Transportation Solutions

At the beginning of the school year, I was charged with green energy and conscious of a decaying automobile.  I planned to ride the bus to work for at least the first few months of school.  I tried it once or twice and discovered that it just wasn't practical.  If I drove to work, I could leave at 6:50 and get to school by 7:15.  I could leave the school in the afternoon whenever I wanted and be home 20-40 minutes later, depending on traffic.  But when I rode the bus, I had to leave the house at 5:48 and was dropped off about a mile from school at 7:00.  After a 20-minute walk, I arrived at school, an hour and a half after I had left.  I wasn't leaving the school until five or six o'clock most nights, meaning that I wouldn't get home until six or seven thirty.  Only to leave again less than twleve hours later.  

   

As a first year teacher in the first few weeks of school, I just wasn't that on top of things.  I was at my limit just surviving day to day, and the extra effort seemed impossible.  I was embarrassed to walk through town in my casual clothes after school and wait at the bus stop on the town's main drag to be picked up.  I didn't know how to load my bike onto the bus.  I didn't want to wear a helment.  So, except for a few times when my car needed repairs, I never rode the bus.  Sure, I wanted to be car-free and everything, but it just wasn't practical.  After my bike got stolen, being car-free was even less practical.  Daylight hours were short, and girls aren't supposed to walk alone after dark.  Since I usually got home after dark, I resigned myself to driving the few blocks to the coffee shop and grocery store.  And it was cold.  I was coming home exhausted every day, and the last thing I wanted was to bundle up and shuffle through the cold to carry my groceries.  The green revolution of my life would have to wait.

   

Well, this week's events have brought that revolution to pass much more quickly and less voluntarily than anticipated. 

   

I would like to proudly announce that I am now car-free.  Gigi is now only to be used for emergencies and job interviews. (Did I mention I found out that I didn't have a job next year the day after finding out my car was broken? Yeah. Good times.)  Maybe it's because I'm more on top of things now and more relaxed about teaching. Maybe it's because I usually leave school in the afternoons at 3:30 or 4:00 now instead of 6:00.  Maybe it's because I found a bus that leaves at 6:13 instead of 5:52 in the mornings.  Maybe it's because it only takes me half an hour to get ready now, so I can still sleep in until 5:20.  Maybe it's because I know that the weather is only going to get warmer.  Maybe it's because I know I've got no other option (fixing Gigi isn't going to happen anytime in the next few months).  Whatever the reason, I haven't minded the bus rides or cold walks the past few days.  

   

So I've purchased my student bus pass and a bike from DI to shorten the walk from bus stop to school.  That gives me an initial outlay of about $150, not counting the bribes I'm paying people to teach me how to fix my bike.  I'm keeping a record of how much I'm not spending with this transportation method (daily bus fare, gas money).  I figure this will pay for itself before school gets out.  That's not even counting the money I'm not spending on Gigi ($650-850).  

   

As an added bonus, I figure I just drastically reduced my carbon footprint, right?  I'm saving the world.  And I'm doing my part to support the local mass transit system.  And goodness knows, UTA could use some supporting.  In conclusion, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not going to look at this as a catastrophy or an inconvenience.  I'm going to consider it the realization of a goal.  Pride, after all, makes an excellent salve for cold fingers and frustration at longer commute times.