The UNC campus is a decent-sized city by itself.
And we freshmen are stranded. Even those who have cars can’t bring them.
The vast majority of us live on South Campus and have a good mile to cover between the dorm and class on a daily basis.
So how do the newbies navigate?
Most of us have three options: walk, bus or bike.
I almost always walk. For one, I’m a cross country runner. Logging lots of miles on foot is already pretty routine.
Two, I still don’t have a clue how to use the Chapel Hill bus system. Most freshmen at least know what the U is. But FX, NU, J, A, HCX? Yeah, it’s all Greek to me.
Three, I figured out after only two days that my bike can’t hold air in its tires for more than a few hours. It was $10 at a yard sale. I should’ve known something had to be wrong with it.
But walking has its perks.
You meet some seriously awesome people. One guy I talked to on the way to class took a gap year and spent it helping build a school in Ghana, Africa. Another guy has a pet tarantula back at home that he greatly laments leaving behind (can you imagine waking up to see this in your dorm room?!).
And the trek from Hinton James is not a bad workout, especially for the less punctual. Believe me, it can be quite the 10 minute power walk.
The only times walking isn’t cool?
When you stay up half the night doing homework and wake up at 9:56 for your 10 a.m. class.
When rain is falling in blinding sheets complete with a Perfect Storm-esque thunder and lightning show and your umbrella has mysteriously disappeared.
When winter hits, the temperature is in the single digits and the familiar brick walkway has been transformed overnight into an uphill skating rink.
But for now, I’m a proud member of the walking faithful.
So where do you stand? Comment below!
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