It’s hard to believe that tomorrow marks the two week anniversary of when we moved into our apartment. It seems like we’ve lived here forever, and the long, uneventful days of Summer 2011 are a distant memory. I sometimes find myself longing for my 9 x 13 box in Brumby, and in all honesty, if I could live in the freshman dorms again, I would do so in an instant. However, apartment living is better than anything I could have ever imagined. The independence and freedom that I was betrothed with last year, pale in comparison to the independence that I have now. For the first time in my life, I kind of feel like I’m living in the real world (but then I step outside and see the chalk drawings on our balcony and I remember that I’m just a nineteen year old girl).
Move in day was not without its mishaps and memorable moments. It’s never a promising sign when you can’t unlock the door to your own bedroom. It’s also not very promising when your kitchen contains three colanders, two tea kettles, and absolutely no can openers. Fortunately, my friends/neighbors were wise enough to bring some of the kitchen essentials that we forgot (Molly even has a mallet…). Then, after our parents left and we were left to our desires, we decided to partake in the most grown up/domesticated task we could thing of: grocery shopping. After our adventure at Kroger (it really was an adventure), I now fully understand why local Athenians despise the university population. I have never seen a grocery store as crowded as this Kroger was, and I have never received so many injuries from unwieldy carts (some people really should go through training before being allowed to push a cart). Then, in addition to the Mario Cart race that was Kroger on that fateful day, the majority of shoppers (including myself) spent hours mulling over the endless options and mentally calculating the difference between store brand and the brands we’ve grown up on. Sorry, Campbell’s, you’ve always been my preferred soup brand, but I just can’t afford the extra 29 cents. Maybe we can resume our love affair in a few years?
Surprisingly, what happens at the grocery store, doesn’t stay at the grocery store. Sunday night, I went out to eat downtown with some friends at The Globe. While waiting for our food to arrive, the conversation took a turn into mom territory; we discussed Krogering. It was a moment that took my breath away. There we were, young and spry nineteen year olds, talking about coupons, cooking, and our preferred grocery stores. Then, almost simultaneously, we all realized what we were talking about and quickly changed the subject back to familiar territory and began to gripe about our classes.
These past two weeks have reminded me why I love college so much. The friends that I have been reunited with are amazing people, and it’s hard to imagine that just a year ago they were strangers. The adventures that I have had these past two weeks have provided me with enough story telling material for a couple of years. And the memories that I’m making will last me a lifetime. So, here’s to the rest of what will, hopefully, be the best year yet!
