Obviously, this post will be about me and dorms.
Every year, we would move to new dorms... mostly because we're girls who are hard to please. Mostly because of me. So, during my 4 years in college, I was able to stay in 4 different dorms.
It is too bad that I didn't take much pictures of the rooms. I did take a few, but it's all gone now.
1.
My first year dormitory was a great one. The selling point would be the big window which stretches from the ceiling to the floor and the very spacious room (can fit about 4 people, and would still be quite spacious). If I were to compare, it had the feel of Nana and Hachi's room from the manga Nana. The sunlight streaming from the humongous window every morning and afternoon is just the best. I shared the room with my sister and my cousin (we were in succeeding grades, me in first year, sister in 2nd and cousin in 3rd) and I would occasionally be left alone (because college people are busy partying...XD). We put our table next to the window and had breakfast there together. Sometimes, my cousin's boyfriend and my sister's bf (now an ex) would be eating breakfast with us. Those were the fun days. It was like a pseudo family to me. Every time I remember that dorm and me all alone reading next to the window or eating something I "baked" in the microwave, I would think "Ah, those were the days..." It was simply awesome.
Although, the drawback was that the room was supposedly haunted (3 friends who do not know each other confirmed this) and that it was infested with big-ass red ants. Also, it used to flood in the room when it rained even though we're on the 2nd floor (still bitter about this because it ruined my xxxholic vol8 manga). Haha. My friends thought I was joking. Water actually seeped through the walls. XD So obviously, we had to move. Also, our cousin wanted to get her own room so we moved to a smaller room the next year.
2.
My 2nd year dorm is also pretty awesome. It had a resort feel because of the big garden. There was also a small fish pond (which is great but kinda sucked because mosquitoes were breeding there) Everyday, I felt like I was in a vacation (which is probably the reason why I was so fat and lazy during my 2nd year). It was the friendliest dorm we have ever been so even though it was kinda awesome, it was a shock. You see, my sister and I aren't really the friendliest people on the block. We prefer to stay indoors and play computer games or read books and whatnot. Simply put, we kept to ourselves. But the dorm people were just so friendly that almost all of the people there knew each other. Even the caretaker was their close friend. Every night they would get together and talk. At times, they would have parties (which were loud so I was annoyed). The friendliness doesn't stop there though. During Christmas that year, the dorm caretaker even gave each of the tenants gifts! It was a shock. They were so neighborly. So, my sister and I were guilty about it so we just gave them some cookies we baked at a friend's house (no oven, you see...."OTL). And there was one incident when the caretaker was nice enough to let me shower in her room because there was no water that day. So nice. :'( I'm about to cry just remembering it.
Aside from the resort-like feel of the dorm (the view is so so so pretty from our room in the second floor!), the room is also huge (can fit 3 people). Another good point is the biiiig restroom. It was so spacious that you could dance in there. The shower was awesome too! Although it was hard to clean because it was so big.
Hmm...so what was the drawback of living in there again? Oh yeah. There were a lot of weird bugs and a few cockroaches because the rooms were a little old. I actually killed a firefly once. I thought it was a weird cockroach but after I killed it, it's butt glowed. I was like, "oh." (there were a lot of weird species of bugs crawling around...how was I supposed to know?!). Also, there was a curfew (10pm..so early!), and we didn't want that so we had to move. But we had a good stay. One of the best...if it wasn't for the curfew.
3.
The third dorm smelled like a hospital. It was a quiet and clean dorm. The building was modern but every time I would stay at the balcony (yes, we had a balcony...awesome, right? Right.), I would realize that I was living in the countryside. One time, there was a herd of cows running down the road. It was cute and scary at the same time. Things like those were actually normal and other people paid no mind. I was shocked though. Also, there was a lobby at each floor so it really felt homey but still apartment-like. The room itself and the bathroom are both clean (easy to clean too...which is a good point since I was in-charge of the cleaning while my sister is the cook). This is probably my 2nd most favorite dorm. Ah right, there were 2 housekeepers that were at each other's throats everyday. It was like soap-opera, I tell you. It was kind of funny to watch at first.
So, why did we move? Because there was a rumor (probably from one of the caretakers) that there will be a curfew (we hate curfews) and because the other housekeeper was getting kind of scary and annoying. Sometimes, she would knock on our door to borrow money or to sell some used shoes or whatever. My sister said she's probably using drugs or something. It did look like that. Ah...I do remember complaining to my dad that I wanted to move because the place where the dorm is, is quite scary at night (dark and all...there were a lot of suspicious people around). And for me who often went home at night, I did not feel secure at all even though our building was just next to the entrance. There were also a lot of drunk people around at night because just across the road are bars which is always full of students and old women. We call it Das-malate (dasmarinas + malate), after this place called Malate which is full of those as well.
4.
Our last dorm is probably the lamest and the worst one of all (the reason: Dad was the one who picked). There was no signal for our phone, the room was freakishly small, there was hardly any water and there was only one window (which we did not open because the hallway is in the other side). To add, we were on the first floor. Since first year, we would always be on the upper floors. Combo breaker. I like stairs. :'(
I can say that the only redeeming factor of this room is the table with the built in fluorescent light. I remember studying at that table at night until I feel asleep while still sitting. Also, it had the perfect brightness for me who can't sleep during the night without any light. Also, the area where the dorm is located has a lot of stray cats so we would get a lot of visitors for Siopao (my cat) who was living with us at that time.
Still, it sucked. It was the cheapest one, though. So I guess that's understandable.
Still, I miss living in a dorm. You had that kind of freedom that you don't have at home.
Some of my friends were envious of me back then because I can go home whenever I want (with the exception of my 2nd year because we had a curfew).
I miss you, dorm life!
