node: reading + riding + recording

In order to design for your community, you must first learn more about it. Through this assignment you will gain insight into the important role public transportation plays in the Gate City's past and present, as well as the social and racial divisions that reveal themselves through the bus system.

For this week's assignment, we were to find a time to catch the Greensboro city bus, and record our experiences- good and bad. We were also assigned a reading, "Civility and Civil Rights" by William H. Chafe, to accompany our thoughts through this process. My friends and I decided to ride the bus before reading, and I do wish that I had done vice versa. I don't feel that I was in the correct mindset to get everything I could out of the experience.


Getting on to the bus was probably my most memorable experience. I was with Heather, Sara, Anna, and Ben. Ben being the only one who'd ridden the bus in Greensboro before, advised us all to "not act like we'd never ridden the bus before." Though we attempted this act, it failed miserably the second we climbed on the bus and were greeted by a very unfriendly sounding, "COME ON LET'S GO!" from the driver. While panicing from being stared at, we all had to swipe our UNCG first cards in a machine none of us had ever used before, adding to the confusion. After this we quickly grabbed whatever seat we could find. It seemed as though everyone on the bus, previously staring out the window, was now staring at all of us. I felt extremely small and out of place, similar to being in a different country. No one was talking except our group, and if that wasn't strange enough, we were all taking pictures. In this fog of confusion, it was tough to remember our purpose for even being on the bus at all. I tried to take in as much as I could both outside and inside. Seeing and area of downtown I recognized was relieving.





We ended at the bus depot downtown and decided to walk back, though I think it would have been beneficial to ride the bus again. The bus depot, a place I've been before, was strangely empty. The atmosphere of the entire structure is one that is solely focused on getting from place to place to place. People aren't really lively and happy, but rather, somber and annoyed. The time of day we chose to ride also had a factor, It was around 6:30pm on a week night, and the people who rode the bus regularly to and from work were just trying to get home. At some points I even felt like I was trespassing in a place I didn't belong.



After reading "Civility and Civil Rights," I started reading more into my experience on the bus. The first thing the reading did for me was remind me about the famous Greensboro sit-in, in February of 1960. 1960 was really not that long ago, and I think we all forget that sometimes. It was also interesting to read about the other less talked about instances that happened in Greensboro during that time. Being reminded of Greensboro's strong role in the Civil Rights movement definitely made me think of my bus experience in a new light. Sara also noticed a sign on the bus that said something about Rosa Parks.

Riding the bus was like a completely different world then what you see when you're walking around and experiencing the city on your own. Riding almost forces you to see the city through someone elses eyes. The bus driver's reactions to things on the road, people looking out the window, recognizing places outside, different smells, different sounds- all factors in the experience. I definitely learned a lot from a simple bus ride downtown.