8 x things we all do on the train
Recently, I was on the train again for the first time in a long time, something that always makes me particularly calm. Because how nice is it: you step in and are taken to your destination, without having to pay attention to the road for even a second. Instead, you can enjoy looking outside and, with a bit of luck, you might overhear an amusing conversation. During my last ride, there were two girls in front of me (I think around eighteen) gossiping about a friend. They were in doubt about whether or not to invite her for dinner. I was amazed to follow the conversation, as they were really merciless. But well, at a certain point, I had enough of all that bickering and put in my earbuds to listen to music. I just wasn't in the mood for all that negativity anymore.
1. Eavesdropping
We all really do this, right? I don't even know if I can call it eavesdropping, because you're right on top of each other and some people just talk really loudly. So it's actually impossible not to pick up anything. Enjoying a conversation between people on the train can be delightful, but people on the phone, on the other hand: incredibly annoying.
2. Listening to music
Nothing I find more enjoyable than this: staring outside on the train while listening to calm music. The danger is that you might daydream so much that you easily miss the stop where you should have gotten off.
3. Checking the screen excessively
If staying on the train too long has ever happened to you, then you check the screen excessively in the future. At least, I do that, because I have already passed my destination calmly several times. Sometimes I suddenly get the fear that I'm on the wrong train, then I immediately check the screen and I'm calm again. Ten minutes later, I can feel that fear again, which is why I sometimes keep checking throughout my entire train journey whether I'm on the right train.
4. Setting your alarm to get off
This is something I tried the last time I was on the train. I thought it was super clever of myself: setting an alarm five minutes before my arrival time at Amsterdam Central. I've never been so relaxed about it. I can recommend this trick to everyone, but I guess I'm not the only one and unfortunately also not the inventor of this train hack.
5. Keeping the seat next to you occupied with your bag for as long as possible
On the train, I prefer to sit alone, without anyone next to me. Very antisocial, I always (my fellow passengers do this too, by the way) put my bag on the seat next to me, even when the train is overcrowded. Okay, if I really see people searching hard for a spot, I put it on the floor, so I can be reasonable too.
6. Endless scrolling on your phone
When you don't feel like listening to music or eavesdropping on people, the train is the perfect place to endlessly scroll on your phone. In the train, I often find the peace to thoroughly go through the news or to scroll aimlessly on Instagram.
7. Drinking a gigantic Starbucks coffee
Honestly, I find Starbucks coffee very disgusting, but when I travel by train, I still want to get a mega cup of coffee from Starbucks, including carrot cake or a muffin. Just like at Schiphol right before a flight; Starbucks is just part of your journey.
8. Thinking about life
On the train, you can't go anywhere, which sometimes leads to the most intense questions racing through your mind. ‘What is the point of life anyway?’ ‘What do I really want?’ I usually ask myself these kinds of things (in between relaxing) on the train. Or in the shower.
