Hostel life really helps you become a well-rounded person. Why you ask? Well, because you’re on your own, without the need to hold your parents’ hand for every single little thing, for starters.
Having to fend for yourself, meet people of all different backgrounds and learn to share(willingly or being forced into it), all help you come into your own as a person. And these are some of the things that anyone who has ever lived in a hostel can relate to:
1. The late night cooking experiments are your way to bond with fellow hostelites
When your stomach makes that “give me some food” sound at exactly 3 am and there’s no way to get food delivered or go out for a bite, all you need to do is pop into your neighbor’s room borrow some maggi, go to the room two doors down and borrow some hot sauce from there, steal some chicken chunks from the communal fridge and you’re set for some comfort food on a budget.
2. When you especially save that homemade saag your ami sent but it gets stolen from the communal fridge within one hour
This was probably karma for stealing those chicken chunks. But when you’re living in a hostel you should know that nothing is actually yours. There are thieves EVERYWHERE. But you learn to keep your cool because after all you’re no different 😉
3. You’re an expert at optical illusions thanks to all the tricks you’ve tried to dodge the curfew
The hostel gates closing at 10 pm never stopped up from late night partying or sneaking out for a midnight snack. Here is a tip for you guys: be very very very nice to the guard, having them on your sides makes things a breeze.
4. Your love-hate relationship with the hostel food
One day they’ll give you this amazing chicken karahi and then your world be shattered when you’r served shorbey waley aalo the next time. If you’re paying for the food you better get the tasty one, right!
5. You’re great at sharing because in a hostel you never buy things just for yourself
Whether you’re going out on a date or have a presentation at the university, you will be going from one room to the other, asking for a tie or a nice jacket and a pair of socks or maybe your dupatta doesn’t match your outfit and the girl next door has it. Everyone in the hostel literally survives on this beautiful blessing of sharing. So if you ever end up looking fine as hell, don’t forget to be thankful of where it all came from, your floor at the dorms.
6. You become so used to the chaos that silence and being alone doesn’t suit you so well anymore
Just a few minutes of alone time and you start having horrible thoughts. But the someone barges into your room without knocking and everything is better again. This, you don’t get anywhere other than a hostel.
7. You make sure you always keep a friend who has a car
Every hostelite knows that the key to venturing out in the city for free is to befriend the first person you come across who owns a car.
8. You’ve become an expert in keeping your valuables safe from thieves and ragging gangs
Imagine being locked up in the bathroom for the whole night in the hostel. Gave you goosebumps? Well, this is how ragging works at the hostel. And thieves start drooling if they see you being careless with your wallet so always stay on everybody’s good side and keep your belongings safe.
9. You know gossip travels faster in a hostel than over the internet
Who brought their personal fridge? Who is going on a date? The late night gossip session is a must in every hostelite’s life. But beware, everyone else also knows about everything you do or say.
10. You’ve learnt to swallow your pride and do even the most mundane chores on your own
It’s tough dealing with everyday cleaning, keeping the communal bathrooms neat so your roommates don’t get you ousted, and washing the dishes after every late night cooking experiment. But as a hostelite you know no one else is going to come and do that stuff for you so you suck it up and just do it.
11. You know that rules don’t actually mean anything
They’re meant to be broken, after all. Sure, the hostel admin will act all serious and shit but you are the experts of sneaking around those “tough” rules.
12. Thanks to living on your own you’ve become kharaab in your parents’ eyes
Remember the day you were leaving for hostel and your mom kept on saying,”Beta burray dosto se dur rehna“? Well, living in a hostel, surrounded with hormonal, rebellious young people of the same age doesn’t really keep you away from “burray dost“, waise bhi burra toh woh hota hai jo pakra jata hai.
13. But however much you’ve become independent you still miss your home
And mommy’s home cooked food, all the pampering she does and the ironed clothes in hour closet, the clean sheets and the washed dishes that you never have to worry about.
