Living in a more traditional dorm this semester has been an interesting experience. Last year, as many of you know I lived in a Mod on Dirty South. While we did have our run-ins with black mold and heaters not working, it was overall a nice familial atmosphere. Coming home from class every day didn't feel like I was heading back into a dorm. Rather, it felt like I was walking back into a home. It was the best life. Now I'd wish for anything to have it back.
This semester of college has been a lot more lonely, unfortunately for me, mainly because a lot of my day is spent by myself. Sure- that's pretty normal for me to begin with. I've been alone all my life so I know how to keep myself from boredom. However, when I go an entire week without talking to someone other than a passing hello to my roommate, it starts to get to me. I live in Bryan Hall and it is super close to pretty much all my classes. Crossing the street to Ellis literally takes 30 seconds. I am close to Court Street and on Friday nights while everyone is getting drunk at the bars I am heading to CVS to pick up some late-night snacks! I also work at the library as an overnight desk assistant. I am the lucky soul who sits behind the desk at 3:00 a.m. trying to stay awake. At the end of my shift, I can get back inside my dorm in two minutes and in bed in another five. Living in this dorm is everything I planned for last semester. But at what cost has my planning led me?
My floor is all guys and guys don't like opening up to new friends really at this stage. Literally everyone has their door closed and we only see each other walking to the bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom, it's a mess. Last year five of us guys shared a bathroom and it was never so messy that we had to have a floor meeting about it. Sometimes, I try to hang out in the Bryan basement but it seems every time I sit down there people give passing looks to question why someone is sitting in the common area as if that's not its intended purpose.
Living with a roommate has also brought in some challenges. I won't go into detail because that's not cool and he's pretty chill overall. We just have two different lifestyles, to put it bluntly. The way I look at my room this year is more like a safe house; only good for a short period of time before heading back out into the world. In contrast, last year I called my room my "New York apartment." It was small, yes, but it was mine. I could clean it whenever and stay up till the sunrise playing games and watching movies. But now, I can't even watch TV at 10:00 p.m. without my roommate turning off the lights.
I see my friends from the old mod and the majority of them are living the life in their respective dorms. It's whatever, the way I look at it, but I do miss the good old days. Especially since the girl I like used to just live in the other mod. Now, she lives on the other side of campus. As fall continues here at OU maybe there will be a turnaround. Or maybe, just maybe, with my luck a digression.
