It’s the point in the school year when, if you live in a dorm ,you’ve learned to accept the good, the bad and the ugly. Here are a few things that I’m sure we’ve all encountered and have learned to live with while living the cement cell – I mean, dorms – we call home.
1.) Roommates. Love them, hate them or don’t really converse with them, you have probably learned how to live with the one or two people that a computer matched you up with based on a questionnaire. Congrats.
2.) The noise. I’m sorry, but even though I’ve learned to live with it, I will never fully understand how my upstairs neighbors manage to make the loudest sounds possible throughout the day, or how they know when I’m trying to go to bed so they can play their music even louder.
3.) The dirt. You and your roommates might clean, you might even clean often, but no matter how many times the swiffer makes an appearance there will always be dirt. Everywhere. The bathroom floor, your carpet, your sink, even your desk isn’t safe from the incessant dirt that always manages to come back.
4.) Everything is broken. Remember when you and your roommates realized that the toilet paper holder was broken on move-in day and there was still hope that the school would fix it? Those hopes have been dashed, along with every other hope there was that your dorm room appliances would be fixed. How many times does my closet door need to almost give me a concussion before someone notices?
5.) The water pressure. I’m sorry, but taking a shower in freezing cold water isn’t the greatest way to start my day and get ready for my 9 a.m. I’m thankful I have a shower but can we please just work on the whole hot water thing? Please?
6.) You’re never really alone. Even if you’re roommates aren’t in the room and you think you’ll have some time to yourself, some random will knock on your door, your neighbor will text you asking if you have toilet paper or, surprise, your roommate comes back from class.
7.) Everyone is always, I repeat always, sick. Whether it’s the infamous move-in day virus, the midterms cough or the finals week stomach bug, bacteria will always manage to knock you when you’re down and make studying your French just that much worse.
8.) Your belongings are kind of everywhere and you’ve stopped looking for them. The tutu your friend borrowed for Halloweekend, the baseball hat you lent to the boy down the hall and don’t even get me started on the number of pens that have been given out. Those items and more have all been MIA for the past few months and you’ve learned to accept it and move on.
9.) Your RA is always there. Good or bad, your RA is always going to be there to remind you of the mandatory hall meeting coming up, to make sure your door isn’t bolted and to make sure everyone is still alive and well after a weekend. They might get on your nerves here and there, but without them, I’m not sure how many freshmen would still be standing by move-out day.
10.) You get really close with your hall. Love them or hate them, your hallmates are your family away from your family and whether you need a hug or a phone charger, they always have you.
As annoying as they can be, live it up in the dorms while you can. Life isn’t always going to be as easy as excessive dirt and cold showers.