‘ello all,
This is the period of time, known (in my head at least) as the ‘calm before the storm’. Pretty much everyone’s finished their last few assessments, and is relishing the last week of revision before the student vacation and exams kick off. Now is the time to bid farewell to loved ones, to lock the bedroom door and to start pulling those colossal study sessions to make up for that fact that you’ve been coasting through the last six months. Which is why (as one would entirely expect) I’m going to relate my experiences with transport, and driving around the campus.
In high school, I always got to school via public transport, and thanks to purpose-built footbridges I’ve never really had to play chicken with oncoming cars, day by day, as some would. As such, it’s always an interesting feeling to cross a road in campus with an ipod in my ears, only to catch a sudden glimpse of a car bearing up. At first, I took for granted that the main campus was like school- not really much automotive activity- but now i’ve finally clicked; campus is more like a little suburb, entirely contained in its own right. In that respect, zoning out while crossing roads at quarter to eight of a morning is a definite no-no (I’d prefer it if you didn’t judge me on that horrible colloquialism).
In other respects, pedestrians are given a decent reason for concern when walking around these roads. While we may take them for granted as pathways, drivers conversely take them for granted as roads. Unfortunately, some people don’t seem to realise that driving down a small, two lane road with hundreds of students around requires them to be more careful with their movements, rather than less. This is especially true at the moment with the great number of tradies around the university, what with all the construction- there is a lot more traffic within the university than one would normally expect. My pet hate is the lack of ability to indicate that is shown by some drivers.
Just the other day, I crossed the road (as one does) to get to the other side (much like varying examples of poultry). As I did, I watched a car driving behind and alongside me- it wasn’t indicating, so I happily stepped out onto the road. Of course, no sooner had this happened, that I was looking down the front of rather angry looking driver- halfway through a turn, and upset that I was in the way. Oh dear.
I looked down at the car that had jammed to a halt less than a metre away from me- received a belligerent horning, and then watched as, lo and behold, the indicators were turned on. Wonders never cease.
In any case, making the decision to drive to uni is an interesting one. I hear that being a college student helps with getting a permanent spot- but as for parking in one of the car parks, the exorbitant price might drive the average impoverished student away. The alternative is, of course, parking several streets away and walking. That’s up to you, though Redfern might not be the safest place to put your car up for the day. Personally, I’m happy to stick to the train, at least for now. At student prices, it’s a damn sight cheaper than petrol these days.
As a parting shot:
The key to studying is: not studying. And get really, really good at it.
…
What that actually means is: discover and perfect the art of having breaks between/after working. It’s different for different people, but finding your own special ‘thing’ will, without a doubt, keep your mental health safer in the long run. For me? Going for really long runs late at night, and writing a novel. If I’m really on the ball, I’ll do both at the same time.
That’s it from me.
John