I thought, Great! It’s 4:10 surly enough time to make it to
my 4:30 class. Ten minutes to park and 10 minutes to walk. Perfecto. How silly
of me to have those thoughts. I guess a summer break can take an experienced Kean
student into an unknowledgeable freshmen. But the parking was worst I swear.
How could I’ve of known? Who am I kidding, parking was never an easy experience
at Kean University although, and nothing could have prepared me for what was
coming this year. I started to hunt for free parking spaces while I drove into
Kean but I saw nothing but cars waiting around in between the parked cars hoping
someone would walk towards that area with keys in their hands or better a women
searching her purse for potential keys or a man digging in his pockets all followed
by a lifted head and searching eyes (the ultimate sign of a potential parking
space). Since I knew I had no chance I calmly drove to the parking area nearest
to the train station. It was farther, but I knew my chances were better. I soon
realized I knew nothing. I drove around many times, meanwhile I’ve noticed that
a few of the cars that were waiting between the parked cars were getting
results. Then I understood that I needed a strategy if I ever wanted to make it
to class, so I decided to try the most popular one. It seemed to be understood
that if you waited in that area and a lifted head appeared then that newly available
parking space was in fact yours. So, I did just that. I waited and waited for
fifteen minutes until I saw keys walking towards my area. I was so excited. Until
I saw a car following those keys and I couldn’t believe it. I turned on my
signal lights to mark my territory and he turned on his. Whoever got that
parking space all depended on which direction this person decided to turn her
car while she backed off the parking space. She turned the wrong way and I LOST.
I couldn’t believe it. I decided if I wanted to make it to class I must go to
where the residence park. I found a space there after another fifteen minutes
or so but it was three poles back towards the farthest space from Kean. It took
another seventeen minutes to walk to class. I rushed to class and sat down. Professor
Rich looked at me in the eyes and said “you’re late” I looked back and sternly
said “yes” she asked me to have a seat. Instead of listening to the lecture I
thought and wondered about how all these students got to class on time. What was
their secret? Conspiracy theories started to form in my mind. I almost
convinced myself that Dr. Farahi planned this so that only the brightest
students would make it to class and succeed. All other will attempt to pass but
fail to do so, giving them no other option but to repeat the course next
semester. Keeping students in the institute as long as possible would
be financially beneficial for the University . In fact, there was a drop in enrollment this
year. Then I continued to think about how this reminded me of the survival of
the fittest. The strongest will survive and go one to graduate while the weak
were doomed to repeat courses and pay tuition way past their anticipated
graduation date. Just like nature “natural selection” will occur. I bet if all my
descendants continued to study at Kean they would evolve to dominate the parking lot.
But my ancestors left me with no such surviving skills so tomorrow I must get
here earlier and make it on time because I will graduate.
