A little taste of home

by Connor Keating / Staff Writer

Living on your own for the first time can often be an intimidating prospect, and living in college dorms is usually the first time for most people.

To help, most students try to make their rooms feel a bit more like home, oftentimes with personal belongings or special items given to them by family members. Some students aren’t from Kansas, and some aren’t even from the United States, so personal belongings like these can be important.

Joseph Tejada, Ecuador sophomore, has a palm-sized golden elephant from his country, given to him by his grandmother.

“In my country, there is a belief that you have to buy one little elephant, steal one, and somebody has to give away one elephant,” Tejada said. “So my grandmother gave me this, and this reminds me of her, so that’s why it takes me home.”

Bailey Goodman, Bentley sophomore, is someone who doesn’t like having an empty room. She has pictures of her friends and photos from the activities she was involved in last year, she also has other things you’d expect like a TV and a calendar to liven up the place.

“It’s kind of a pain to move in and what not, but I mean it’s better than just sitting in an empty room,” Goodman said.

Goodman also has a collection of blankets.

“I have kind of a blanket addiction.” Goodman said. “At home I always used to have a crap ton on my bed, and so I think just having a lot of blankets here helps a lot too. I have two blankets on my bed that my grandma made for me, so I definitely take those wherever I’m going to be staying the most.”

Aaron Campbell, Ottawa freshman, keeps some parting gifts from his grandparents with him in his room.

“My grandma owns a quilt shop in Ottawa, Kansas, and she made me a fire truck pillow case, since I’m studying fire science here at Hutchinson,” Campbell said. “And my grandpa got me a piece of old barn tin from a farmstead in our county, that has a thin red line flag painted on it from a lady from around Wellsville.”

Joshua Calderwood, Wellsville sophomore, has a photo of his girlfriend on his desk, and keeps a firefighting challenge coin with him.

“Both of those things are things that keep me reminded of home and make it feel more cosy here,” Calderwood said.Living on your own for the first time can be a tough thing for both you, and your family, so having special items in your room can help it feel a bit more like home.

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