Communalism

Today I played Monopoly for the first time in over ten years. It was a pretty crazy game which ended when I got kicked out for buying too many houses and having no money to pay rent.

But overall, it was a wonderful meet-up with my junior batch of hall-mates, most of whom just returned from exchange. Stories of near-robberies were exchanged, as well as comments on how some of us seemed to have grown in girth. I haven't seen these friends for more than a year since I moved out of hall two years ago and it was a very good meet-up. There was a very pleasant and easy-going camaraderie, forged from years of living together under one roof, going out for suppers and doing absolutely senseless things like ponding and block initiations. At the end of it all, it was the bonds of friendship that reallly made me feel at home.

Just yesterday, I was back in hall hanging around sihui's room while waiting for j yi to do up a simple dinner. I felt nostalgic about the times in hall from all the happy memories. Of RAG, Orientation, endless rounds of Counterstrike, CnC and DOTA, and weird suppers and block events. Many friendships were made; some faded away. But it's always a warm, fuzzy connection that I feel when I meet an old friend from hall. I'm glad to have experienced hall life while in NUS, and it was worth all the sacrifices made along the way.