The pandemic has caused much of my university education to be taught online and much to my disappointment I have been living at home for over half of my undergraduate program. In fact, in my first year, I transferred from Ryerson to Laurier solely because I wanted to live away from home. Now, after two years of online learning, I finally achieved that goal in the second half of my third year. However, as much as I wanted this to happen, I’ve realized that there are many pros and cons to adapting to being away from home.
Cooking
I don’t.
Just kidding! It definitely has been a challenge adapting to cooking all my meals and trying to refrain from ordering out. I have, however, been taking the opportunity to cook healthy and quick meals. Keeping frozen or precut vegetables has been a huge time saver and helps me add more veggies into my meals. Also, getting an air fryer has been the best decision of my life and everyone needs one. I’ve been able to cook things like salmon and chicken in no time because of it. Sometimes it’s a little hard to keep the kitchen and fridge organized with four other girls but keeping a mini fridge in my room and splitting things like eggs, milk and bread has been helpful with maintaining space. As much as I miss being comfortable cooking in my own kitchen, it hasn’t been difficult getting the hang of doing my own grocery shopping and cooking.
Keeping the Apartment Clean
Since I just moved in this semester, I am still getting familiar with my roommates. So, it definitely has been a little hard establishing a cleaning routine. When I first moved in, areas like the main space and kitchen were a little gross but communicating with my roommates has been helpful in making sure these areas stay clean. Keeping my own room and bathroom clean is easy. I made sure to bring boxes to keep my things organized, like makeup and skincare. I loved decorating my room and hopefully soon the rest of the apartment.
Establishing a Schedule
With school still being online, it’s a little bit hard to find reasons to leave my comfortable little room and go outside. But with time I’ve been establishing a good schedule in balancing school and my social life. I make sure to get up and get ready for class despite it being online, do a little bit of schoolwork and then make plans for the rest of the day. Going on short walks each day is so therapeutic despite the chilly weather. I make sure to see a friend or talk to one at least once every other day. I have been using the app Time Tree to help me keep track of upcoming due dates, meetings and events. Establishing a good schedule helps me feel busy and keeps me very organized.
Overall, my first month living alone has been eventful and I’m still learning how to make the most of it. I’m really proud of how productive and independent I’ve become since living on my own!