18 Stops to Home
Posted by: Portland Place Reviews | From: March 20, 2007
I ride the Tri-Met MAX almost everyday of the week from Portland to Hillsboro. It's about a half hour trip from getting on the train, to getting off. I've often wondered what kind of people I've been riding with. Seeing people on the MAX, I've made judgments, but rarely do I get to know them for who they really are.
The only time that I interact with someone is if they are interested in the book I'm reading, the phrase on the shirt I'm wearing, or are just talkative people. Also it may be the other way around such as me commenting on a person's knitting project, which is the way I met 'Red', who is explained later in this article.
For this project of mine, the first thing I did to initiate my meeting people was just to go up to someone I thought, simply by looking at them, I would be comfortable talking with. This started with a clean looking high schooler who wasn't loud like his other classmates that had gotten on the train (I have a shyness against loud people). The next interviewee was a frequent customer from my job at the video rental store, so our conversation was somewhat casual.
I wasn't very happy with myself in that I only interviewed people whom I thought wouldn't give me any problems i.e., make creepy moves, tell me to &?*@! off, or resonate the smell of methamphetamines. It proved that I judged people by their looks, and this is something I'm now learning to fix.
Here are the first 6 people that I interviewed on the MAX line from Portland to Hillsboro
1st Interviewee:
Bruce
Coming from: Westview High School
Going to: Downtown Hillsboro
Miscellaneous tid-bit: Bruce was named by his parents after the famous Bruce Lee
2nd Interviewee:
Anthony
Coming from: Intel in Beaverton
Going to: home in Hillsboro
Miscellaneous tid-bit: Was riding MAX because his car broke down
3rd and 4th Interviewees:
Gloria and friend
Coming from: home in Gresham
Going to: work in Southwest Portland
Miscellaneous tid-bit: Takes MAX because their work is so close to a MAX station, and also it is cheaper than driving a car
5th Interviewee:
Staci
Coming from: work in Downtown Portland
Going to: Willow Creek station to go home
Miscellaneous tid-bit: Usually carpools with her husband, but today she had to ride the MAX. She rides the MAX about once a month
6th Interviewee:
Sandy
Coming from: Portland
Going to: home in Aloha
Miscellaneous tid-bit: Sandy says the trains get too crowded because sometimes she has to let two or three trains pass by before one is empty enough for her to get on. Another problem is that sometimes people don't automatically give up their seat for her on the train, which she needs since she has a disability.
All of these interviewees, although some revealed some of the down sides of taking the MAX, believe that the MAX is convenient in many ways.
--It allows so that one doesn't have to drive over the hills between Portland and Beaverton.
--It can be cheaper than driving a car.
--It is in walking distance with many people's jobs.
Can I Have a Gift?
I was getting excited about meeting people on the MAX, but I still didn't feel satisfied in my quest for getting to know them in a better way. Eventually, I thought of an idea. Every three stops on the way home from Pioneer Place to Hillsboro, I would ask a person to give me something they didn't want. This totaled to six people.
The Gift Givers
Tristan
Gift: new cigarette
Coming from: Gresham
Going to: Tuality Health Care
Erica
Gift: blue pen with "Western Culinary Institute" written on it, along with the school's contact information. The pen works nicely
Coming from: Western Culinary Institute
Going to: home in Beaverton
Tawnya
Gift: purple pen cap
Coming from: Oregon Zoo
Going to: PCC
Rachel
Gift: Jolly Rancher wrapper, sour cherry flavor
Coming from: PSU
Going to: home in Beaverton
Ivan
Gift: tan rubber band
Coming from: friend's house in Gresham
Going to: home in Hillsboro
Kity
Gift: ten pack box of glitter crayons, seven crayons inside
Coming from: gym in Beaverton
Going to: lunch in Hillsboro
When I asked these people for gifts, most of them weren't sure what to give me, so I gave them some examples. I told them any sort of trash or unwanted thing like a wrapper, pen, or rubber band. I ended up getting each of these things from some of the gift givers, even though they were simply my examples. The gifts I tend to appreciate more are the ones that could have still been used, like the cigarette, pen, and box of crayons.
Kity, who gave me the box of crayons, couldn't have been more than five years old. With permission from her father, I asked if she wanted to give me anything, and after she rummaged through her dad's stuffed pockets she decided to give me the box of crayons. I told her that the gift would be forever, and that if she gave it to me, she wouldn't get it back, but she still insisted that I take the crayons.
I want to thank all those who gave their unwanted things to me. It was great getting to know the people I ride with.
Heading to Hillsboro from Pioneer Place in Portland.
A conversation I had with three ladies whom I named:
"Red"
"Blond"
"Ebony"
Red seems to have had most interesting experiences on the MAX.
She'd been riding it continually for a year and a half- same as me.
She made 17 scarves last year while riding the MAX.
She was making a scarf during this particular ride from Portland.
She was in a 'crash drill' where the train stopped suddenly, ambulances and such arrived: Red and the other passengers weren't told that it was a drill. A little boy saw a body under the train and believed that the train had run him over. According to Red, passengers were panicking, throwing up and crying. Eventually they were told it was all a drill and asked what their reactions were.
Ms. Blond was the oldest in the group, and somewhat experienced with riding the MAX.
She dealt with a Tri-Met bus driver who stalked her on the MAX once.
Ms. Blond helped Ebony to decide whether she should still be riding the MAX or not.
Ebony was the newbie.
She only had been riding the MAX for a few weeks.
She was wondering how to deal with creepy men like the one who stalked Ms. Blond.
Here's some tips conjured between Red and Ebony to understand how to avoid unwanted interactions:
-Don't make eye contact. Some people take one simple glance as an invitation for a visit.
-Ways to avoid eye contact is to look at your book, even if you don't read the words.
-"Normal" looking people may not be as normal as you think, so watch out. I'm not sure what Red and Ebony's definition of "normal" and "not normal" is.
-You can avoid answering someone's question if you have your earphones in. As long as they think you're listening to music, people won't bother you (they don't have to know there's no player at the end of the earphones as long as it's tucked in your purse or pocket).
Ms. Blond didn't think that Ebony should be riding the MAX. Ebony is too "timid", she said. Ms. Blond suggested a good driving route between Ebony's home and work.
Ebony considered it a good idea.
-Elizabeth H.
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