Sparta - Life in a corridor room

The title might be a bit misleading. Truth be told I have only lived in the corridor for just over two weeks now but I think I have a good idea as to what some of the differences are between living in a corridor room and your own apartment.

Firstly...here is what my room looks like (excuse the crappy cell phone image quality)....

I did things a bit backwards. When moving to Lund most people start out in corridor rooms because they are cheaper and it is easier to meet people, they then tire of the parties and noise and opt to move into their own places or cohabit with friends.

As you might remember I was in Ostra Torn for the first year and while a lovely place with its green gardens and space it could get a bit lonely and was a little way out of town. After completing my internship in Uppsala where I cohabited I decided that during my last semester at Lund I should try something new - a corridor room.

This wasn't a totally blind choice. I knew that I would probably be kept awake by some or other raucous party but decided that being around people was more important than silence! You see this is my thesis semester so my days are taken up by pouring over books until my brain feels swollen and incapacitated  I think that if I were living by myself it would be easy to fall into a hermit trap. Here, in the corridor room I chat with people daily in the kitchen and we all get along well.

Sparta is great actually! ICA is a minute's walk away, so is the gym, as well as a pizza place and hairdresser. It is a little community with all you could need and it is only a ten minute walk to the center. My corridor mates are wonderful and none of them are crazy get-drunk-every-night-of-the-week students which is a plus for me!

There are of course cons but I have enough space (and my own bathroom which was a deal breaker for me) so life is good! I pay over 1000SEK less than I did when I was in an apartment. It took me a year of waiting in line to secure this place so when you first come to Lund think carefully about where you want to stay and what environment you want because if you don't pay attention you could be stuck somewhere for a while with few alternatives at your disposal. Actually, in many (if not most) ways I think that AFB is better organised that the International Housing Office (IHO) and tries to make things as easy as possible for new students!

Oh, right..the whole point of this post was to be the life in the corridor room. Well, I guess it's much like like in any room...you study and work at your laptop and do all that needs to be done but from time to time yo can slink out of the confines of your study cave and have a glass of wine or play or board game with a fellow student slave!