As we settle back into things at school after our much needed fall break, many have the feeling of “it’s glad to be home” rush through us as we step back into our dorm room. Two and a half months in, a space that you’ve created to be yours becomes a home away from home for even the first semester freshman. Nothing’s better than the feeling of seeing everything that makes you, you, on your walls and also being able to see what special “far away land” your roommate is from. However, this dorm room relationship goes both ways, and IT has noticed a few things over the weeks itself. So, we posed the question of: “What would your dorm room say if it could comment on your everyday life?
1. “I see two beds, but six people”
And sometimes, those six are not the ones who sleep there. I can’t even count how many times I’ve walked into my room to find people who weren’t my roommate just hanging out. And it came a point where it didn’t even bother me anymore. The best part about living in a hall is being able to keep your door open and trust everyone in it. Every room becomes a common room and you learn something new about someone everyday.
2. “That strategic idea of storing your food all the way under your bed isn’t working well.”
Let’s just say, sometimes I’m more motivated to get to my stash of cookies than I am to study. I figured that if it was behind all of my storage boxes, I would think twice about making a path to get to it. But once your roommate introduces you to Nutella on oreos, it’s a whole different ball game of cravings drawing you to get off your bed and crawl to the darkest corner of the space under your bed.
3. “I’m pretty sure those 12am microwaving sessions are waking up the hall.”
There is never a bad time to have easy mac. It’s simple, it’s fulfilling and once you finish that paper that was due a minute earlier, it’s a pretty great reward. The only issue that could happen is midnight popcorn being popped a little too long, leaving the burnt smell to circulate through the halls leading everyone to the room. But as long as you don’t set off the fire alarm, those magical beeps telling you your food is done won’t do any harm.
4. “Didn’t you clean yesterday.”
Cleaning must be a regular occurrence, and we usually know we will be cleaning right after we get dressed. We pull out at least three different outfits, but go with the comfiest and the discarded pile is on our bed because if this happens before a ten o’clock class, we usually tried to sleep until the very last minute and are now running late. Throughout the day though, those wrappers that we leave on our desk stay put because of the laziness of not having a great shot at the garbage can. After our much needed afternoon nap, we have to do our morning process all over again.
5. “Netflix and chillin by yourself, huh?”
Sometimes after a long week or night or fifty-minute class, somewhere between a half hour and eight hours of your favorite show is a beautiful thing. The lights stay out all day and sometimes you even make it a bit more comfortable by turning on your Christmas lights. It’s quiet, it’s comfortable, no one can bother you, and you can listen to Brooke Davis’ or Serena Van Der Woodsen’s problems instead of thinking about your own.
6. “How many pictures do you need to stab into my walls.”
The best way to bring your home to college with you is through countless pictures. However, the best way to do it is by poking holes in the walls (at least for me). I have four nails and between seventy-and-eighty thumb tacks in the walls. That’s not even counting my roommates side. Tape just wasn’t working…so bring on the fines.
7. “I’m sorry, I’m pretty sure there were college students living here.”
College students still refer to themselves as children. Movies make us happy, we eat endless amount of food, we’re in a bad mood for hours because of the slightest things, and those tears just fall and keep falling. In other words, we don’t ‘adult’ all that well and we get scared when we’re expected to.
8. “Nice job creating the illusion you’re clean.”
This will be short. We just request that when you are invited into our room, you enjoy the beauty of the parts you can see without opening things. Refrain from even thinking it is okay to open our closets. They already aren’t closing as they should and well, we get lazy and we can’t be perfect all the time.
9. “There’s a television two feet away and you didn’t have one at home but that’s none of my business.”
The convenience of a laptop being able to play anything you want trumps having to learn all new channels on the television. When a TV is used, it’s used with an HDMI cable and the lighting just doesn’t work during those noon Netflix sessions. Besides, the laptop can be a foot away from your face and can be turned on its side, and who hasn’t always wanted glasses from being too close to the screen?
10. “For as crazy as you two are, I wouldn’t trade ya.”
“Especially for those other ones that walk in.” As it was mentioned, your dorm becomes your home, and your roommate becomes part of it. You learn things about each other and it’s fun to live with someone else. Yay! Forced friends! There comes a point where a system to living emerges and things like changing by making a personal dressing room with your towel becomes easier. In other words, I wouldn’t even think about trading my room (even though they all look the same) or my roommate.