OFF-CAMPUS LIFE

"Boom- Boom! Thud! thud!"
"Boom -Boom! Crash!

If you have ever lived in the apartment below, then you probably have begun to guess at what I am griping about. But I don't live in the apartment below. I actually live at the top of a one-hundred-year-old two-story house, shared by a couple of teenagers renting below! Yet, it is amazing the difference it does not make in terms of noise disturbance. Footsteps,
slamming doors and cupboards, music, laughter and conversation rise like heat at all hours of night or day, but especially when you need some peace and quiet. Sometimes I wonder if it really is because you need peace and quiet.

Peace and quiet is not a part of the deal when you reside as I do, in close proximity to the largest university in the state. It's not the campus life, but the off-campus activities that you have to deal with. Most houses around here are rented by students of the university. They come and go like flies in and out of season, moving in for the term and moving away for holidays or whenever their studies are through. There are always "For Rent" signs outside on a front lawn. Brick or stone houses have been split up into one or two-bedroom flats, and with rents sky high, the business is booming.

In all this bustle, what of the residents who have lived in the neighborhood for generations? They have experienced many changes, as quiet families and their pets have been replaced by gangs of teenagers, their fast cars, outdoor wet bars and heavy metal band instruments sheltered under the garage. Weekend parties, late-night home-coming, only to gather again at 4 a.m. in the streets or driveways to continue the party. Breaking bottles and howling and shouting in inebrious merriment - such is the excitement of the off campus life to which "outsider residents", willingly or not, are privy. Does it recall for us a memory of our youthful, carefree past, and therefore solicit tolerance and indulgence or does it give rise to a sense of outrage at the intrusion?

Let me say there is however another side. Living so close to the hub makes it easier to access the many events and happenings, from theatre and exhibitions to lectures and sporting events ,open to all, either free of cost or for a minimal fee. I have to say that I have taken advantage of these opportunities and enjoyed them myself, feeling grateful for my location. But the noisy festivals to celebrate St Patrick's day and Halloween that are mostly put on for the benefit of students to carouse and drink themselves senseless are not necessarily welcome. Yet, it may well present a ghost of a chance to bridge the generation gap, if you allow your lawn to be trampled on by the crowds of young people as they walk by. They shout friendly greetings to you as you peek through your window, waving back and tearing up as your tulips suffocate. On the brighter side, you could set up a beer stand or open your yard for parking, just for the heck of it... (charging a small fee as some do, thereby profiting from the occasion).

Like it or not, such traditions and the inconveniences they bring, have become a part of your life. At least until spring break comes around and quiet is restored for a spell.