Up until recently, I had never lived alone by myself. Before college I was with my parents and up until now I was living in the dorms, but now I'm living alone. It's an adventure and a real adjustment. I thought that it would be super easy because I'm a very independent person. I thought it would be a breeze. But boy was I wrong. Here are some things that I have come to realize after having lived alone for a week:

1. The first night is the absolute worst.

I think I woke up 10 different times during the night because I thought I heard something. It was the stuff of horror shows. A girl lying alone in her bed hears something in the dark hallway. That's exactly how dramatic it was in my mind and yet, in that moment, it seemed completely reasonable.

2. It gets lonely.

I am a self-proclaimed extrovert. I love people. I want people. I need people. This necessity has become very hard to fulfill since I don't know anyone living around me yet. It's not bad during the week when I have classes and get to see all my friends, but the weekends are definitely going to take some getting used to.

3. I have time to do everything I want.

Not all is lost in living alone. Since I'm not constantly distracted by the pleasant company of friends or family, I have time to accomplish everything that I want to in that day. This might seem counterintuitive because it seems like there would be a whole lot more work now that I don't have pre-packed meals, but somehow it all works out. Speaking of food...

4. I get to eat whatever I want.

I have full control of what I want to eat. I feel so powerful. I haven't abused this power yet by only eating junk food, but having that as a possibility is very exciting. Also, it's just really nice to have a supply of fresh fruits that I love. I have everything that I like to eat in my kitchen.

5. No more shower shoes.

I have a personal bathroom again. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is. I don't have worry about shower shoes or whether there is someone else in the shower when I want to shower or carrying my toiletries back and forth. Heck, it would be fine if I forgot my towel when I was showering. So much freedom.

6. There is so much cleaning.

I hate bathrooms. I hate that we have to use them. I hate that they are an irreplaceable part of life. I hate that, now, I have to clean them. Also, dishes. They have a tendency of magically stacking up even when you haven't eaten anything in a while. However, I get to determine my level of cleanliness for which I'm eternally grateful.

7. I can sleep at whatever time I want.

Usually, when people say this, they mean that they can stay up as long as they want, but for me it means that I can go to bed at 9:30 and nobody will judge me. There are no worries about someone else making noises or about light or anything that was originally out of my control.

8. Everything smells nice.

For some reason, universities function under the assumption that if students living in dorms are allowed to have candles they are going to burn everything down. Now that I'm not living under their candleless regime, life smells of spices and winter and it's fantastic.

9. My bed.

It's big and it's comfy and it's new. 'Nuff said.

10. I feel like an adult.

Living alone is probably one of the more significant things that I have done in my life so far. There is so much responsibility that comes with it and I love every minute of it. I'm still trying to figure out how to do it all on my own, but I'm so grateful that I have this chance to do so.

Cheers to more time living alone!