Well folks, welcome to 2005. And after the extended commercial break of the holidays (pun completely intended, and no, that’s not my best joke) we are back at school and back to our favorite roommates in Philly. It’s been a few weeks, so let’s take this one thing at a time.

So the roommates have been having small but significant amounts of drama, but also significant amounts of fun. They have been working hard, yelling loudly and being as crazy as ever.

Landon is still facing his demons about his drinking and his losing control (i.e. wanting to fight a household full of Mel’s bar friends and being inconsiderate, not to mention scary with that knife), and everyone else is still ragging on Melanie for being rude and outspoken at times when she should be more polite to her roommates.

The job is getting more exciting, as the group has been working on their playground and preparing presentations and designs for their bosses at the Philadelphia Soul. Outside of one incident where Willie had a bit too much fun and slept through a meeting, all of the roommates seem to be pulling their own weight.

The long-awaited trip has officially come, and we find our ‘Real World-ers’ off on a plane to Fiji in these past two weeks. This week, they found themselves in a pretty interesting situation, in a less than stellar hotel off the big island of Fiji. The sleeping quarters and latrines fail to distract as we see Sarah immediately attempting to hook up with not one, not two, but three different British guys, none of whom are feeling the American loving. However, this island does see some love between Landon and Shavonda, who finally end the debating on all our minds and take part in some hooking up of sorts.

Drama rears its ugly head when Mel talks with one of the British boys and finds out that Sarah has been trash-talking her behind her back, and the usual classic ‘Real World’ fight ensues. Sometimes people just need to let off steam, and with these two girls, it’s long overdue.

The roommates all love how beautiful Fiji is, and return for the big island and their more luxurious accommodations (i.e. working bathrooms that we wouldn’t have to call latrines). And as with all ‘Real World’ fights, Sarah and Mel made up, with the classic realizations that all realize after a fight like this, but I wouldn’t count out another bumping of heads or two.

Stay tuned, everyone; things can only get better. Will Landon and Shavonda take their hook-up to the next level? Will Sarah continue to be boy-crazy? Is Melanie ever going to stop being so rude? Even I can’t tell you these things.

‘Nova Students Speak Out

“Fiji is such a beautiful and tropical place. I could not imagine a better vacation spot for a bunch of friends.” -Jen Ellis, sophomore

“I think Landon and Shavonda need to face their feelings and hook up already!” -Broc Flores, sophomore