37 Hyde Park Gate

The flat located at 37 Hyde Park Gate can be described in many different ways: Posh and sophisticated, with a classic décor; out of place among embassies and multimillionaires, and the bonding grounds which provide the means for 42 strangers to become friends.

Once you venture inside the second floor flat, you’ve entered sorority central. Cat fights over food and the occasional bickering over dishes. You’d never know how much drama could erupt in a kitchen until you dare to enter flat 2.

The common area in the flat could be considered cozy, if it wasn’t for the frigid air that encroaches upon its occupants.  If only the picturesque fireplace would step up and serve its purpose.  However, the beautiful view that overlooks our front yard, Hyde Park, is enough to make you forget about the bitter cold.

The place that I’ve truly learned to call home is 2A. There’s nothing glamorous about this little cubby I call home, but the pen permanently stuck in the sink, ghost that occupies the bathroom, and the constant drip of water down the wall is something I’ve started to find comfort in. There’s never a dull day in our little room. The rare nights in are spent devouring ben and jerry’s ice cream and listening to our favorite jams from the 90’s, while nights out end with parties in 2A and sleepovers in our already too-small beds.  

Mornings are less than pleasant. Four girls attempting to get dressed in the morning is a bit of a struggle with the lingering eyes of the Dutch embassy peering directly into our room. If you’re lucky enough to not have 9:30 a.m. class, you’re pleasantly awoken by construction workers who are trying to tear the building down, but claim to be renovating the mysterious flat on the first floor. I’m convinced that my beloved 2A, which is conveniently located directly above these mad men, will collapse into their destructive hands any day now. 

The maids have learned to leave our room till last, with hopes that they will never again be greeted by the 2A hurricane that left our cubby in a disarray of pizza pans, oven mitts, bottles, and miscellaneous clothes.

The chaos and havoc that erupts in flat 2 of 37 Hyde Park Gate is something that has become a part of my everyday life here in London. I’ve learned to appreciate the cramped coziness of my room in 2A and to find comfort in the outdated bunk beds, the peeling paint on the walls, and even George, the ghost who lives in our bathroom. These odd flats where 42 strangers have been thrown together as roommates are now my home, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.