Weird, surreal, freeing, challenging, totally awesome and scary — finding the words to describe moving into my first apartment is proving to be quite difficult.
It’s so hard to describe because I’ve already lived away from my parents for two years in the dorms. But, something about “apartment life” lends itself to the falsity that I am now an adult.
While it seems on the outside that I have an average young adult life, I still feel like a child who is not prepared for the “real world,” if there is such a thing.
Apartment living requires a new level of independence than living in the dorms.
For example, now I must plan my meals, instead of only having to think about them the class period before I eat them.
To any other young adult, especially one who is used to adapting to a college schedule, this would seem like no big deal. Planning is easy right? Nope. Not for me.
This task is near impossible for someone who has spent the last two years of her life proving the theory of “bencial procrastination.”
So, things like buying groceries for the week or figuring out how to hang a frame on the wall or how to get cable are all added to the list of tasks I now have to do, even though I am totally clueless on how.
I’ve also been learning how to adapt to my surroundings.
A new room comes with a new window, which in turn comes with new noises… and smells. Let me explain.
Before moving into my apartment, I lived in Founders Hall, which is very close to the railroad track. I thought there was nothing more annoying than the sound of the train at 11 at night.
I was wrong.
My new window overlooks the apartment complex’s volleyball court, which I will one day use to fulfill the hole in my heart left from being cut from my seventh grade volleyball team.
Anyway, I can very easily hear people enjoying themselves when I am innocently trying to avoid productivity while napping.
While I will admit this can be overlooked, it is what’s just beyond the volleyball court that disturbs me most: the pigs.
Yes, my room overlooks the slaughterhouse.
On a beautiful summer day, I can open my window to enjoy the smell and sound of pigs being slaughtered. It really is just splendid.
All kidding aside, (even though I am totally not kidding about any of that) this experience is already so rewarding and it has only been a little over a week.
Looking past a couple pig squeals, I have an entire summer to further explore my independence with my best friends in a town I love and I am looking forward to every second of it.
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