“We found love in a hopeless place, we found love in a hopeless place…”
It is 7 a.m. on a Monday and I do not have class until noon. I also do not have this song on my phone and have my alarm set for 10 a.m. Why, exactly, am I waking up to this overly obnoxious song?
Oh yes, it is the alarm of my neighbor, who just so happens to have an 8 a.m. class.
Moving into my apartment two summers ago, I envisioned peace and quiet, something I had not received while living in the dorms. I choose an apartment in a cozy residential area close to a middle school and police station for the sole purpose of staying far away from the loud, party crazy area of campus.
I was enthusiastic and extremely optimistic. I was also wrong.
Exactly one week after moving into my apartment, I had to be awake at 6 a.m. to go to work. That same night, my neighbors decided to throw a party. This was the day I realized my walls were, in fact, made of paper.
Night after night I woke up to music, phone calls, alarm clocks, and loud television shows. I could hear every conversation, every laugh and tear. I ended up knowing more about my neighbor than I wanted to.
My wall-mate was not the only obstacle between a good night’s sleep and myself. Trains, garbage trucks and police sirens all contributed to my restless nights. But I was able to become accustomed to the sounds of horns and engines. Not so much the random screaming and loud music, something I am enjoying now.
Through this experience I have realized a pretty important lesson: college campus apartments are cheaply made. Bad wiring, thin walls, inconsistent Internet connection and corrupt appliances are just a few of my complaints. I can even hear the shrieking slam of a cabinet downstairs. Thankfully I live in a row of townhouses and not a traditional apartment complex, or I would spend most of my days annoyed.
Apartments on this beautiful campus are also expensive. Knowing students will need to live close to campus allows for companies to jack up prices for rent. Because of this, it seems as though the closer to campus and smaller the apartment, the larger the rent is on that apartment. But who am I kidding, even those who live further off campus pay an outrageous amount for low-quality living.
On top of rent, leasing companies will do anything to make an extra buck. Most apartments are not even furnished with a washer and dryer. This in turn requires students to pay those companies even more money to do laundry at their onsite laundry facility.
I guess it is true—you can find a learning experience in every situation. From high cost apartments to loud, obnoxious neighbors, I have suffered through my fair share of predicaments. For now I will continue to seek out graduation and the day I am able to move out, hoping one day I will not have to suffer through unnecessary payments and noise.