The 6023 Kilometer Trek

Sometimes, traveling 6022 kilometers home just isn’t far enough, and life makes you go 6023 instead.

I spent a year getting a degree in a Welsh University in a little town called Trefforest, north of the capital of Wales: Cardiff. During the winter, when it came to be Christmas time, I was headed home to America. Two days in advance, I packed my bags, two large rolling suitcases and a full-to-the-brim backpack to boot. The night before, I had all my plans set. I had a ticket for the train to the bus station, a ticket for the bus ride to Heathrow Airport in London, and a ticket for the plane ride through Philadelphia to North Carolina and Home. I placed my tickets and my passport on my desk, prepared to get up and go the next morning.

And get up and go I did. I awoke far earlier than is my norm, carried my luggage out and locked the door behind me. Placing my keys securely in my backpack I headed down the hill with two full hours of leeway time. Now for those of you who have never traveled to Wales, the Welsh valleys literally have walls at 45 degree angles, which steepen further the higher you go. The University is located on one of these walls and my dorm in particular is located at quite nearly the highest habitable ledge on these monstrous valley walls. So I step from my dorm and make the trek one last time down the hill.

Up the stairs out of my building,
Down the 16 top stairs,
Down the 12 long stairs,
Down the curving access road,
Down the 32 curving stairs,
Down the 24 Cafeteria Stairs,
Across the Café Quad,
Down the 13 Library Stairs,
Down the Library Back Road,
Through the Gate into Treforrest,
Down Trefforest Road,
Down the Train Station Road and,
Over the Station Overpass.

I’m finally down at the train station with a good hour and thirty five minutes of leeway and I check my pockets. My heart stops, and then immediately starts back up, triple-time. You guessed it; I left my tickets and my passport in my dorm room. Freaking out just a little, I ran as fast as I could lug my suitcases.

Back over the Station Overpass,
Up the Train Station Road,
Up Trefforest Road,
And back through the Gate to campus.

Assured by my heaving chest that I would be unable to run all the way back up the hill with my suitcases in anything resembling adequate time, I visited the Foreign Student Union where the very nice and helpful ladies who ran the place were able to hold my two mammoth suitcases and my backpack while I ran back to get my important documents.

Up the Library Back Road,
Up the 13 Library Stairs,
Across the Café Quad,
Up the 24 Cafeteria Stairs,
Up the 32 curving stairs,
Up the curving access road,
Up the 12 long stairs,
Up the 16 top stairs and,
Down the stairs into my building.

Huffing and puffing but relatively okay, I get to my door and check the time, I have 60 minutes of leeway time, I’m still okay. I reach into my pocket and find, to my inescapable horror, that my keys are located in my backpack. At the bottom of the hill. Truly frenzied now I turn about.

Up the stairs out of my building,
Down the 16 top stairs,
Down the 12 long stairs,
Down the curving access road,
Down the 32 curving stairs,
Down the 24 Cafeteria stairs,
Across the Café Quad,
Down the 13 Library Stairs,
Down the Library Back Road and back,
To the Foreign Student Union near the Gate,

Unable to properly breathe, I tugged my keys from my backpack and lunged off once again. 40 minutes of leeway time left.

Up the Library Back Road again,
Up the 13 Library Stairs again,
Across the Café Quad again,
Up the 24 Cafeteria Stairs again,
Up the 32 curving stairs again,
Up the curving access road again,
Up the 12 long stairs again,
Up the 16 top stairs again,
Down the stairs into my building.
Again.

I open my door and swipe my passport from my desk, stuff my tickets into a pocket and run. 15 minutes of leeway time left.

Up the stairs out of my building again,
Down the 16 top stairs again,
Down the 12 long stairs again,
Down the curving access road again,
Down the 32 curving stairs again,
Down the 24 Cafeteria Stairs again,
Across the Café Quad again,
Down the 13 Library Stairs again,
Down the Library Back Road again,
To the Foreign Student Union near the Gate.

I step in, a horrible wreck. Grasp my bags, give a barely audible farewell and charge out the door. Lungs on fire. No time left.

Through the Gate into Treforrest,
Down Trefforest Road,
Down the Train Station Road,
Over the Station Overpass and finally,
To the train.

I am 10 minutes late. The train has left. Taking off my jacket my torso literally steams in the cold air. My lungs must really be on fire. I do my best not to collapse while I try to figure out how to salvage this. The last train from Cardiff has left 3 hours ago, I can't get to Heathrow by Train. I'll just hope to find a bus route that will get me there on time. This really feels like it can't get worse.

I grab the next train and get to the bus terminal. 30 solid minutes after departure time, I step out into the bus terminal and find myself staring at my bus, sitting calmly at the curb. The driver steps out as I shamble disbelievingly up and says “Are you Stephen? We were hoping you would come.”

The UK and I have a Love/Hate Relationship it seems.