Packing for Your Hostel Life
I stayed in the hostel in my final year as a student. That was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything else.
The freedom alone, the independence, was exhilarating to say the least. There are several essentials every hostelite should have in her room. That is in addition to your books, stationery and all the stuff you'd need in school.
You need food. Sure, the hostel might provide meals, but mealtimes tend to be fixed and if you miss the set meal time, too bad. It happens. Staying late in the library to study, late lessons, extracurricular activities and the like could make you miss your dinner. Oversleeping might mean you have to go without breakfast if you depend on the hostel for your meals.
If you have a hot plate you can cook over, that would come in very handy in the hostel. With that, you can stock up on instant noodles, canned food and get your friends to join in. With everyone contributing something to the food supplies, no one need to go hungry, even if they return late because of some project.
One very useful gadget you should pack in for your hostel is the GT express which is more than a sandwich maker. It requires little space. Plug it in and you can cook crepes, gourmet food, omeletes, sandwiches and a variety of desserts. Perfect for the modern hostelite. How I wish they had invented that back when I was in the hostel I certainly could have used something like that.
Clothes wise, you will need jeans. Unless you wear a school uniform, jeans are the staple in hostel life during fall and winter. Get a few pairs in different shades and cuts to vary your look. They'd go with everything. Your t-shirts, sweaters, jackets, blouses the works. Just be sure to get all you clothing in colors that do something for you. If an outfit you love is in a color that doesn't do anything for you, as it makes you look dull, chuck that aside. Pick clothes that bring out the best in you. Those are all you need for your hostel life.
For bed time, nothing beats a super comfortable set of pajamas. Get a few sets so you needn't have to keep worrying about the laundry. Plus if because of some prank, the pajamas you are wearing gets soiled, you still have spare, clean pajamas on hand to sleep in.
Then you need some cleaning supplies for your laundry and dishes (you'd have to wash your own cup at least), a water bottle and lots of coffee if you need that to stay awake.
What else?
Think comfort and personal space. An extra pillow if you have space in your luggage for that, a woollen blanket for warmth and a teddy bear.
