Moving out of the dorms and into off-campus housing is a rite of passage for some college students. It’s this sense of newfound freedom where you genuinely do not have to answer to anyone. No RAs, no random roommate assignment and no parents; you are finally on your own (give or take a roommate or two). But what do you do with all of this independence?
For me, all of that independence turned into too many late nights with friends, countless rushed walks to class (I don’t think I’ve ever been on time to class since starting at VCU) having ice cream every day and getting to live with two of my favorite people for three years.
After everything shut down and we were sent home from school at the beginning of the pandemic, there was no telling what going back would look like in 2020. With the uncertainty of it all lingering in the air, my future roommates and I set out to find housing for the Fall of 2020.
We lucked out and secured a beautiful three-bedroom townhouse with the Richmond charm in the heart of The Fan District on West Main Street. It had great bones, we just made it our own. Three years later and our time here has come to an end. It only feels right to reflect on what it all meant to me to close out this era.
I spent the last few years with my roommates and close friends H & K. H & I met during our sophomore year where we bonded over finding ourselves living with some of the filthiest people in Richmond. The pandemic was our out, and that’s when we made plans with K, who was a year younger than us.
When we moved in, we were all friends, but as time went on we became the best of friends. We bonded over our love for Harry Styles and spent the first few days without wifi so the only thing we could watch was the One Direction concert films while we sat on our iconic red couch. That couch has seen some things. Mostly drunk college kids and more recently, has become the #1 hangout spot for our beloved cat Finn.
This house has been “the spot” where we would host many birthdays, Galentine’s celebrations and even a holiday party once. We would have wine nights with some type of craft and watch true crime docs that were H’s current interest and it would be the place where we’d come home after an eventful night of bar hopping.
I think the funniest memory I have of our little home was a game we created within the first week we got there. We would hide a picture of Liam Payne (our least favorite member of 1D because he genuinely sucks) around the house and we would keep tallies of whoever found it. After a while, we got too good at the game because the picture was never seen again.
I think my fondest memory made here would be the first birthday I spent away from home. It was my 21st and I celebrated with a small group of close friends where I was surrounded by love. My roommates made that a birthday to remember, and I will remember it forever.
To H & K, thank you for all the laughs and shared conversations. We were true college girls together. I hope we’ll always find ourselves thinking about how much fun we had. I’ll love you two always, and I’ll wear you on my ankle (shared tattoos, sorry Mom & Dad!)
This is my ode to the blue house on Main Street. It’s not a traditional “ode,” but it is from my heart and that is where I will carry all of our memories made here, in the house on Main Street.