Packing Up

It's weird all the emotions I'm experiencing right now, as I'm moving the majority of my stuff out of my dorm room.

I'm down to the point where all my clothes fit in one dresser drawer, and I only have enough of them to get me through the week. I've stripped my walls of all the posters except the ones in frames, which will go home wedged in my mattress pad. I packed up my one extra table and put the coffee maker and toaster from it in a box.

But the strangest thing, and the one that made the most difference to the room, was picking up the rug. It's not something you would think of, especially if you've never lived in a small space like a dorm, but having a rug down makes a place a home. It's soft and warm for your feet, and comforting all around. Without it, my side of the room feels almost naked.

I say my side because Jessica hasn't started packing yet, and won't for another week or so. I'm taking the majority of my stuff home this coming weekend when I go home for Kate's graduation/DJ's birthday/mother's day, and then I'll come back for finals week.

And having her side still in tact has made the stark contrast even more defined. She's still got pictures up all over the place, her desk and closet still very much are her own. But my side could belong to anyone, a stranger. And it is creepy to think that next year it will belong to a stranger. Will they be a freshman, like I was? Will they experience a whole world full of memories and opportunities their freshman year, just like I did? Will the roommates who share this room be friends, like we were?

So sitting here without most of my stuff is weird, and I'm almost shocked that my freshman year of college is just about over. I feel like it was yesterday that I brought all this stuff in here for the first time, and I distinctly remember going out and buying that rug that made such a big difference to my temporary home.

I suppose most people are somewhat used to this feeling, having moved at some point in their lives. But I've lived in the same house for longer than I can remember, and I didn't realize how I would feel, packing up my stuff.

Part of me is sad because I've had some really great memories in this room, and it has been a home to me for the last nine months or so. But part of me is really excited because of all the opportunities that wait for me beyond this room. Next year, I'll be across campus in a different building, in community style housing, but without a roommate. And that's a whole new world to be excited and nervous about.