Confessions from my Uber Drivers
February 2, 2024
Writer: Libby Zufi
Editor: Olivia Richie
After traveling back to Ann Arbor from Thanksgiving break of my freshman year, I struck up a conversation with my Uber driver. He was a pilot for a private plane company and drove for Uber during his free time. He mentioned that he was a first-generation college student who went to community college after he found his passion for flying during his childhood. As our drive concluded, he thanked me for talking to him instead of sitting on my phone or listening to music.
This past winter break, I was taking an Uber in my hometown, and my driver and I began to talk about career choices. I mentioned that I was undecided at the time, and felt unsure of what the future had in store for me. His advice: “Do what you love and love what you do.” At the end of our time together, he turned around and shook my hand. His spunkiness, guidance, and transparency sparked a sense of encouragement in my mind. With tears in my eyes, I walked into my house with a smile on my face. This moment shared between two - now not so unfamiliar - strangers was the highlight of my break.
A few weeks ago, my 42-year-old Uber driver, a father of two, told me his story of moving to the United States from his home country, and his roller-coaster ride of working for Michigan Medicine, then leaving to work at a biotech company in Detroit, and now driving for Uber. From our 30-minute conversation, I gained valuable insight about my future decisions, and now had a newfound outlook on school and life: “Time is so precious; it is a gift you can’t get back. Don’t waste it.”
These are some of the many stories that I have had with my Uber drivers. It is easier to see drivers as people who carry us from point A to point B, but it is crucial to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with others outside of our realm of everyday activity. In a time where it is normative to keep to ourselves and our small circle, it can be difficult to branch beyond the confines of comfort and learn from others who are different from us.
From my many Uber experiences ranging from a ten-minute chat to an hour-long car ride, I now value and cherish the advice that these drivers have given me. No matter how many times my loved ones can tell me to “love myself” or to “not take college so seriously,” it is through these interactions with strangers who have lived through their own unique experiences that I begin to internalize those trinkets of advice: I now know that my feelings are universal, despite the unique backgrounds that make our lives so different.
We are all truly strangers. We choose who we want to get to know, and once we do, we don’t bother to branch out to new strangers. I am guilty of this, and you probably are too. Yet, after my continuous not-so-coincidental experiences of learning treasured guidance from these drivers, I can confidently say that after these discussions, I am more confident in my decision-making and happier knowing that my experiences are universal beyond the confinements of Ann Arbor.
This is the advice that was given to me, and I want to pass it on to you: “Passion and persistence is key.” “You will end up changing career paths, so do what you love.” “Life will throw curveballs when you least expect it so enjoy the ride.” “Family is everything; cherish it.” I am thankful to my new “unexpected” friends for being a bright light through the turmoil that we all call life. The next time you are in an Uber, I encourage you to take advantage of this experience and make a new friend out of a once-called stranger.
