Living on my own for the last three years has been highly educational.
When I first moved out of my parents' house, I lived in a residence for eight months. This taught me a variety of important lessons, like how to play nice with other kids, to shower fast in a shared bathroom and to value sleep because you can never be sure when you're going to get it next. I also learned that not all kids are taught how to do laundry, not everyone understands basic hygiene principles and to check to see if your roommate left her webcam on before you get dressed (or undressed).
Transferring to the University of Regina and moving into an apartment brought on a whole new barrage of information. For example, groceries go bad. That container of sour cream Mom always had and seemed to finish isn't a realistic expectation if you're not eating sour cream with every meal. I also learned how dangerous napping can be, and how quickly weight can be gained when vodka is your main food group. Living within a budget is another lesson that really hit hard in my second year, and when March comes around and you've had to get a job, you start kicking yourself for not saving more in the summer.
In my second year, I also realized that some people stay skinny without putting a real emphasis on nutrition. I think everyone has a friend who can eat Pizza Pops twice a day and manage to lose weight. No one likes that person. If you are that person, I probably don't like you. In second year, I also learned that my dad will still text me bi-weekly, even though I'm back in the same country and only a two-hour drive away, as opposed to a three-hour flight.
Third year brought lessons in time management and an appreciation for planning ahead. Journalism school is its own kind of busy, and my first year in the program taught me to plan ahead with meals, to make big batches of things like soups and stews so I could feed myself for a week if needed. I also learned that yelling at classmates won't always improve situations, but it always makes me feel better for a little while. Sometimes it makes me feel better indefinitely. When my internships started, I learned to appreciate being able to call my mom and complain about work/ask for recipes/chat about life. There are so many great things I've learned from conversations with my parents that I can't really begin to express my gratitude.
This year - my final year - I've learned a few new things as well. I know how to clean puke out of carpet, which I expect may be useful someday (or sometime soon). I've learned to get along with whomever I'm living with, which is a lesson learned from four roommates in four years. I'm still working on learning how to manage my time, because I'm trying to balance school, work, more work and a social life while trying to use the gym membership I'm paying for.
In summary, I'm feeling pretty grown up today. Yes, I called my mom twice to whine about school and life. Yes, the floors in my apartment could probably use a mopping. And yes, I have Facebook and Twitter open while I'm working on my homework. But I'm getting there. Definitely feeling good about that.
Tonaya Marr isn't usually so perky and happy. But it's a good day. However, you can probably look forward to her usual sarcastic wit next week. Contact Tonaya at [email protected] or send her a tweet @TonayaMarr.
