Trip 9: From Alarconia City Middle School to Hope Project
Comment Replies
thepokemaniac: Thanks for your comments and congratulations for your 10th position in the CJers Top Ten! I took the El Corte Inglés building from Capital SimCity, the most comprehensive SimCity fansite in Spanish language. Here's the link: http://descargas.capitalsim.net/?sitio=csc&descarga=357
----------------------------------------
Today, I've followed thepokemaniac's suggestion in the last travel's comments.
IES Ciutat d'Alarcònia (Alarconia City Middle School), Carrer 6 (6th Street)4:15 p.m., 7th of May
This warm afternoon, I was called from the Central to pick up a customer in the Middle School. It was the second one in the nation's history, because it replaced the first Middle School, that stood near the Old Quarter center. Luckily, I wasn't very far and I arrived quickly.
A man entered into the taxi. He carried a bag that didn't look heavy.
"Where do we go, sir?"
"Rose Street, Project Hope."
Not sure if I had heard well, I told him to repeat and then I said:
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Can I ask why are you going there? We, taxi drivers, try to avoid that city." I said, fearing he was a kind of burglar. I typed the address in the GPS navigator and it gave me the shortest route. Although the shortest, it was very long.
"It's a long story. But relax, I'm not going to attack you."
I took West Riches Road, still apprensive.
Nobody who lives in Hope Project can afford a taxi, so that man wasn't from there. I couldn't resist making this question:
"Why are you going there?"
"I have an interview with a boy's mom."
"Is anything wrong?" I said, when I saw how the city Funicular was climbing the steep.
Now we took Carrer del Funicular (Funicular Street) and climbed the steep.
"In fact, everything's wrong in that city. Except this boy. He's gifted, the tests we did him in the school clearly said he was Mensa level."
"Wow, that's a lot!" I said.
"It's for this reason that is important to convince his family to let him go to the university..."
"Do they want?"
"No, if it was for them, he would be working right now. They need the money..."
"I guess it's the reason."
We had left behind the Funicular's last stop and running along Carrer de l'Arbust (Bush Street).
"So it's gonna be a tough job to convince them."
"We have tried by telephone, this is the first time we have an interview with his mother."
"What about the rest of the family?" I asked, curious.
"You know what usually happens. The dad is imprisoned, his elder brother was killed in a fight, his sister is addict to several drugs and has to take care of a little baby whose father don't know who is..."
"What a family..."
"This is the example for an average family in Hope Project. There are some that are even worse..."
"It's so sad..."
We were going through Barri de Miraturó (Hillview Neighbourhood), one of the newest neighbourhoods in Alarconia City. It offered some of the best sights of the city and the island due its high placement.
"That's why I'm having an interview with his mother. To convince her that his son is capable of doing extraordinary things. If he goes to the university, he'll have an scholarship with a 100% grant. He wouldn't pay even the food!"
"It's a unique opportunity..."
"Yes, it is."
Now, we were about to take Carretera de les Corbes (Curves' Road), a popular nickname that became official some years ago. I told my customer to hold something while we were going downhill. It was a dangerous but fast way to go from Hillview to Ciutat de la Logística (Logistics City).
"But... does he want to go to the university?" I asked.
"Yes, well... he doesn't know very well what he wants to study because nobody has told him clearly what kinds of degrees are available and what kinds of things he would learn. He has heard about engineering, architecutre, science, mathematics, but doesn't how important are that jobs."
"You have lots of things to say, this afternoon..."
"And I don't know if his mother will open the door!"
We were now in Logistics City, obviously, because it was the place of a logistics park. This was the place where all goods delivered by Hapag-Lloyd had to stay before arriving to their final retail. There were two more parks in Illa de Nova Catalunya (New Catalonia Island) and there was an artificial island called Logistics Island (¡how original!) dedicated exclusively to this, it was, after New York City harbour, the busiest goods seaport in the Atlantic Ocean.
I was driving in a dangerous zone, because there were lots and lots of trucks, I always tried to avoid this zone, but today, it was the shortest way.
We arrived finally to Engineers' District and I took the A2 Motorway, passing through Alarconia City Gate Towers. We were still far from Hope Project.
"It's a long trip..." I said.
"I know... Department of Education paying."
"Why haven't you go by Urban Rail?"
"The rail station is some blocks away from the place we're going, so it could be dangerous to walk in the streets."
"Is it so dangerous?" I said, because didn't know well Hope Project.
"I've spoken with some fellows and they have said me the same..."
We arrived to Engineers' Interchange, and we took the first ramp, straight to Universitat Politècnica de l'Atlàntic (Atlantic Technological University) campus. It was weird, but we had to cross the biggest university campus in Alarconia to go to the biggest ghetto in Alarconia.
Some hundreds of meters later, we were in the campus. The motorway was an avenue now, with a Metro line nicely laid in the median.
It was a pleasant zone. Wide avenues, straight streets, few cars and few traffic; the paradise for a taxi driver. At our right hand the Atlantic Tech Indoor Arena.
My customer couldn't stop of admiring the university's facilities. It was a world-class univeristy and had world-class facilities; they were all impressive. At our left hand, the Industrial Engineering School and our right hand, the Main Library.
We kept running along Avinguda de la Universitat (University Avenue).
"This is the place for this boy, don't you think?"
"It's the best university in Alarconia..."
The dorms were as impressive as the whole campus. I had been there sometimes, carrying customers, but this time, thanks to all this story, it was special for me.
The transition with Hope Project, is simply, shocking. There was no separation, it was only a municipality line. Hope Project began where a sign indicated, having a swear written in spray over the word "Hope".
Suddently, the green turned gray. The undergraduates turned prostitutes and the books turned knives. It was Hope Project and I turned on the locks of all the doors.
This city was designed to provide massive housing for a low price, but lacking some basic facilities like schools and hospitals. All kids had to attend Alarconia City or Port de Catalunya or Americana's schools and the same happened with hospitals. There weren't bus stops nor Metro stops because the developers wanted all the room available for their cheap flats. The only police station had been burned four times 'till arriving to a situation that police doesn't want to know anything about Hope Project.
"Oh, my God!" said my customer. We both were being eyewitnesses of a car heist [marked with a red circle]. The law seemed to be stuck in the Atlantic Tech campus.
"This is Hope Project..."
I followed fussily the GPS indications and we arrived to our destiny, Rose Street. This place seemed to have no sunlight in the whole year.
I stopped the taximeter when it turned to 35.40 AL$.
"Can you print a receipt?" the teacher asked.
"Of course". I followed orders and he paid by credit card, although he gave me 50 cents as a tip because some other taxi driver would have said no to the idea of going to Hope Project.
We said goodbye and the last thing I said him was:
"... and good luck."
4 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account