Interesting commutes to university

One of the main attractions of attending classes at Simon Fraser University (Surrey Campus) is its location at the heart of Surrey city. Its close proximity to the junction of bus stations and Skytrain stations is a major plus for students, the majority of whom live outside of Surrey. However, many students I have talked to have never used public transportation before enrolling in university. Too many of us are spoiled with over-generous parents ready to start their cars at moments notice to drive us from point A to B. Unfortunately, this has shielded us from the harsh reality that many people have to rely on public transportation every day--this includes the creepers who admittedly add spice to the otherwise dull bus rides. So frequent are the strange happenings on the way to school that a large part of the SFU experience is getting there. I for one have seen many strange things on the bus and Skytrain including: people talking to themselves, overly perky people who verge on the point of being a nuisance, and people who stare surreptitiously and shamelessly from behind their sunglasses. I have personally experienced fare-checks and watch people get busted, witnessed someone overtly roll a joint on the Skytrain, and have often been overwhelmed by a variety of smells to the point of suffocation and a stinging in my nose akin to what happens when one eats too much wasabi. Of course, not everything on our public transportation system is unpleasant. I have experienced the joy of seeing people give up their seats to their elders and mothers with children and being greeted by genuinely cheery bus drivers instead of the usual stern indifferent ones. The saying that “life is a journey, not a destination” applies in this aspect of my university life. The commute to school and the exposure to people of different cultures, attitudes, and ages have been as much about growing up as going to university itself.