You know, I'm about to finish my first semester of college and wow, what a roller coaster it has been. So many emotions have raced through my brain that sometimes, it's nice when you are just able to sit back and relax and just take a deep breathe. Ever since I've started writing for the Odyssey, I have yet to run out of something to write about involving my new college life. It's so crazy to think how fast it has gone by. It has honestly been so nice to have the Odyssey as sort of my diary. Anyways...enough of my sappy post.

I have never been the one to have many guy friends let alone have I been the one to be comfortable around guys all that much. Going to college, when I found out that there were only co-ed dorms on campus, I kinda got a little nervous. I didn't know how they lived, if they lived any different from us girls. To me, they might as well be a different species. I remember the day I moved in and to see my Dad's face when he saw that boys were moving in just 2 doors down from me. He looked at me and I reassured him that it wasn't that bad and really, it isn't. Here are the things to know about living in a co-ed dorm.

1. Boys going into girls room and vice versa becomes less of a big deal.

I remember when I used to go to camp, I would hear from the counselors that the boys were not allowed in the cabin under any circumstances so naturally, I took that as a big no-no. Now that I'm in college, I've found that it's not as big of a deal as it seems. You have to understand that people of different genders living in the same building and on the same hall, people are bound to find themselves in someone else's dorm.

2. Your Panties/Underwear/Bras/etc. falling out of the Washer/Dryer become less mortifying.

Back at my home in Birmingham, my Dad was the only boy to live with 3 girls. Finding my panties on the couch on a typical Tuesday night was not a big deal. My first week at college, I had to do my laundry. There was a boy in there doing the same thing and I was moving my wet clothes to the dryer. Then it happened. My pink lacey thong fell out. It was just laying there and I knew the boy saw it but man, I was horrified. As the months went on, I found that my underwear just likes to fall out of the washer, especially when boys are in there. Listen, it happens. There's nothing you can do about it. You just have to pick it up like nothing happened. We all wear underwear(hopefully) so it's not like my undergarments are something that I need to hide.

3. You open yourself up to more friends.

I've noticed that when you go someplace, you immediately find the girls and if you're a guy, you immediately go to the boys. Being in a co-ed dorm, you find yourself becoming more comfortable with the people of the opposite gender. This gets you to meet new people that you never thought you would meet instead of being bound to the people of your gender.

4. You see how different other people's living conditions really are.

I'm not saying this because I'm that typical girl that thinks that everything boys do is disgusting but there is a reason that girls say that. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating but boys do definitely live differently than us. When girls think of moving into their dorms, they think of creating this wonderful (expensive) room that is only gonna be taken down within a matter of months. Boys just like to keep it more on the simple side. They're not that into having all of the wall decoration that girls have. You learn to get over that fact and see that college is not always just about the things that you put in your room.

Much Love Always. -Addison.