Tram Diversion

After a year or so of living here in Rdam, I have no idea where I am. Due to some problem, they rerouted our tram....

Ah. A corner snack shop. We're in the west side of the city, headed south towards the river. I'm not sure I've ever taken this route before. Now, 15 or so min after the diversion, we're rejoining our original route.

A young mother with a stroller (Turkish?) spoke up worriedly, asking for translation of the announcement as she hovered next to the door. A tall Dutch gentleman explained, and even told her that if she stepped out at the next halt, she could transfer to the metro and end up closer to the hospital. "I'm going that way," he added politely, "I'll show you which stop."

A dozen seats ahead, two giggly young women (Surinamese?) stopped their conversation long enough to translate the announcement for a foreign young man (American?). A few minutes later, they got his attention and made sure that he knew we were back to the original route. 

These moments of unexpected community are refreshing, when the common attitude tends to be indifference/annoyance with other cultures. "Those Moroccans, they're always so..." "Americans, well, not to be rude, but..." "Dutch people are so...." 

Today, though, a simple tram rerouting made people considerate instead of judgemental. It became okay to talk to a total stranger and ask for help; it became okay to go the extra mile and give more than just information. It almost made me wish the trams would get rerouted more often.