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DRAFT 2

In a normal life a person sleeps for about twenty-five years. Sleep is the natural state of rest in which the eyes are closed and both mind and body are inactive and unconscious. Sleeping provides the recovery for the body, it is necessary to collect energy for the following day to have a fresh, powerful start. This piece will present the sleeping conditions in a Hungarian dormitory, why it is sometimes impossible to have a rest, what are the so-called rules for a student to get used to these circumstances.

Let us imagine a Hungarian university dormitory with four floors, giving accomodation for a large number of students. It must be quite busy as most of these youngsters are enjoying beautiful years of their lives. They always have something to do, they are never bored. Going to campus, coming back to the dorm, leaving again, sometimes they just return for the night to get some sleep. This is the only way it could be bearable, because the dorm is not a very interesting building.

There are two types of student. The first is the eager-beaver type who is learning all day or sitting in the hall and watching the telly and hardly goes out. Generally these students learn how to live a good life in a year or so. The other kind of student is the let's-go-to-the-party type. They are the opposite of the previous ones. Having fun with friends all the time, going to pubs and parties are part of their daily routine. If one of each group are sharing a room they may face difficulties. One of them is fast asleep at ten, the other comes back at three in the morning, still drunk, making noise and waking the other up. In the long-term it can result in a serious quarrel unless they make a compromise with each other.

Sleeping in a dorm is in most cases difficult. Being a good or a bad sleeper also determines if one will be able to rest in such a lively place. A few people can sleep with the light and the radio on, or even when others break glasses and slam doors in the same room. Well, these are the lucky ones, sleeping anywhere anyhow is no problem for them. Others need silence and tranquility to be able to repose. If they do not have the appropriate conditions they keep awake for the whole night which is very unfortunate. One of these disturbing circumstances is the noise which either comes from outside or can be inside the room. Sometimes happy girls and boys chat and laugh in the corridor. It can be very annoying, especially when the person who tries to get some sleep was in a party the day before. In this case the best s/he can do is to think back what s/he did in the previous night. Maybe the same happened: s/he was disturbing someone else while having a great time.

Even when everything is quiet and peaceful outside the room, there can be some kind of din inside. Sleeping is basically a silent activity but in some cases it is not true. Talking in one's sleep can turn a roommate's dream into a nightmare. There is nothing to do against it really, if not using an ear-plug. At first it seems to be a good solution, everything will be fine: no noises and murmurs. The only snag is that the person who is using an ear-plug will not hear the alarm clock ringing in the morning and can be late from school.

Everyone who has ever lived in a dorm knows what it means to share a room with another student. A few months' time is needed to get to know the other, to get closer to him or her and to get used to his or her habits. In this period of time she or he turns out to be a great pal, an enemy or something in between the two. So it can be a beginning of a new friendship or the start of endless debates. It is inevitable to adapt to the other, to change in order to be able to understand each other and avoid rows. Accepting habits includes accepting sleeping habits as well. If the room is double, only two person need to adapt. The more students share a room the more difficult sleeping is. There is a big chance that all roommates will go out in different days and wake the others up at dawn. Before moving into such a place this should be considered as well. Someone who is not tolerant enough or not at all tolerant will have to change attitude before starting a new life in one of these places. As far as I am concerned I feel lucky about living in a dorm. I have good roommates, they are my friends as well. We have no difficulty in understanding one another and adapting to habits. Maybe it is so because friends usually have similar programmes and after a while they adopt each other's habits.

On the whole it is true that there are several happenings which can hinder one from sleeping in a Hungarian dorm. It depends on time, roommates, occasion whether the purpose to have a nice snooze can be accomplished or not. When it seems totally impossible there is no need to worry, every dorm-dweller have already faced or will face this problem. Besides there are many advantages of living in a dorm and although life is quite noisy there it worths living in one.