For anyone that lives in the tri-state area, the challenges of commuting have probably been made apparent to you at some point. I hail from Westchester County, New York, which is directly North of the Bronx for comparison. I can make it into Grand Central in 30-50 minutes, depending on which train I take, so I am generally very close to Manhattan. I have spent my whole life commuting into the city for weeks at a time in the summer for dance intensives, so I was well aware of the minor inconveniences of the Metro-North before college. I was very adamant about dorming in my freshman year for adjustment purposes, but when it became obvious that living at home would be my reality for sophmore year, I realized that it was time to get in the mindset of a commuter. Now a month in, here are some of my thoughts.
You are always running somewhere
Always. I walk more than I did last year, when walking was my sole mode of transportation. This walk also usually turns into a light jog to a full-on run after a glance at the clock. I often find myself running from my house to the train station. The train schedule is unpredicatable after rush hours, so you will also catch me running after getting out of a dance class and realizing that if I don’t catch the train that leaves in twenty minutes, I will have to wait another hour for one. The subway always runs on delays, so I often am running to school as well. It’s a lot of running.
You have to get up really early
I thought I knew this one, but I especially struggled with setting my 5:45 a.m. alarm for my 8:30 class on the first day. I have since dropped this class (not for sleep purposes, although I am grateful for the extra hour in the a.m.), but I still get up at 7:00 every morning. I love getting a nice, early start to my day, but as a college student, this can certainly be trying.
You carry your whole life with you at all times
With no central location in the city, everything I need for the day gets put in my bag each morning. When bouncing from activity to activity, this often results in my bag resembling more of a boulder. If my posture starts suffering, we all know whats to blame.
You have to miss out on some things
You really learn to say no to things. To go into the city on a Sunday for one dance class is not worth the hours of commuting that lead-up and proceed it. Having only one class a day after the others get canceled is no longer a joyous celebration, but a bit of a dread. Sometimes, parties are a no, because if you cannot crash with a friend, you will not have a place to sleep that night (the last Metro-North train leaves at 1 am for me). You just can’t do it all. Commuting also makes you more tired, so you sometimes do not have the energy to do anything extra.
Things are also really great
I hate the woe is me attitude, so I needed to wrap this up with the countless reasons why commuting is great. You get to see your family every day (and have them make your meals while you are knee deep in a paper). This has been especially amazing for me. You also get to participate in events in your community that you normally would miss. Additionally, you get to frequently see the smiling faces of the people that watched you grow up. While I certainly do not want to get too comfortable in staying with what is familiar, I am not going to lie, it is a treat to have such loving people around when I am stressed.
By having to get up early, you inadvertently make time for homework in the morning on a train ride (we all know we wouldn’t get up early to finish something if we did not have to).
Perhaps most importantly, you save money! Not just in rent, but in daily expesnses if you family agrees to let you share the household products. In the long run, it is not a bad deal.
Commuting has taught me many things and made me very tired. It has sometimes made me lose faith in humanity, as I rub elbows with the burnt out forty-year-olds who are on their daily grind. But it has also made me very grateful for the life I lead. I have also learned not to let an unideal situation paint my entire year. I truly wasn’t sure how commuting would go, but I have learned to adjust accordingly when things go wrong. While I am hoping to be back in the city next semester, I am trying to enjoy this commuting time just as much. To sum it up, I have learned to be happy where I am, and to make the most out of each stage in life.