Being a college student really puts the terms “house” and “home” into perspective. When I talk about going home, I mean my house in Eugene, not my parents’ house in Kansas. After leaving home for probably the first time, most of us come to college and live in dorms, which never really feel like home at all.
Getting into your first apartment or house with just the right people makes all the difference.
Turning what could have otherwise been just another living situation into a home depended entirely on my four lovely housemates and the fact that we’re all completely random.
When I call my housemates my “family,” it’s not in reference to some pseudo-cult I subscribe to, but the fact that they’re what I come home to after long days of school and work.
Aside from my fantastic homies, making my personal living space into my own started with painting my room from the formerly monochromatic mint chocolate chip green to a more palatable teal with mint green accents. That’s right, my room looks like the sea. After getting to Eugene in September, this was the first thing I set about doing. Painting can be quite the chore, but I actually find it relaxing. If your landlord allows you to paint, I would highly recommend doing so because it gives the room a different personality than just having blank walls. Depending on the color scheme, the room takes on a personality of its own.
The rest of our house looks super eclectic, including our pink living room, complete with red curtains and a red couch. The pink walls were there when we moved in, but we managed to get the couches for free off Craigslist. My roommates and I didn’t plan our decorating; it just came together and seems to be a fusion of all our personalities and quirks.
From the Mod Podge’d puzzles of cats and the Golden Gate Bridge hanging on our living room wall to the nearly 10 bikes in our garage, it’s truly my house’s randomness that makes it great.
But the unique thing about my family is our intense communal dinner schedule. Amazingly, this year each of the five of us has taken a dinner night each quarter and managed to have family dinners at least five nights a week. All of us might not always be able to attend, but at least we have the option of eating home-cooked food throughout the week. But here’s the kicker — we’ve managed to keep making communal meals that are completely vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free. So pretty much, every family meal is vegan, which is never something I thought I would be into. But I actually, I’ve enjoyed the challenge of cooking outside my normal style, and I feel much healthier eating not as much meat and processed foods.
Family dinner is one of the only consistent routines we have at our house. And it makes me feel at home because, as college students who live from minute to minute, we don’t really have set schedules. This way, everyone can get together five days a week to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.
I never dread going home because I know that I’m coming home to an awesome place — albeit at times a bit messy — and people with whom I love to spend time.
Home for me feels comfortable, mostly because I’ve created a relaxing atmosphere with some of the most laid-back people I know.
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