10 Things I Love About My Hall

When I was first told I was going to be in Nora Chambers Hall, I cringed. For those of you unaffiliated with Lee, Snora (Our nickname...Nora/Simmons. Get it?) isn't the greatest building. It's one of the older dorms, plus it's community style, so people don't typically apply for it. I automatically wasn't excited about my living situation, and when I hiked three flights of stairs and arrived at Nora Third North on the very first day here, I knew things were going to be interesting to say the least. When I walked onto our hall, I felt like I was in a scene of The House Bunny. I immediately noticed that none of the girls seemed similar. We were the most rag-tag bunch of girls ever. There were tall girls and really short girls, girls who say y'all and girls who don't, bubbly face-talkers and reserved introverts...seriously, our hall is so diverse. The thing is, after being here for several months, I can honestly say I am beyond thankful for being placed in this dorm. Being in a community style dorm forces you to get out of your room and communicate with people, and I've gotten to know the most amazing girls this year. The ladies of Nora Third North have been so wonderful to live with, so in a tribute to them, I present to you:

10 Things I Love About My Hall

1) We have the best RA

Brooke is the best RA there is. She's transparent with us, she puts up with us when we're rowdy (even during quiet hours), and she genuinely cares about each of us. She's exactly what an RA should be, and we're so grateful for her! This picture was taken at our dorm Christmas party, which explains why there are peppermints stuck to her cheeks.

2) Hall Dinner

Every week, the girls on my hall go to the caf for hall dinner. This was something instituted at the very beginning of the year, and this picture was taken the very first time we went as a group. I'm pretty sure we're the only hall that still does this, and I don't even care. It's nice that we can take a break out of our schedule once a week and go as a group. It's one of the things I look forward to most.

3) We make the most of community showers

The day it snowed here, I just really had the urge to sink into a bath tub. However, being in a community dorm, we don't have tubs. Even if we did, that would be gross. Community baths? No, thanks. So, in a surge of inspiration, I suggested we buy an inflatable pool and go swimming in the showers. The girls I live with jumped right on board without question, hence the picture. 

4) One word: Suzie

Ah, Suzie. Suzie is a stuffed decoration that one of the N3N girls brought back from home one weekend. The girls love to have fun with Suzie...obviously (She's wearing a mask in this picture). Sometimes I'll walk into my room after a long day and Suzie will be standing right in the doorway. Talk about creepy! We love Suzie, though, no matter how strange it is when she stares at us from the corner.

5) Another one-worder: Norman

We aren't allowed to have pets in the dorm, not even goldfish. Obviously this made us very sad because who doesn't like pets? My RA came up with the brilliant idea to get an electronic fish as a way to maintain the rules while still having the fun of a pet. So, we got Norman. Sometimes we call him Norm. He's pretty great.

6) Rules

I realize that this may be a little too much, but it makes me laugh every time I walk into the bathroom. It's a girls' dorm. What do you expect?

7) The Message Board

Sometimes the girls like to leave little messages on the white board on my door. This particular time, they were quoting the lovely Andy Samberg's video, "Threw It On The Ground."When I walked up to my door and saw this the other day, I immediately burst into laughter. They get me. And it's not just me...if you were to take a stroll down N3N, you would see little messages like this on every white board. These girls are stinking hilarious. 

8) Giant Faces 

I actually have no explanation for this one. I walked into my room and found this one day. Never a dull moment...

9) Sweet notes from sweet girls

Occasionally, I'll walk into my room and find that someone has slipped a note under my door. Sometimes I'll find notes tucked under the name-tag next to my door. Each note I've received from a girl here means so much to me, and it just highlights the beautiful personalities and attitudes that can be found on this hall.

10) We are a family

This poster is one of many in our lounge. The most important thing about our hall is that we consider one another family. It doesn't make much sense to us that a group of girls so incredibly different could connect so quickly and so deeply, but it happened. I love the girls of N3N so very much, and my first year at Lee couldn't be what it is without them.