Once upon a campus

Suddenly, all the uncertainty that marked the preceding months is replaced by the need to get ready for college life. Preparing for admissions, filling forms, new wardrobe, notepads, all mark the beginning. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most impressionable phases of our life. Where am I going to fit in? who are going to be my mates? My expedition will begin at the college canteen and student clubs and organisations. Bwahaha! I’m wishing my teachers are characters in a sitcom. They could teach with laughter in the background. Instead of talking about grammar and commas we could have politically incorrect banter and insult each other over a hot cappuccino. College is more than just sitting in classes and earning a degree. It's about being involved and taking advantage of other kinds of learning experiences.
Knowledge, attendance, gossiping, love and relationships, drama and suspense, parties, fashion trend setters… all go hand-in-hand. There is a negative and positive side to everything. And then just as you think you have packed your entire life, there still might be a little space in the elephant-like suitcase. You might be forgetting something and no its not your mom's homemade food! What I’m talking about is the nasty feeling of emptiness and hunger inside you, the feeling of being loved by someone unconditionally. Maybe in the last century people met their future spouses in college and yes, sometimes it does happen but nowadays, if you are hoping for a Romeo and Juliet romance, think again! Settling in your college life is itself a task and engaging in relationships on campus is simply setting the clouds to the horizon. I'm neither a pessimist nor a feminist, I’m none of the things which end with the "-ist." I'm just being real! Only 1 in a million relationships last for a lifetime. They are no longer based on similarities and compatibility, support and understanding.

Is it actually serious or just another score in your game of love? College students play more games than the NBA! Does the term "Friends with benefits" sound familiar? Some living on campus just want to date or "mess around" with no strings attached. Maybe not all college students are looking for one-night stands or "just dating", but most of the people I’ve bumped into think this way. Their excuse generally goes like this:" I do not have enough time to commit" or "I am just trying to focus on my education right now." I've understood how sex and partying does not take up time but carrying out simple responsibilities does? I am not saying all college relationships are impossible but few of them are healthy. Nevertheless, if the relationship does go wrong, the break-up is even worse. As it is said, to love is to suffer.

To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you're getting this down. Now before I completely turn you in an anti-college dating freak, let me inform you that college relationships may be beneficial and most memorable. Relationships, both continuing and the ones with a bad break-up help you mature and grow as an individual. Through relationships, you can learn how to make better choices and decisions, how to avoid conflicts, and how to read people's minds and emotions. You also learn more about yourself, such as your likes and dislikes, pet peeves, faults, strengths and weaknesses. Establishing yourself is the most important, so that you are not dependent on someone else. On a more positive note, the more you "practice" the more you learn about yourself and how to handle relationships. Thus, at times and if done sincerely, practice does make perfect! Love is confusingly beautiful. Enjoy every bit of it as you never know how your story will end!