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From my perch on the edge of the bench, I gazed out into the beautiful countryside

 before me. White, puffy clouds glided by in the sky brushing over the gigantic mass of

greenery with it tips stretching into the sky. The wind blew, gently ruffling the leaves, and off

in the distance I heard a cock crowing. Small plants and flowers opened their blossoms

embracing the suns light as it beat down upon the earth. !earby, I saw cows and sheep

"uietly grazing while their young ones happily played. # vehicle only sighted once every ten

minutes. $isrupting the peaceful scenery, I let out an angry huff. I had been waiting at this

 bus stop for hours praying for a bloody bus to come. #round me, fellow victims of the

countrys horrid transportation let out similar irritated grumblings.

%When dis damn bus gine come though&' someone said, followed by a long, loud

stupse.

% $is sun not even cool neither' another chimed in.

(uckily, at that same point, the rumbling of the bus approaching suspended all further

grumbles. )veryone ready to be on their way, stuck out their hands to flag down the bus.

)ntering the bus, I "uickly make my way to a window seat near the back. )*haling

loudly, I flop down, and then proceed to make myself comfortable for the long ride I know is

ahead. #s the bus rattles along, I peer through the window, resuming my perusal of the lovely

rural area. +ut not ten minutes good into the bus ride, the scenery abruptly changes. one are

the numerous trees and colourful, lush vegetation that littered the area. !o more grazing

animals and miles of cane fields. In its place were factories and buildings galore. -oncrete

and more concrete permeated the landscape. arbage and waste, the adornments. )ven thesky had changed its colour. # murky gray had overtaken the blue as acrid smoke choke the

suns rays. y eyes bulged, a gasp also elicited from me. !ever had the deteriorating state of

my country hit me so hard. Furthermore, this new environment was coming closer,

encroaching upon my beautiful countryside.

#s the bus continued along its /ourney, it encountered increasing traffic. Three, big,

ac0trucks here, ten mini0buses there, vehicles /ust everywhere. The buss pace had to slow

to an intermittent crawl. This slow traffic seemed to be the catalyst for the release of peoples

demons.

%Why ya dont carry fard ya damn musty car doan nuh and let people pass&' a gruffvoice yells.

 y head swivels at break0neck pace to look up the street. # burly woman and a bearded

faced man were %at it'. The woman had gotten out of her and was shouting over to the mans.

%Where ya waan me go ya idiot& Shut ya stinking mout and get back in ya car and

wait like errybody else' the man angrily shouted back.

I was laughing and cackling as the two proceeded to curse out each other. Similar emotions

were evoked in passersby as they videotaped the scene.

)ventually, it all subsided and the traffic began to move again. Since we were further into

town now, the bus stopped to pick up and drop off passengers. #fter this one particular pick

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up, I felt someone slip into the seat ne*t to me as I was still looking through the window. #s

an instinct, I shifted myself slightly away from the person. To my shock and annoyance, I felt

an elbow /ab be hard in the side. I whirled around angrily towards the source of my pain.

Surprisingly, I immediately enveloped the person in a hug.

%(oony& That you&' I asked.

%In the flesh,' (oony smiled back.

%Why the heck did you /ab me&'

(oony /ust laughed.

I glared at him.

%1k. 1k, Im sorry, but it was really funny the way you reacted,' (oony laughed

again.

I lightly punched him in response and carried on with my hobby of looking through bus windows.

1n my right, we were slowly approaching a massive construction site. It was spread out over

acres and acres of land, nearly the size of a small town.

%What could this possibly be&' I wondered aloud.

%Iz some plant thingy but I ain really know' (oony answered, leaning across to

inspect further.

In front of us, a business woman adorned with heavy makeup swivelled around to add to the

conversation.

%2es, its a hydroponic plant. Food will be mass produced there since it can grow

 plants without the use of soil.'

 !odding in agreement, (oony replied, %I heard it over the news and I was greatly

intrigued.'

I stared appalled. y neighbours and some of my good friends were farmers. This

would be detrimental to their businesses because the need for them would be largely reduced.

What would they do&

The remainder of the bus ride I sat "uietly thinking. 3rbanization has some horrible

conse"uences. 1ur environment was "uickly deteriorating, rural /obs were diminishing, and

the heavy traffic resulted in an abundance of road rage. What did the future hold for us& The

(ord only knew.