When one has a tiring, rough day at school the only thought that gives them hope is that no matter what, eventually, the day will end and they’ll finally return to home. But ones they get into a college, most of them have no choice but to opt for a hostel because their residence is away from college.
No matter how much the thought of hostel scares us, to be honest, it is really necessary for personal development. When we get into a hostel there are many physical, social and mental changes that one goes through. The main ones are listed as follows.
· Making up our mind for hostel life
Before one starts their life in a hostel they imagine how it will be. Our mind tries to prepare itself for every possible outcome. We constantly think about how we’ll live away from our family. How our roommates will be like, thinking about the place, food, etc. It happens to almost everyone and is actually very useful.
· The Packing
This is toughest and most time-consuming job. We have a huge list from the smallest thing like a toothbrush to clothes and notebooks. The truth is no matter how much we prepare, plan and strategize we mostly tend to forget something and remember after we have settled in our hostel. The best way to avoid or reduce it is to seek help from someone who already lives in a hostel because only they can tell you the best.
· Homesick
Once you reach there and it’s time for your family members to leave, that view will be most painful and unforgettable. If you are very close to your family then you’ll definitely feel homesick the first few days even if you think that you won’t miss them but everything will remind you of them. It is really hard to escape but one way of doing so is to distract yourself and indulge in some activity that diverts your mind from the thought. Many times when you talk to them you’ll end up crying after the call and it is perfectly normal. Hostel actually helps us to realize the importance of our family.
· Roommates
Before getting in college, mostly, we all have to choose the type of room we want AC/ Non-AC and no. of roommates. Mostly we don’t choose single bed as that will isolate us from rest of our students and the chances of making new friends and adjusting to the new place will become harder. When we decide to have a room with roommates we wonder how they will be.
Roommates can turn into your best friend or the ones whom you dislike the most. Having a good roommate is the biggest blessing because you will need them the most in your tough times so it’s important for one to build a decent relationship with your roommate.
Most roommates have some annoying habit example, talking too much even if no one is interested, snoring, keep lights on for studying late, etc. Soon one gets used to it but if it’s really troubling you can always talk and find a solution.
· Change in lifestyle
Everything changes when we get into a hostel, from the moment we wake up till we are back to our bed at night. Now our mom won’t wake up us and we have to completely rely on alarms. We have to go wash our clothes because there are few clothes that we can’t give to laundry e.g., socks, undergarments, etc. We have to go for our breakfast, lunch, and dinner on time so that we don’t miss it.
We have to keep our stuff like ID cards, library cards, keys and money safe with us and be more responsible as we can’t keep losing stuff again and again. We have to keep our clothes properly to avoid wrinkles and properly dry the washed clothes. We have to look after our health and hygiene. Now we ourselves have to study as there will be no one to tell us to study. We have to remember about medicines, if any, sleep on time and not to forget our stuff in the bathroom when we return. It sounds tough but it will be normal ones we get used to it.
One can tell everything about life in a hostel but to actually know we have to experience it ourselves. The ultimate aim is to make us responsible, self-dependent, know the importance of our family and develop and grow to be a smarter citizen. Once you find the right company and follow the right track, hostel life will only improve your lifestyle. It will be hard and you might face tough situations but only those situations will make you stronger and more confident. Lastly, just enjoy your hostel life because later you’ll miss these days so live moment to the fullest because once gone, these days will never return again.