In my 22 years of living, I’ve been surrounded by human beings. I grew up in a family of six which meant there was no such thing as quiet or a dull moment. In my undergrad of University, this was no different. For three out of the four years I was stuffed in a house with three other roommates. I relished the moments I was alone in my house. When I got accepted to a one year masters program at Western I was given the choice, find a roommate or live alone. I chose the latter. After 21 years, living alone terrified me. Despite me living like a 70 year-old grandma, its been a huge learning experience. Here’s somethings you’ll learn if you choose to live alone.
1. You are not as clean as you think.
That mess you often blamed on your roommates because there was no way you could be that dirty? That was totally yours. Dirty dishes pile up faster than Miley Cyrus killed Hannah Montana.
2. You will buy too many groceries.
Leftovers for the next day? Try leftovers for the next week. Living alone means having no one to offer the last fries or chicken nuggets to. You have two options – eat them yourself or have leftovers for days. But no matter how much money you spend on groceries your fridge will always seem to be empty.
3. You learn what being independent really means.
You have no one to lean on but yourself. Your roommates and families were obligated to help you carry the heavy boxes up to your room or to construct the jigsaw puzzle IKEA gives you. You will need to learn how to carry and balance 6 bags of groceries up a couple flights of stairs
4. Silence is a bittersweet thing.
Silence was an anomaly for me before living alone. After a long day it is really nice to come home to no one. You don’t have to be “on” all the time. But don’t be alarmed when you start casually talking to yourself.
5. Walking around in your underwear is as good as you think.
But make sure your blinds are shut.
6. No one is there to judge you.
There are nights where you’ll binge watch a show until 2 in the morning and there are nights where you’ll eat McDonalds Fries and ice-cream for dinner. No one is there to judge you or look down on your for the questionable choices you make.
7. I am still scared of the dark.
Every bump you hear will be assumed to be someone trying to murder you Scream Queen style.
8. Motivation is an odd thing.
I have no motivation to walk my dirty mug to the sink in the next room but I still am able to motivate myself to wake up for class at 8 in the morning. With no roommates present to push you and influence you to go out, you’ll probably remain a hermit crab for that year.
7. It will get lonely.
But appreciate the quiet and peace while you have it.If I ever got lonely last year I ran into my roommates room and onto her bed. Living alone you have to resort to watching Bieber and One Direction videos on YouTube to keep you company. But appreciate the quiet and peace while you have it.