Laughter and squeals signalling happiness and togetherness. Birthday party celebrations and movies late into the night; pictures of those times; the moments that last forever. Chatting and discussing matters of the heart into the wee hours of the morning, whether it is heartache or the beginning of new possibilities. Tea and instant noodles, the staple food to help supplement the *ahem* mess food! Living together and surviving natural disasters-sleeping through earthquakes-imagination that comes into the fore in order to survive. Buckets to harvest rainwater during a flood; oil on a plate to catch pesky mosquitoes, chilli powder instead of mace. Fights with roommates, which settle, and you wonder what EVER happened. Broken beds, and ragging, I'm sorry, "Interaction", flicking food and hoping noone notices, cooking on the sly, hoping noone mentions the whistle of the pressure cooker... Ah, yes... rules... waste paper baskets and shoes inside the room(!), be back by 6 PM, sign out and in before leaving, lights out at 10 PM(!!!) OHH, and of course, studying.... whether it is teaching various sets of people, or "group study" where studying never happened, studying and surviving because of coolers, or waking up on a fine morning after a blissful sleep when there should have been a flooded field outside and instead was a clear and dry one(!), more laughter and panic as it gets closer to morning, waking up with the firm conviction that one will not pass...
So many more memories that are tied up to the memory of a place not quite home... Never home, yet wondrously close because of the people who have made each moment special.
