Dreaming big

Today started out simple enough. Typical Wednesday: no class, so I sleep in a bit and then head over to the grocery store to prepare dinner for a friend and myself. We are college students who actually cook. (In case you were wondering, we had couscous, spicy peanut chicken and green beans with a strawberry tart for dessert.) Anyway, we take the usual number 24 Strassenbahn, or street car, to the grocery store. Most of the time I do not pay much attention to the driver because here, in Heidelberg, public transportation runs on an honor system. I doubt my driver cares whether or not I have a ticket. Today, was a special day, however. As the street car screeched to a stop for us to get on, Brittny exclaimed, "ooooh, our driver ist eine Frau!" And if for those of us not familiar with simple German- we had a woman driver.

I have no real plans for what I want to be when I grow up, which doesn't cause me much stress at all, to tell you the truth. Sure, I finish my undergraduate degree next spring, in a somewhat useless field, but don't have a job in mind... Or do I?

Somewhere along the line, one of my peers asked me where I saw myself down the line as we waited for our street car. Without skipping a beat, I responded that I would like to become a street car driver, right here in Heidelberg. Why else would I be learning German if I didn't plan to come back? Seems like the perfect job, I don't even have to steer! I also added that I wanted to excel in a field that is traditionally considered a "man's job". By becoming a great street car driver, I would open doors for other women to follow in my footsteps. In the process, I could inspire all the little German girls to dream big. It doesn't stop at the street car, my friends. Just think: women bus drivers, women taxi drivers! I believe women have a place in public transportation!

Stepping off my soap box, I also added that I would be heavily tattooed. I will have a Strassenbahn tattoo on my upper arm: number 666 to Hell! By that time I'd be a smoker as well, and I'd talk to my passengers with the cigarette hanging out of my mouth. (Don't worry, I wont inhale!) I'll ring my bell at pesky kids standing on my tracks. I'm gonna be one bad ass street car driver. Plus, I'll be completely fluent in German!

So there we have it! If you ever want to know why I chose such a random language to learn (from the perspective of an American), this is why. I just want to drive those glorious street cars. I only hope that they do not also make me drive the buses. I want to be on the tracks, baby.