a day for the store

i went to the grocery store today. unfortunately, this is an all day task that requires patients and perseverance. it frustrates me how things work here and i'm sure in many other rural areas as well. i arrived at the corner shop at 715. The bus begins it's route here 6 days a week - when it isn't raining or hasn't rained after sunset the night before. i have been there at 720 before and missed the bus. so i sat this morning, not entirely sure if it had already come or was even coming at all. i was not alone so i stayed put. i have learned to always carry a book. around 830, the bus came. besides walking to the road 45 min away on a questionably safe and deserted road, this unreliable transportation is the only way out for most of the villagers. this makes me so mad and frustrates me to no end. its probably safer than the dilapitated taxi that used to come in the mornings and is a fraction of the price - 5 rand to get to the store as opposed to taking several taxis totaling 18.50-22.50 rand depending on the route. the price drop is nice as one can take a round trip for less than the previous 1 way. by the 4th or 5th stop however, the bus is full. that doesnt stop it from picking up more people. it continues to pick people up for an hour so every seat has its capacity of seated and then people standing over them, the isle so crammed that i could imagine the bus rolling over and not a person moves from their tightly wedged position. sometimes i wonder how the bus can carry so much weight without breaking down. the ride back usually is much less crowded but you must worry about the person next to you having rapidly melting frozen stuff that leaks onto yours on the hot trip - one benefit of no fridge is no spoiling or melting frozen food to worry about. once arriving at the shopping center, one must calculate the stops and plan accordingly. its not uncommon to wait in an atm line or checkout line for 45 min to an hour. credit card machines are often down rendering the store cash only. certain times of the day and month are worse than others, as are some cashires slower and or more sit-and-chat-first than others. you also cannot bring bags into the store. so if you get groceries and then need something from another store, or vice versa, you must check your bags at the parcel counter. here can be a long line as well seeing as there are only so many slots so you may have to wait for someone else to claim their bags before you can leave yours. when finished, the bus back to the village leaves sometime between 1 and 2. people wait in line and when the bus driver is ready, he opens the door and leaves when the line is on the bus. the route seems to be one way too, people are all getting on and going to the shopping center or they are all coming from the shopping center going to their house in one of the villages along the route. all in all, it proves to be a long tiring day. i cannot wait to get back to the quick trip to the store, easy transport, short lines, and good customer service.