I never did live on campus but I remember going with a friend to see her hostel and I was shocked at how trash it was. It was the very vision of a dumpster fire. To her credit, she spruced up the place and before long, it was her space -at least the half of it that was her's.
On the other hand, my male friend also got an ungodly room to call his own and he never did own the space. It felt vacant. He would go on hour long breaks and return to find the former occupant had left it a mess. He would clean it and vow to do the same to that guy the next time around but I always noticed that even while clean, the hostel still looked like a dung pile.
I reached out to my female friend and asked her for some tips of how she managed to own her space and she broke it down for me in such a succinct way I would be remiss not to share some of her suggestions and ideas.
Colour
Add some of your favourite colours to the room. Either paint the hostel (If you can get a sucker to do it for you) or use a compromise solution: wallpaper.
Use artwork
Use photos and posters to give the hostel some of your unique style. Use crafty knick-knacks like baskets or a curio.
Personal mementoes
Do you have souvenirs or gifts from your parents and friends? Why not use them to spread your energy through the room?
Use personal designs
So what if you sucked at arts and craft in school? Use an artisan. Have them make you something of your design and choosing.
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