To Room 232,
When I first met you on move-in day, I'll admit it: I wasn't sold. Your walls were drab and your closets were bare. A few suspicious marks dotted the carpet, and the clunky wooden desks lacked charm, character and any semblance of comfort. As a first-year in college, I was moving two hours away from home only to be met with you?
Needless to say, you weren't my dream dorm room. At least, not at first sight. But in a matter of minutes I shifted from bemoaning my fate to unpacking my bags. I was going to use what I had to transform you into a space that felt more like home. Soon pictures dotted all your walls and textbooks crammed the shelves. School supplies sprawled across my desk, and I made sure my purple stapler and tape dispenser were angled for optimal use. My bedding draped the mattress, clothes lined each and every drawer. I shoved bins and baskets beneath my bed, and hung curtains across the double window.
Within hours, you looked more like home, and I thought I had achieved my goal. As college life began, I forgot about you as I became involved with classes, friends and a myriad of activities. My thoughts were on you only when I woke each morning and then went to bed each night. Even then, I was mostly thinking of my bed.
Yet, even though you weren't often at the forefront of my mind throughout freshman year, I still wanted to take the time to say a quick thank you. As I transitioned to college, I was able to depend on you to house many of my cherished memories. By looking at the pictures of my past, I was reminded of all of the wonderful things I had already done.
But you did much more than that. As the year progressed, I pinned up snapshots of college activities alongside those of my high school friends. A yoga mat made its way into my closet, even though I'd never touched one before. Slowly, pieces of my new life began to infiltrate you, the space I'd always thought of as my tie to the past.
At heart, Room 232, you were really a mirror. Every time I tried something new, I left reminders of it in you. You housed the collection of canvases from college paint nights; you put up with my grass-stained clothes after every flag football game. As my life expanded, so did you. I loved watching you become even more colorful and exciting than before.
So thanks for being there, Room 232. You introduced me to my awesome roommate, you gave me a place to store my many things and you made my college transition just a little easier. With every new thing I tried, you always were there with a space in which I could come back to and reflect and relax.
Our time together is dwindling fast. Next year I'll be down the hall, a little bit older and a little bit wiser about the function of a dorm room. So now my time has come to say goodbye and good luck to you!
I'll always remember you, freshman dorm. Thanks, Room 232.
