A while ago I read an article which discussed the pitfalls of long commute and then another about metro etiquettes. Travelling over 3 hours each day, both articles seemed to urge me to express my experiences in metro: the good and the bad.
The good: It gives you time.
The bad: It eats up your time.
Yes, metro does both. It takes away hours from your life which could have bern put yo better use, the foremost being time with family or time relaxing or time for some enrichment or learning. But on the other hand, it does give you some snatches of time for activities where you may not devote time at all otherwise.
The good: It gives you a flavour of the public.
The bad: That flavour may leave a bad taste.
You get to know a lot of general stuff, be in through the loud conversations happening or through just observation of public for latest fashion trends! While travelling cramped together, you may get subjected to the hostile and irritating sides of people very easily, not to mention different variations of personal hygiene!
The bad: It tires you out.
The good: Well? You tend to get a little fitter standing and stetching for so long!
Yes, it tires out. It's exhausting if you don't get a seat in a long journey, especially in the evenings. A few minutes closer to peak hours leads to a good 20 mins delay in lines and metro and then you are rewarded by the jampacked metro to squeeze into. People are known to lose weight after travelling in metro for a few months however that will not work as a good enough motivation when you are elbowed constantly and find people's hair smack into your face or when you lose fear of falling because there is absolutely not an inch to turn let alone fall. What helps then is knowing why you are travelling. A good enough reason to reach both ways will get you through journey.
If you DO plan travel a chunk of time in metro, here are some dos and donts which may aid in making the journey a little more fun, a little more comfortable.
Dos:
1. Read: Carry a book. A good book will let you escape from it all like nothing else.
2. Listen to music: Carry a good set of earphones. Close your eyes and listen to some soothing music. Another good mode of escape.
3. Lend an ear to public conversations: It's not evesdropping if people are talking loudly right near your eye. You are justified in hearing. You will hear people talking about common issues and realize how we all run through some threads of similarity. It will keep you grounded. Hearing conversations across ages also aids in gaining better perspective and adds to your wisdom.
4 .Observe the various trends: From clothes, shoes, bags, makeup and hairstyles to any other latest trend, you will be see it all! Metro is great for trend browsing!
5. Sleep: Even a half hour nap will leave you refreshed and take you a long way through the rest of the day. If it's a long journey then definitely leave some time for resting.
6. Write/blog: With good connectivity and smartphones, it's easy to write while travelling. In fact for almost a year now, a majority of my blogs have been written in metro.
7. Catch up on social media: If the connectivity is good, this is the best time for social updates.
8. Try for a direct metro (if possible): Even if it means a little longer wait, try for a direct one if possible. Also watch out near the stations where you can get a seat.
Don'ts
1. Carry out in depth telephonic conversations: People will not appreciate the constant disturbance and irregularity of network and it will leave grumpy and agitated trying to hold a proper conversation. Don't give such low priority to quality conversations. Short quick phone calls may work through.
2. Play games/ watch videos: Give your eyes and brain a break. But to each, their own. I prefer reading and writing, some may prefer gaming and may not find it tiring to stare at a small screen or a even a means of losing time.
3. Work/check mails: The one phase of time when I checked mails and worked in metro, I was left exhausted and irritable. It made me realize the value of this metro time.
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