Sunday September 21, 2003

Communal bathrooms and life after college

My little baby sister, who will most likely have the urge to fire shots at me when she reads that I called her this, is all moved in at Ohio State. Today we hauled two car loads of clothes, cd's, and Campbell's Chunky Soup over to what will be her home for the next four years.

When my family got to her hall, we were shocked to find that her room was little more than a glorified broom closet that in no way had enough space for her and two roomies. The storage space she was given she couldn't even reach while standing on a chair. The floor's bathroom, which remains locked at all times, has only three showers. I can't wait until Klara starts moaning about her daily fight for a stall. And to top it off, she had no place to plug in her computer and hook up to ResNet.

We left my poor sister in her painfully cramped room with a couple of hugs and a few see-ya-laters. She did not look happy. Considering the circumstances, I wouldn't have either.

Well, maybe.

All of the crap we went through today to help her get settled --running around for keys, spending an hour driving bumper-to-bumper down a two-mile stretch on campus, fighting for parking, unpacking a dozen overstuffed boxes, desperately rearranging furniture, saying goodbye-- it all kinda makes me realize that I miss living on campus. I really do. I miss all that crap. I miss getting to live with new people, move into a new room each year, and listen to gossip while taking a shower in the communal bathroom. It's stupid, I know. But the daily grind is never as much fun as it was when I was with my friends 24/7.

Whatever. My sister gets to do all of this now, and I know that in a few weeks her little room will start to feel less foreign, less cramped. She'll get used to her roomies' weird habits, and they'll get used to hers. Soon, she won't even want to come home anymore. She'll be at home right where she is.

Of course, it will take her at least a few weeks to get used to her new life. For me, probably longer. I don't know. For now, my bed is calling me. I have work in the morning. Yuck.