Oddly enough, I have very clear memories of my apartment last year, as well as my uninterrupted anger every time I strolled into my fourth floor apartment.

I don’t know, maybe it could have been the 124 stairs I had to surmount up or down everyday, or maybe it was the group of ruffians that lurked within our living space.

But oddly enough, living amongst kids that I really didn’t enjoy seeing everyday taught me a few things – keyword: few.

Aside from the perpetual mess that our apartment was left in day to day, I also got a crash course in Tolerance 101. Tolerance 101 isn’t that typical second semester class that you can arrive late to everyday and get away with it; it’s that course that habitually rouses you from your beauty sleep at 7:30 a.m. and expects you to be there to submit your homework.

You come to understand that we live in an imperfect universe, and unfortunately everyday events can follow a similar course.

If you often come head-to-head with your roommates, and don’t necessarily agree with their living standards, you will spend a lot of time in your room, so make it comfortable.

I eventually came to terms with the fact that the living room was not necessarily for “living” but rather a pulpit where I announced my gripes and complaints to my fellow roommates, or ‘inmates’ as I so aptly liked to refer to them as.

Not living with your friends can offer some irreplaceable amenities, including the capability of leaving at any hour to carry on your own business without anyone beckoning, “So where ya headed dude?” Believe me, this question gets old rather fast and will have you spending the first half of your travel to your destination grumbling to yourself “What do they care, anyway?”

Also, you’ll find that there are no hindrances between yourself and voicing the most brutally honest opinions on anything from dishes to why the lead singer of Nickelback is a no-talent excuse for a Canadian.

I don’t really mean to frame this entire article in a pejorative light, but by virtue of the subject matter, I’ve grown a little heated. Don’t get me wrong; we traded a few wise words, some laughs and some drinks.

I just had to accept, and I impart similar advice to my fellow students, that you are in your apartment to live and learn as well.

I learned quickly that putting up with 3 a.m. Halo 2 tournaments with their online friends in the Ukraine was all part of learning how well I could deal with a space that was less than favorable.

So next time your roommate decides it’s OK to leave his Subway sandwich under the living room couch, just remember — it’s not the stench of that spoiled sandwich filling your nostrils, it’s the aromatic perfume of a life lesson.