My phone starts buzzing, waking me and my furry buddies. It is 4 am. If you know what I mean. I was just recently moved to a morning shift so waking up early is my new routine.
I stared at the ceiling and convinced myself that this is just part of the grand scheme of adulthood, that someday I will get pass this vicious cycle of getting up early to work and start my own business.
I rush to the bathroom, fix myself, prepare my "baon" ( leftover from dinner ) and get ready for work.
I live in a gated community which is about 40 kilometers from Cebu City. Commuting from Carcar to Cebu City where I work is an hour an a half journey including traffic. Which means back and forth Cebu City is about 3 hours. That is just an average commuting hour. There are times that my travel will take longer.
So people keep on asking why. And I just smirk in silence.
I mean why not?
But really, our situation were not created equal. So here's why..
It is practical
The house I am living in right now is my personal property I acquired out of a housing loan. It would not be practical if I am going to rent in the city and pay my mortgage at the same time.
It is free
Fortunately our company provides free shuttle due to the pandemic. The driver picks and drops me off in front of our gate. Talking about privilege.
It is convenient
It is exhausting to be honest because of the long travel but it is actually convenient considering the traffic and the lines you have to wait just to get on a bus or a jeepney.
It is efficient
I arrive early so I got to enjoy my brewed coffee in the pantry, do other stuff and become more productive.
A study conducted by two Swiss economists (https://ftp.iza.org/dp1278.pdf) reveal interesting findings on commuting;
People with longer commuting reports lower subjective well-being
People underestimate the impact of long journey to and from work on their happiness
Average person in the US commutes 48.8 minutes to and from work.
Although I have not read the entirety of the study and if it has the same result if done during pandemic, I still agree with lot of its points. That commuting longer hours is an unpleasant experience.
But then again the study also suggest that people adapt to some extent if they are rewarded accordingly. To sum it all up, the benefits I got from commuting far outweigh the disadvantages. After all, in this difficult time having a job is already a blessing. And being provided with a shuttle service is more than enough.
Do you commute to work? How was it? Share in the comment below.