Hostel life means learning to live with someone else which of course is one of the biggest adjustments in life.
When I was shifting to my college hostel in the beginning of my academic year, there were so many questions going through my mind: ‘How will the hostel atmosphere be?’ ‘What kind of girls will be there?’
But the only thing that really excited me was the fact that I would have a roommate, and I could talk to her, share some common interests and do fun things together.
Recalling college life, most adults talk about their enjoyable experiences with their roommates and how they shared stuff, played pranks, bunked classes, bugged the canteen guy, etc. And if you find someone really good, you could also share your darkest secrets and future plans. So for some, the bond is really special.
I still remember the first time I met my roommate. She was not bothered about her surroundings and stayed glued to her mobile phone even when the hostel warden introduced us. She just looked up for a moment, smiled at me but did not utter a single word and went back staring at her phone. Her behaviour gave me a feeling that she was not happy meeting me or maybe she was just having a bad day.
I did not let the thoughts cloud my mind and decided to ignore and got busy with setting up my things in my room. The entire day had passed by and we had not spoken a single word. But just before dinner, she told me: “Can you shift to the next room for today as one of my friends is coming over to stay tonight?” Her question left me puzzled but I thought I would comply because it was the first day.
When I came back to my room the next day I found her still glued to her phone. As days went by it was pretty clear that we would never get along. Whenever I used to tell her that I needed to get ready first because my college started early she would intentionally occupy the bathroom for long so that I would get delayed.
Roommates need to have a mutual understanding but in our case it was completely ruled out. After a long hectic day at college I looked forward to some relaxing time at my hostel, but my roommate made sure that I had none of it. She would call her friends and talk loudly on the phone for hours together.
As days passed by, I discovered more things about her. I realised that she did not enjoy others’ company and loved being alone. I also found that a few of my things went missing. It started with insignificant things, but later, my clothes, make-up and even jewellery went missing from my room. Though I never confronted her I was pretty sure that she doing all this to maybe get rid of me or for a reason I don’t know till date.
Living with her was a task for me but I managed to stay for two months. I was so happy to finally go back home and I realised that hostel life shown in movies has nothing to do with real-life roommates. You could be caught, bowled and stumped!
— As told to Riya Daga
