To my dorm rooms,

it has been quite the ride, hasn't it? Just about four years ago, you were a tiny shoebox of a thing, where a stranger occupied the bed next to me, and there was nothing but time and opportunity in my near future. Then, you grew in size, gave me more closet space, and my best friend mere feet away from me at any given moment. Before I knew it, I was thousands of miles across the Atlantic, with bright orange walls and a comfier bed than I ever could've expected. Now, last but not least, you're a room all my own, one that I love just the same.

Regardless of what room I found myself calling home over the past four years, it was just that-- home. From the moment I slapped some pictures on the wall, hung my excessive amount of clothing in the closet, made the bed with that familiar floral quilt, it was comfortable and familiar. Until the end of the year, when I was forced to peel everything off the walls, pack all those clothes back into the suitcases, and un-make the bed that was once mine, because even though I called that place home for nine months, it was somebody else's turn to live in that space.

My dorm rooms each had a personality all their own, and were witness to some of my greatest memories. And the thought of leaving college all too soon without giving them the proper credit seems a little unsympathetic. So, here goes nothing.

Thank you for giving new meaning to the term "quality not quantity." You showed me that even in a tiny room with a tiny closet that should barely house two people, you can adequately sleep six if you're passionate about maneuvering mattresses properly. Sure, getting in and out of the room was a project, but that was the whole point, wasn't it? Barricade six former strangers in a room a good 100 feet from the communal bathroom and they're bound to stay up until 3 AM every night until suddenly they don't remember how they lived without each other in the first place. It was there that we experienced so many college "firsts," laughing and talking through snow days and good days and bad days, and all the days in between.

Thank you for being my safe haven at the end of the day. When that test ended worse than expected, or you just couldn't make progress on any of your homework, or that boy was still not answering your texts, diving headfirst into the warmth and security of that twin extra-long bed was always a guarantee. I will never cease to be amazed at the speed with which these tiny, formerly empty squares of space transformed into the place I wanted to go when I was sick, sad, happy, angry, confused, etc.

Thank you for giving me my greatest memories. As the year draws to a close and I'm becoming more nostalgic by the day, I think about all the places I lived and all the life we got to live in those places and smile. You do a lot more in four years than you ever thought possible. The pregames with my friends, the hours spent talking about everything and anything, the nights spent playing games instead of doing homework, the attempts at making family dinner, the endless movie nights. When I think back to my time in college, these are the memories I'll keep going back to.

Something special happens when you're surrounded by your people day in and day out for years at a time. Whether you're feet away from all your classes or in a foreign country, that temporary space becomes your home-- a place you'll carry with you no matter where you find yourself in this crazy world. So, to all the dorm rooms, big and small, that I have called home over the past four years, THANK YOU. For changing me, making me grow up, teaching me, taking care of me, and for all the memories. They were way too good.