It virtually arrived overnight. We were caught unawares by the cold weather. The morning air bites and stings. Jackets and coats appear out of nowhere, much like the train is appearing right at this moment… out of nowhere.

Entering an overcrowded carriage offers another challenge altogether. Standing close to and almost on top of another commuter is not one of the most pleasant experiences to endure.

“Hello. Sorry? Wat maak jou hanne op my holle?” a lady asks a fellow commuter who prefers not to respond.

“Sorry lat ek deu’kô en wegkom van die perverts soe vroeg oggen,” she continues to complain whilst forcing her way through the crowded carriage, which is in no way an easy task.

In the distance the song “Hello” by Lionel Richie plays on someone’s cell phone trying to set a romantic mood.

Passengers start to push and shove as the train enters Mutual station. As the train comes to a halt, commuters burst onto the platform, literally on top of the people who are waiting on the platform.

In the process my sling-bag ends up at the back of my neck.

I just hope my lunch survives while I’m being forcefully removed and I have to make my way back into the carriage.

Now it’s even more crowded.
“I’m like on time and didn’t have to catch this waentjie, but it’s like difficult to trust that the next one is going to be on time,” a young guy in his 20’s tells a guy standing in his face.

“I’m like always late no matter what time I get to the station. It’s like the trains or lady-luck is against me,” the friend complains.

Listening to these two I’m wondering why the word “like” is being used so often in their sentences and where this misplaced usage originated from.

The train enters Salt River station and I’m like almost on time… whether I like it or not.

***

Urban Dictionary

hanne – The Afrikaaps word for “hande” which is the Afrikaans
word for “hands”.
holle – A colloquial Afrikaans word for “buttocks”.
deu’kô – The Afrikaaps way of saying “deurkom” which is the
Afrikaans word for “pass” or “come through”.
oggen – The Afrikaaps way of saying “oggend” which means
“morning”.
waentjie – Literally means “little wagon” in Afrikaans and is the
Afrikaaps word for a “train” or a “train carriage”.

“Hallo. Sorry? Wat maak jou hanne op my holle?”
“Hello. Excuse me? What are your hands doing on my buttocks?”
“Sorry lat ek deu’kô en wegkom van die perverts soe vroeg oggen.”
“Excuse me. Let me pass and get away from these perverts (present) this early in the morning.”