As some of you may know, I am living in the big city this summer in a house with three other girls from my sorority. So far it's been pretty good, but there are some drawbacks. First, my room is tiny. Except for the closet I lived in in Korea when I was two, this is the smallest room that has ever had the pleasure of containing all my stuff. I measured it, and the dimensions are 10 x 12 plus a tiny closet. Still, I have a small amount of stuff that I need here, so I don't mind. Maybe I'll get around to taking a digital picture of my digs, and then I can email it to those of you who actually know me. The biggest challenge was getting Internet and cable. Sadly, my roommates aren't as addicted to the Wed as I am, so they were rather delinquent in calling the cable company to get them set up. We've been living in this house for about a month, and we've had cable and Internet access for three days. It was hard, but I was able to make it through.

Next, my roommates and I are very different. Now that I'm on my own, I've come to realize that I like things clean and organized (I realize this is a shock to most of you). The other girls do not feel the same way. I share a bathroom with two of them, and it is filthy. In the beginning I did what I could to keep it clean, but now that I've realized the other girls will just get it dirty as soon as I'm done, I've stopped paying too much attention to it. I do, however, use a Swiffer on the floor frequently because I refuse to walk on all their icky hairs and have them stick to my feet when I get out of the shower.

In addition, the kitchen is also always a mess. We don't have a dishwasher, so dirty dishes pile up next to the sink quickly, taking what little counter space we have. Apparently it's too difficult to take 30 seconds to wash out a bowl and rinse it. I find myself doing dishes whenever I want to cook something just to have the space to prepare the food. Fortunately, one of the girls shares my desire to keep the counter space clean, so we take turns cleaning up the messes made by the other two.

Finally, now that I'm paying utility bills, I'm much more conscientious of lights, curling irons, fans, showers, etc. that suck up money. However, as you may have guessed, my roommates don't care quite so much. They leave lights on all the time, and almost every time I walk into the bathroom, I discover that one of the girls left her curling iron on, which really racks up the electric bill.

Wow, this must be what it's like to be a parent with several young children in the house. I have a new respect for my parents and grandparents.

However, unlike my parents and grandparents, I don't feel that I can say anything to any of the girls because I'm just staying here for the summer. I'm also the youngest in the house. I don't want to pay for their irresponsibility, but at the same time I don't want to be the nagging mother type.

Still, as much as I may complain, I really like living here. I like being able to go to Wal-Mart whenever I want even though I should really stop spending money there. I love going to Barnes & Noble. I LOVE not having to worry about the parents.

All in all, it's been a great experience. Now, I just need a boyfriend to keep me warm at night...

(Just kidding, Dad.)