A trip to the edge of somewhere

AUTh Lab, Thessaloniki

Yesterday was another departure from the normal routine. It started with our accounting professor showing up over 50 minutes late. It continued when he left about 45 minutes early – but not until after assigning us some homework to finish by the end of the month. So we were left in the classroom waiting because our next class was actually a field trip of sorts to the HCI lab at which our professor works. So the remaining few who remained in the classroom as opposed to going elsewhere on campus decided to use our time to watch the beginning of a movie on the projector in the room. We got about a quarter of the way into Fantastic Four before we decided that we should get ready to catch the bus.

We were told to take bus number 10 to the end of the line and our TA would be waiting. So we go outside and cross the street to wait for bus 10 (which I had verified that morning did in fact stop at the bus stop in front of our building). We waited a few minutes and finally the number 10 arrived – and it was full. Standing room only. Normally along my usual route I would have waited for a less full bus, but we were told the 10, so we had little option. And it wasn’t like trying to squeeze yourself onto a bus – there were around 10 of us. It was also the first time on a Greek bus for some of these people. After squeezing on, the next stop saw another 5 or so Mundus students get on. The bus ride lasted at least 20 minutes. At the end of the line we found the TA and some of our colleagues who must have taken an earlier bus. We then got on the 66 and headed towards somewhere. It was a pretty desolate looking part of the city if we were even still in the city. We got off the bus when the TA did and then followed him up a road with no sidewalk to the HCI lab which didn’t look like much from outside.

I personally didn’t think it was much from the inside either, but that is another story. After spending a little bit too much time there, we headed back to the bus stop. We managed to make our way back to familiar territory and a couple of us had a late lunch at Roma Pizza. Then it was back to the lab and the rest of the day passed just as one would expect: in front of the computer – living out my own personal ergonomic hell.

Written by Colin Bate