Student Blog: Readjusting to Res Life

Change has always been something that scares me. Last year was change after change. Firstly, moving to a water scarce town and then moving back during a pandemic. This year, I was introduced to change again when I was informed to report back to campus for house committee duties in preparation for the first years of 2021.

I applied to house comm when I did because I was getting annoyed with my parents more quickly than usual and I didn't like the way I was so short fused. Because as much as I have always been irritable, I usually am able to manage it but the pandemic clearly tested me more than I could handle. I didn't only apply because I wanted to get out of the house but I was so excited to help out the first years adapt to this massive change in life.

Although I was ready for a change in scenery but that didn't change the fact that yet again, I was faced with more change. Moving back to a water scarce town during a pandemic. At first, as soon as I saw my friends again, I felt so at peace and like this was a great decision but then the night came by and the silence of the night was very daunting and filled me with despair and regret.

I continually jumped between regretting my life choices and being proud of myself. It was only when we started interacting with the other residences' house committee where I started to feel more at ease and at home. So, it basically took the entire week of training for me to get settled. I am still living out of my suitcase because I am convinced that there is going to be another lockdown but I think I have made peace with being here if there isn't another lockdown.

The group of people that I am working with are genuinely the most incredible people ever. The Adelaide Tambo House Committee, these girls have become such pillars of support and I don't even think they realise how much support they provide to me even if I do get annoying with my constant messages; it's just my way of dealing with various issues we face as comm.

Something that really helped us as a hall was our brother res, Guy Butler, planning an outing to 'get water'. GB invited us and our sister res, HJ to just go out for a bit before the first years arrived and so, we did along with our other brother res, SKidd. It was a very stressful environment but, in the end, I think it really helped us, me specifically, to be comfortable around the rest of the house comms in our hall and get to know who was who and who did what because I had only seen them in the dining hall and during a hall meeting so it was nice to get together before the chaos, early mornings and long days began.

I am grateful for the connections that I have made thus far in this new journey I have embarked on. I will not lie the anxiety is still there but having support from my brothers and sisters is really making me more relaxed and better about life. I have like no one's cell numbers but I feel like I have made genuine connections and friendships with most of the people I have worked with so far and I cannot wait to meet the rest of the house committees when they are allowed to arrive on campus.