I went home last weekend (though when I say home nowadays, I’m referring to Blacksburg and Roanoke).  The normal schedule goes catch up with friends on Friday and Saturday, catch up with family on Sunday.  And that’s what happened this time, too. 

 

On my drive home, I kept thinking about how all of the people I visited were former residents.  The first thing that popped into my mind was perhaps I have an inability to make friends when they’re not forced into it.  Once I moved past that, though, pretty cool stuff started to happen.  I started thinking back about all of the things I did to help build community and connect with my residents:

 

• Jokingly chase a resident who was wearing only a speedo across the third floor, trying to make other people think it was a real "This is what happens in college" scenario (I can't find the video, but here's a picture).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Buy a PS3 and spend an inordinate amount of time killing zombies. 

• Get “swole” at the gym with residents.

• Ask about things in which I don’t particularly have an interest.

• Listen. 

• Make a hall song (Check it out here).

• Take classes and struggle through them with residents (3x).  Biology sucks. 

• Go Cone-ing through drive-thrus.  One of these times, act as the driver of an invisible car and get drive-thru girl’s number.  I can't find the videos, but again, here are some pictures of us for your enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Have a competition between three of us to see who can put on weight to reach 150lbs first (We were talking about gaining 15lbs).  Let the record show I won (And haven't really been able to shake that weight since).  

• Convince the hall to get P-3 Hoodies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Subsidize P-3 Hoodie costs by establishing the P-3 Trash Removal Service.  

• Buy a panda suit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Have Manly Movie Mondays.

• Go on service trips.

• Listen.  It’s on here a second time because this time we’re talking about listening to girls.  Completely different thing.

• Convince the hall to get Four Life Hoodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Take pictures like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Allow pictures and memes like this to be taken and made.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Those are some of (I’m sure there’s more) the silly things which helped build community on my hall, but there were serious things, too.  I don’t want to talk about the things I did, though.  I want to talk about how cool it is that I still have relationships with these people.  I’ve had the opportunity to see my conversations with them change from superficial ones like food and movies to ones of substance.  Now we’re talking about relationships, graduate school, careers, the “real” world. 

 

I ran into two of my residents at Starbucks incidentally and they were telling me that their current RA doesn’t even know their names.  How can that happen?  What a botched opportunity for him. 

 

Some of my residents have graduated and moved on to bigger things.  Some of them decided that college wasn’t the right choice for them right now and have taken a different path.  One of them has transferred to a school with a more rigorous business program.  One of them is married and in the army.  Some of them are seniors applying to jobs.  Some of them are holding leadership roles across campus. 

 

Wherever they (you) are, know this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m excited to see where you go, who you become.  Keep me updated, and I’ll see some of you when I visit next!