When people ask me what my living situation at school is like, they almost always gasp in disbelief or horror at my answer. “I live in a ten girl apartment!” I say. I am not sure why people usually act as if I did not choose my situation or like I could not possibly like it… of course I love it! Yes I picked to live here, and yes, we are all friends! And quite honestly, it’s not even big enough – I wish we could fit more of our friends who live in other apartments.
The truth is, our friend group is larger than ten, so our best friends do not even all live here. Luckily, most of us do, so our apartment serves as the home base for any gathering, party, or even typical night. People just stop by our apartment whenever because there will always be people around hanging out. There is truly never a dull moment over here. I love the social aspect of our apartment. Even though I am an introvert, this environment is never too overwhelming. You can go in your bedroom to have your alone time, but you will never feel lonely living here. It is perfect. There are always places in the apartment to be alone, and during the day, there is usually no one here. But coming home after a long day, especially the hard days, it is honestly the nicest feeling in the world to walk into a place where you know you are going to be greeted so warmly by at least a couple of your best friends. It is the most comforting and loving home I think you can find on campus.
Having lived in my sorority house last year, I guess you could say I am used to living with lots of girls. I am a pretty low-drama girl, and so are my friends, so I guess this is why these living situations have worked out so well. Although we do have our disagreements, the nice thing about a big apartment is that it is pretty easy to give your housemate some space and hang out with other people to thus resolve disputes.
This apartment is my favorite living situation I have ever had, and I would not want it any other way. We are living here again next year, and that gives me a sense of comfort that I will live out the rest of my time at UCLA in this place that is so easy to call home with friends that are so easy to call family. This home is a crucial part of my life here at school, and it will make graduating next June even more difficult than I could imagine. I do not want to waste a second of time here or take any of it for granted. I am lucky to have friends that make this place a home I will cherish forever.