The First Commute
My alarm clock woke me up at 6:30 AM. After running through the shower, brushing my teeth, and swallowing some milk and cereal, I headed out for the first time in my life as a commuter.
The first leg of my journey was a one-kilometer walk to the number 12 subway station at 金京路, which would have taken me 10 minutes if it was another time of the year. However, I was in the middle of Shanghai’s hottest weather, and in the 30˚ C, 80% humidity climate I had to slow down to avoid sweating myself out before I could even make it to the station. With the sun punching through the few clouds that hung in air, I squinted as I joined the other commuters who began to appear on the sidewalks through the residential area that led to my first destination.…show more content… There were at least four fruit markets, three hair salons, two convenience stores, and a few dozen restaurants. The commuters around me were completely nonchalant about their surroundings, preferring to either look straight ahead or towards their phone screens. I followed them along their way to the station, noticing the radical difference in attire between males and females; the males, like me, wore dress pants, leather shoes, white or gray button-up business casual, and held backpacks or suitcases, but the females were a lot more colorful, as they represented a whole spectrum of colors with their dresses, shorts, and