Let's be honest, having to commute or drive to work for me feels like this:
Goofy in Motor Mania
THE COMMUTE...
One of the first things that I noticed right away was the commute. As I lived outside of the city, I instantly saw the benefits of not having to drive in every day in order to attend classes. Here is a
TABLE that summarizes before and during the pandemic in regards to my commute:
| Commute Item | Before Pandemic | During Pandemic |
| Wake up time in order to be at work by 10 AM: | 6:15 AM | 7:45 AM |
| Time commuting to work: | 2 to 3 hours | 0 hours |
| Time commuting home: | 2 to 3 hours | 0 hours |
| Time I get home when I get off at 4 PM: | ~6:20 PM | 4:00 PM |
| $ spent on gas per week: | $100.00 | $0.00 |
| $ spent on parking per month: | $165.20 | $0.00 |
| Carbon foot print for past 6 months: | 2.6 metric tons | 0 metric tons |
| Peace of Mind: | None | Blissful |
And then I came across this video that beautifully escribes my frustation of commuting:
Commuting is bad for your health
MORE ISSUES
Being out and about caused me a lot of stress. Among which I had to deal with the following scares:
- I got very sick at the start of the pandemic and had to go get a coronavirus test that took over a week to get results
- I had to get another coronavirus test as I suddenly got pink eye for the first time in my life that last for about a month
- I had to get yet another coronavirus test as I had an appointment at Peter Lougheed when they had an outbreak
However, if I just stayed at home, then nothing bad could happen to me and no more horrendous coronavirus testing. I have loved working from home since day one and hope to never go back!
POLLUTION
As we drive less and do not require or rely on transportation as much during the pandemic, the environment for the first time since the industrial revolution has been able to literally breath a sigh of fresh air. This impacts on more than just the planet, but to us as humans. This is the first summer where I felt unpolluted air hit my lungs and it was intoxicating. All around the world this could be observed:
| Pollution Due to Commuting |
| Before Pandemic | After Pandemic |
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| NASA Pollution Satellite Map over Beijing, China |
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| Namsan Mountain in Souel, Korea |
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| Los Angeles, California |
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| All India War Memorial arch in New Dehli, India |
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