Are you one of those people that hate getting an early start to your morning? How about when the sound of the alarm makes you feel physically sick and the first thing you say to yourself is “O.M.G. Really?” The alarm clock does the job though; you’re in such a desperate rush to turn it off that by the time you do, you’re pretty much wide awake. You then find yourself rushing around like a headless chicken as you get dressed, pack your bag and grab your toast as it pops out of the toaster, barely giving you enough time to apply the marmalade! If you’re anything like me then you’re the kind of person that runs to the train and then thinks, “did I actually lock my door?” If this is you too, then you should probably re-think the length of time your one-man karaoke takes in the shower. If this isn’t you then congratulations, you are the envy of so many.
My university home from home is the Maritime Studios, down by the docks with a train station that is a 6-second walk from the main door. Positive aspects are the rooms themselves, a proper studio with mod cons, albeit at the moment the common room is getting a facelift and unavailable, although a teasingly close re-opening party beckons. Then there’s the closer proximity to Falmouth town itself compared with my Glasney colleagues but the downside is the “train and walk” journey to campus. Upon arrival at Penryn station you get off the train, plug your headphones in if they are not already playing some tunes. You pull your bag straps tighter before you start your climb up to campus. I say climb because it seems that everything in Cornwall can only be reached from a tremendously steep hill.
Admittedly the views are very pretty, including the walkway itself, which takes you under a canopy of trees, assuming you survive the near fatalities as you cross three roads from the station. You then have a smile on your face as you realise that the early start, the train ride and the walk was all worth it. Then comes the sight that quite literally strikes fear in your heart *dramatic pause for breath* … the stairs. There are one hundred of them and all are rather steep. You regret the coat and jumper that you put on this morning as you embark up the stairs like Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee on their quest to Mordor. In your zone, there’s just you and Billy Joel playing in your ears and those steps. You scroll through your music selection to pick a tune with some cadence to it in order to give the journey a rhythm and beat. Anything to distract from, yep you guessed it folks, the steps. The only saving grace to walking the steps is knowing that the return is faster and easier. “Fas-ter and eas-ier, fas-ter and eas-ier.” The syllables in my head land with every footstep. You finally arrive at the summit, a hot, sweaty mess and definitely regretting that coat and jumper combo, but you realise that you’re now just a short walk and yet another flight of stairs away from your 9 a.m. lecture. You’ve planned your timing though so that after it all, you have time to grab that mocha you’ve been thinking, nee day-dreaming of, since you got on the train. Wahay!