When I think of Harry Potter movies, I remember that a great deal of scenes occur in the common rooms. I don’t think that was by accident. When I think of my own common room, or “the lounge” as we call it, I get the same feelings of comfort and camaraderie present in the movies. 

For me, my fondness for the lounge began back in August of my freshman year. It was my first week at Villanova.  I was alone in my room in Delurey Hall and feeling homesick. That’s when I wandered into the hallway and saw people heading downstairs. I took a chance, and I followed them. They were having a viewing party for “Bachelor in Paradise.” I had never seen the show, so I had no idea what was going on. However, within several minutes, I found I didn’t care. I was engulfed in laughter and all-around high spirits. I felt a sense of community that I had been looking for. This continued for several weeks. Even when Bachelor in Paradise is not airing, there are almost always people in the lounge. I was there to watch the Villanova versus Army basketball game. I had a crash course on the rules of football when we watched the Eagles vs Giants.  

The lounge is also where I learned some new card games and how to moderate my consumption of Insomnia cookies. It was my first home-away-from-home, and the first time I truly experienced what it means to be part of the Villanova community. I am grateful that I decided to follow a whim that led me downstairs to the lounge that fateful night. While I won’t be using the lounge for discussing wizardry homework and practicing levitation spells, like Harry, Ron and Hermione, I can’t wait for more viewing parties, more laughs, more snacks and more togetherness.