Well first of all I'd like to say that entering the university in the capital was my first step into adult life. Certainly I was aware that my life would change a lot and that I would face some difficulties (among which was sharing a room with unknown people), but I decided that it was time to start a new adult life.

So now I live in a hostel and share my room with three girls. As I have some experience I can judge about living at home with parents and living on your own in a hostel. It goes without saying that living in away from home when you are a student has a lot of advantages. The main advantage is that you are free from your parents' supervision: they don't say what you should do, what you should wear and how to behave, what you should eat and what time you have to be at home. You also become more independent and long-sighted, it becomes easier for you to adapt yourself to life and its difficulties. Besides when you live away from your parents all disagreements and problems that existed before disappear. You begin to understand the importance of family and value family bonds. You realize that it's family that gives you support and stability, a consolation in sorrow and where you can find understanding even if you do something wrong. As far as disadvantages are concerned I want to say that the greatest disadvantage is that you don't have a room of your own and you have to share it with some people. You have to adapt yourself to them, their interests and desires. For instance, if someone is sleeping you can't listen to music and you have to whisper. When you live at home your parents care about you, the simplest example is that mother cooks dinners and you needn't do it yourself, but when you live on your own if you don't care about yourself, nobody will care about you.

Nevertheless I find living in a hostel quiet pleasant and useful. Frankly speaking during my first months in the hostel I felt like being in a health resort. I was free and it was like a breath of fresh air. But then I got used to it. Now it even seems to me as I have lived in the hostel for ages. When you live in a hostel you never feel lonely; here you always have somebody to turn for help, a piece of advice or just to talk to. I've acquired a lot of friends and acquaintances in the hostel, who will certainly lend me a hand if I need it. But sometimes living in a hostel annoys me, especially when some noise disturbs me and prevents me from work. I also want to admit that it's very difficult to live with people who have another rhythm of life. For example I'm an early riser but all the other girls in our room like to sleep as long as possible and I can hardly do anything until they awake. Besides you need to adapt yourself to other people's desires and wishes and sometimes it's very difficult, because the first wants to listen to hard music, the second wants to learn something and the third wants to sleep; the only way out in such a situation is to find a compromise. We successfully find it, though it isn't very easy and that's why there no quarrels and disagreements in our room. 

I'm on friendly terms not only with my roommates but also with all my neighbours who live on our floor. All of them are amiable, trustworthy and sympathetic people, that's why I like them very much. With some of them we are loyal friends and we usually spend quite a lot of time together: we go for a walk, go to shops for purchases, see new films and TV talk-shows. You can always turn to your neighbours for something you need, for instance, when I don't have a book I usually borrow it from my neighbours who study with me in the same year; when I'm lack of bread or oil I don't hurry to the nearest shop, I simply turn to my neighbours; if we receive guests in our room and we don't have enough plates or chairs we also turn to the neighbours and they do the same in such situations. There is a rule in our hostel: "Today you help somebody, and tomorrow somebody will help you". It seems to me that it's easier to live according to this rule. But sometimes it happens that neighbours can disturb you, for example when I'm preparing for an important test but they are listening to music too loudly or singing songs, But usually it isn't a problem to find a common language with them, because my neighbours are students as well and they understand how difficult it is to study in such a noise.

But frankly speaking sometimes I dream of renting a flat. First of all because you can do everything you want, you needn't adjust to other people and their habits, for instance, if you want to sleep (even at a daytime) nobody will hamper you, if you want tot study something in silence you can easily do it. Also in a hostel you can invite guests to your room only at special hours from 10 till 12 o'clock in the morning and from 18 till 23 o'clock in the evening. It isn't convenient. And once I had very unpleasant experience because of it. A friend of mine studies in Poland. One day she came to Minsk because she needed to visit embassy and after it we met, but I didn't manage to invite her to my place, because it wasn't time for receiving guests and we had to go to a cafe. But at the same time when I imagine myself living alone in a flat I feel pity for myself. I think that it's boring. Besides if you don't understand something, for example, a new rule there is nobody who can explain it to you. It will take a lot of time to get to the university, because it's almost impossible to rent a flat near it. But the most important disadvantage to my mind is that it's expensive to rent a flat in Minsk and as I don't work at present I can't afford it and I don't want my parents pay for me.

From time to time I think that it would be even better to live with parents. First of all, because home is home; it's your little world where you live according to your own rules and interests. It's a place where you feel comfort, warmth and reliability. There you have everything you need starting with meals your mother cooks every day and finishing with household appliances like iron, vacuum cleaner, TV set and computer. Also you have a room of your own where you can paper the walls according to your taste, arrange furniture as you like and do what you want. At home you are always supported by your parents and friends. As far as friends are concerned I personally have a lot of them in Gomel and I certainly miss them very much, we often write e-mails and phone one another, but unfortunately I can meet them only once a month, and it makes me sad. It is one of the most important reasons why I would like to live with my parents.

And in the end I'd like to say that there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages of living in a hostel, renting a flat or living with parents, that's why everyone chooses the most suitable kind of living for himself.