Ranking the Top Ten Things to Do on the Bus

By Tierney Saltzman, Bus 16

  1. Eat snacks

Every day is an extremely busy day for us; getting hungry is just part of the experience, and our three meals a day are usually not enough to tide us over. Snacks are readily available at almost every gas station stop and shuk. Eating snacks on a road trip is a classic pastime. However, it ranks lowest on this list because it does not satisfy the entire bus rides. Sometimes we ride for hours, so a bag of Cheezits won’t last the trip. After the bag is empty, you’re left with nothing but to find something else to do.

  1. Watch the bus squeeze by cars

Don’t get me wrong, our bus driver Raef is an incredible driver. Our bus is just really wide, the road lanes aren’t made for its size, and the cars on either side look a lot closer than they really are. If you manage to get a window seat, you can easily pass the time by watching as the side of the bus seemingly narrowly avoids the cars next to it. This is both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying; its mixed reactions and danger level are what put it so low on this list (also it is sometimes hard to secure a window seat).

  1. Watch a show/movie

Shows and movies are a valuable commodity on the bus. The long ride times made other activities less effective if they don’t last very long, so downloading several episodes or a movie off of Netflix or Disney+ is a good idea. So far, I have seen people on our bus watch Loki, Wandavision, and Kill Bill Vol. 1. The downsides to these public viewings is the dangerous possibility that someone will ask to watch with you, ruining your immersive viewing experience. In addition, it is not always possible to download media before bus rides due to the spotty wifi at the hotels or the lack of SIM cards that plagues most of our group.

  1. Talk

If you find yourself next to someone on the bus, striking up a conversation is a good way to pass the time. You could talk with a friend or start talking to someone new. This is probably the most common activity on the bus, which is not always a good thing because it can get very loud very quickly.

  1. Try to guess what the road signs are saying

I think I can speak for the majority of our group when I say that I have not read much Hebrew since my bat mitzvah. We’re all a little rusty. Here in the holy land, vowels are not used very much which further increases the difficulty of reading. On the road, we pass many road signs, which in English might provide an easier form of entertainment. However, it is still kind of fun to try to fill in the missing vowels to make words, even if at that point I still have no idea what it’s saying because I don’t know  any Hebrew. That way I can just make up meanings based on surroundings and context. I think I might be the only one who does this activity or derives any enjoyment from it. This eventually gets pretty old and my eyes get tired. 

  1. Look at the views

Israel is a very beautiful country. The highways are much prettier than in New Orleans, where I don’t find myself looking out of the window very much. Now, it is hard to tear my eyes away from the scenery rushing past. This is not higher on the list because it is tiring at times, as well as fairly difficult if you don’t have a window seat. 

  1. Sleep

This is the second most common pastime on our bus. Our busy days are exhausting, and we don’t come back to the hotel in the middle of the day to nap, so we make do with what we have, whether that be using a backpack as a pillow or taking up two seats to lay down on. The front of the bus tends to be more quiet and therefore the ideal place to sleep. Personally, I get sick if I sleep on moving vehicles so I try to avoid participating in this activity.

  1. Take pictures of people sleeping

This doesn’t sound very good, I know. I would like to clarify my stance on taking pictures of people without their permission: it is not an okay thing to do. However, the bus is free domain and everyone is susceptible to an involuntary photo shoot if they are asleep. Sleeping on the bus requires a good amount of skill and experience, and creative physical positions are practically required in seats that were only made for sitting in. I’m not sure why everyone looks so funny asleep, but photos are irresistible every time. This is more fun than sleeping in my opinion. We will probably have a pretty extensive photo album at the end.

  1. Games

If you feel the need to socialize on the bus, playing games is a good way to do so. Lately, Heads Up has been a bus favorite. Personally, I enjoy playing with the large rainbow Pop-It that we bought here. It is a 20 x 20 flat sheet of 400 little half bubbles that pop to one side when you press down on them. This does not sound like much fun, but it is very mesmerizing. It is also large enough that I can share sections of the Pop-it with others who also want to play.

  1. Listen to music

This is easily the best thing to do on the bus. I spend a lot of time listening to music usually and this trip is no exception. I have a lot of music downloaded on my phone, as do many of the other kids. This also provides an option to listen to music with other people. I often sit with my friend Lilah and listen to music for hours, especially since our favorite artists are dropping new music while we are here. It gives us a natural soundtrack to our trip, one that carries us from city to city. This soundtrack will outlast the trip itself and with it, preserve audible memories of this amazing experience.

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