Dedicated to Nel, Brit, and Val
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused thousands of students to leave their dorms, and go back to their homes to comply with quarantine measures. Before, some even thought they would be coming back after summer break….Well, it’s August now, and how things have changed! Many have moved out because they couldn’t afford rent and some have even experienced more unfortunate situations. As if the train-wreck that has been 2020 so far isn’t annoying enough.
I was one of those students. Coming back home and leaving my apartment was nothing but a bittersweet experience. I’ve been living approximately one-and-a-half years in that apartment. Having to come back to pack everything wasn’t the least bit easy. When you live in a dorm, no matter how much you might enjoy coming back home for the weekends, it becomes your second home. If you have roommates, they become a part of your family (at least, in my case, they did)― you spend time with them and create memories that will last a lifetime. I certainly did; my housemates and I adopted street cats, went on late night Walmart runs, fought on who got dibs on the shower first, and did gift exchanges during the holidays. When you live on your own, you tend to realize a lot of things about yourself, learn how to live with others, and grow immensely. However, with the pandemic, there was no time for proper goodbyes.
The weekend I went to move out, I had a gameplan (not that it helped me deal with my feelings regarding the move). But this year has been all about adaptability in the face of uncertainty, that’s for sure. I gave myself two days to pack and created a system that would help me organize everything: one pile for things that belonged in the trash, and another for donating. All my things were grouped into categories and were left inside just four boxes. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone, considering the fact that both my sister and my housemate kept me company throughout the whole process as we spent my last night reminiscing on the memories we had in our favorite spot in the house, our balcony.
The next morning, I said goodbye to my housemate, not knowing when we’ll see each other again but promising to meet sometime in the future. By late afternoon, my room was completely empty. As I locked the gate one last time, I bid farewell to my now former home.
The truth is that I expected to move out when I graduated, but the current economic situation did not allow me to do so. With this said, I would like to ask landlords out there to be more understanding.
