My room is the right most one on the third level. Well, it's probably not hard to guess because it's the only one that's lighted, and with an open window.
A picture of the kitchens in the opposite flat. Usually there will be people sitting on the windowsills, or the lights will be on. They are all pitch dark, which means nobody is in the flats.I am the only person left in my hall, because as I've said before, I'm also the only international student. I'm damn sure about that because there was a fire drill once and when everyone came out, I realised there wasn't a single non British person. Suddenly I had people coming up to me to say hi, because they recognised me as the Chinese dude who lives in Telford Court. Yeah, I know, like what the fuck.
All the locals have gone home because there's a 3 week long Easter break, and it's really quiet. The bar is closed, and so is the convenience store. There isn't anyone playing sports at the fields nearby. And I actually miss the sound of parties, which I totally hated during term time, because at least it was livelier. It was also fun seeing my flatmates around and talking to them, but now they're all at home far away.
At least now the kitchen is spanking clean, because no one is using it. And for the first time, the fridge is empty. Technically I could buy a darned lot of groceries now, but I'm also short on money because Italy just raped my wallet. And I'm on trash duty everyday, because no one is around. But at least I'm taking out my own trash, which isn't a lot.
When I go to the laundrette to wash my clothes, it feels strange because I'm the only person in the whole room which is totally quiet. It's usually humming with the sound of others' clothes in the washing machines or dryers. The silence is actually deafening, if you know what that's like.
I'm also kind of stuck on my campus because the shuttle buses have stopped running, so to get anywhere I have to walk. I tried going out for a walk at night, and I didn't see anybody for 15 minutes. I saw more hares than I saw people. The only people I saw were in cars rushing by. The houses nearby, usually occupied by students, were all empty and dark. The buses that rushed by occasionally were empty save for the drivers. Hatfield is a university town, so the town lives and dies by whenever the university term is in session. I wasn't even worried that anyone would rob me while i was walking around at night, because there wasn't anyone to speak of.
I remember now how I used to laugh at the PRCs who lived in NTU halls during CNY, when there wasn't anyone else on campus. Guess what, I'm actually the equivalent here now. Karma is really a bitch.
I really don't know what to make of this actually. I'm actually blasting music now so it isn't so quiet. It's almost funny, but it's not fun being the only guy in my hall. I think a lack of interaction can really break people. And I think it's even harder if you're a Singaporean, because all your life you've lived in a place that was so densely populated you can't go anywhere without seeing people. At least now I know how Will Smith felt in "I Am Legend", but he cheated because he had a pet dog.
I can't wait for Easter break to end. And for life to come back into this place.