Hostel Life - My Experiences

Tell me, what can be more thrilling and exciting than the time spent in the Hostel?

Based on my own experience, I can say with conviction that hostel life can make a "Man" out of you. You are no more chicken-hearted and are fully geared to face the cruel world.

Having said this I would like to list the following dozen truths or facts experienced by me which could, in general, be related to a typical hostel life :

● Hostel rules were strict and hence staying away from home in the initial period was quite tough & lonely which took a lot of effort and some time to overcome the pangs of separation from home.

● Sharing my whole time with total strangers (in the initial period) with whom I had no prior contacts or links whatsoever proved to be one of the toughest things to face or digest.

● None of my personal stuff was mine anymore; whatever was "truly mine" was now "truly theirs"; Let me exaggerate a bit - I did not even own myself!

● After having experienced the unfamiliar food at my hostel mess (canteen), I was inclined to forget totally what real daal looked like & tasted like because by now I had got used to "daal less & water more" stuff!

● Because of the "fishy food" available at the hostel mess, I had now ample excuses & reasons to visit fast food joints & small restaurants frequently; I still remember an incident wherein I was entering the hostel mess after a long gap and the canteen manager stopped me and asked me if I am an outsider!

● It was a small wonder and not surprising that my breakfast, lunch, and dinner mostly comprised of Pav bhaji, Chinese food, and South Indian snacks respectively!

● When I was in Hostel, I happened to come up with innovative solutions to everyday problems like heating samosas with a hair-dryer and keeping non-ironed clothes under a pillow or mattress in order to straighten them. After all, necessity is the mother of invention!

● My room became a temporary or make-shift playground for playing cricket, football & hockey!

● I got to see all sorts of unhygienic things and meet all sorts of weird people & hostel mates who were either effeminate or gay or clumsy or sadist or boxer by nature. I started preparing myself for self-defense in order to protect my face and integrity

● Studying in a hostel room was a tricky task because the moment I made up my mind and sat down with my books, someone or the other would invariably interrupt me. In my case, there have been countless study nights that were eventually turned into impromptu unwarranted sessions!

● The biggest joke of living a hostel life was that my parents thought that I would be more disciplined and organized if I stayed in a hostel but the real fact was that I had actually broken more rules than ever!

● The best part of my hostel life (bonus) was when I started receiving special attention and pampering at home whenever I returned home from the hostel during holidays and a short vacation as if I had returned from a war or a battlefield!

In a nutshell, living in a Hostel was like living in a war zone wherein I came across unknown enemies & unforeseen situations, and eventually, when I graduated out of hostel life, I was a totally different person altogether !!

Three Cheers to Hostel Life !!!