Do you know that TikTok trend that’s “living room vs bedroom girl,” and it’s based on where you spend the most time? (It also might just be me that’s seen this; I am chronically online.)
I used to be a bedroom girl when I lived at home. There was nothing wrong with my house or my family; I would just rather hang out in my room. It was quiet, really unlike the rest of my life. I had my dog, my book, and my bed; all I needed.
I also shared a room with my sister, so I was never truly alone. I loved sharing a room, but that meant I had to learn what having my own space meant when I moved to college.
Then, I got to college, and my first two years were spent in the dorms. When your bedroom is also your kitchen, office, hangout space, and everything in between, it’s kind of a lot to handle. I got overwhelmed way too fast living this way. It felt like I couldn’t escape school, couldn’t escape people, couldn’t escape college life. My entire life was confined in the walls of Deveraux or Loughlen Hall.
This year, I’m living in The Gardens on the East Side of campus, and I love my cozy little apartment. I try not to study in my room so that my space is separate, different from what it has been the last few years. Having my own kitchen is the best thing ever, and just having space to live and grow feels so freeing.
My roommates and I use our living room the most out of any room in our apartment. My favorite thing to do is watch How I Met Your Mother with a Klondike bar with my roommates, winding down from our days. In fact, I am literally writing this article on my couch, one of my roommates is people-watching out the window with her cat, my other roommate is lying on the floor, and we’re all just enjoying each other’s company.
I feel bad when I sit in my room, to be honest. I literally feel like I’m wasting the rest of my space, and I need to use it.
So, this year especially, I have become a living room girl. The best times in my apartment are when my living room is full. Full of people or full of laughter, either works.