Woot! Final week of the school year! :D But it's been a little bit of a bittersweet weekend. In all honesty? I'm not really wanting to move out yet. I love my little hovel here in Regents Hall. It's a crazy life that this year has been, but I really like everything about it. And now, Pullman is bringing out the beautiful sunshine, and the scenery that is just not even comparable to anything anywhere else in the world. God's doing crazy stunts with the sunsets.... and I'm just happy. I wish we had an excuse to still be here for a few weeks without the stress of finals or anything. The good thing is, I am really looking forward to spending a lot of time driving to Seattle/Vancouver/Portland to visit people this summer, and I hope that some of them will venture to the not-as-touristy city of Longview and see me too! *wink, wink* I've been slowly packing my stuff up and loading my car, just a little at a time. I don't think I could do it all in one day. Taking baby steps helps me to transition out of living here so it won't be quite as emotionally up and down on the actual day of.
I know once I get home, and start feeling like I have a place there again, I'll be more in the summer mode. But Longview seems a little foreign right now....I don't know what my routine will be or what I'll be doing for the next 3.5 months. And that's such a big chunk of time that is unaccounted for! All I know is that I want to get a job and find a college-age group (both big challenges in that area of the world).
As I'm staring at my "semester checkout sheet", courtesy of the residence hall association, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic. This time last year, I was putting finishing touches on my (ok, bragging a little) valedictorian speech, feeling amazing during golf season, proofreading the yearbook for the billionth go round, and freaking out about leaving my comfortable bubble. And here I am, now a one-year alumna, and a whole new batch of seniors is getting ready to move on (though not necessarily move out, I realize). To them: I advocate 150% that if you can, get out of town. Not because it's a horrible place, because it's NOT. But because there's no better way to explore who you are than by leaving everything that defined who you were.
Okay, speech over. This blog, really, is for the superficial stuff too. I was one of those nerdy types who made a color-coded, categorized list of what I was taking to college. But I realize that not everyone is going to do that, so I'll give you guys the quick "do" and "don't" packing suggestions from someone who's been there. And a sidenote: research as much as you can on the room you'll be living in and the rules that your school has. Because I know there's a lot of variance.
Do:
- Invest in appropriately sized tubs. Not giant rubber-maids, but clear storage bins. They come in all kinds of sizes, and you can use them for everything! Groceries, dishes, extra toiletries, snacks, scarves/hats, you name it. You don't have to worry about keeping them orderly, and at the end of the year, that's one less thing to try and pack into a box - they're already in a box!
- Buy plenty of removable wall hangers (aka: Command strips). You'll always think of new reasons to use one.
- Invest in a bed set/mattress pad/pillow that you actually find comfortable. As long as it fits a TwinXL mattress, it will be worth the extra few bucks for something that helps you sleep as opposed to the simple bed-in-a-bag set. Not knocking those, just be sure you can actually sleep well with just that.
- Pack as many comfy pairs of tennis shoes as you have. The more the merrier! Unless you're joining a sorority or majoring in business/communications, there aren't going to be occasions for 12 different pairs of heels. One or two is plenty if you're going to be walking to class everyday.
- Febreeze and a wax warmer. Every room wants them. Inevitably, the garbage, the hall, your closet, or the outdoors will have an odd odor that seems to cling to your room. Febreeze is great for the quick fix, and a candle warmer that operates on a lightbulb not a flame will keep the room smelling good. They're safe, and you can switch out the wax once the old scent melts away. Though most schools say they're "technically" off limits, after the first week, nobody will be snooping around in your room. Just put it in a cupboard when you leave for break.
- If you have room, a nightstand table or personal bookshelf is great! I got mine for like $20 and it keeps movies, books, my clock, and all the random stuff that just needs a place to accumulate.
- One of those electric hot-water heaters. They're awesome for making tea, coffee, macaroni, all kinds of random things.
- A heavy-duty microwave safe plate, bowl, and mug. I'm talking something ceramic, here. As long as you don't plan to drop them from a five foot cupboard, invest. The lightweight plastic ones are great for some things, but most of them aren't microwave safe so they'll warp if you try.
- Get at least one power strip/extension cord and a few of those outlet multipliers (the things that turn one into two or three). Outlets are in weird places, and not always accessible depending on where you put your furniture. Not to mention, when you add up all the things that need to be plugged in at any given time, you're going to want some spares.
Don't:
- Fall for every single "college student needs" item. Summer and fall, there are tons of products being advertised that you won't actually use, or at least need to evaluate if you would. There are others that, while colorful, are a cheap and breakable version.
- Bring originals of your favorite pictures. Make copies of the ones you like the best so that it's okay if they get bent, fade in the sun, or you need to poke holes in it to put on a bulletin board. And only bring a few things in actual frames, because counter space will be at a premium
Okay guys, I guess that's all the advice I have for right now. :)
Yeah, it's been an awesome year. I would agree that college is going to be some of the best times of my life. Hands down.
*Lost in My Mind, Head & the Heart
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