Although this will be my second year of college and living away from home, next semester is shaping up to be a big leap in my life.
I am going to be living in an apartment with two other friends, away from home, and out of the dorms. Last year I lived in the dorms, specifically Mary Ward. Even though I was not living with my parents, it still did not really feel like I was really independent. It was more like I was going to summer camp, and I did not have as many responsibilities as I soon will in our new apartment.
In Mary Ward, my one other roommate and I shared a closet sized room. The only space I occupied was a small desk, a narrow closet, and my bed. These were the only spaces I had to keep tidy, so cleaning was never much of a chore.
I never had to clean the bathroom either, because we used a large shared bathroom just down the hall. Toilet paper and hand soap was always supplied for us and I never had to clean the shower.
When it came to food, we ate what the school provided us with. All I had to do was walk into City Eats and pick up a plate of whatever they were serving that day. Literally no work on my end. My meal plan was the Five-Day one, so I did have to feed myself on the weekends and even that proved to be challenging. I spent way too much money on eating out and ate a lot of unhealthy food. Or only ate snacks all weekend, excitedly awaiting Monday so that I could use my meal plan once again. I’m glad I got the experience of living in the dorms because it was like taking a baby step into the adult world where I will be completely in charge of myself.
As you can see, a lot of the responsibilities of moving away from home were in the hands of my school so I never had to worry about them. But that’s all about to change.
There are a lot of new things I will have to figure out when I move into this apartment.
For example, the art of grocery shopping. Of course I have been to the grocery store many times but usually with my mother, or I just wanted to pick up a few special things for myself. But I have never had to buy weekly groceries for myself with the goal of cooking meals on my own. I’m sure that the first couple of times I am going to be unsure of what to put in my basket. What are kitchen essentials and what should I be cutting out of my diet?
Mostly I am concerned about my food budget. I don’t want to buy to much and never be able to go out, but I also don’t want to be hungry during the day. Cooking the food is a whole other dilemma.
Don’t get me wrong, I can make myself some food, but I can’t prepare myself a delicious meal. I like to imagine that I will try to learn some of my favorite recipes, but most likely I will be eating a lot of noodles and cheese quesadillas.
Cleaning hopefully won’t be too much of a burden, I know the basics of keeping an area neat.
However, there are still some things I will have to learn. Like how often do you replace kitchen sponges and how to you clean a stove (you know, that part under the burner that can get really gross really fast).
In some ways, things are going to be easier in the apartment. I won’t have to find my keys every time I want to go to the bathroom, and I will have a designated sink for washing dirty dishes! The luxury! Anyway, I’m sure there are going to be more surprises coming my way that I don’t even realise yet.
All and all, I am excited! Growing up is not the easiest thing, but I am very lucky to be easing into it like this. I strive to one day be a fully grown woman who pays her own rent on time and can cook dinner for a bunch of people, so to get there I have to start here. I will probably make some mistakes on the way, but that it alright. It will be new and exciting.
I am sure many of you are also starting new things and taking on new responsibilities, so I just want you to know that you are going to be great! We are all just figuring things out, so don’t worry and make the most out of it!