Welcome to what can only be described as the typical ramblings of a kolehiyala, inspired by a crazy few years full of transportation adventures and incredibly sweaty walks in the University of the Philippines. When I got to college, I think I might’ve set a new milestone for myself. In a span of a month, I’ve tried almost every single public transportation this city has to offer.
For I, a 19 year old college student, still cannot drive. So I commute. Back in high school, my experience with public transportation was limited to taking taxis I’d refuse to take by myself, thinking I was precious that I couldn't withstand the elements. I grew up in a snobby all-girls high school in an even snobbier area in Ortigas. When I was 15, I thought I reached a milestone when I learned to cross the street.
Little by little, I started getting more acquainted with how the rest of the Metro got around. One of the adjustments my family made was to set a schedule for the driver. I had to say goodbye to the days when I had him buy me food, or him holding an umbrella when I'd get picked up from school. It's considered selfish to keep on begging rides from our parents and friends. Like I said, prior to commuting, all I ever knew were cars driven by people familiar to me. That was my comfort zone.
Yet like all comfort zones, this one had a way of holding me back from growing up. Being dependent on other people meant not having control over my own time, and it also meant imposing responsibility on other people.
You know how some people only get pushed to do something radical only if they're really mad or beating a deadline? I'm one of those. It took a lot in order for me to get out of my comfort zone. I'll always remember that morning I had a tiff with my brothers. I walked out of my village, hailed the first cab I saw, then took a P500 trip to school. It wasn't the economical choice, but I felt like I can call my own shots now! That was also how I found myself in a rickety UP IKOT that careened at warp speed around the university. Though the usual stereotyping precedes, I regard UP as a place to hone skills, not to give everybody the wrong impression. Experiences that had me rush to UP in the scorching heat carrying more of my shame and humiliation than my actual weight just to meet a deadline.It really just takes intense drive to not question things and to get something done without any fear.
Eventually, my “noob” days are over and I started commuting “like a boss”. I took any imaginable PUV and walked for what seemed like an eternity. It's tiring, this commuter's lifestyle, but I'm enjoying it while it's there because it's such a special way to feel the pulse of the university.
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