6:02 a.m. (Mission, BC): My iPhone, which blares out the alarm tone dubbed “Stargaze,” has been going off for at least two minutes, begging and pleading with me to wake up with every note. I groggily lay there, my eyes barely being able to focus on my phone’s screen.
6:30 a.m. (Mission, BC): Scratch the whole “facing the music” thing. I honestly just laid in bed. I tend to set my alarm to a little earlier than what I really should get up for, just so I can have the luxury of laying in my bed, catching up on news or whatever is on the front page of Reddit.
7:40 a.m. (Mission, BC): I depart my home in Mission for the bus loop in Maple Ridge. I resemble a human on the outside, but to paraphrase Patrick Bateman, “I am simply not there.” To be fair, I haven’t had a coffee yet…
8:01 a.m. (Maple Ridge, BC): I park my car. My usual spot was taken up by a delivery truck, which ticked me off a little bit, but hey, what can you do. I lock up the car and head off to the bus loop.
8:08 a.m. (Maple Ridge, BC): I start my commute off with taking the 701 Coquitlam Central Station from the Haney Place bus loop, which is located at the back of Maple Ridge’s most premier mall, Haney Place. If you think I’m being sarcastic I’m not — they have a Walmart and a really good bakery in there.
8:12 a.m. (Maple Ridge, BC): I really dislike high school kids. I never had to use public transit to get school before attending UBC, so perhaps I speak from a place of privilege, but they just don’t understand the concept of moving to the rear of the bus.
8:56 a.m. (Coquitlam, BC): I arrive at Coquitlam Central Station, home to my favourite Skytrain line — the Evergreen/Millennium line. Since it opened, it’s made the most measurable difference on my commute by far.
8:59 a.m. (Coquitlam Skytrain Platform): The train pulls into the platform. I begin my journey to VCC-Clark. It’s at this time that I’ll pull up r/UBC and r/Vancouver on my phone and start reading what’s going on in Vancouver/on-campus. I am undeniably a wannabe Vancouverite and if I’m going to keep up this exterior, I have to stay in the loop.
9:20 a.m. (Millennium Line, Lake City Way): Out of all parts of my commute, being on the Skytrain is my favourite. If I’m lucky, I get to have a seat right by the heater so I can snuggle up beside it and take in the views of Vancouver. If I’m unlucky, I have to cling onto a pole and envy all the comfy looking commuters. I usually listen to something more angsty if I’m subjected to this.
9:33 a.m. (VCC-Clark): The final leg of my journey begins. I am at VCC-Clark and the East Van sign greets me. I have around 30-40 minutes of my commute left until I can finally have a coffee.
9:36 a.m. (VCC-Clark): My favourite bus in the whole world because it’s not the 99 B-Line, the 84 UBC, arrives. I’m not sure if I’m right, but I think that the 84 and the 99 are about the same amount of time. Don’t quote me.
9:50 a.m. (Alma and West 4th): I don’t understand why people would want to take the 99 B-Line. I get if you live right near a stop, but if you have a commute similar to me, just take the 84 from VCC-Clark. You’re almost always guaranteed a seat.
10:00 a.m. (Somewhere near Pacific Spirit, Vancouver BC): This bus ride has been fairly uneventful. Not much to report on other than the lingering scent of must radiating off people. Probably due to the the rain.
10:08 a.m. (UBC): It took me just under two and a half hours to get to UBC. I get off the bus, and reward myself with a cookie and coffee from Blue Chip.