There comes a time in every young adult's life that they must venture from their comfy nest and begin making one of their own. Usually this occurs in college, as we leave home to move to our school of choice. However, before this year, I thought dorm life was at least similar to what living like (at the very least) a young adult would be like. I mean, you had a roommate, you occasionally made yourself food, you had to do laundry, that seems pretty real-world-like. It's almost scary how wrong I was. Just one week into living in an apartment, I've had the ultimate shock in terms of what living in the adult world is like. Spoiler alert: it's kind of hard. These lessons are meant to serve as a warning to those who have not begun or are beginning the process of living "on your own." It's not all fun and games, unfortunately, but it is worth it.
Lesson 1: You are constantly cleaning. I don't think I've ever cleaned more than in the first week of living in my apartment. The kitchen becomes a mess almost immediately, and then there's the process of keeping the living room "livable" and your bedroom as gorgeous as it looked on the Pinterest picture you copied.
And when you have roommates, the mess can easily accumulate. It's almost like a battle to try to keep your apartment clean before a huge mess pops up. All I know is, if I ever have the money for it, I'm hiring a cleaning lady when I'm older because this is tiring.
Lesson 2: Be respectful to your neighbors/roommates. You may think you know how to be respectful to roommates or neighbors after living in a 10x10 room for a year, but that was only a portion of it. You and your dorm roommate maybe worked out a schedule, wore headphones to watch movies, had her text you after her boy left or vice versa, and so on. But with roommates, it's a little different. If you want people over, it isn't a given, especially late at night when they're sleeping. Food is also not always up for sharing anymore, not like it was when both you and your dorm roomie were always starving after the caf closed and needed to share a bag of chips to survive. And neighbors aren't always down to deal with your loud shenanigans anymore. Overall, there are some new rules you have to learn.
Lesson 3: No more wasting water or leaving lights on because of the utility bills. Gone are the days of not worrying how much water you used or "accidentally" leaving the lights on. That costs major cash now. You can't afford to be wasteful or forgetful, because that can put a hole in your wallet real quick.
Lesson 4: You will be cooking a lot. And it's not always fun or easy. I'm Italian, so I can cook. But that doesn't mean I always want to. Cooking takes energy and time, two things I don't always have. However, unless you want to starve or spend all your money on carry out, you have to get used to cooking. Another lesson that falls under this category? Frozen meals are your friend. Especially if you're lazy.
Lesson 5: The freedom and the growth that comes with it is so worth it. Despite all the work, the feeling of freedom and accomplishment over the fact that you are, at the very least, handling adulthood, is beyond worth it. I've already grown up more in this week than I ever thought was possible. And I would like to think for the better. I know my mom would, especially if she saw how much cleaning I've done.
Overall, "adulting" is hard. And being in college only gives you a slim view of what it's like. But I know that living in an apartment and handling everyday life all on my own has me one step closer to being a mature adult. Now, there are probably about 1500 more steps I need to take, but slow and steady wins the race.
