Gubbay As An Institution

Do I feel I've been institutionalised by my halls of residence, Gubbay Halls, known as Grubby Halls to those of us unfortunate enough to have lived here for the last seven months? Possibly. I am partly to blame for my situation. Naively, I sat in the comfort of my home, filling out the online application form, initially believing that we could in fact be living in the mansion cruelly pictured beside the description. This dream was soon shattered as I realised this was not the case, but I went ahead with my form, with the shining hope that I may be one of the lucky five with en-suite facilities. Of course I was not, but I had seen a few of the communal facilities available at other universities and presumed they would be the same, or at least similar. Anyway, September arrived and the car was weighed down with my possessions. I was on my way.

I will never forget that moment as we pulled up to the halls. I got out and looked up at the building above and became consumed by the grey, prison-like lifelessness that was Gubbay Halls. I looked around and could see everyone else unpacking their cars felt the same. I wasn't going to let it get me down thought as I was excited to see what my room was like and to get to know the people I would be living with. Together, my parents and I walked up the caged in stairs to my new, but thankfully only temporary home. The next ten minutes though were a complete shock to the system.

A fellow flat sharer began showing me around. First to the kitchen area, which already smelt pretty bad and had a serious lack of cupboards, with a grand total of none, and secondly to the bathroom. I'm not going to rant about this too much as there was nothing we could do but accept it, BUT, one room with two toilets, one shower, one bath and one sink, for thirteen (unisex) people to share with no windows for ventilation, is not right! Grinning and bearing it was the only option, and on the plus side my room itself wasn't a bad size.

So, seven months later, and with the end of my first year approaching, how has my life changed? My time in halls of residence were not what I expected but it has been a learning curve to say the least, with routines all in place. I have responsibilities here and for the first time, I have to look after myself. I wake up, make a cup of tea, breakfast, shower, tidy my room and take food out of the freezer to defrost if I need to. I leave and have to remember my key or I get charges. I go to the SU, buy some cigarettes and wait for the bus to take me out of the forest that is Trent Park and to the tube station. Depending on my day, I walk to uni, or I get on the tube and go shopping in London, or I get the bus and go to Asda if I need to go shopping or, more recently, I go to the Estate Agents to try and find a place for next year. In the evening I return "home", make my dinner, watch Hollyoaks then head over to one of my friends room and spend the evening with them.

The answer is , yes, I have been slightly institutionalised by Gubbay Halls as I am dependant on its facilities and we residents have to use our bedrooms also as dining room, studies, and lounges. However, if I went back to the moment when I was filling out that form applying to Gubbay Halls, I would still make the decision to live here as I have made some very good friends here and have had a good experience overall. I would still be hoping for the en-suite though.