Looking down Commonwealth Avenue at around 7:00 tonight, you notice the sun shining on Warren Towers as it sets for the evening. The concrete paradise that houses over 1,500 of us every year, glistens in front of that orange and pink horizon. A multitude of memories flood to the forefront of your mind, as your eyes land on one of the three prominent towers. And while your reminiscing may encompass anything from three weeks to several years worth of moments, the sight of this sacred place may cause a slight chuckle to escape from your lips as you remember the problems that you and your fellow Warren residents faced.
1. Platonic elevator orgies
The only thing standing between you and food is this elevator ride. The elevator is empty, and you hop on impatiently. The elevator decides to present you with one final obstacle: it stops on a floor with every resident deciding to dine together.
“Your whole floor is going to dinner? And you all want to just go in this one elevator? Ok, cool. I’ll just join this snuggle-fest then.”
2. Small talk in smaller places
While genuine friendliness should never be taken for granted, the one-on-one conversation with that overly enthusiastic talker with whom you are confined in this tight moving box, can feel just excruciating.
“Hi. I’m [insert name that you probably won’t even attempt to remember]. You live here? Cool! Me too. Is your floor cool? Is your RA strict? Where are from anyway?”
*A subtle happy dance leaks from your limbs as the elevator finally arrives at your floor.*
3. Changing paranoia
Whoever thought that the windows from the boy side of one tower should face the windows of the girl side of the other tower, was either an evil genius or a potential pervert. While you may enjoy a sneak peak of a shirtless boy standing and pondering life from his window, the sudden shock of anxiety that overcomes you when you realized you just changed without closing your shades can be overwhelming. At that point, you just have to work it.
4. Selectively enforced quiet hours
When it’s 6pm, there is always an RA around to tell you to turn your music down. However, once it’s 3am, your neighbors are indulging in some competitive karaoke, while you are left trying to figure out how to even begin to rest up for your 8am lecture.
5. Lost and lonely at lunch
Your friend texts you that they are sitting at lunch in Warren dining hall. They are “in the back room”. So, you grab some nice pizza and wander back there. And you continue wandering, maybe in quite a few circles. And after some desperate texts to your friend to specify her location, you collect yourself and confidently sit in her booth.
6. ½ ply toilet paper
It starts with you tugging and tugging, only to have little paper shreds rip and float to the floor. Then, you finally get a nice grip, and lead to use three trees’ worth to even feel clean.
7. Stairs that look like an escalator
You step onto that escalator, just trying to get up and into your bed for a wonderful nap. After a nice moment’s reflection, you realize that you are not moving. You awkwardly collect yourself, glance behind you in apology to the forming line behind you, and walk up the escalator manually.
8. Temperature mind games
Your room is a little toasty. So, you wear a t-shirt and jeans. The common room is a sauna. Your jeans are changed into shorts. The dining hall is a refrigerator. An extra layer is grabbed and worn. Outside is lovely, and your outfit is ridiculous.
9. Guilty pleasures, revealed
That Spotify playlist featuring an array of songs from Hannah Montana’s prime that you know every word to? Your floor may have heard you belting through the wall and may have sent some video snaps to everyone they know.
10. Using washing machines as storage units
You finally motivated yourself to do laundry, or maybe it was your lack of clean underwear. Nevertheless, you are downstairs and ready to be an adult and wash your clothing. All the machines are full. On top of that, at least 5 of them are done but the clothes are just sitting there. The real question then becomes: do I aggressively remove the clothes from this machine or just give up and congratulate myself on trying to be mature?
Even after all these problems that we have all faced at one point or another in Warren, they create many more memories than long-lasting issues. So, next time, consider just joining in on that karaoke, because, why not?