So the big day’s finally here, your bags are packed, photo IDs tucked into your side pocket, and the family ready to say a teary goodbye to their grown teen. Your bai at home secretly thanks the heavens for she won’t have to clean your messy beds anymore and your mom packs innumerable tiffin boxes for the first few days of your college life. And although you have complete knowledge of the beds and side tables and drawers of your TribeStays hostel, sharing living space with people from all corners of the country can be quite a frightening thought for most of us. But as Rancho said- Aal is well! You might just be stepping into the best phase of your life, made even better by the 3 AM Cheese Maggi rants with your hostel mates. Here’s why hostel friends always last longer than any other friends-

You get to know their food habits down to the T

A very wise man named Maslow once stated that food is one of the most basic needs of humans. Whether they despise tomatoes in their McSpicy burger or like eating mayonnaise with almonds, you get to know it all because you witness them do it all day every day. The spicy, tangy, golden-fried aloo chaat deliciousness from that one rundown store from the second lane after Wakad station, or the golden-leafed mango meringue with raspberry coulis from that posh restaurant on Marine Drive, you learn all their preferences. By the third month, you’re scouting their ordered risotto for mushrooms because you love them and they hate it. And by the fifth, you know just when to add that pinch of red chili powder in their cup noodles for it to have the perfect flavor. These unspoken acts forge bonds that no man can ever decipher, not even Elon Musk. You might not even be aware of how effortlessly you merge into each other’s eating habits. And friends that eat together, stay together.

You know all their breakup stories because you lived through it all with them

So their Bumble match ghosted them- yet again. You know the drill- their favorite ice-cream, their favorite boyfriend/girlfriend bashing movie, and a stable shoulder to cry on. After all, when things got messy, you were the one to type out all the texts while you ran them a hot bath. A roomie is nothing short of a 24/7 hotline, and although they thought that this time they had finally found ‘the one,’ the universe unfortunately decided to give them a hard lesson instead. But along with all that pain, it also gave them your warm hugs that felt like mom’s. Let’s accept it, nothing brings two people closer than channeling all their hatred towards a super toxic ex. You start out with breakup sobbing but it doesn’t take long to transcend into conversations about the deeper questions of life. But at the end, you realize that powerhouses like you need no savior, you’re enough for each other. And while all this happens, you secretly re-download the dating apps on their phone.

It’s basically like a live-in relationship, only so much better

You switch off the geyser for them and they take the wet towels off the bed for you. They know all your habits and you know the perfect pick-me-ups for the rainy days. You share stories about your families and how your childhood pet ate up your school shoes the day before the final exam. Living together isn’t just about sharing a room, you also end up sharing a part of yourself with them, kinda like a horcrux, but in a less sinistery way. Fate works in mysterious ways, and people you meet by chance end up occupying the largest rooms of your heart within just a few months. It’s all the fun and no drama. It’s effortless because you don’t have to make plans two weeks in advance to meet them- they literally live with you and you just go with the flow, whether it’s midnight pink pasta or frantic Uber OTPs. And when the time comes to say goodbye, again with packed bags and photo IDs tucked into side pockets, you realize that all the anxiety you felt on the first day you moved in forged itself into the truest friendship you could ever find.