"Alle Kinder Raus"

This week, I had to utilize my local bus service on several occasions.  Typically, at 8AM, half the bus would be empty leaving my village.  We are in the last week or two of school, and the teachers have flipped the schedule enough to allow kids to show up at 8:30AM.....this means they leave after the 8AM point and the bus is fairly crowded.  In the city of Wiesbaden, it just gets worse.

So, one day this week.....the 'perfect storm' arrived.

I switched to another bus in town to reach my destination.  The bus was packed full with regular riders (adults) and at least half the bus was fourteen to seventeen-year old kids trying to reach school.  Packed.....would be an understatement.

Well....this is also the time of year when kindergarten kids are doing day-trips.

So we pull up to one stop and here are three 'cattle-herders' and their herd (approximately 15 kids of approximately five to six years old.  The 'cattle-herders' are trying hard to corral the kids while on the bus and keep them in line.....all near the rear of the bus.

Next stop?  Another herd to enter, with their three 'cattle-herders', and they try hard to keep these kids toward the front of the bus.

It's crammed full now and the bus driver knows it.

So we pull up and one of the 'herds' are ordered "alle kinder raus" (which translates, all kids disembark or leave).  Course, it's only the herders of group A saying this.  I'm kinda half-way watching this event and realize that some of group B are near the kids in group A, and there's at least one or two kids from B.....taking the order to get off.  The herders of the second group aren't really catching onto this.

So, the group get off and the herders of group A are counting and the bus driver is ready to launch.....naturally.....the count is off, and they count again, and again.

Yeah, finally, the herders of group B catch on that they've lost some of their herd and try hard to retrieve a lost 'cow' from the group.

It was chaotic and amusing at the same time.  Eventually, after wasting probably four minutes at this stop.....we finally retrieve this 'cow' and proceed on.