Dear 227,
We’ve been talking about this moment since that first day we met in August. The day that we would be saying goodbye to each other and freshman year, as we each headed our own way for the next three months. It seemed so far away, almost like it would never actually catch up to us, yet here we are now, sitting on the floor surrounded by bare walls and stacks of cardboard boxes.
I spent the weeks before move-in day panicking over how I was going to manage living with seven other girls. What if they were mean? Or weird? Or didn’t like me? What if they ate all my Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream? The looks on people’s faces when I told them about my future living situation didn’t help to calm my nerves either. Most of the wide-eyed blank stares were followed by gasping, “that is going to SUCK!” I couldn’t help but agree.
Boy, was I wrong.
From the first night we moved in, I knew there was something special about our room. We barely knew each other but decided to make a big family dinner, consisting of plain spaghetti noodles and a cucumber and lettuce salad. We sat around our Ikea coffee table giggling about how nervous we all were to meet each other and how excited we were to start college.
The rest of the year was filled with movie nights, 2 a.m. pizza runs, fashion shows, make-overs, study sessions, cooking lessons and so much more. I could always count on someone being there to tell me which shoes looked better with my outfit or how to get a stain out of my favorite shirt. We each carried different characteristics that the others lacked, which allowed us to complement each other so perfectly.
You all have each changed my life in the best way possible. I know for a fact that I couldn’t have made it through this year without all of you, and I am so thankful I didn’t have to. I have never had friendships as strong as ours or felt as close to a group of girls as I do with y’all. Living without the seven of you this summer is going to be so hard, but I can’t wait to see you all do amazing things.
Now, whenever I see the reaction people have when I tell them I lived with eight girls, I make sure to tell them I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I got to spend my freshman year having a constant slumber party with my best friends, and I loved every second of it.
Love always,
Dani