6.00 am – The bell rang. I suddenly woke up and looked through the window of the bus. The city in morning shades flashed through my eyes. I looked at the heavy bags stuffed with books and clothes. They were looking at me helplessly as though I was to enter a world of horrors. I was returning to the hostel after a long holiday. The bus stopped at the next station, and I somehow managed to take my luggage and myself out of the bus. After a few minutes, I stepped into the courtyard of the hostel, mentally preparing myself for the days ahead of me.
9.00 am-I started climbing the steps of the hostel with my heavy luggage. On the first floor, I walked straight. On the second floor, I started to bend a bit as the luggage took its revenge on me; by the time I was on the third floor, I was bent to the knee, and my posture seemed like a comma in a text.
I dashed into my room and dived onto my bed. My legs did not fit in the little bed. I was about to close my tired eyes, and that is when my roommate came in. I blabbered something to her, half asleep. Eventually, I sank into a deep sleep. In no time all my friends were in my room, and sleep existed only in my dreams. Then the hostel bell rang, I gathered few of my books from the room and together we left for our classes.
4.00 pm- I returned to the hostel from college, and my empty stomach cried out with hunger. The mess bell rang. I went to the mess hall, and through the bustling crowd, I got to the table where food was served, hoping to eat a delicious snacks. The lady there gave me a cup of tea and a banana. That is it! A friend came and asked me to shut my mouth that was now opened in awe. I sat at the table with my buddies. I took a sip of tea in between the table talks. The tea contained four drops of milk, a little tea powder and sugar, and lots and lots of water!
6.00 pm- I was impatiently waiting in the long queue to take a bath. It was my turn, and that is when the electricity was cut, and I was stuck inside the bathroom with my red bucket. It was getting dark, and we screamed our hearts out. After a while, the lights were on. I could hear my friend, who is a horrible bathroom singer, singing some weird songs. I was about to finish my bath but my friends standing outside kept banging at the door.
7.00 pm- I was missing my Mom’s delicious food, and I took the tiffin box that was kept inside my bag by my mom. I opened the lid, and the aroma of homemade food tickled my taste buds. My friends came, and in a minute, the Tiffin was ‘history’!
8.00 pm- The mess bell rang, and in the mess hall, large plates with a small amount of curry in it were waiting for us. After having it, I went to my room, stared at my luggage for a long time, thinking of the hectic task of unpacking them and cleaning the room.
10.30 pm- The bell rang and the lights of all the rooms were switched off. I squeezed into my little bed.
6.00 am, next day- The bell rang. I woke up and took my brush and found that my toothpaste was empty. I squeezed it, cut it, and finally, I got a pea size of it. I walked through the corridor and waited for the next bell to go off.
This article is dedicated to the legendary hostelers who survived all the bells of horrors. To be honest, hostel life may seem like a terrible dream, but it is the best place to live, laugh, and love. When I think about it, my lips smile, and I know for a fact that I will always cherish my hostel memories.
