Expecting productivity after long commute hours is unreasonable

It's 6:30 AM when I head out for my 8 AM classes. The world seems to be asleep as I traverse the narrow alleyways, making my way to the main road, expecting to catch a bus. 

But that's where it all crashes into me.

Everyone seems to be of the same mind as I – waking up early with hopes of reaching their destination on time. The roads are nowhere near empty, even at this early hour. Around me, everyone is running like machines, focused only on reaching their destination.

My house is on average, an hour and a half away from my university. On days when someone so much as sneezes differently, the minutes go up and up. Frustration is the single word that circles my mind as I deal with my daily routine.

The noise, the heat, and the sensation associated with clusters of people so tightly packed we're left with no breathing room all become far too draining. Even in the crack of dawn, this city and its unforgivingly poor infrastructure have been the root of many of my tears. And when I am finally able to return home, it's evening. That's an entire day spent in the pursuit of academic growth. I am left with no desire or energy to carry out other tasks. 

Yet, for the sake of being a functioning human being in this city, I have to keep going. I have a list of unfinished tasks that demand completion. Work is due, along with assignments and lab reports. More importantly, I have to ensure that I go home and actually manage to nourish and clean myself. 

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Punctuality is an unfair demand in Dhaka city

Productivity has fundamentally different definitions for everyone, but even carrying out the simplest task like taking a shower, eating, and forcing yourself to rest feels productive. The only issue is that after travelling a minimum of four hours nearly every day, your body simply loses all desire to do even that.

In a city where commute costs you all of your time and energy, it is impossible to expect people to continue being productive. How is a student expected to not only maintain proper grades but also practice any hobby or extracurricular work while living through the soul-sucking everyday routine that we've all accepted defeat to?

The more time passes, the more I am convinced that time is the most important capital of all. 

Every day, I find myself with an impossibly long list of tasks that require seeing to. I breathe a sigh of disappointment whenever I am faced with a day where I must make a long commute because I know that means there is no way I can return home in time to finish most other things on that list. On days when I don't have to go out, I pray no emergency comes up and that I can stay home, away from the noise and bustle of the city that never lets on. These days are few and precious, but I cherish them. Not only for the immense amount of time they open for me to see to my non-academic activities but also for the calm. Sometimes, they are the only thing I look forward to at the end of a long week.

Raian spends his spare time staring at the roads of Dhaka City. Send him the pictures you take in your commutes at IG: @raian_is_burning