Hostel life is the combination of experience, adjustments, celebrations, late night studies, late wake up, breaking rules, money management, etc. I enjoyed a lot in the CEG hostel (College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai).
First I started my hostel life in 'Roja hostel', one of the girls hostels in CEG which was allocated only for first years. I got the best gang of friends from first year itself. We usually stay together in the same room, 'Room no 204' even though we all had our separate rooms. During nighttime, we would hear songs in the FM radio by sitting in the veranda of our hostel. Our main hobby would be playing shuttle. For bathing, we had to wait for 1 hour by keeping our bucket outside the bathroom in the line. Due to this reason, most of the time we would be 5 mins late for the 1st hour class. On December 12 and 13, 2016, Chennai was badly affected by vardah cyclone. But we enjoyed that by taking selfies in the rain, and our classes and exams also cancelled for one week. After that we had our semester exams and first year ended well.
For second year, we were allotted to 'Nandhiya Hostel', another hostel for girls in CEG. This 'Room no S13' was an apartment type. It had one hall, two bedrooms and one kitchen. So 12 members of our class allotted to this room. 4 members in hall, 4 members in one room and 4 members in another room. We kept our luggage in the kitchen. A group of four in a room itself would be funny, but this time we were a group of 12 in the same place. We all used to watch horror movies in weekend together at night. Sometimes we would be playing snake and ladders. Every thursday in college mess night dinner would be poori. No one in our gang like poori at night. So monthly one thursday, any two from our gang would go to kotturpuram and get all our favorite foods parceled. Then we would sit together and have our dinner.
For third year, we were allotted to 'Mullai Hostel', 'Room no 67'. Along with us, monkeys also stayed in that hostel. If our room door was open, they would enter and would take away all the snacks we were having in the cupboard. Near that hostel we had one coffee hut, a small coffee shop. They sold coffee, soup, horlicks, hot chocolate, boost, green tea, cup maggi, frooti, various types of biscuits, lays packets, ginger tea and snickers. My friend was a coffee addict. So we often visited that coffee hut. Whenever I visited that hut, I would buy hot chocolate and I loved that a lot. Due to the presence of that coffee hut, mulai hostel became our favorite hostel.
Fourth year, 7th semester, we had to do our internship in an IT company. None of my friends got placed in the company where I did internship. Company location was maduravoyal and office timing was 9.30 am to 6.30 pm. It took more time to reach our CEG hostel from office. So I took PG near that company itself. But my friends stayed in our college hostel. For six months I had to stay alone in different hostel without my friends. I missed my friends, and they also missed me a lot. So for my birthday they asked me to come to our college hostel. Then they celebrated my birthday with a choco truffle cake.
I did not able to forget those moments as well as the taste of that cake. After six months, we had completed our internship. From 8th semester onwards our regular classes would be starting, so I vacated my PG then I shifted to my college hostel, but I could not able to get the same room where my friends were staying, my friends stayed in mullai hostel. I got room in 'Malligai Extension' which was located next to mullai hostel and alotted in ground floor 'Room no 3'. But most of the time I would be in my friends' room. From 8th semester, we had developed a habit of walking around the college after our dinner. Then, we would be playing cards at night. Since we had only one year left, we planned to enjoy that semester very well. But unluckily, corona started to spread everywhere. So the government announced lockdown throughout the state. After that, 8th semester ended with online classes.
Fifth year, 9th semester, was fully gone on online classes and online exams. No hostel, so no enjoyment. That was our final year, but we could not able to spend time in college and hostel. Finally, we came to 10th semester, that semester also we had to complete our internship. This time also, none of my friends were with me. We all got internship in different companies. I got internship in a company which was located in Guindy. So this time I didn't take any PG, instead I stayed in my college hostel itself. Due to corona, only final year students had college, so hostel committee decided to allocate room in 'Roja hostel'. I got room in second floor 'Room no 267'. As per government rules, only one student should be allotted in one room in order to prevent the spread of corona among the hostel students, so I was alone in my room. Final year gone with report submission, thesis submission, reviews and viva. At last, my CEG hostel life started and ended in roja hostel itself.
