MY HOSTEL EXPERIENCES IN THE COLLEGE BY @rossnenye

Hello everyone, hope you'll are doing great?
However, welcome back to my blog. Today I will be sharing my hostel experiences in University of Nigeria Nsukka.
When I got admission, I opted to stay in the hostel because of the benefits that comes with it, they includes.

AFFORDABILITY: The school hostel is one of the most affordable accommodation in the tertiary institution. They charge less compared to the exorbitant prices of lodges. Payment for the hostel is made for the whole academic session, unlike the lodges that pays rent per month even during the holidays.

STABLE WATER AND POWER SUPPLY: The school authorities provides access to constant water and electricity for the students in the hostel and it's free of charge.

SECURITY: The school authorities provides the hostel with 24 hours security. The central entrances to each hostel has iron doors, which is closed at a specific time in the night and opened at a specific time in the morning. Armed robbers and cultists stay clear off the hostel because of the constant security there.

CLOSE PROXIMITY TO CLASSES: Most hostels are situated close to different departments and faculties, therefore saving students money spent on transport. It also saves the stress of trekking and also improves punctuality to lectures.

TOLERANCE: You will get to meet different people from different walks of life in the hostel. Staying with them will help you in tolerating various people and their shortcomings.

FREE ACCESS TO WIRELESS HOTSPOT: Almost all the hostels in the university have free internet access.

We all know that any thing that has an advantage also have it's disadvantage. There are some disadvantages that comes with staying in the hostel, they includes.

DIRTINESS: The hostels toilets and bathrooms are always messed up and smells badly.

PRIVACY: you can't have your privacy in the hostel without people crashing into your space and using your stuffs without permission. Most times you will meet random people in your corner.

BAD HABITS: You can't choose your roommate, therefore you have to learn to tolerate people. You will meet different people in the hostel, both those with bad and questionable character.

REAPPLYING EVERY SESSION: The students are meant to apply for hostel accommodation at the end of each session. The criteria for applying is payment of school fees and some times you won't be fortunate to secure a bed space.

ROBBERY: Stealing is every rampant in the hostel. On several occasions my clothes were stolen from the hostel's hanging line.

POOR FACILITIES: Most of the hostel facilities are dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.

I had so many experiences in the hostel. Both the good and the bad ones, but each one comes with it's lessons. Some of them includes.

BEDBUGS: My first year room was infected with bedbugs. I was emotional destabilized because of their constant bites and the itches that comes with it. It was so bad to the extent that when I travelled home for long vacation my mom asked me to drop my bags under the staircase for fear that the bedbugs from my bags will infect our house. I had to soak and wash my clothes with hot water before I could bring them inside the house.

FIRE OUTBREAK: Hotplates, boiling rings and gas cookers are highly prohibited in the hostel due to the dangers that emanate from them. Despite that, some students still use them in the hostel. One evening, some people came to my hostel to create awareness for a party and my hostel girls were asked to dance and afterwards certain amount of money will be given to the best dancer. That day, one of my hostel mate was cooking with her gas cooker and when those people came, she locked her cooker which was still on inside her wardrobe and went out to watch the dance. After the whole campaign her first year room mate entered the room and lit her stove and the whole room caught fire. The first girl's face was badly burnt and some of the hostel properties was damaged.

LEARNING HOW TO MAKE DIFFERENT DISHES: I had a Yoruba roommate in my first year so I learnt how to make some of her native food from her.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS: in my 100level, I had a roomie who influenced my academic life positively. she contributed to my academic success in first year.

WINDOW MEN: These are people who break into the hostels through the window to steal phones and money especially at night. On several occasions my hostel mates phones and money were stolen by these windows men.

CONGESTED ROOM: My 2nd year room was congested. All my roommates were squatting except me. We quarrel everyday. Most times I will come back to a littered corner and scattered bed. Reading in the room was a very big problem due to noise.

RATS: After the lockdown in 2020, I came back and met my room infected with rats. Most of my clothes and shoes which I left in the school were damaged by these rats. My foodstuffs weren't left behind.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH A VISUAL IMPAIRED STUDENT: On one certain day, I went to a friend's hostel to borrow textbook. I didn't know that blind students were assigned the 100series of that hostel. One of them bumped into me and she left without saying sorry. I was so infuriated. Afterwards I went to my hostel and narrated my ordeal to my final year roommate. She laughed and told me that the student I met was blind.

CONCLUSION
Staying in the hostel was one of the best things that happened to me, It opened my eyes to alot of things. I got to meet with people from different backgrounds and different tribes. I also got to learnt alot from them. Moreover hostel have been saving the lives of students in terms of accommodation since time immemorial. Helping students who can't afford the exorbitant prices of lodges to survive and also have access to quality education in a conducive environment.