PACKS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

I got on an 11:30 train home on Friday night. The stench of packed people hit me like a wall as soon as I stepped into the train, almost into the sweaty back of a dude in front of me. Gross. The train was packed with sweaty college kids today. And even worse, they were traveling in packs. It wasn't hard to overhear that they went to shows, concerts, games tonight. Most people are quiet or polite when they are alone, like the girl who was sitting across from me on the train. She was super quiet. But when their with friends, they become self-absorbed in their conversations and....
- they're loud
- they sing (strange cheers, like "Ber-gen-Coun-ty!")
- they cheer
- they clap
- they run (sometimes barefoot)
- they shout to each other across the train tracks
- they don't know where they are going
- they miss the train (and then knock on the window as if we can open the door for them)
- they sit on escalator steps
- they sit on the yellow line you're supposed to wait behind
- they sit on top of each other
- they pose and snap photos of each other
- the guys - they smelled like sweat and dirty laundry (boys, ESPECIALLY during the summer, please do your laundry, don't rewear shirts, please wash those jeans from time to time, use a dryer to fully dry your clothes and use fabric softener -- please)
- the gals - show a little too much skin (Am I being too conservative? It's just that I think some of them are high school students!)

Anyways, coming home tonight was a totally different experience than usual. Very stinky. Bleh. But... they were having a good time. So after being disturbed by the smell, frustrated by the noise and annoyed by the rudeness, I said to myself... eh, they're having a great time. No need to hate on people enjoying their ride and their company just because I wasn't. I bet I was loud with my friends too when we'd take trips into the city.

* Update *
The college intern on my team said that the people I encountered on the train were probably high school students, or high school grads and maybe some college students. All going home after the Dispatch concert where she went. No wonder I felt so far removed from their world ;)