It's the first week of college. I'm coming from a small town where everyone drives to a city that gives tickets like no other, relies on buses, and Uber is a necessary app on everyone's phone. I am in a whole new world.
It's my first time going to a frat party. I'm somewhat nervous as I'm with a group of people I met approximately twelve hours beforehand. Someone fronts the money for an Uber and we all climb in.
In this car, there is a group of four random freshman girls and a man who is driving us across campus. He instantly compliments us all, asks what radio station we want to listen to, and begins singing along to Closer by The Chainsmokers. He tells us that his daughter just graduated from MSU this past spring and that he loves campus in the fall. My nerves are instantly diminished. Despite this man being a complete stranger, I feel completely safe while riding in a random man's car. I suddenly was no longer afraid of this concept of taking an Uber.
It's early October. I'm taking my first Uber alone to work. I would be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat uncomfortable. After my Uber driver, a man with a strong middle eastern accent, picks me up, we drive in silence until he turns on the radio. Within a minute, we are listening to Escape (The Pina Colada Song) and talking about what my fellowship entails. He ends up volunteering to canvass for Hillary Clinton for a few hours that upcoming weekend. I've had him as an Uber driver twice since then, and every time since then he greets me with a big hello.
It's gameday. Not just a game day, but the day of the MSU vs University of Michigan game. The busiest day in East Lansing. My Uber driver picks me up a block away from my building, confused as to why I'm leaving campus on one of the most exciting days of the year. As I explain that I'm going to knock doors in the community for the election, she breaks down in tears. She tells me how she fears that this country is falling apart, but she is thankful for young students such as myself for giving up their free time to be involved in something so important. She thanks me for defending her rights as an African-American, bisexual woman in a country that she feels is no longer fighting for her. I get out of the car and cry.
Halloween Weekend. I'm in an Uber, fully decked out in Halloween decorations, including a black light and a talking skull. My friends and I are laughing as he tells us all about his driving for the night and what fun stories he has as a driver. I ended up laughing more in the five-minute car ride than I did the entire night at the party.
It's the last day of classes. My friend Katie and I end up taking a trip to the mall to get off campus. We pile into a car that smells strongly of cigarette smoke; our driver is an immigrant from Nepal whose family came over here when he was a kid. He speaks to us about how he was bullied as a kid because of his accent and because he was different. We discuss MSU, our experiences on campus, and where we're from. He loves history as much as I do, and I am actually sad when we arrive at our dorm building. I hadn't experienced such a great conversation in a while.
I had always grown up being suspicious of people, but relying on an app for transportation has changed my views on humankind in general. I have met some of the most interesting, caring, and positive people in ten-minute car rides. Whether it's a chat about music or an in-depth political debate, I have found that people are always willing to have an open ear no matter what the situation.
As a person who loves to hear about the experiences of others, I have found comfort in riding in cars with strangers. There's something so moving about finding a common bond with someone who appears to be a complete opposite. I have become the one who was terrified of taking an Uber to the one who volunteers to sit up front and maintain a conversation.
From now on, I look forward to the next few years of living on a college campus. I look forward to riding in cars with strangers, singing along to the radio, and meeting those who see all kinds of people during their day. Uber drivers hold a special place in my heart.
