by Rafiul (Rafi) Islam
Photo of residence hall members enjoying a movie night. Photo taken by Rafi Islam.
When I came to the University of Lynchburg from Bangladesh, I was both nervous and excited at the same time. I didn’t know what to expect from living in a residence hall with other students from different countries and backgrounds. Would we get along? Would we have anything in common? Would we have fun? Little did I know living in a residence hall in college would start to be one of the most fond experiences in life.
One of the main benefits of living in residence halls is that it exposes students to diverse perspectives and backgrounds. We often share our stories, experiences and opinions with each other, and learn about our different cultures, traditions and values. This helps us to broaden our horizons, respect our differences and appreciate our similarities.
For example, I learned that Qatar has the highest per capita income in the world, Brazil has the largest carnival festival in the world, Nepal is home to eight of the ten highest mountains in the world and Bangladesh has the largest mangrove forest and longest sea beach in the world.
Another advantage of living in residence halls is that it fosters a sense of community and friendship among students. We support each other academically and emotionally, and also we have fun together. For instance, last Wednesday our awesome Community Assistant Hayden Deans arranged a cultural movie night and it was also the birthday of one of the residents.
We ordered snacks from Chik-fil-A and watched a movie called “Snitch”. It is a crime thriller where the main actor is played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. We enjoyed the snacks and the movie very much. It was not the event but the people who made it more delightful.
We laughed at every funny scene, gasped at the suspenseful moments, cheered for the hero and booed at the villain. Last week we cooked one of our traditional foods of Bangladesh called “Bhat and Chicken Curry” and the students from other countries were also invited to taste the food. They loved the food and it was an exceptionally amazing experience for all of us. We learned more about each other’s preferences, personalities, and perspectives through these simple activities.
In conclusion, I believe that living in residence halls here at the University of Lynchburg on campus is a wonderful option for college students who want to have a memorable and meaningful college journey. It can help them to grow personally and professionally, as well as to enjoy their time as students.
