During orientation week, I remember noticing my professors carrying a water bottle with bold, colorful lines—red, orange, silver, blue, yellow, and green—stretching in all four directions like a compass. At first, I was drawn to how vibrant it looked, but once I received my own, I realized it represented something bigger. It symbolized movement, connection, and direction, things I had not yet considered would define my experience in Washington, D.C. As soon as I started navigating the city’s public transportation system, those very themes became part of my daily life.

Moving to Washington for the semester was exciting but also overwhelming. I was, of course, nervous about adjusting to a new city and meeting new people, but my biggest concern was figuring out how to use public transportation. My only exposure to big-city metro systems came from movie scenes that would show packed subway cars where people were crammed together like sardines, or unexpected encounters that you do not see every day. I imagined my daily commute would look exactly like that, and I was extremely hesitant. Once I actually started riding the Metro, I realized that Hollywood may have exaggerated things, except for commuting during rush hour, between 8 and 9 a.m., that part is pretty spot-on and I never thought that many people could really fit in a metro car.

Now, after a month of commuting almost every day, I have learned that no public transportation experience is whole without its quirks. I have had to adjust to delays, which always seem to happen when I am already running late for my internship. I quickly picked up on the unspoken rule of escalators: stand on the right, walk on the left, or prepare for some passive-aggressive sighs from rushed commuters. Running to catch a connecting train feels a lot like sprinting across the tracks back home in Goshen, hoping to avoid the underpass. One day, I even watched someone turn the Metro into their personal stage, flipping and dancing to music. Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like a surprise performance during your commute. Despite the occasional stress, chaos, and random interactions there is something oddly satisfying about moving in sync with thousands of others, all just trying to get where they need to go.  

Riding the metro has become more than just a way to get from one place to another, it has helped me adjust to life in D.C. in ways I did not expect. It has taught me patience, adaptability, and the value of shared experiences. Every day, I see firsthand how public transportation connects people to jobs, opportunities, and each other. Just like the colorful lines on my water bottle, each Metro route represents something bigger than itself. This experience has shown me that public transportation is not just about movement, it is about connection, and I am grateful to be a part of it every day. 

Jaelyn Amhdar is a senior at Goshen College who is currently spending the semester in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Community Scholars Center (WCSC), an intercultural program run by EMU.