When somebody takes the bus or the tube in London he or she becomes a voyeur. Londoners have a habit of talking about their personal lives when they use public transportation. On any given day of the week you can overhear what happened that day in a place of business on the tube or bus. Also, you can hear people talking about their personal problems. Somebody might be having problems taking care of an elder member of the family. Somebody might talk about how to resolve a situation with a potential lover. Two people might even make out in front of you on the tube, revealing the physical intimacy between those two people. Observing all of this is like weaving in and out of other peoples personal lives, although I don't know anything about these people. And as can be expected from someone who constantly observes these things I have overheard some hilarious things in London. I remember one time I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman about opera. The topic of conversation was about a male singer, and the terminology they used could've been interpreted as having sexual connotations.

'Did he float your boat,' the man asked the woman. She was a little skeptical of the singer's abilities, but she replied that her boat did in fact float.

But this isn't the most interesting thing I've heard while using public transportation. Three nights ago when I was on my way back to my homestay on the bus a young woman made her way to the back of the bus where I was sitting. She looked like she was in her late-20s or early-30s. She was dressed in a nice outfit, and looked like she was going to have a night out with some friends or go on a date. She pulled out her cell phone and started to talk to someone on it. She told the other person on the other line she didn't want to be lonely in life and mentioned the perfect relationship and the perfect somebody. Then she proceeded to beg--and I do mean literally plead--the other person to have a drink with her. She wanted to go out on a date, and it was obvious she was desperate.

Whenever I overhear these conversations on the tube or the bus I know it reveals something about somebody's personal life. I always wonder who are these people? What walk of life do they come from, and how did they get where they're at now in life? What sort of problems have these people encountered, overcome or even succumbed to. I know there's something interesting about everybody I have taken bus ride with or the tube with. All of these people could probably take their life story and make it into a good novel or movie. But I know I will never get to know the vast majority of these people. I can only observe, listen and learn.