."
"I hope not," I said "they are usually clearance'd out in February... so you might have trouble finding any. I don't think it is supposed to snow though, until late in the weekend."
"I leave Sunday morning"
"You should be OK... but if you get desperate, you can always try the Garden Center - they'd at least have cotton ones."
A couple minutes later, the GPS tells me to 'turn left at this intersection'. "Dang..." I say, "I'm not in the turn lane. You know, people are very friendly here in the Midwest... Let's see...." I turn on my left turn signal and make eye contact with the driver to my left. He slows down and lets me slip in front of him.
"That was AMAZING!" exclaimed my rider, "Where I'm from, he would have flipped you off for sure." I offered a silent prayer of thanks that the other driver had indeed displayed Iowa values.
Everyday I meet people from all different places. It's the best part of my job. I enjoy their stories and they enjoy mine. I had a woman from Florida tell me about the infestations of love-bugs they have in her region.
"Love-bugs?" I ask.
"Yes," she said, "They mate in flight."
"Maybe they should call them "Mile-high bugs," I quip.
"Oh, that's awesome... I'm gonna use that one!"
"Be my guest and remember me when you do..." 😉
And just like Dinah Shore, who hosted talk-show, "Dinah's Place" for many years ... I get to interview "my guests" daily, as well as sing this RideShare jingle: "Hear bout the USA, from inside my Chevrolet!" 🚗
Comments
Post a Comment