My Uni room certainly provides a window into my soul. The ground floor room resembles a goldfish tank from the outside. Neighbours can peer through a very thin, pointless mesh, cover to see me chained to my desk or pottering around with my seventh cuppa of the day. The exposed room, overlooking the smoking area, makes the perfect people-watching spot. I can see the smokers with damp hair on a Saturday morning, the MCR’s extravagant welfare teas on the picnic bench surrounded by cheese and a surplus supply of biscuits. If I’m in my room getting a much-needed early night before another bender, I can listen to people confess their deepest darkest secrets after a few vodka shots before Bridge Thursday. Real-life audio books send me off to sleep as I listen to another disastrous love story. Friends can tap on my window and chat there rather than send a text or MCR students occasionally peer in curiously and even wave if they’re feeling brave. Late at night, unexpected tapping on the steamed-up window can come as a jarring surprise, but it is nice to be in such a social spot.
After moving into my tiny first-year room, I was in awe at the beautiful view of Exeter library. The comings and goings of the 24-hour library was unmatched. Freshers flocked to Westgate to shop for their new rooms, determined to make them their own. Pinboards were plastered with photos from the infamous Free Prints app and clothes horses made those relying on circuit laundry, unreliable dryers, and radiators, green with envy. In Primark, I found the items that make my uni room feel homely, and I discovered how much I liked the colour pink. I love my floral bedding and two cushions that – when put side by side on the single bed – can deceive even the cleverest of Oxford students that it’s a double. My blue touch lamp has always entranced students for its ability to light up with an accidental brush of the hand at Pres.
Uni rooms show the unique quirks of a person. Some people have shelves full of plants, beautiful books, miscellaneous ornaments, or bananas and protein powder. Fairy lights can light up even the darkest nights, instantly elevating the room. Small lamps are the best way to make the room homely. The light on my ceiling looks like it could belong to a hospital, whilst the lamps offer the perfect glow for cosy nights.
When I returned to our flat for Hilary term, I opened the door and jumped out of my skin to discover a life-sized cardboard man. I moved him to our kitchen, but he surprised me every time I opened the door.
I’ve grown to love both the rooms I’ve had at uni because so many magical and mundane memories are made there. It is possible to make a once prison-like room feel like a home, with just a handful of pictures, a few fairy lights, and a cushion.
