Most people grow up having their own bedroom at home. Adjusting to having a roommate at college can be difficult but once you form a bond with someone, you can’t imagine living without them. This semester, I had to re-adjust to being roommate-less while my roommate, Erica, studied abroad in London.
There are definitely some perks to living in a single. To start, I was able to spread my things across the entire room. When I washed dishes, they would dry on Erica’s desk. When I did laundry, my drying rack was set up on her side of the room. I stored things in her closet, her dresser, under her bed, and even in her desk. I never had to watch Netflix or listen to music with headphones. Any friends from different schools that came to visit me or my suitemates were able to sleep in her bed. I could get ready in the morning without having to tip toe around and I could stay up late with the light on. My room was the hangout spot because I had so much extra space. I did my homework in her bed because it was not as comfy as mine so I was less likely to fall asleep. It was nice to live alone because I could hang out with my suitemates in my room, the common room, or their rooms but when I wanted to be alone I could shut my door. This semester felt like I was living in my own bedroom at home again.
Living alone wasn’t always so great. The first weekend back, my suitemates went into their rooms to sleep and I realized that I was going to be all alone for the whole semester. I ended up sleeping in their room that night because I was too lonely. Throughout the semester, I would listen to my suitemates who shared a wall with me and I heard them giggle late at night. I wished that Erica was back so we could have a random late night talk about the silliest things that made us laugh until our stomachs hurt. If I received good news, I had to text her instead of bursting into our room smiling. I didn’t have her there to tell me I should not watch another episode on Netflix because it was a school night. Erica and I have grown so close so this semester it felt like a part of me was missing. While I have loved being able to spread my things across the room and come and go as I please, these perks have not outweighed the fact that I have been missing my roommate. I am happy Erica has had a great semester abroad but I am so glad she is going to be back with me. It is going to be a struggle to squeeze all of my stuff back on to my side of the room, but it will be totally worth it! I can’t wait for the spring semester filled with laughs, late night talks, and a shared candy drawer. Welcome home, Erica!