The metro commute is a dream killer
This blog is more of a rant on my disgust with the Metro Manila commute.
Yesterday, I was in a seminar for the latest lines of products for eyewear. It was held in Ortigas just across ADB. I left home at 6:00 AM, arrived around 7:45 AM.
AK had a similar seminar the previous day, same area, different crowd. She left 15 minutes later but arrived around 9:30 AM. A huge difference in ETA for a 15 minute difference in ETD!
Her seminar concluded just about after lunch, so she was home around 3:00 PM. Her trip going home was just as long as my trip going to my seminar.
When my seminar concluded at around 6:00 PM. Me and my colleague couldn't get a ride home. Flocks of passengers waiting for their turn to take the buses and vans. At 8:00 PM, it's as if the queue never moved!
Last month, I was invited by an employee from University who was visiting her intern in our store to become a Clinical Instructor. Or better yet a professor. But the thought of commute alone has made me repulsed with the idea of having a part-time job on top of my current job.
Imagine having 3-4 hours of commute going back and forth Metro Manila. That time can be used for learning how to code, write a blog, do some artwork.
For some people, that's a luxury they can't afford. When they get home, they can't cook. They can't play with your children. They can't sit back and relax. They have to start preparing for work the next day, by getting up early. So they need to rest as soon as they get home.
But that's an ideal setup. The reality is that you may still have to clean some dishes. The kids have already eaten some take out, which means they may not have had a nutritious meal. Or help your kid with his homework. Or start laundering your clothes.
Almost a third of your day is spent for work and commute. Another third for your work (subject to overtime because another employee is slacking and you need to pick up the pace or you don't get that promotion). After all that, you have to squeeze in the remaining third of your day your chores, rest, and social life.
The same can be applied for people who have their own cars, they're just sitting in cooler seats. This type of commute for every day is an absolute dream killer.
I go to Metro every once and a while. And this comes from a position of privilege. But for people who have to go to and from the metro for work everyday, I pray that one day they don't have to go through all this crap of a system.
Oh, and I got home at around 11:00 PM.