Jenna MeredithBeing from a small town ‘down south’, living with five boys and two girls in Sheffield, the only person without a broad accent and the oldest by at least a year…It’s fair to say, I often wonder how I managed to get myself in such a situation?!
I thought the main reason I was here was to get a degree in Journalism. Two years on, I have realised that this really is a tiny proportion of ‘uni life’.
Living with seven other people is the weirdest, craziest yet best idea we all came up with November of year one after knowing each other all of approximately ten weeks. I love how there’s always someone pottering around the house, the guarantee that someone will be up for a night out and the general gossip or banter the living room experiences every evening.
It’s surprising how quickly you get to know people and learn everyone’s characteristics when you live with them- eight completely different personalities, different backgrounds, and different common grounds. All of which have secured a great friendship with one another after meeting in halls just 18 months ago.
However, evidently, disgusting habits from us eight students are bound to have arisen, and oh boy did they arise quickly. Half eaten boxes of takeaways, half-drank cans and glasses of alcohol, and the lingering smell of beer and cigarettes surrounding the downstairs days on end is an example of what is ‘normal’ in our house. Late night base-banging of music from all directions, and the state of the kitchen looking as though gale force winds have attacked the cupboards and work surfaces with different messy foods at all times is another!
Thank god for Mary the ‘clean freak’ who shakes us into shape every now and then when the mess gets too much for any living being to possibly handle and soon enough the house gets cleaned… on average the clean state lasts all of an hour, no matter how much we all agree to, this time, “make a massive effort to keep it this way.”
Being someone who is stubborn, holds a grudge and probably the most intolerant person ever, I am aware of also being amongst the difficult people to live with at times, however, a trusty night out, (student style) is sure to resolve any issues between the 8 of us.
The home, in general is great! If you were to see the front, you’d wonder why I say that. A friend from home came to visit, she followed the directions precisely, pulled up outside and rang me to say she was lost. “I thought I was here, but the sat nav has just brought me to a dingey street with no houses on…” -Yes, Becky, you’ve arrived!
The ghetto area in which we live, the dodgy happenings I dread to think occur on the street and the provocative graffiti in which is displayed across the front of our house all adds to the character I say! The house is big, spacious, we’ve got 2 living rooms, a wide screen flat TV, large kitchen WITH dishwasher, bills paid for and 8 great sized bedrooms- all for a low weekly price.
Despite the landlord promising a new garden by October, the tumble dryer to soon be fixed and a fortnightly cleaner, whom I’ve probably seen all of four times… I genuinely love living with these people and the different stories I have about them!!
…Which is good, as we’ve signed on to live together next year too?!
When I look back on memories of my time at university, the ‘getting a degree’ part will hopefully be great, but looking back at the times I had living in the house with this lot will be even better.