Too many people.
These were some of the thoughts that were going through my mind this past Sunday to Tuesday. It was “College Days” at Oakwood University, and hundreds of high schoolers invaded the campus.
My residence hall was so terribly noisy, especially on the first day. As more and more people started piling in, I was going more insane…at least I thought I was.
“Nia, are you okay?”, a residence assistant asked. “Yeah, I’m fine.”, I replied.
Apparently, my face didn’t say so.
Sure, I’m used to being exposed to many people all at the same time. Greeting acquaintances with smiles, shaking hands with strangers, saying hello to a familiar face…but this…THIS was too much! This is where I live!
I quickly decided it was time to run. Run away from lobby. Run away from the hallways. I couldn’t go outside because the number of people increased. I went to unlock my door in an attempt to escape all the cacophony…
…to no avail. The noise in my room wasn’t audible. Oxymoron? I believe so. Stuff. All I see is stuff. Clutter. Things that weren’t mine nor my roommate’s. The mess was silently screaming at me.
Why?
Students of Oakwood University volunteered to host high school/potential transfer students or chaperones in their rooms. If you hosted a student, you would receive ten dollars. If you hosted a chaperone, you were expected to give up your bed, and you would get twenty dollars.
I hosted a student. Not just any student, but my beloved little sister. Surprisingly, we somehow managed to share my small, 39″ x 75″ twin bed.
My roommate decided to host one of her best friends; however, my roommate decided to put her guest on the floor. Haha!
Our two guests had so much stuff! Also, my roommate and I rearranged our room to accommodate our appliances, so while other rooms had their space maximized, our space was minimized. That left us with little wiggle room even before our guests arrived.
I found myself going to the study room to escape my own room. That’s crazy.
If you read “Get To Know Me One Fact At A Time.“, you would know that I plan my outfits in advance.
For some reason, I didn’t plan my outfits that I would wear during college days or any days afterwards. So, when the time came, I was beside myself. I could barely get to my closet, and the fact that I had to take time out of my day to figure out what I was wearing instead of simply looking at the planner seemed unbearable.
Many other things contributed to my stress: some quizzes, an article for the school newspaper, reading reports, meetings, practices, rehearsals, performances, and anything else. I don’t feel like going into all of those.
I love my sister, my parents, and the friends that came along with them; but the absence of their stuff in my room is a beautiful thing. The absence of their STUFF. Not them. Just their stuff.
Today is my first day of my attempt to return to normalcy.
Oh, and I’m still waiting on my ten dollars! This college budget is something else!
I hope this post was somewhat entertaining.
Until next time…
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