As the year is winding down, the feels are starting to hit students heavily. Goodbyes are starting to trickle in as everyone is trying to make the most of their last week of Spring Semester. People are thanking their roommates, new friends, even professors for a solid year of education, growth, and unforgettable memories. With all of these farewells, you shouldn't forget to thank the place that harbored you for the past nine months and allowed you to enjoy college life. This is a thank you and goodbye to the freshman dorms.
1. Thank you for giving me a place to sleep.
Obviously, this is what you are meant for, but it meant the world to have a place to rest my head at night. You endured my frequent naps at odd hours of the day and didn't mind when I had to stay up all hours of the night.
2. Thank you for giving me a place to study.
When I couldn't handle walking all the way to the library or when the study rooms on the floor were full, you came through. I honestly owe a majority of my educational success to you.
3. Thank you for giving me a place to have movie nights and hangouts.
Although you weren't always the prime hangout spot for the squad, you still provided for the nights when we all wanted to stay in. Many episodes of Netflix were watched and plenty of crazy, inside jokes were made within your four walls.
4. Thank you for giving me a place to have late night talks.
My roommate and I had plenty of nights staying up till three or four in the morning talking about life and our struggles. A lot of problems were solved thanks to those talks. You allowed us to have realizations about ourselves and let us talk each other out of stupid decisions; the world can thank you for that one.
5. Thank you for giving me a place to laugh with friends.
Whether it be random dance parties or flipping a whole bowl of ramen onto our white carpet, you gave us a common place to laugh our heads off. You gave me a place to bond and strengthen relationships with humor.
6. Thank you for giving me a place to break down.
I firmly believe that it isn't possible for any college student to go through a year of college and not have a single meltdown. You gave me shelter when the tears came rolling in and all I could do was bury my face in a pillow to scream. When it seemed like everything in life was going wrong, you helped me collect myself and recover.
7. Thank you for giving me a place to meet new friends.
Had your bathroom not connected with another room, I wouldn't have met some of the greatest people in my life. You forced me to be social. You allowed me to find people that I can rely on with my life.
8. Thank you for giving me a place to show a part of me.
Your walls held every photo and painted canvas that reflected my personality. You allowed me to temporarily transform you into a little piece of me.
9. Thank you for giving me a place to be an adult.
Parents always worry when we go off by ourselves. You gave me a place to show them that I can stand on my own, a place that showed them that I can be responsible and take care of something.
10. Thank you for giving me my best friend.
Since my high school best friend didn't come here with me, you helped me not replace, but add another. Not everyone is lucky enough to call their roommate their best friend, but I certainly am. You trapped us together for nine months and forced us to get to know every single detail about each other. We saw the good, the bad, and the crazy. I could not be more thankful for that.
11. Thank you for giving me a place to call home.
Since I am an "out-of-stater," my visits home were few and far between. This was my first time facing the world on my own and you gave me a place to feel safe and call mine. You made a foreign town feel like my home away from home.
You can tell that I am leaving by the way I strip your walls of my photos and art. These past few days, you have watched me pack up the life that blossomed here. You know what is coming next. I will remove every trace of me that is in your walls and floor. I will scrub you clean of the wear and tear that I created. Then I will lock your door for the last time and walk away. Before I go, just know that I will always have the memories that we created. Your next inhabitants will have no clue what we went through together but you and I will. You watched me struggle and grow; now it is time for you to help the next person coming to college. Treat them as well as you treated me. Make sure that they feel at home the way you made me feel. Goodbye, and thank you for everything. Know that I will never forget you.
