Dear empty dorm room,

Hey, generic bed frame and black twin bed mattress with no bedding on it, sorry I haven’t seen you since move in day. The mattress pad is kind of a must though because if we’re being honest you’re not a luxury item. You might be the one I miss the least, because my bed at home is waiting, but I spent most of my time in this room with you, re-watching Friends when I should have been studying, eating Mac and Cheese because no one could stop me from eating in bed and most importantly running the impossible race of catching up on sleep.

And you, clear desk that matches the bed frame, you’ve been covered all semester in sticky notes and schedules with books piling and un-piling on top of you as papers are coming up and then turned in. I’m sorry for doing all of my homework on the bed instead of sitting in front of you, but at least there were no chips taken out of your wood over frustrated book tosses or any other paper writing mishaps.

Empty trash can, thanks for keeping secret exactly how many bags of chips I went through over the semester, because we both know stress eating is a real thing. And empty recycling bin, thanks for standing be the trash and reminding me that yin and yang exist. For every bag of chips I stress are I recycled a full container of waters. Hydration is important when you’re stressed, and recycling is important always.

Tall white walls, thank you for holding my memories all year and letting me rest my cork board against you so that I could tack up new memories as they were made. And thank you even more than that for not tearing when I ever so slowly removed the command strips from you a few days before I left. It is almost impossible to match your slightly off white color and I did not want to pay for damages I’m sure would be painted over anyway.

Barren closet and dresser, I wish that you looked bigger now that all of my clothes are stacked in boxes instead of hanging against you, but honestly you look about as small as I remember all year. It’s alright, I made do and only brought my favorite clothes to school, although it seems like more than was strictly necessary now that I’m carrying all the boxes. Next year someone who dresses better will probably move in and maybe that would make you happy, barren closet, if you had feelings.

So thanks, empty dorm room for keeping my secrets and keeping me company. We had a good run and I wouldn’t have wanted to have spent it anywhere else, although I won’t be back for you next year. I hope that your next resident is as kind to you as I have tried to be, even if it’s just to avoiding paying at the end of the year.

Regards,

Your last resident