Over Wofford's "Jan-Term" (or, what we call, Interim), my roommate has been abroad. She's been on an amazing, life-changing trip to India, where she's gotten to experience the culture, food and life on the other side of the world. It's been so amazing for her (she says she doesn't want to come back). Me, on the other hand, I've been taking a class on campus. Meaning that while she's gone halfway around the world, I've been living in our dorm room by myself. And I really am not a fan of it.

Don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed getting difference in experiences living by myself for the first time in my life. I've actually loved it. I've loved it a lot. I really enjoy having peace and quiet (not that my roommate is loud, but when it's just me, I have nobody but myself to talk to), and I can stay up as late as I want, or go to bed as early as I want. Everything has been up to me.

This isn't much different from college itself -- I have a lot more freedom in college than I did when I was living at home back in high school. But it's one thing living with a roommate who knows everything about your life and your schedule and a whole other thing when you're living by yourself. Without my roommate, I've realized that I depended on her a lot more than I realized. If she was going to the dining hall for dinner, there was a pretty high chance I would go with her too. Without her here, if none of my friends are going to the dining hall for dinner, there's a pretty high chance I'm going to eat something in my dorm, by myself.

While I really have begun to love living alone, I've realized that it's something that is so bad for me. I love the extra freedom I have to watch whatever I want on TV, or go to bed whenever I want, but it's not worth it in the end. I'm still spending time with my friends, but it's different when I'm living alone. I spend more time by myself -- which isn't exactly a bad thing for an introvert like me, it's just something I've never experienced before.

So this goes out to my roommate (who will actually be home next weekend) -- come home! Living in our dorm without you is weird. And I love it. I love it too much. But sometimes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.