Gayathri Menon, Grade 11
UWC Mahindra
The first time I stepped into my corner of the room, I was overwhelmed by the small space. Though I was in my own country, the sudden change in environment and my lack of familiarity made me uneasy. I plopped down on the bed, “Mahindra UWC of India,” printed in bold letters on my unused bed sheets. It was overwhelming, to say the least, that I found myself being in a room with three others. Different languages, different nationalities, different cultures- I could pick out more differences than similarities. But one thing remained the same- that all of us would share a common space.
When asked about which place on campus I’ve spent time the most, my room comes to mind, but my sentiments surrounding my room are not merely time-bound. MUWCI witnesses a blooming social life as it is inherent to the design of the campus and its events. That can also be applied in case of the rooms, which has four people, usually two from each batch reside in for a year. Not only has this aided me in engaging deeply with my roommates, it has also helped foster a circle of my own.
Your room is the most intimate and personal space on campus and for many others, it is sacred to them and their privacy. However, I made all my friends from being in that room. I’ve always loved having people over, so having a corner to myself enabled me to invite people over. From having study sessions that go into the early hours of the morning to having more people than my corner can fit in it, I found myself having fun within my own space.
It also symbolized what I was learning to master in MUWCI- a balance between the self and the community. As much as I loved having people over, I also needed my room to be a space where I could relax and enjoy some me-time. So finding such a balance was directly mirrored by my external surroundings, as I was often confronted with the question of how I should regard my space. I did eventually master the balance, as I began to connect more with my peers and with myself as well.
If I were to reminisce on why my room became my favourite place on campus, I can provide many other reasons and a truckload of anecdotes. Not only was it the space that I could personalise without restraint, but it also became a physical reminder of who I was. The neatness and detailed way I would organised it or the mess it would become served as physical reminders for me to check in with my own mental health. One can also regard it as a place to escape to when everything else except being alone overwhelms you.
As with any other recounting of favourite places, another is the memories I’ve made in that space. Often when I was feeling down or moody, my corner would be squished with so many people that even breathing was difficult. A faint scent of caffeine always lingered in my corner, owing to the permanently coffee-stained mugs from weeks of making it for my friends. Purple fairy lights, coupled with jazz and mugs of piping hot coffee, became staples of my daily existence as my room became an indisputable common room for my friends and my own emotions.
My relationship with my room and my corner specifically has seen its ups and downs, quite like my MUWCI journey. The organic happenings that stem from having creative freedom in your own space, coupled with the frequent visits of friends yet being capable of finding solitude all in the same space make my room my favourite place on campus.
When asked about which place on campus I’ve spent time the most, my room comes to mind, but my sentiments surrounding my room are not merely time-bound. MUWCI witnesses a blooming social life as it is inherent to the design of the campus and its events. That can also be applied in case of the rooms, which has four people, usually two from each batch reside in for a year. Not only has this aided me in engaging deeply with my roommates, it has also helped foster a circle of my own.
Your room is the most intimate and personal space on campus and for many others, it is sacred to them and their privacy. However, I made all my friends from being in that room. I’ve always loved having people over, so having a corner to myself enabled me to invite people over. From having study sessions that go into the early hours of the morning to having more people than my corner can fit in it, I found myself having fun within my own space.
It also symbolized what I was learning to master in MUWCI- a balance between the self and the community. As much as I loved having people over, I also needed my room to be a space where I could relax and enjoy some me-time. So finding such a balance was directly mirrored by my external surroundings, as I was often confronted with the question of how I should regard my space. I did eventually master the balance, as I began to connect more with my peers and with myself as well.
If I were to reminisce on why my room became my favourite place on campus, I can provide many other reasons and a truckload of anecdotes. Not only was it the space that I could personalise without restraint, but it also became a physical reminder of who I was. The neatness and detailed way I would organised it or the mess it would become served as physical reminders for me to check in with my own mental health. One can also regard it as a place to escape to when everything else except being alone overwhelms you.
As with any other recounting of favourite places, another is the memories I’ve made in that space. Often when I was feeling down or moody, my corner would be squished with so many people that even breathing was difficult. A faint scent of caffeine always lingered in my corner, owing to the permanently coffee-stained mugs from weeks of making it for my friends. Purple fairy lights, coupled with jazz and mugs of piping hot coffee, became staples of my daily existence as my room became an indisputable common room for my friends and my own emotions.
My relationship with my room and my corner specifically has seen its ups and downs, quite like my MUWCI journey. The organic happenings that stem from having creative freedom in your own space, coupled with the frequent visits of friends yet being capable of finding solitude all in the same space make my room my favourite place on campus.
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