Commuting to university isn’t as bad as you think. Depending on how long your journey is, there are great and enjoyable aspects of commuting. I, for example, take the train, and my journey to and from university is one hour. It may seem long but trust me, it isn’t.
I have been commuting for nearly two years, and there are many lessons that I’ve learned whilst taking the train. Firstly, always keep yourself occupied. Tr
ust me, in some areas your phone will have no service or WiFi, you need something else to prevent yourself entering the world of boredom. Secondly, ensure you have headphones; sometimes it’s nice to watch something, listen to music or avoid conversations with strangers, work colleagues or people who you haven’t seen since high school. Thirdly, ensure that your phone is fully charged. Nothing is worse than having your phone with less than 10% when commuting, especially when your journey is long! And finally, download the train app; this app is basically your life. You can check the train times, plan your journey, check and buy ticket and do much much more.
Unlike driving to uni, there are many ways in which you can keep yourself occupied in the train:
1. Read a book. You want to ensure that you have a good book to read. Journeys can sometimes be boring and long when trains are cancelled or delayed.
2. Work. When the trains are not busy, it is good to start or finish some seminar work or reading.
3. Sometimes, it’s nice just to listen to music, look at the view and enjoy a relaxing vibe.
4. It is also good to catch up with missed calls/messages/emails or plan how your day will go.
5. The sceneries are breathtaking and beautiful if you are looking for a great Instagram/Facebook picture of the sunrise, sunset or the countryside.
6. Of course, you can also catch up with some sleep if your journey is long. Not an ideal option but at least you’re getting some sleep!
There will be good and bad days; the good days will fly past but the bad days will make your journey twice as long; those days can be difficult. The train is delayed, the train is cancelled, there is traffic, the rails ar
e slippery, your car broke down; all these situations can occur to anyone; unfortunately I have experienced many of them. I once missed my train and had to wait an hour before the next train arrived; one whole precious hour which I could have spent preparing or finishing some work. It happens, and you just have to let it go. Sometimes I wish I had a car instead and think about all the times when it will take me less than an hour to commute to Canterbury and how warm and cosy I will be whilst driving…sigh.
But what I enjoy the most about commuting by train is that you are not alone. There are many people who commute everyday; whatever the time is, the train stations will be busy, day and night. Seeing familiar faces everyday will ensure a safer environment and journey.
P.S – One can say I am a train expert now!