Saturday I took the bus back from Winnipeg. I can't complain in the least about the service I received this time. I've had that bus driver before, and he's a good guy, so that helped. We got stuck at customs yet again though because there was a problem so we had to take someone back who couldn't get into the US. This worried me just a little because I'd set up my Para-Transit so that I wouldn't have to pay close to $16 for a cab from the greyhound station back to my apartment. The bus was scheduled to get in at 1:15 in the afternoon but we had several strikes against us. First, we didn't even pull out of the Winnipeg station until almost 8:30. We reached the border at 9:30, and I don't even want to know what he did to get us there that fast so I'm not going to ask. Then, we were at the border for an hour and a half because of that person. So, by the time we started out again it was 11:00. Fargo is 2.5 hours from the border, according to the bus driver. So, I figured that we could make it back by 1:30. I'd set up my ride for 2:15 simply because I know that customs can take time, but with a 2:15 pick-up, I have a fifteen-minute window on either side so I knew I had to be there by 2:00. We only had to make one stop along the way in Grand Forks but there were people getting off, new people getting on, and people who thought they were going to try to sneak in a quick smoke before the bus left again. Over all, it put us even farther behind. My situation was nothing though compared to those who needed to catch connecting buses. I figured that if it got to be too late I'd just cancel my ride and take the cab so I wasn't worried.
As it turned out though, we pulled into the station at exactly 2:00 PM. I got my suitcase and headed out front. No Para-Transit bus. No problem, and in fact I was relieved that they weren't there and waiting for me. I called Bruce and we were talking. At 2:14, (according to Bruce), the bus pulled up. By this time I was glad to get inside, sit down, and relax. We made a stop to pick up one other person and then the driver brought me home. I learned a valuable lesson that day though. My apartment building is part of a complex, which in itself is new to me. Apparently, all the buildings look alike. The driver asked me a few questions about the building, and I just didn't have the answers for him. So, he dropped me off at what he thought was the right building. I went in. There was a man there who was being really helpful and was holding doors for me and things since I had my suitcase, so I didn't have the opportunity to try my key until I got to my door. The building felt wrong, and it just didn't have the smell that I've become used to smelling; food things, so on and so forth, but the layout was the same, so I figured that maybe it was just a change. The first thing I noticed was that there were things taped to my door. I found that odd, but figured that maybe the kids across the hall had decided to decorate my door for the holidays. I put my key in the door and turned it. Nothing. I realized then that I was most definitely not in the correct building. I went back outside, hoping that maybe the Para-Transit bus was still there, but no, he'd gone on to his next stop. So here I was, wearing a huge backpack, hauling a suitcase, and I had absolutely no idea where I even was. I placed a call to Para-Transit and was put on hold. While I was waiting though, I heard what I thought was the Para-Transit bus engine. A couple of seconds later, the bus pulled up in front of me and the driver came out. He said that after dropping me off, he'd seen the correct building and realized that he'd made a mistake. Needless to say, I was glad that he'd come back. I asked him then what kind of signage was actually on my building since all these places appear to be the same, and he gave me information that I'll remember for the duration of my stay here. SMILE! When he dropped me off this time he walked with me to the door and made sure that my building key actually worked before leaving. When I walked in and down the ramp, the familiar odors of apartment living that I've gotten used to here hit me, and I knew that this time I was home. The guy made a mistake, but he corrected it, and was extremely apologetic about it. I've had very good service with the Para-Transit here so far, and the fact that this even happened shows to me that the drivers do try to make sure that they do the right thing. The other thing that it really told me though is that I could really use some kind of GPS solution again now that the program I was running on my cell phone timed out on me. SMILE!!!!
But, I'm home, it's all good, and nothing bad happened. And, now I know how to direct people to my building.
As it turned out though, we pulled into the station at exactly 2:00 PM. I got my suitcase and headed out front. No Para-Transit bus. No problem, and in fact I was relieved that they weren't there and waiting for me. I called Bruce and we were talking. At 2:14, (according to Bruce), the bus pulled up. By this time I was glad to get inside, sit down, and relax. We made a stop to pick up one other person and then the driver brought me home. I learned a valuable lesson that day though. My apartment building is part of a complex, which in itself is new to me. Apparently, all the buildings look alike. The driver asked me a few questions about the building, and I just didn't have the answers for him. So, he dropped me off at what he thought was the right building. I went in. There was a man there who was being really helpful and was holding doors for me and things since I had my suitcase, so I didn't have the opportunity to try my key until I got to my door. The building felt wrong, and it just didn't have the smell that I've become used to smelling; food things, so on and so forth, but the layout was the same, so I figured that maybe it was just a change. The first thing I noticed was that there were things taped to my door. I found that odd, but figured that maybe the kids across the hall had decided to decorate my door for the holidays. I put my key in the door and turned it. Nothing. I realized then that I was most definitely not in the correct building. I went back outside, hoping that maybe the Para-Transit bus was still there, but no, he'd gone on to his next stop. So here I was, wearing a huge backpack, hauling a suitcase, and I had absolutely no idea where I even was. I placed a call to Para-Transit and was put on hold. While I was waiting though, I heard what I thought was the Para-Transit bus engine. A couple of seconds later, the bus pulled up in front of me and the driver came out. He said that after dropping me off, he'd seen the correct building and realized that he'd made a mistake. Needless to say, I was glad that he'd come back. I asked him then what kind of signage was actually on my building since all these places appear to be the same, and he gave me information that I'll remember for the duration of my stay here. SMILE! When he dropped me off this time he walked with me to the door and made sure that my building key actually worked before leaving. When I walked in and down the ramp, the familiar odors of apartment living that I've gotten used to here hit me, and I knew that this time I was home. The guy made a mistake, but he corrected it, and was extremely apologetic about it. I've had very good service with the Para-Transit here so far, and the fact that this even happened shows to me that the drivers do try to make sure that they do the right thing. The other thing that it really told me though is that I could really use some kind of GPS solution again now that the program I was running on my cell phone timed out on me. SMILE!!!!
But, I'm home, it's all good, and nothing bad happened. And, now I know how to direct people to my building.
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kittytech- Caroline
- Caroline's Kitty Corner
