Students. Learning English.

At the moment there are thousands of foreign students in towns along the south coast here in England to learn some English. Here in Torquay most of them have bus passes so they can get around when they are not learning English. Most of them are fine and every year when they start to arrive I say to myself, "I WILL be nice to the students."

However a few of them have some habits that mean I soon start to say, "I will be nice to students." through clenched teeth.
One, they have to be told that the queue was invented in Britain and while they are here it would be nice if they observed this quaint practice. Especially when there are little old ladies at the front of the queue, usually for their own safety. Some of those little old ladies can be quite nasty when some one pushed in.
Two, most, as I said have passes but the odd one doesn't. A mate usually tries to get on the bus and pass the pass back. I've been watching them do this for the last 8 years and it is getting a little boring. If one of them came up with a new way of doing it I might even let them get away with out of admiration but now I just throw them off the bus. It is stealing. Note, I get a little upset who ever tries this, student or not.
Three, 35 of the little darlings and two staff members from one of the biggest, though not the best Language school in Torquay got on in Fleet Walk and got of at the Harbour. Just in case you aren't totally familiar with the area, that's one stop, a distance of 200 metres (210 Yards). It took them longer to get on and of the bus that it would have taken them to walk. It also meant the bus was now running late. Not fair on the passengers who are making sensible use of the bus and not just having an unfunny joke.
"I will be nice to students." Well I am still trying; just.