I Would Hate to Be a Commuter Student Right Now

I was incredibly fortunate that two of my years at Pacific have been online. I didn’t need to spend gas money commuting to school. I didn’t even have to leave my room. But now that we are back in person, I’ve been commuting almost every day except Fridays. I developed a rhythm of listening to music and picking the right time to start my 47 min drive from Turlock to Stockton. I’ve actually become accustomed to commuting. 

So, why is it that it now costs me fifty dollars every time I pay for gas?

Let’s be fair and say that California is a pricey state. We already paid a lot of gas based on our high gas taxes and the efforts made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the New York Times’s article “U.S. Gas Prices Are Coming Back Down, but Not in California,” the record gas prices “appeared to be linked to a disruption in the state’s gasoline supply chain.” We are also recovering from the pandemic, leading to more people driving and commuting. This has changed the supply and demand of gas throughout the state. 

Several people have been conserving their gas. My parents encouraged me not to take any road trips, which is why I stayed home over spring break. Apparently, the AC in my car also burns through the gas, so I have resorted to rolling down my windows whenever convenient. But summer is slowly creeping up, which means I might have to stay indoors in order to enjoy the sweet non-guilt of cool air. 

I am also trying to save up for a car. I used to go on drives just to clear my mind for my mental health. But I literally can’t afford to deal with my panic attacks anymore. I know I have to limit my travel only for essential places because I need enough mileage to get me to Stockton and back. Even with my Costco card, it still feels like I’m being robbed at gunpoint every time I stop for gas. 

So here’s to hoping that I either leave California in the next couple months or that the price of gas at least goes back to a nice crisp four dollars per gallon.