She's in My Bubble

I'm on a subway in downtown Rio de Janeiro during rush hour. I worked in New York City for two years and have ridden my fair share of packed subway trains, but this is ridiculous. I would take a picture to show you, but I can't put my arm down to get my camera out of my pocket. In fact I can't feel my arms at all at this point. Or my left leg. I keep thinking of Elaine in that episode of Seinfeld when she rides the subway. It's not quite that neurotic, but it is claustrophobic, to the extent that I am nearly resting my chin on the shoulder of the woman in front of me. Awkward. I discreetly check my deo to see if it's still doing its job. Thankfully, it is. Nobody seems to mind this proximity, though. As I mentioned in a previous post, Brazilians seem to have a different attitude about personal space. They definitely do not have a problem getting in your "bubble." This closeness persists for almost an hour, until we are far from the city center and most Cariocas (residents of Rio) have disembarked. Now I can breathe again.