My car broke down last week, so I've resorted to catching public transport for an hour or two each day in order to get to university.

First of all, it usually takes me 20 minutes to get to school. That's the same time it takes me to walk to the nearest bus stop... and I have long legs and walk pretty fast.

Secondly, the bus fare for a part time student is $3.60 per ride. I catch 3 busses to uni. On a student's wages, this is a very expensive way to travel.

So.. I spent 20 minutes walking to the bus stop, ten minutes waiting for the bus (which of course, was late), and then had to endure the painful stopping and starting of the public transport. With jazz music in the background, and daft people.. musty rose scented old ladies, and swearing bogans at the back, I finally made it to the interchange.

My first step into the graffiti and gum stained interchange had me really wondering whether the one hour tutorial at school was worth all of this agony. I stepped onto the next bus, where the bus driver gave me one look and asked for my student card. I sighed, put down the three (very heavy!) textbooks I was holding and spent the next few minutes digging through my bag to find the little plastic card that would prove that I'm a student. I'd left it in my other wallet at home, so I showed him my old, expired high school card which he miraculously accepted.

I spent the 40 minutes on this bus. In that time, the driver ran 3 red lights, and was on his mobile phone the ENTIRE time. Not only was I tired and completely over the whole ordeal, but I felt uneasy with a strange hundred year old man, talking on his phone whilst driving at least 30 people around. I felt unsafe as we zoomed through red lights, and went well above the speed limit, weaving in and out of cars.

To show my frustration at this bus driver, I made a pact to myself, NOT to thank him. As my stop neared, and my frustration grew, I collected my things and made my way to the front of the bus. As I was walking off the bus, I struggled NOT to say thank you to the driver.  I left the bus without looking in his direction, or saying a word.

I could not concentrate on school that day. I kept thinking about my ill mannered behavior of not thanking the driver...