the first thought that came to me when i was preparing to study abroad is that i’m going to be independent and “free” from my parents. yeah! how amazing it would be. by the way, my parents are quite strict in that i have to follow my parents’ schedule and do whatever they tell me to do. now, i don’t have to do my homework at exactly 4pm, do the housework at exactly 6 pm, practice badminton at exactly 7pm, stop using my phone at 10.30pm and go to bed at exactly 11pm. instead, i can do these things whenever i want now. fun right?
my family considered applying for the boarding program or finding a host family for me since i don’t have any relatives around my school. well, to be honest, both of them have their own pros and cons. living with a local family allows you to immerse yourself in a local culture while not worrying about any additional bills; in exchange, it would be challenging if you don’t get along with the family and there would not be much access to other students. regarding living on campus, you would have an opportunity to interact with people from every corner of the world which can help me broaden your horizon about other cultures other than america and it would be easier for me to find academic support. however, the biggest cons are that you have to share most facilities with other students and the tuition could cost an arm and a leg. then, my parents asked me to decide and i immediately opted for the first option since i loved the idea of living with new foreign friends. until now, i’m still happy with my choice of being a boarder (a student who lives on campus).
when i first moved in, my room was completely empty. actually, there was a table, wardrobe and bed. that’s it. all of us were extremely excited to decorate our rooms and so we spent a whole day in IKEA, a well-known home furnishings store, looking for furniture and decorations for our rooms. after purchasing items listed from the school supply list, we started looking for other goods. IKEA is one of the best stores i’ve ever seen in which the way they display their products is very unique and appealing. this led me to purchase a bunch of things, which i regretted afterwards, one of which is an iron board which i never use since i always iron my clothes on my bed. therefore i suggest not taking your money for granted on needless items or asking other students from previous years before buying anything outside the school supplies list. you only stay in your dorm temporarily so it is pretty crucial to eliminate unnecessary furniture in your room or else you would regret at the end.
here’s another thing i didn’t expect when living in a dorm: the laundry day struggle. i believe the rule of laundry is different in each school but for most of the time it is one of the most vital things to consider. my school appoints each student on a specific day of the week to do laundry. basically, each of us can only do the laundry once a week and if anyone has an emergency issue, they have to ask for permission from students whose laundry day is on that day. anyway, that’s not what i want to focus on. the problem of laundry is that there would always be someone who never removes their clothes out of the washer or dryer which is extremely annoying. like how they just throw their clothes in the machine and then disappear on the surface of the earth. i can’t remember how many times i have to complain or even take their clothes out of the machine. i mean i did forget to remove my clothes a few times though and i felt very guilty afterwards. therefore, if you have a goldfish brain, it would be helpful to set an alarm or reminder to pick up your clothes.
what’s more, living in the dorms means that you are surrounded by a bunch of people which sometimes might be annoying since you don’t really have a private space. thus,the most important thing is to keep your valuable belongings carefully. many of my friends have lost their money and property and couldn’t get them back even though my school has security cameras. moreover, it’s usually very loud and chaotic even during study hours, the time when everyone is supposed to be quiet and do their schoolwork. some of my friends choose to study at the library but since i live downstairs with fewer rooms, the atmosphere is more peaceful so i can just study in my room. however, for those who are easily distracted, i recommend studying at the library. although i usually don’t study there (i’m too lazy to walk there under the cold weather), i feel very productive whenever i’m at the library. as a result, i conclude that the library is still the best place to study.
despite all the riot, the good thing is that you will never be bored and feel lonely. i personally never feel homesick and i don’t really have time to miss my home when living in the dorm. the more i interact with other boarders and teachers, especially who live on campus, the more i feel like they are my siblings and parents/guardians. i also love how my school has several fun activities for boarders (FABs) on a weekly basis. there’s usually nothing special during weekdays, but sometimes we have study-cafes for boarders from 7pm to 9pm which allows students to hang out and study together in a “more interesting” environment. the study-cafes are usually opened at the library and main hall and are provided with drinks (cocoa and tea) and snacks (cookies, biscuit, brownies, etc.). i’ve never used those times to study though :) simply because i just can’t concentrate when i’m with my friends. i’m just there to hang out or snack when i don’t have much homework.
now, let’s talk about weekends! i am always busy on weekends not because i’m doing homework or any school-related tasks but because of FABs including camping, graffiti, and night markets. i don’t think even college dorms have such regular activities provided by the school (i might be wrong though) but i’m pretty sure that many high schools’ boarding programs would have several activities for boarders. all in all, if someone asks me whether they should live on campus as a high school boarder, i would definitely say yes and tell them that being a boarder has been one of the most memorable experiences in my life.