Though French House isn’t as well known or constantly talked about as larger dorm buildings like Mem East, it is an incredible community that of which I’m proud to be a part. The bond that comes from living with a small group of people is strong and lasting. When asked what is the best part about living in a small dorm, senior Rosie Lacas, who lived in Logan and then in French for two years, said, “The family-like feel including always having each other’s back but also having the humor to be able to prank each other.”

We watch hockey together before study hall and play cards against humanity late on Saturday night after watching a movie in Mattie Byrd’s apartment. Dorm meetings in French (the smallest dorm on campus with two doubles and four singles) aren’t just to give warnings about being messy or to call someone out for leaving their rotting food in the fridge. We talk about how our week is going, share funny stories from our day, or about how our games went. We talk about college, how our classes are going, our families and friends back home. Anything you can think of we talk about. French really is a home to me not just a dorm. My room is my own. I don’t count down the days till long weekends or breaks because being in French is like being at home, just with a different family.

At the end of sophomore year I was chosen to be a proctor. I was thrilled because only a small number of girls got it, two of my closest friends and I were chosen. That excitement faded quickly though; I had been given proctorship in Memorial Hall East, a girls dorm on campus that holds around forty girls. When we did proctor interviews they asked if I would want to proctor Mem East. I was honest with the dorm parents. I said “no.” I knew that living in a dorm that size wouldn’t work for me.

My friends and I had all talked about the different possibilities of what could happen if some of us got proctorship and other ones didn’t. We never expected for all three of us to get it but it happened. My roommate had decided that if one of us got proctorship and the other one didn’t that we didn’t want to split up, and that we would keep living together wherever one of us got proctorship. She got proctorship in French House and we have been there since last year.

I had lived in John Wright freshman year, and then Logan sophomore year and I loved it, the feel was totally different. The size was perfect, girls, everyone was close, and we had a great time together. It was a very different experience from living in John Wright as a freshman where screaming insults down the hallway was a common occurrence and gossip was constant. Going from living a dorm like Logan to Mem East would have been a huge change and I knew that I would be happier in a smaller dorm, so I decided to do what was best for me and turn the proctorship down.

Even though Logan and French are both extremely small dorms, each holding under twenty girls, the lifestyles in them were completely different. Logan was a party every night. It was sophomore year, and almost half the girls in the dorm were new to the sophomore class. The fun of meeting new girls from freshman year had come back but this time everyone got along. The first floor became especially close. Being comfortable with everyone in the dorm and knowing everyone really well led to a lot of memorable moments, like holiday parties and pranks.

Every night was like a sleepover; we slept in each other’s rooms after lights out and watched movies all the time. That spring a few of my close friend and I pulled a prank that we still to this day haven’t topped; we moved our other friend’s entire room into the bathroom across the hall. Her chair, lamp, curtains, clothes, bedding, books, everything was moved and set up exactly like they were in her real room. One Friday night the bottom floor just didn’t want to do study hall. We decided that it would be a lot more fun to dress up in the weirdest things we could find in our rooms and take pictures, then sit and do homework. Needless to say, Mr. Gunn was not amused, and we all ended up with points.

Last year in French a few of us didn’t know each other well at the beginning of the year, but a bond formed quickly. It seemed like everyone had an instant connection and everyone was really comfortable with each other. The people you’re with really make or break a situation. Living in such a small dorm could be a good or bad thing depending on the people. Having everyone be close adds to the fun and makes it a more enjoyable place to live, and in such a small dorm getting along with everyone is huge. You are only separated by two small hallways and you are going to be seeing a lot of that person. Learning how to get along and be at least respectful is huge. French is my home now, and while I can’t write that I was a proctor on college applications, looking back I know I made the right decision. Living in such a small dorm for two years has been amazing and made my time here at Williston really memorable.