Living off-campus is not all games

Back in December I got the crazy idea to live in the city of brotherly love for the summer instead of migrating south to the land of palm trees where home cooked food would be waiting for me. So I decided it was time for me to venture out into the world around me -- not realizing I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

My friends said the sun had melted my brain, and that no person in their right mind would give up South Florida for West Philadelphia. Little did my friends from South Philly know that my nights back home consisted of renting one movie after another from the Blockbuster a mile away. Although the beach is a nice escape duing the day too many trips there will inevitably result in sun cancer.

I began talking to some sorority sisters about the possibility of subletting one of their rooms for the summer while they were off doing something exciting in another state or country. Most of the upcoming juniors I know -- except for me and my pathetic roommates -- are moving off-campus, so it was not hard to find a lucky candidate.

After agreeing to sublet a room in an really nice and fairly pricy house on Locust Walk, it was time to prepare for living on my own. There was no meal plan (thank god for some things), no Penntrex phone service, none of those friendly Spectaguards who do not know my name and no curfews. What could be better?

For the first two months following the sealing of my informal housing agreement, I did what every other college student does after they find a place to live -- nothing. I knew the house was not going anywhere, and neither was I, so what could I possibly do until move in day? That was a misguided assumption.

A few days before exams ended, I set up a meeting with the girl I am subletting from and the girl who will be living there in the fall while our subletter is abroad in France. Our meeting place was the oh-so-typical table outside of Xando's. There was one catch -- I had to bring my first month's rent. And since I do not have the power to wiggle my nose like the woman on Bewitched and make money appear, I had to find the cash, and quickly.

I thought that would be the first and only suprise regarding this jewel of an endeavor. As I settled in a chair outside of Xando's following my last exam of the semester, I was confronted with the harsh realities associated with managing an off-campus dwelling.

In addition to the rent, I have to pay monthly utilities, which are shared equally among the housemates. This will bode well for me, considering the fact that I usually leave my computer and radio on for all hours, and I enjoy long showers at the end of a day. By the way, price is to be determined -- us sorority girls are great at economizing.

The charges continue to accumulate as my subletter informs me that I need to pay for internet service, and nobody really knows who will have to pay what. And they say college kids have no common sense.

As lines from Hamlet still jingle around in my head from my final, my subletter leaves the best surprise for last. Currently, our room has no phone service. The girl, who lived there before her, accidentally cancelled her Verizon service, so it has to be reinstalled -- at a price, of course. She leaves it up to me to pick the phone service, which is a big mistake. I can tell the difference between a Kate Spade purse and a Nine West one from a mile away, but pick between AT & T or Verizon?

I grudglingly handed over the rent check and walked with my subletter and fellow sublettee to Campus Apartments. We still had to sign subleases. I knew there was something we had forgotten.

The fun was far from over when it occurred to me that I had all this junk in my room that I had to store somewhere until I could move into the new digs. After a day of intensive carton shuffling, back breaking labor and with the help of two wonderful friends, I divided my stuff up into three places. This way moving in should not be too difficult -- yeah, right.

So here I am, only one glorious day away from picking up my keys and starting my new life. I may not have a phone yet since Penntrex is backed up and cannot activate it until next week, but it's ok. I have managed to maintain my sanity, although I have dreamt about a million things that could go wrong with the move and would love nothing more than to go cry to my mommy. If anything, this whole experience has taught me one thing -- be careful for what you wish for because you just might get it.

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